Bolivar glass shop unveils 11

Joesph Spina wants to put Bolivar on the roadside attraction map with his big bong — the second largest in the United States. Standing 11 feet tall and weighing 150 pounds, the bong is known as "The Reactor."

The bong (a water pipe used to smoke marijuana or tobacco) is housed at Weedman and Glassman, a wholesale tobacco product distributor in Bolivar. Spina co-owns Weedman and Glassman with his business partner Jasen Trackey, but the two prefer to be called Morty Glassman and Rick Weedman.

To create his big bong, Spina partnered with Kayd Mayd, a Midwest 3D printing company specializing in smoke accessories. Kayd Mayd spent over 300 hours 3D printing the bong's chamber and mouthpiece. The bong's neck is made of polycarbonate plastic.

Although he has yet to take a hit himself, Spina claims his big bong is functional. But Missouri's marijuana possession limit of three ounces is probably not enough for a hit.

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Kayd Mayd uses ABS filament for their 3D-printed products. ABS, or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, is a thermoplastic filament that is both heat and water resistanct. ABS filament can withstand up to 212 degrees, according to BCN3D, a 3D printing developer and manufacturer.

Weedman and Glassman held its grand opening on Thursday, but Spina and Trackey aren't new to the wholesale tobacco product industry. In spring 2020, Spina and Trackey were stuck at home, formerly working in the billboard and finance industries. Friends for over 18 years, the two decided to start a business.

Since then, Spina and Trackey have traveled throughout the country, mainly on the East Coast, selling and distributing tobacco products to marijuana dispensaries, smoke shops and gas stations. Spina said he moved to Bolivar permanently about seven months ago.

For Spina, the big bong represents the creativity he wants from the smoke accessory industry. Some of his favorite products from Kayd Mayd, available at Weedman and Glassman, are 3D-printed pre-roll holders and "Trailer Park Boys" inspired bongs (the chambers are in the shape of the main characters' faces).

"I like changing things up a little ... shake up the industry," he said.

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Weedman and Glassman is located at 4550 S. 107th Road and is open Tuesday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. To see the big bong, ask for "Morty" (even though there's no hiding that thing).

Spina's big bong is second in size to "Bongzilla," a 24-foot, 800-pound bong at the Cannabition Cannabis Museum in Las Vegas. Created by artist Jason Harris, "Bongzilla" can hold a quarter pound of marijuana in its bowl and 100 gallons of water in its chamber. With a staircase that wraps around it, the bong is functional.

It took 15 glassblowers, working eight hours a day for four days, to construct "Bongzilla," according to LA Times reporting. It was then disassembled, packaged and transported to the interactive marijuana museum from Harris' Seattle studio where it was made.