If pipe screens didn't exist smoking dry herb would be a messy and unpleasant affair. If there were no pipe screens you would probably have to smoke your buds in their whole or close-to-whole state. If you were to grind your herb a large percentage of it would end up in your mouth with some inevitably finding its way into your lungs. Not good. In this post, the team at the Puffr wholesale head shop explains in detail exactly why pipe screens are so important.

The Pipe Screen: Where It's Found and What It Does

Finding a pipe screen is easy: it's where the weed is. In the bowl. More specifically, at the bottom of the bowl covering the draft hole. Today, some pipe makers will cover the entire bowl with a screen - in essence, a bowl within a bowl - with the edge folded over the edge of the pipe bowl. But while this makes it easier to remove and clean the screen it devours coveted real estate inside the bowl.

The primary purpose of the pipe screen is to keep the byproducts of combustion out of your mouth and lungs. But the screen has a secondary purpose: to keep the waste products from the bowl from clogging up the pipe stem and (in the case of the custom bong and customized water pipe) from ending up in the water chamber.

Show the Screen Some Love by Keeping it Clean

If your pipe screen is going to do its job the way it's designed to do you'll need to clean it on a regular basis. Here's how you do that.

Remove the screen

Remove as much material from the bowl as possible by tapping it in an ashtray. For a bong bowl, just unscrew it and do the same. You may try loosening some of the caked-on material at the bottom of the bowl with a knife or other object, but be careful not to damage the screen in the process. Once the screen is exposed grab the edge with a pair of tweezers and lift gently.

Clean the screen

Cleaning the screen is a simple three step process:

Step One: Blow through the screen to remove loose material. If you have a can of compressed air that would be ideal. But if you don't just blow it off the old-fashioned way.

Step Two: Pass it over a flame. The flame could be from a lighter candle or torch. Only expose it to the flame for a few seconds at a time and then let it cool and blow it off. Repeat until the screen is clear. If you have some hard-to-remove gunk on the screen proceed to step 3.

Step Three: Give the screen an alcohol bath. Pour some isopropyl alcohol into a saucer and drop the screen in. Leave it for about half an hour then remove it and hold it under the faucet (don't drop it down the drain!) until all the loose material is gone.

After that let the screen dry off for a few minutes then put it back in place.

For Wholesale Glass Pipes, Trust Puffr

At the Puffr wholesale smoke shop, we have a vast selection of bongs, heady glass, and custom glass pipes to suit every taste and need. We're open 7 days a week for your convenience.