Hello all! I wanted to post a quick update. I've decided against smoking my spice through the bubbler directly, thanks to a tip from a buddy of mine, seeing that water's probably bad for soaking it up and losing too much and I don't want that to happen. Plus there's the extra room between the bowl and the hose that could cause some loss there too. So, I've decided on using the newly remodeled bubbler in the previous photos for only smoking weed, as it does a phenomenal job with that.

I've also taken another step forward and removed the bowl stem that goes down into the water, removed a piece and replaced another, a voila'! A pipe specifically for smoking my spice through. And the cool thing is that it's interchangeable. When I'm ready to use the full bubbler, all I have to do is put the stem back in and snap on the extra piece to the bowl. You'll find photos below of the pipe itself.

I took the liberty of purchasing these stainless steel pads I intend to pre-burn and put down inside the bowl, replacing the burned copper piece I had previously bought. Let me know what your thoughts are, friends!

I don't think freebase is soluble in water so you don't have to worry about losing much. I use a bubbler for freebase and changa all the time with no noticeable condensation on the sides or lesser of effects. I feel it cools the smoke, makes it less harsh, and you can take bigger inhalations, while the vapor/smoke sits in the bubbler waiting for another inhale.

many people use (And in fact, prefer) bubblers and bongs to pipes and steamrollers.

there is no significant loss.

Thanks guys. I'll give it a try through the bubbler I built. Tonight's the night I take my first steps into hyperspace, and I can't wait!! I'm having some friends over as well. I'll write up a trip report as soon as I finish!

I would not recommend blasting off around a large number of people. Background noise can be very distracting and sometimes unpleasant. If nothing else, have you friends over anyways, and move to another part of the house and do it where you can't hear anyone. You'll be back in time to not miss anything.