Homemade Jack Daniels Bong

This is a homemade bong I just finished. I hope everybody likes it. If anybody wants to know how it was made, just let me know and I'll expand. In the meantime, I just wanted to show off a little.

If you're going to smoke it, smoke it right.
View attachment 5483
 

 

I'm glad everybody likes it!  Here is the basic rundown, and I'll include a few more close up photos so everybody can see more clearly.  Sorry I don't have before, during, and after pictures, but it's pretty straight forward, so hopefully that can do the trick if anybody else is thinking about making the same type of bong.
 
Tools needed:
Drill (preferably something that locks up when the trigger is released)
Glass and Tile Bit Set (up to 1/4" bit)
1/2" Standard Drill Bit
Leather Gloves (because if the bottle breaks, you don't want your skin to)
Protective Goggles (because glass fragments in your eyes make the whole thing a big bummer really fast)
Vice Grips
Pipe Cutter
Toothpicks
 
Materials needed:
Jack Daniel's bottle, 1.75ml (half gallon); FREE (unless you count the whiskey that was in it, which you know you're going to drink anyway)
2 Part Quickset Epoxy; $5
1/4" x 51" length of metal brake line (found at all auto parts stores); $7-8
Salt and Pepper Shaker, glass (dollar store, Big Lots, Wal-Mart, etc.); $.50-1.00
1/2" x 1/2" Brass Flare Coupling, (home improvement store with a plumbing section); $3
Aluminum Window Screening
 
 
The single most nerve wracking part of the job is drilling the holes into the bottle without cracking or breaking it.  If you have another bottle that you can test out your skills on first, by all means, do so.  I learned this lesson the hard way on my first go around, and it's a really sad way to make a "$50" mistake.
 
I chose the Jack Daniel's bottle specifically for the purpose of having flat surfaces to drill against.  Curved bottles are much more difficult because the drill bits have a tendency to skate around the surface before you can start drilling effectively.
 
Step 1:
Remove labels and clean with soapy water and a sponge.  Enough said.  If you can't get past this step, you may as well stop here!
 
Step 2:
Find a place that will allow you to have glass dust go crazy.  For myself, I was in an unused area of my basement.  Put down a layer of cardboard to act as a soft surface that will not mar or damage the glass.
 
Step 3:
Put on your safety gear, and take a deep breath, this is the make or break moment.
 
Drilling Tips:
1) Drill on the highest speed possible
2) Drill as perfectly straight and perpendicular as possible
3) Occasionally remove the bit from the surface and spray it with water or dip it into a cup of water to cool it off
4) Take your time.  This is the most time consuming part of the job, and you only get one shot with each hole.
5) Be cautious as the bit passes through.  You will be applying some pressure and you don't want want to move too quickly.  If you push the bit through too quickly, you may smash the drill against the glass and break it
6) If the glass looks like it is starting to fragment or crack, move more slowly.  You're on borrowed grace at this point.
 
Step 4:
Start with the salt and pepper shaker, (because it's cheaper and easier to replace if you need to).  Remove the cap and place it on it's side against the cardboard surface.  The more flush you can keep it, the better.  You don't want it rattling around or breaking in the process.  With one of the smaller drill bits, proceed to drill a pilot hole in one side of the skaker.  The closer to the bottom edge you can get, the better.  Ensure that you are far enough away from the bottom edge that you don't come into contact with the bottom as the bit passes through.
 
Step 5:
Turn the salt and pepper shaker over and drill another hole on the other side.
 
Step 6:
Set the salt and pepper shaker against the back of the Jack Daniel's bottle.  The top of the shaker should be above the top edge of the bottle edge.  You will want to be able to unscrew the cap to shake out the ash.  Find a place an inch or more below the shaker at which to drill the bottle.
 
Just as with the shaker, drill two holes into the Jack Daniel's bottle.  If you choose to drill against the same surface, as I did, you will need to be especially patient and careful.  Because the holes are next to each other, there is a very good chance that a sloppy drilling will crack the bottle from hole to hole.
 
View attachment 132306
 
Step 7:
On the top of the bottle, drill one last hole to act as a carb.  I placed mine on the left side closer to the ash catcher so I can light with my right hand and hold the bottle with my left hand.  I have four fingers on that side and only one closer to me.  It would be all for naught if I released my thumb to hit it.  (In other words, I'd drop it.)
 
View attachment 132310
 
Step 8:
At this point all of the glass drilling should be done.  Now go wash that thing.  Rinse it out and get rid of all those nasty glass shavings.
 
Step 9:
Cut the flare end off the brake line and remove the fittings.  Using the pliers, begin to gently shape the curves of the piping to navigate inside the shaker and into the bottle.  Work on one side at a time.  Be careful not to bend the pipe at a sharp angle.  The sharper the angle, the less likely you will be able to draw air smoothely.
 
I did this by first bending it to fit inside the shaker.  As I was determining where to bend the pipe to fit within the bottle, I put the bottle against the edge of a table and held the pipe against it's side.  This helped me to determine what length of pipe I needed.  After determining the correct length, I was able to cut it and shape it into the bottle.  (Hopefully that makes sense.)
 
Continue to bend and shape the pipe until it slides comfortably into both pieces.
 
View attachment 132308
 
Step 10:
Repeat step 9 for the other side.
 
Step 11:
Before proceeding, check the following:
1) Does the salt and pepper shaker extend far enough up so that the cap can be removed?
2) Does the salt and pepper shaker lay flat against the bottle, and is it straight?
3) Can you blow on one end of each pipe and feel air come out the other end?
4) When the pipes are in the bottles, they aren't pressed against the edges of the bottle and creating a seal are they?
 
Lay the bottle on it's front so that all of the pieces are able to rest comfortably.
 
If everything checks out, it's time to epoxy it all together.  Per manufacturers instructions, mix the epoxy.  Using a toothpick, apply some epoxy to the shaker that will be against the bottle.  Apply the epoxy and situate the shaker against the bottle where it should be.
 
Apply the epoxy around each pipe at the holes you have drilled, (with the exception of the carb of course), creating good seals.
 
View attachment 132309
 
Step 12:
Leave the bottle to allow the epoxy to cure.
 
Step 13:
Go back to the cap for the salt and pepper shaker.  Drill a hole in the cap large enough to fit the brass coupling.  This may require some finess and a little bit of shaping to get it into place correctly.  The more circular the drill hole, the better.
 
If after drilling the cap you find that there are still holes that allow air to flow through, simply go back to the epoxy and fill the holes in the cap.
 
Step 14:
Cut a small square of the aluminum screening into a piece about 1"x1".  Press the piece into the top of the fitting.  After all, you don't want your green falling through and getting nasty in the ash catcher. 
 
View attachment 132307
 
Step 15:
After the epoxy has cured, assemble it all, fill with water, and enjoy!
 
Step 16: (OPTIONAL)
Decorate that beauty, brag about your $15 bong that hits just as well as your buddie's $200 piece, give her a name, and remember to change the water.
 
View attachment 132311

 

Brown Bread,
 
I skipped the downstem for a couple of reasons.  First of all, I wanted to keep it as cheap as possible.  Second, if I got a larger drill bit, it would've added to the expense.  Also, with that, drilling that large of a hole would have increased my chances of breaking the glass, further increasing costs.  If I put in a downstem it would've had a to be a fairly large hole since it would've required some sort of grommet to keep the seal.  It's still really easy to pack and empty, and the carb on the top of the bottle allows the air to flow easily by itself.

 

I would refer you to the list of tools and steps 2-8.  Basically, use drill bits designed for glass and tile and take your sweet time.