Who remembers U.S. Bongs?

[Gry]

It sounds like the story behind what happened would be a neat one.

 

[Corvette Doc]

It sounds like the story behind what happened would be a neat one.

It is interesting but the sadness of it makes me kringe to call it neat. I have been slowly gleaning details from the original developer in order to insure that as much detail as i can get will be made into a narative about how this became my legacy. It will make for some interesting reads in the about section for the company over time. I just hope that i can get some pictures of the old factory to give it more life. I hope that the history will come back with the product line...just no more fights with the feds please.

 

[Corvette Doc]

I am still pursueing this start-up but have run into paperchase problems that are going to slow my campaign launch for a month at least.

The acrylic bongs looked neat when they came out originally, but they were hell to clean and the plastic crazed terribly after a bit of use.

I wish that anyone who sold any kind of acrylic pipe would post a nice big sign next to them warning not to use any kind of alcohol on them. If you put beer,wine or booze in them to add flavor...well you just ruined it. Use that fancy cleaner from the shop...if it has alcohol in it you just caused the crazing. It will always cause delamination of the bonds between the long chains that make up plastics...some plastics have different solvents but pretty much every plastic i have seen used on pipes has some alcohol solubility and if that was ever heat formed or flame polished it makes them more susseptible. Mine will have a warning sticker on them...i hope.

I will try to post my progress on bringing these bongs back to market but i am running around chasing so many little BS things to get to my launch that i will not be on here much.

 

[Dropped Cat]

I would pay to read a book or see a film about the story of US Bong.

And I would buy a revamp, as long as its glass.

Good thread.

 

[Arthritis_sucks]

I miss my Graphix everyday. I keep meaning to make one out of a piece of PVC and a soup can........... I used my two-footer to bash in a rippers head one time! Caught the fucker in my dorm room trying to steal a qp of P-bud! This was back in 86...
I remember the bong water going everywhere and being more worried about the smell than the guys skull. He ran off anyway........ after dropping the qp!

Graphix, man those were the daze.

 

[Cool Moe]

I remember as a teenager I once pullled a U.S. Bongs 5-hit Gatling gun bowl in a single breath. That always stood as the course record at Ted's garage.

 

[reptocarl]

Hello EVERYONE! I have some exciting news. After almost 5 years of looking around trying to figure out how to make the US BONGS line again i stumbled accross the original owner and developer (1 of the 3 brothers anyway) a little over a week ago. I am in negotiations with him to secure all of the secrets on how to build them as well as getting his help in building an assembly line for a few of the US Bongs models. He will also be there to insure that we get them built RIGHT(I hope). I had given-up hope of figguring out how to build them correctly after many experiments failed to give me any real indications on how to solve several large problems that made getting good quality all but impossible. This gentelman's help is the only way i think it can ever happen again.

Unfortunately my battle with cancer over the last 3 years has left me with no means to finance such a start-up. But the doctors say i am cancer free as of last month. I am going to be launching an indiegogo campaign to raise funds for the launch within the next couple of weeks. I decided to try the crowdfunding idea in part to see if there is enough intrest in this old line to resurect it and because i just can't get normal financing after all the cancer problems. Maybe if there is enough interested people that might donate a couple of bucks each this might become a comunity project. My Corvette and juke-box are for sale to try to raise the funds as well as almost anything i have if some-one gives me a serious enough offer for it.

I would also love to hear any and all thoughts from everyone on this forum to judge interest. I really need to hear from as many people as possible telling me their favorites to pick the lucky few that will be part of the re-launching of this line.
I will only be able to build a few of the models durring our first run in order to keep the launch costs down but will be adding to it as time and sales allow. So PLEASE tell me what you think should be the first ones out the door.

The real story about the closing of US Bongs is a little complicated but sums up to; The feds decided to test their new laws against the interstate sales and transport of drug paraphernalia on the GIANT distribution network these brothers had built up over more than a decade. The Uncle Sam logo probably helped make the feds even madder so they ran over them like a steamroller. They took EVERYTHING! All of this means that when i get into production ALL of the sales will be in Colorado ONLY. Sorry guys, if you want to buy one you will have to come to Colorado or make other arrangements, I can't even discuss possiblities on that or i risk the same conspiracy to transport charges. I hope every-one can understand this. I can't put this much work into building a complete line just to have the feds take it.

I did come up with a new twist for the line. Instead of wood for the stem adapter i found a very stable thermo-plastic that can be made to adapt a glass stem and bowl as well as leaving the regular threaded bowl options. That will be the only change that will be made in the first run. Our first run will only be 2 or 3 colors (red, white & blue sticks out to me here)but will be adding to that as well. Later runs might give me oportunities to improve and input from all of you can dirrect some of those changes.

So please keep this link alive by posting all of your thoughts here. It will all help.
Lets hope that i can succeed in this launch so that we can see these great pipes back out there even if it is limitted to Colorado...untill they change the federal law anyway. Maybe the crowdfunding might work to start a change through numbers bugging legislators also...you never know.

Hey, I remember us bongs very well. I had two. My big one was called the ice age bong I think.what I liked most about them was the contoured mouth piece. They were big but still comfortable and ergonomic. My big one was a three chamber model with the trade mark black tubing. Mine was blue. I think you should keep the wood bowl just for nostalgia. I also think you should have two lines. One of their classic lines that are the same as the originals including the wood bowl and a new line of new designs that still keep the black tubing and contoured mouth piece but with your new bow etc. In my opinion they were the best and coolest bongs there were. I would travel to Colorado to buy one. Good luck and keep me posted on your progress.
Carl

 

[juggo]

Wow we must have owned every us bong made,spent thousands lol.One time my buddys mom found a 4 chamber one and ran it over with her Subaru,didnt break,remember runing off with it,good times. There was a bong called the apogee that was like a 2 tube stemless v with a handle in the middle.That thing rocked,remember smoking lots of hash in her,ahh the good old days. 420 posts yeee haww

peace,
juggo

 

[Corvette Doc]

Hey, I remember us bongs very well. I had two. My big one was called the ice age bong I think.what I liked most about them was the contoured mouth piece. They were big but still comfortable and ergonomic. My big one was a three chamber model with the trade mark black tubing. Mine was blue. I think you should keep the wood bowl just for nostalgia. I also think you should have two lines. One of their classic lines that are the same as the originals including the wood bowl and a new line of new designs that still keep the black tubing and contoured mouth piece but with your new bow etc. In my opinion they were the best and coolest bongs there were. I would travel to Colorado to buy one. Good luck and keep me posted on your progress.
Carl

I am stumped by your thinking the black tubes were the norm or trademark??? I remember the shop i worked for 1984 sold LOTS of them and the color of the tubing was always different(all the pictures i have found show the same). There were a lot of black opaque ones but many were matched to the color of the body tubes. The small tubes varied about 3 or 4 opaque colors and a bunch more in colored translucent to even smoky colors. I will probably be forced to use black opaque untill i can source a producer willing to make what i need in various colors.
When i first saw them many were also made with an opaque black section in the main body...i think i know why, but must remember to ask the original owner about that.

I recently decided to look into finding some-one who would be willing to cut, drill and turn those wooden adapters for me. So far no bites. Unless i can find a VERY quick and easy way to make them it will be hard on me to be making both wooden and plastic at the same time.
The wooden gatling bowl (5 one-hiters on turning base)was actually developed by some-one else for progressive plastics untill they brought him in house to build them...i THINK (patent shows progresive as asignee not developer)that was how it went, must dbl check that also. But in the end i have no way to afford adding that much more to my strat-up assembly line. I hope that i can get everyone together before they pass from old age to work out a couple of things about how to make those...But it may prove to be too costly and sourcing all metal 6 shot ones already being made overseas...If i can import that is???...will probably be my only real world choice. But it will be some time before i can even think of doing that.

Hopefully someone in Colorado will be smart enough to see that i am protecting the company by not shipping across state lines and decide that they want to profit by doing that distribution...All i am allowed to say is that that is illegal and i can't know directly . So in time a long trip might not be needed but encouraged so you can see the rest of this great state.

ahh the good old days. 420 posts yeee haww

Congatulations! Thank-you for celibrating it on this thread!

 

[SirSteely]

Those 5 hitters were for novelty though. After a few good sessions they stopped rotating. Great idea but I think glass on glass is easier to clean and more marketable. Now a days I only buy acrylic bongs as toss aways for traveling and whatnot. Dont think those are coming back...

 

[stasis]

I loved how I could load it up with many ice cubes, or tons of crushed ice. They were my favorite. I still go with straight tubes..!!!

 

[PDX Dopesmoker]

http://fireflyexoticwear.com/product/tobacco-master-water-pipe/