(thing) by geekaus Sat Dec 29 2001 at 15:38:43
Also commonly known as a 'springer'. A homemade device for smoking various herbs. Named after the brand of the juice bottles used for the chamber1. For those of you to whom Spring Valley's fine range of juices is unavailable, the chief advantage of the Spring Valley bottle is it's shape. It is a small bottle (250mL) which is vaguely pear-shaped. However the mouth of the bottle is substantially larger than the neck. The reason this is important will soon become apparent.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

  • A Spring Valley or similarly shaped bottle.
  • A length of PVC tubing, approximately 35cm long and 6cm in diameter. NOTE: I have been informed that PVC emits carcinogenic gases when heated. Use at your own risk.
  • A stem2 and cone3 piece. The stem can be bought from a bong shop but it is cheaper elsewhere. All that is needed is a length of metal pipe, about 2cm wide and 15cm long. It is best to buy the cone first, and fit the pipe to it. Try your local hardware store (but don't let the staff see the cone (and don't buy it at the same time as the PVC piping)).
  • Some boiling water.

HOW TO MAKE IT:

  1. Cut a small hole in the PVC, about 3/4 of the way down. Make it a little smaller than the diameter of your stem.
  2. Cut another very small hole on the other side of the PVC, at the same height. This one should be about 0.5cm in diameter.
  3. Pour boiling water over the hole, and quickly jam in the stem, so that it extends out the end closest to the hole. You want to leave about 4-5cm of the stem protruding from the hole. If you do this right, the PVC will mold around the stem, making it almost perfectly airtight.
  4. Pour more boiling water over the end of the PVC closest to the stem. Push the neck of the Spring Valley bottle into the tube (the enlarged mouth will grip the PVC), so the stem extends almost to the bottom of the bottle.
  5. Finally, pour even more boiling water over the neck of the bong, and fold the PVC over the outside of itself. NOTE: This is the most difficult step of the process and is not necessary. It just makes things more comfortable.

WHAT NOW?

  1. Fill the cone with desired herb and place your thumb over the hole opposite the stem (also known as a shottie or a carb).
  2. Hold a lit lighter to the herb and inhale.
  3. When the herb ash falls through the hole in the cone, remove your thumb and suck up all the smoke left in the tube. The idea is to take the whole cone in one hit.

This write-up is for educational purposes only and should not be used for the consumption of illegal substances. (yeah, right).

1 The chamber is the section of the bong containing the water, where the smoke is filtered.
2 A stem is a length of pipe, extending from the bottom of the chamber to the outside of the bong.
3 A cone is basically a metal funnel that fits into the stem. Your herb of choice is placed in the cone and ignited. I believe a cone is called a bowl in the US. The stem and cone are often referred to as a single object, called (imaginatively enough) a stem and cone piece.

I like it! 2 C!s