Want to flex that DIY handiwork after your rig took a tumble and broke? We’ve got you covered. Follow the steps in this guide to learn how to make a homemade rig for dabs, or replace your broken or lost accessories with stuff you probably already have lying around the house.

How to make a dab rig with a mason jar 

This homemade dab rig works wonders and is by far the best way to dab if you broke your regular rig. Since it’s made of glass, it holds up to heat super well and it’s much safer to dab from for extended periods of time than the other methods on this list. Start by finding a glass jar with a lid, or pick one up from the store. They’re a lot cheaper than replacing an entire rig anyway.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Glass jar with lid (medium sized)
  • Drill with bit for making holes in the lid
  • Pen with ink and tip removed
  • Straw (metal is best but plastic bendy straws work too
  • Aluminum foil
  • Dab nail

With those items at hand, follow these steps:

  1. Drill two small holes into the lid of your mason jar. They need to be large enough to hold a pen.
  2. Wrap the body of the pen in aluminum foil and slide it into one of the holes on the lid of your jar. The pen is going to be your downstem.
  3. Attach your dab nail to the pen and secure it to the jar with tin foil. This method works best with a universal titanium nail, but with a can-do attitude you can fasten a quartz banger to the pen and jar with foil.
  4. Slide your straw into the other hole and secure it with foil to prevent air from escaping. Your straw shouldn’t be able to touch the water inside the jar, so it may stick out a few inches.
  5. Fill your mason jar with water until the downstem is about ½” under the water, and then dab as usual. Inhale through the straw.

How to make a dab rig with a plastic bottle and a hot knife 

homemade dab rig hot knife

Smoking dabs with a water bottle and hot knife

The hot knife method frankly sucks since it’s hot and painful to hit and can also be dangerous if you’re accident prone. However, if push comes to shove and it’s all you got, go for it. Just get out and replace your rig ASAP, since dabbing from plastic can be super dangerous for your health. The hot knife method is a go-to DIY dab rig, especially if you have no glass or you’re out in the world without a torch.

What you need:

  • Metal butter knife, ideally one that has a thick handle and doesn’t lay flush on a counter top.
  • Paper clip or dab tool
  • Plastic water bottle, cut in half.
  • Scissors
  • Electric stove or torch
  • Silicon dab mat (optional)

To make it:

  1. Cut your water bottle in half, saving the top part with the cap end. Discard the cap.
  2. Cut a small notch into the bottom of the bottle. This is where you’ll slide your hot knife in for dabbing.
  3. Heat up a butter knife on the electric coils of your stove or use a torch.
  4. Lay the hot knife on a flat surface or heat resistant dab mat to protect your surfaces.
  5. Using the paperclip (or other dab tool), apply your concentrate to the hot knife and slide the notched plastic bottle over the top, taking care not to let the hot knife come into contact with the plastic.
  6. Inhale the vapor from the mouthpiece on the bottle

How to make a dab rig with an old bong

The most obvious way to enjoy dabs without a rig is to use an old flower bong or waterpipe. All you need is an adapter and a nail to fit into your flower bong snuggly. If you have a female flower bong and a male nail, you can slide those in normally if they have the same size joint. If they don’t you can reinforce the structure with aluminum foil. Tin foil makes it easy to get different sized joints together.

However, the easiest method is to just go out and get an adapter. If you have a banger and a bong, figure out the size of the joints on both pieces and check their genders. Adaptors are wicked cheap and can be found at headshops for ~$15. They come in clutch, especially if you find yourself without a rig often.

Other ways to dab without a rig

There are lots of ways to smoke dabs without a rig if you’re not feeling crafty and don’t have the money for a new rig yet. Luckily, concentrates can be used as bowl toppers or mixed into pre-rolls and blunts. They make your flower burn longer and also give you that added potency from the hash itself. Concentrates are also easy to vaporize, so if you have a vape that can handle concentrates, feel free to stick them in there until you can get a new rig. If all else fails, you can heat them up nice and slowly with butter on the stove and use them in your favorite recipes to make edibles.

How to make a homemade carb cap 

If you lost or broke your carb cap amidst the chaos of losing your rig, there are a ton of items around your house you can use as a homemade carb cap instead. While they won’t be as functional and effective as a regular carb cap, they can get you through your sesh and still make your dabs more flavorful and less wasteful than going without one. Feel free to use things like the top of a silicon pick or a metal grinder. The bottom of an empty glass dab container also works pretty well, as do shot glasses and coffee mugs. If you have a metal beer cap or a super flat rock, those will work too. You’ll place these items on the top of your banger after you drop your dabs in. Just make sure you move them around manually since you don’t want to block airflow.

How to make a homemade dabber 

If you lost your dab tool, you can use household items like metal paper clips, uncoated bobby pins, butter knives, metal nail files, flathead screwdrivers, or metal nail files instead. Just be sure to clean them before and after use, and never use anything on a dabbing surface with a plastic coating on it. Inhaling plastic is bad for you.

Quick links

  1. How to make a dab rig with a mason jar 
  2. How to make a dab rig with a plastic bottle and a hot knife
  3. How to make a dab rig with an old bong
  4. Other ways to dab without a rig
  5. How to make a homemade carb cap
  6. How to make a homemade dabber

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