For all you glass lovers out there, this post is for you. Ever had a nice glass piece, that you loved and cherished, and used as often as possible? Those pieces are the best, especially those that you get a special bond with. The problem is, well, these pieces are entirely made of glass. The chances of a glass piece breaking are pretty high. And chances are, if you are an experienced glass piece user, you’ve already witnessed some glass breaking. Hopefully, it wasn’t your favorite piece, as those can be the toughest to recover from.
[bctt tweet=”RIP my bong, gone but never forgotten ?” username=”reefer_post”]
Many stoners who’ve had a glass piece break have been devastated. Some simply cannot afford a new one. Most, however, are sad because the piece that broke was a very good one. Some glass just hits better than others. Some are smoother, stay cleaner, or have special features (ice catcher, kief/reclaim catcher, Lego guy in the middle, etc.). These stoners will do anything to bring their beloved piece back, including glue. Glue may seem like a quick and easy fix for a broken piece, especially one that only broke in one spot and just needs to be connected back together. However, using glue is not ideal, and in this post, we will break down why that is and why you never want to use glue inside something you are smoking from.
First, My Story
I first learned about how bad it is to use glue when I had my first bubbler. I purchased the bubbler one in January, which followers of Reefer Post may have seen many times before. This bubbler was used almost every single day, all the way until April. That’s when tragedy struck.
My bubbler broke due to high levels of stress. That’s right, my bubbler got so stressed out that it broke. But not the type of stress you are thinking about. My bubbler didn’t have a midterm test coming up and was stressing about it so much it broke in half. No. What happened was stress caused by frequent pressure. My bubbler was kept inside a bag, in which all my smoking accessories were kept. Unfortunately, I had no idea at the time that this stress could break my bubbler. I honestly never thought about it. Had I, my bubbler may still be here today.
Many different smoking accessories had been placed on top of my bubbler inside my smoking bag. Over a matter of months, this weight became too much for my bubbler, and one day it finally gave out. On that day, I took out my bubbler as usual to use it and noticed it was broken. The stem had broken off from the rest.
Since, at the time, this was the only bubbler I owned, I did not want to go out and purchase a new one. So I decided to glue it back together. I figured this simple fix was all the bubbler needed. I glued the stem back on, applied a small amount of pressure to the bubbler to hold it in place, and let it sit for 24 hours. After that, I used my bubbler.
The first problem was that the first few hits tasted like glue. I knew that glue was probably not the best thing for my lungs, so I hardly used my bubbler after that. After sitting around for about a month or two, the glue had worn off and the stem broke off again. By this point, I knew it was time to say goodbye. I glued it back together to make a final goodbye video for my bubbler, and that video was the last time anyone saw it.
One reason why the glue in my bubbler wore off was because of the continued use of a lighter near it. Heat and glue do not mix well. Too much heat can cause the glue to be practically useless. Therefore, constantly using a lighter near the glued area of my bubbler was not helping the cause at all. This contributed to the glue wearing off. Another factor was simply time. No type of glue lasts forever, and I wasn’t necessarily using one of the best.
Dangers of Using Glue
After I glued my bubbler back together the first time, I realized that the first few hits always tasted like glue. This could not be good. Glue in my lungs? No thanks. This made me not want to use the bubbler at all, honestly. What made it worse was that the taste of glue masked the taste of weed, and I couldn’t even enjoy it!
For those that do not know, inhaling glue can be very harmful to your body. Doing this can lead to respiratory failure, brain damage, heart rhythm disturbances, and possibly more. The direct use of glue has even been linked to several deaths. Check out this article to learn more about the dangers of inhaling glue:
Link to Inhaling Glue Dangers Article
Inhaling glue has also been associated with giving off a small, temporary high. For this reason, sniffing glue has been practiced for many years. Users often claim it is a cheap and easy way to get high. Again, directly inhaling glue can kill you, or at least cause serious health issues. Stick to weed, it’s pretty affordable and the high is way better anyways.
What To Do Instead
If you have a similar occurrence to mine, your glass piece breaks, do not glue it. Gluing it is only a short solution to a long problem. The glue will only wear off, then you will either have to choose to continuously glue it, or just buy a new piece. Here at Reefer Post, we say just buy a new piece.
If you live in an area with local smoke shops (pretty much anywhere in the U.S. and some other countries), then buying a new piece should be fairly easy. For example, I purchased my first bubbler for $10. Sure, there was a sale going on (and I knew the guy who owned the place), but you can still get similar prices at other smoke shops. These pieces are labeled under “For Tobacco Use Only”, but we all know what’s going on here.
The piece that I replaced my broken bubbler with was purchased at the same smoke shop. I bought it for $30, and still use it to this day. I did, however, break the bowl one time, and had to buy a replacement. My local smoke shop sold me the replacement for $5! That’s not bad and saves me from the struggles of using glue.
Some glass pieces can also be purchased online. Many individual glassblowers sell their products directly through social networks or even a website. Browse around and see some cool options! The best thing about buying online is that you can select many different options from all over!
Final Note
That’s all for this post. Hope you enjoyed it! Remember, never use glue. Glue is very dangerous to our bodies, and direct use and even lead to death. If you break a glass piece that you once loved, it’s best to go out and replace it instead of gluing it back together. Thanks for reading!
FAQ: Why Should You Never Glue Your Glass?
A: Using glue to repair glass is a bad idea because the glue often fails over time, leaving you with a weakened glass structure. Additionally, most glues are not made for glass repair, so the glue may not be strong enough for the job and could damage the glass further.
A: The best way to repair glass is to use a specialized glass adhesive such as a two-part epoxy, silicone adhesive, or solvent-based cement. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, apply the adhesive to the surface of both pieces of glass and press evenly.
A: The best option for fastening glass to something else is to use metal fasteners. This will provide more support than glue and the glass will be held securely in place.
A: No, hot glue is not suitable for repairing glass and should never be used for this purpose.
