Solar Bowls - Smoking up with sunlight is the purest way to go!

Smokin Moose

Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex Moderator
There is a way to ingest cannabis that is healthier, tastier, and more ecologically sound than smoking using a butane lighter. No, I'm not referring to vaporizing, although the effects can be pretty similar. I am speaking of solar puffing: using the sun and some type of magnifying lens to smoke the herb.

The process is simple: instead of a lighter, use a magnifying glass! By positioning the lens at the right spot between the bowl and the sun, you can smoke your herb without inhaling the nasty butane chemicals associated with lighters.

Hold a lighter near your ear and press the fuel button. Hear that? That's the sound of chemicals that would normally be directed right to your lungs within a gush of ganja smoke. Smell it... pretty nasty, huh? And that's just the butane. Have you ever noticed the little puff of smoke that appears after you flick a lighter? That's the flint burning, and it is highly toxic. Much of this smoke is entering your lungs with the flick of a lighter, and it continues kicking out this toxic smoke for quite a few seconds. I bet that the butane and flint smoke inhaled by most ganja smokers does much more physiological damage than the herb itself.

There are many more benefits to smoking the solar way. First and foremost is taste. Once you've done your first solar bong-hit, you will never want to use a lighter again. The experience of inhaling pure ganja smoke is quite beautiful. Many people say that they had no idea marijuana could taste so great!

This becomes even more obvious near the end of the bowl, when things normally start tasting a bit schwaggy. A bowl that hasn't had gobs of butane repeatedly sucked over it burns clean and tasty to the end. Once you get the hang of it, you can get green hits right up to the last toke.

Also, by moving the beam of sunlight around the surface of the nugget at the right speed, you can actually vaporize the bud very effectively. (Vaporizing releases the THC vapours without actually burning the bud, a huge health benefit.)

Another benefit of solar puffing is that the wind is no longer an issue. Have you ever sat outside trying to smoke a bowl, repeatedly flicking your lighter trying to get it lit? This is completely unnecessary, as the wind becomes irrelevant when you smoke using the solar method.

Solar puffing is also very efficient. A bowl smoked with the solar method goes much farther, due to the fact that you are not torching the entire bowl with a huge flame. You are simply "vaporizing" one little spot with an intense beam of light. A bowl smoked with the solar method goes around at least twice as many times as a bowl smoked with a lighter.

Ecologically speaking, solar puffing makes sense too. Our landfills will certainly appreciate not being filled with millions of little plastic pieces of garbage.

Finally, the last reason for solar toking is the high. For some reason, you just get higher! It is undeniable! Try it and you will agree. You may also notice the high is much cleaner, with no head-achiness.

Here's how to do it. First, you will need a magnifying glass or lens of some sort. These are easily obtainable. Larger ones work better, and, ironically, plastic ones will work fine. Sit outside on a sunny day and face the sun. (Indoor situations can work too, provided that bright sunlight enters the room.)

Next, put the pipe to your mouth and tilt it slightly downward. This makes it easier to focus the beam of light on the bud. Then, hold the lens in between the sun and the bowl, being careful not to block any of the light with the top of your hand. Start off holding the lens about six inches above the bowl. The goal is to concentrate the beam of light to a small point, where it is most intense. When you see smoke, start inhaling. This process takes a little practice, but is quite easy.

That's it, you've just taken your first solar bong-hit! Be careful not to stare directly at the brightest part of the beam for too long, and also try not to burn your leg by accident!

You might be wondering how to do solar bowls at night. I believe the best answer is to use matches at night. Just be sure to burn them past the sulfur on the tip before using. That is, unless you have a lens capable of doing lunar bong-hits, in which case I'd love to see it!

Source: CC
 
Thanks Moose for another nugget of wisdom. I think it comical for some poor bloke with a short glass pipe by himself trying to pull that off. Interesting concept for all butane lighter users to consider, especially with a higher yield in strength and duration...can you say vaporize it.:smokin:
 
There is a way to ingest cannabis that is healthier, tastier, and more ecologically sound than smoking using a butane lighter. No, I'm not referring to vaporizing, although the effects can be pretty similar. I am speaking of solar puffing: using the sun and some type of magnifying lens to smoke the herb.

The process is simple: instead of a lighter, use a magnifying glass! By positioning the lens at the right spot between the bowl and the sun, you can smoke your herb without inhaling the nasty butane chemicals associated with lighters.

Hold a lighter near your ear and press the fuel button. Hear that? That's the sound of chemicals that would normally be directed right to your lungs within a gush of ganja smoke. Smell it... pretty nasty, huh? And that's just the butane. Have you ever noticed the little puff of smoke that appears after you flick a lighter? That's the flint burning, and it is highly toxic. Much of this smoke is entering your lungs with the flick of a lighter, and it continues kicking out this toxic smoke for quite a few seconds. I bet that the butane and flint smoke inhaled by most ganja smokers does much more physiological damage than the herb itself.

There are many more benefits to smoking the solar way. First and foremost is taste. Once you've done your first solar bong-hit, you will never want to use a lighter again. The experience of inhaling pure ganja smoke is quite beautiful. Many people say that they had no idea marijuana could taste so great!

This becomes even more obvious near the end of the bowl, when things normally start tasting a bit schwaggy. A bowl that hasn't had gobs of butane repeatedly sucked over it burns clean and tasty to the end. Once you get the hang of it, you can get green hits right up to the last toke.

Also, by moving the beam of sunlight around the surface of the nugget at the right speed, you can actually vaporize the bud very effectively. (Vaporizing releases the THC vapours without actually burning the bud, a huge health benefit.)

Another benefit of solar puffing is that the wind is no longer an issue. Have you ever sat outside trying to smoke a bowl, repeatedly flicking your lighter trying to get it lit? This is completely unnecessary, as the wind becomes irrelevant when you smoke using the solar method.

Solar puffing is also very efficient. A bowl smoked with the solar method goes much farther, due to the fact that you are not torching the entire bowl with a huge flame. You are simply "vaporizing" one little spot with an intense beam of light. A bowl smoked with the solar method goes around at least twice as many times as a bowl smoked with a lighter.

Ecologically speaking, solar puffing makes sense too. Our landfills will certainly appreciate not being filled with millions of little plastic pieces of garbage.

Finally, the last reason for solar toking is the high. For some reason, you just get higher! It is undeniable! Try it and you will agree. You may also notice the high is much cleaner, with no head-achiness.

Here's how to do it. First, you will need a magnifying glass or lens of some sort. These are easily obtainable. Larger ones work better, and, ironically, plastic ones will work fine. Sit outside on a sunny day and face the sun. (Indoor situations can work too, provided that bright sunlight enters the room.)

Next, put the pipe to your mouth and tilt it slightly downward. This makes it easier to focus the beam of light on the bud. Then, hold the lens in between the sun and the bowl, being careful not to block any of the light with the top of your hand. Start off holding the lens about six inches above the bowl. The goal is to concentrate the beam of light to a small point, where it is most intense. When you see smoke, start inhaling. This process takes a little practice, but is quite easy.

That's it, you've just taken your first solar bong-hit! Be careful not to stare directly at the brightest part of the beam for too long, and also try not to burn your leg by accident!

You might be wondering how to do solar bowls at night. I believe the best answer is to use matches at night. Just be sure to burn them past the sulfur on the tip before using. That is, unless you have a lens capable of doing lunar bong-hits, in which case I'd love to see it!

Source: CC

My boyfriend and I were discussing this the other day. Saw some guy at All Good Music Festival doing it. Thought it was the coolest thing. Although, I wish there was a light source that was strong enough to use with a magnifying glass to smoke at night!

Kick ass!!!!
 
solar hits are awesome man, I think anyone that smokes should give it a try.. just takes a little patience and practice.. I just wish the sun would come out more often around here during this time of the year.. :allgood:
 
By far my favorite method. Although clouds and rain can put a damper on your fun real quick. :cheesygrinsmiley:
 
I'll now have a magnifer in my emergency kit!
Now, someone design a reflector/vaporizer. I have seen people cooking with
aluminum or stainless steel reflector grills. Great for a mass smoke out. Toss an oz
on the grill and everyone circle round!
 
I just read about this the other day sounds tight . haven't gotten to try it yet but iv used a good pair of binoculars to burn leaves b/f It seemed to get hot quicker than magnifier anyone try both and know whats quicker
 
i have done this before and it works... no nasty taste in ur mouth.. just pure bud taste.. its so great!
 
haha cant believe ive never tried this.. seems intriguing
 
Some people are quick to dismiss the solar hit before they understand it; I would suggest to try it before you knock it.

Using the sun versus a lighter drastically improves the experience for me. All the things moose said about it are accurate.

I cannot resist getting out my pipe when I'm in my room and the sun is coming in through my window. If you have a window which faces the sun like I do, you can solar toke through it inside.
 
YES!

My buddy and I are all about solar rips (as we call them). In our neighborhood there's a big public reservoir with lots of walking/hiking/biking trails through the woods. On nice spring/summer/fall days, the best way to kill a few hours is go for a nice hike at the res... get lost... find an opening with sunlight coming through and take some solar rips!

The high is better, I agree - you really can't deny it once you've smoked this way.
 
I want a lense i can do lunar tokes with. I wonder how powerful it would have to be. It would have to be a pretty large telescope i'd imagine. I just thought of another addition to my dream house. A telescope powerful enough for lunar tokes with a 1/4 moon or more mounted on a servo with a path for the light to my smoking room with a fiber optic cable to point the light on any bowl. Just adjust the aperture for different light levels so it doesn't ever get too hot.
 
I'm sorry man, but:
- butane isn't what's going to harm you from smoking, it's ammonia and hydrogen cyanide (among other things)
- most if not all of the butane is burned off, that's what happens. it's not like you're inhaling a shit ton of natural gas when you cook on a stove.
- you can't possibly discern any sort of THC vapor from a hit through the smoke. Furthermore, the boiling point of THC is close to 400 degrees F. Take a sheet of paper and try to burn it with a magnifying glass--you'll need some free time on your hands.

I'm not knocking it, I'm sure this method of smoking tastes great but science fact cannot support like, 90% of what you're claiming.
 
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