Can You Smoke Concentrates Out of a Bong?

Can you smoke concentrates out of a bong? Short answer: yes, you can smoke concentrates out of a bong.

It’s better to use a vaporizer or an e-nail rig made specifically for smoking dabs. But you already knew that. You don’t have a dab rig nearby. You have a cannabis concentrate — wax, shatter, budder, etc. — and a bong, but you’re wondering how you can consume it.

To that, I say: I got you.

Since time immemorial, people have been inventing new and imaginative ways to smoke weed. Some, like the vaporizer, are borne from ingenuity, bravery, and a rigorous commitment to the scientific method.

Others, like the apple-and-pen method, are not.

Smoking cannabis extracts out of a bong likely falls into the latter category. But we salute you, nonetheless. 

There are two primary ways to accomplish smoking concentrates from a bong. Let’s get started.

Equipment Required to Smoke Concentrates From a Bong – Banger/Nail Method

This method will require more specialised equipment, specifically a dab attachment of some sort. It is ideal for “wetter” concentrates such as live resin. 

Materials Needed:

• A bong
• A glass dab attachment such as a nail, banger, or terp slurper
• Your concentrate
• A dab torch and dab tools

How to Use a Bong to Smoke Dabs – Banger/Nail Method

This method is a bit more involved than the one below, but will be closer to the traditional dab experience. Learn more about how to dab here.

Step By Step Instructions:

1. Heat the nail or banger with a dab torch to your desired temperature.
2. Wait for the nail to cool to your desired temperature.
3. Add a small portion of concentrate (your “dab”) using a dab tool.
4. Slowly inhale. If using a carburetor, ensure it is closed.
5. Release slide or carb.
6. Big inhale.

Using a Dab Banger on a Bong

In order to use the method above, you will need a dabbing attachment that is specially made to fit a bong. There are glass converters that enable you to use dab attachments (referred to as a “nail” or “banger”) on a bong, and even a few designed to fit bongs exclusively (though they are rarer to find). Thus, it is certainly possible to use a dab nail on a bong, however, there are some extra factors to address.

One of the primary design functions of many bongs is to pull out the bowl to create airflow and take in the cloud of smoke that’s built in the chamber. This is referred to as a “slide,” because it slides out. Not all bongs are designed this way. Some have a hole in the side that acts as a carburetor (the same that you might find on a spoon pipe).

Dab nails get very hot — and retain that heat — in ways that bowls don’t. When using a bong with a slide to dab, you’ll need to use a clip or other grabbing device (just in case it’s hot) to grab the banger from the slide when inhaling. It’s not quite as easy or comfortable as grabbing a typical bong bowl, but doable so long as you are careful and have the right equipment.

To complicate the matter further, many dab nails are designed to heat the concentrate over an extended period of time so that the dab heats up slowly, unlike a bowl used for flower. This is especially true for low-temp dabs. In this situation, you’d be pulling the nail away while the concentrate is still vaporising, or you’d be in for one long slow inhale, which isn’t comfortable or always possible. For these reasons, most consumers do not choose this method, and instead will opt for the “sandwich” method with flower described below when using a bong with a slide.

If you’re going to use a bong to dab, bongs that have a hole that is covered to act as a carburetor will work better by eliminating the issue of removing the banger. You can control the inhalation by simply lifting your finger.

When using any bong to dab concentrates, be mindful to aim the torch away from the glass as the nail is heated, or when using an e-nail, that it is a good distance away from the body or neck of the bong.

Equipment Required to Smoke Concentrates From a Bong – Flower Method

This method is easier to do with “drier” concentrates, such as wax or shatter. The process is quite simple.

Materials Needed:

• A bong, pipe, bubbler, etc
• Some cannabis flower
• Your concentrate
• And a lighter

And you’re off to the races. Just make sure your bowl is big enough. A one-hitter won’t work very well here.

How to Use a Bong to Rip Dabs – Flower Method

Step By Step Instructions:

1. Crumble enough dried flower to cover the bottom of your bowl
2. Put a little bit of wax on top of the flower
3. Pack more flower on top of the wax
4. Light up.

You want to “sandwich” your concentrate in between flower so you don’t expose it to an open flame. The heat required to burn flower is higher than what’s needed to burn the wax. So if you put a flame directly onto concentrate, it’ll waste some of the THC that should be getting you high.

Other Rig-less Ways to Smoke Concentrates

No bong? No flower? No problem. Here are some other ways you can get the most out of your extracts.

Roll it in a Joint

Make a regular joint with a bit less flower than you normally would. Then fill that extra space with one, two, maybe three dabs of wax. Roll it up and you’re off to the races.

Put Those Butter Knives to Use

The go-to of broke teens everywhere, the hot knives technique is an old standby for a reason. 

Heat up a knife using your stove element, then drop a tiny bit of wax on it and inhale the smoke. Try using a straw, funnel, or a halved plastic bottle to catch more of the smoke. This is often done using two knives, with the dab placed in between them.

Will this feel desperate, verging on fiendish? Yes. Will it work? Absolutely.

Bake it into an Edible

If you’ve got some time, you can use your concentrate to make an edible. Sure, the process will take a while. But so will the high.

Just remember when you’re looking up recipes that you’ll need to use way less cannabis extract than you would flower. Try looking for wax-specific recipes so you don’t end up couch-locked for eight hours.

Using a Rig or Vaporizer is The Best Way to Smoke Concentrates

Smoking concentrates out of a bong will get you high. But it’s inefficient. 

If you’re paying a premium for high-quality concentrates, you’ll want to make sure you get the best bang for your buck. That means using a rig designed for dabbing — ideally, vaporising your dabs to squeeze out every last terpene. Here are some of our favourite examples:

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Using a bong — or any of the other techniques listed here — to consume cannabis concentrates will likely result in wasting some of the THC you paid so dearly for (especially when using the flower method). 

Finally, concentrates are, as the name suggests, concentrated. The larger volumes of smoke that bongs provide are typically not necessary. Using a dedicated rig will save you money in the long-term. And it’ll make your experience much smoother.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Most Efficient Way to Smoke Concentrates?

A 2019 study from Forensic Science International found that using a dab rig is the most efficient way to inhale cannabis. Over 75% of the THC makes it into a dabber’s lungs, compared with 25% of smoked dried flower. 

Can You Smoke Wax With a Spoon?

Yes. The hot knife method (outlined above) will also work with a metal spoon — or anything that can withstand a stove element’s heat, and has adequate space to drop a dab onto.

How Long is Wax Good to Smoke? Do Cannabis Concentrates Expire?

If they’re stored correctly, cannabis concentrates can last six months or more. Keep them in an airtight jar away from heat and light. Expired cannabis concentrates won’t make you sick — they’ll just get you less high. The THC will degrade into CBN, just like in dried flower.