If you’re a big fan of Halloween like we are, then you won’t want to miss this festive DIY activity! Whether you’re doing this for novelty sake or you just have a bunch of small pumpkins and gourds sitting around after Halloween and you’ve misplaced your smoking device, it’s fun to make your own non-conventional pipe. Plus, you’ll be sure to have some great selfie opportunities hitting your festive piece to send to your buds.
Tools you’ll need:
- Seasonal gourd/small pumpkin of choice
- Circle Cutting Tool (can be found in some Pumpkin Carving Kits). If you do not have a Circle Tool, you can use a Corkscrew. Be sure your tool is a similar size or smaller than your bowl’s stem
- Flower Bowl (can be purchased at Dockside, or borrowed from your “actual” bong)
Let’s get started:
Step 1:
Find a nice gourd, squash, or pumpkin with fairly soft flesh (some can be quite hard).
Be sure it’s comfortable to hold in one hand.
Don’t do it yet, but as a heads up, you’ll be making 3 holes:
- one for the mouthpiece (you won’t need an actual piece, just a hole to suck through)
- one for the carb (the carb is the hole that you cover while hitting your pipe and then uncover to clear the remaining smoke out of the chamber)
- one for the bowl
Step 2:
Find the most comfortable way to hold your gourd and use your fingernail (or another tool) to indent the skin marking where you want your carb.
Step 3:
Use your hole cutting device to make a hole in the spot you marked.
Try to aim towards the hollow center of your gourd, as that’s where the smoke will gather. Push your tool though until you feel it pop into the hollow center. If you don’t feel it pop, you may need to grab a longer tool. If you are using a corkscrew, it may take a couple of passes to make a nice clean hole.
Step 4:
Figure out where you want the hole for your mouth.
Pick your pumpkin up with the hand you’d normally hold a pipe in. Keeping your finger over the carb hole, hold the gourd to your mouth. To mark the spot, you can press your tooth onto the skin, or wear chapstick/lipstick, or use a finger on the opposite hand to mark the spot the same way at the first hole.
Step 5:
Once you have the hole for your mouthpiece, powerfully blow through it to blast the gourd guts OUT through the carb hole.
Make sure to aim the carb over a trash can or sink as chunks and seeds will likely go flying. Then turn your gourd around and blow out through the carb hole, as well. You don’t want squash flying down your windpipe when you’re having your session. You may have to repeat this a few times until all your gourd’s guts are removed.
If you want your future self to thank your past self for providing munchies, then you could rinse your seeds off and roast them using one of our favorite spice blends from our Seasoning and Infusing Roasted Pumpkin Seeds post.
Step 6:
Lastly, decide where you want your bowl and create another hole there.
Try to situate the bowl so it is away from your face, and easy to light. If your hole looks a little smaller than your bowl’s stem, it is still likely it will still fit once you push it in gently. If you are using a corkscrew, you will need to widen your hole for the bowl. Find a kitchen utensil that has a similar width to your bowl’s stem. We used a silverware handle. Push your utensil into the bowl hole and turn it in a circle to widen it, then push your bowl in. Just be careful not to make it too wide, because you want a good seal around the stem of the bowl.
Step 7:
Load that gourd up with weed and enjoy.
Store in the fridge if you plan to keep your gourd pipe longer than a day. It should last for about 2 weeks if refrigerated between uses.
