Have you been feeling burned out? Might I suggest a little POTtery sesh?
Try your hand at making your own clay one hitter aka a bat or a chillum. Never heard of a chillum? A chillum is similar to a traditional pipe, but it looks like a classic cigarette that it is made from clay or glass.
It's a simple design that is essentially a hollow tube with a mouthpiece and forward-facing bowl. They are great because they are discrete and portable. And, chillums are user-friendly, easy to clean, and the perfect size for a solo sesh. Read on below to learn how to make yours...
Materials:
- Ceramic clay (stoneware or porcelain). DO NOT use polymer or air dry clay.
- A round skewer
- A ribbon or wire pottery tool
- Flat work surface
- Optional - Sponge
- Optional - Underglazes to decorate your pipe
Instructions:
- On a flat surface, roll a coil of clay that is about 1/2 inch thick
- Cut the coil a little longer than the length you'd like your chillum to be. Note: clay can shrink up to 15%.
- Use your wire ribbon tool to carve out a bowl on one end of the coil
- Carefully push the skewer through the center of the bowl out the other end of the coil
- Smooth the bowl + ends of the chillum with your finger or sponge
- Let your piece dry and then decorate with underglaze
- Get your pottery professionally fired and glazed
- Enjoy your one-of-a-kind one hitter
Note: to use your pipe for smoking, it must first be fired in a professional pottery kiln, and glazed where your mouth will touch the clay with waterproof, food-safe glaze. Glazing the inside of the pipe and the bowl will make cleaning easier, but isn't required.
If you're local to Massachusetts come check out one of our Puff Puff Pottery Classes where you'll learn to sculpt pipes and bongs from ceramic clay or how to paint your own pipe or bong.
Want to try making your own chillum? Our Deluxe Ceramic Clay Kit - featured below - has all the materials you need to sculpt and decorate lottts of one-hitters, and a bunch of other pottery pieces.
