Now before you start here’s a disclaimer: Don’t do it if you don’t know what you’re doing. No really, don’t.

Proper safety precautions must be followed or you may hurt yourself during construction.

If you have the money you’re better off just buying a well made VB. It will be far less of a hassle and you’re guaranteed quality or your money back.

With that out of the way, here’s how you can build your very own VB for under 30$.

What you will need is a plastic bowl (a sturdy salad bowl will do), a vacuum pump and some silicone to seal the gaps and build a soft edge on the bowl so that it doesn’t dig into your chest. You’ll also need some skin friendly oil or grease and a sheet of baking paper.

For the bowl, ideally you’ll want something that’s flexible (flexible enough so that you can squish it with your hand) and strong, the thicker the better, and has a rim around the edge. It’s really important that the bowl is not brittle. If it’s brittle then eventually it will crack. Buy a test bowl first and put it through a stress test. Put it on a table then place both of your hands on the back and press down with your upper body. If it cracks then find a sturdier bowl. These things will cost you about $2 each.

The rim of the bowl will allow you to better stick on the silicone but it’s not absolutely necessary. The bowl should fit between your nipples with some room to spare. So if the distance between your nipples is 24cm then you’ll want a 20cm (+/- 1cm) bowl.

For the pump I recommend you get yourself a brake bleeder test kit, which includes a hand vacuum pump with a pressure gauge. It will cost you about $20, give or take, and will last you quite a while provided you take proper care of it (make sure it’s oiled properly and all the screws are tight).

Lastly, you’ll need silicone. Don’t use it if you’re allergic to it! You don’t need anything fancy, just get some bathroom sealant caulk that you can put in a caulk gun (if you don’t have a caulk gun you can get one for about 5$). The silicone itself will cost you about $5.

The essentials

Burn a hole through the top for the pump tube. Burning is preferred over drilling because it creates a stronger edge. Make sure you’re in a well ventilated room. Heat up a long metal object (like a screwdriver) to burn through slowly. Do not apply open flame to the plastic! Burning plastic may produce noxious fumes, so make sure you do it in a well ventilated area and wearing a mask.

Once the hole is large enough, put the tube through it.

Now it’s time to apply the silicone. Again, make sure you’re in a well ventilated area and wearing a mask.

Unscrew the nozzle from the silicone and cut off the tip. You don’t need the nozzle for this, you will apply the silicone directly from the tip. Seal the hole around the tube with the silicone then build a layer on the inside and outside top/bottom of the bowl. This layer will mitigate the structural weakness that we’ve created by creating a hole at the bottom (or the top, as it now becomes).

Then, build a thick edge, about the thickness of your index finger, all around the rim of the bowl. Use wet tissue paper to shape it as need be. Let it all dry for a few hours.

How the first layer of silicone should be applied

Once dry, lightly grease up the baking sheet (I used coconut oil for this) and place the bowl with the newly created silicone edge on it. Now start building a thin edge – a flap, around the rim of the bowl. This flap will allow for a better seal. The flap should get thinner as it moves out from the bowl. Pat it down with a wet tissue paper to shape it.

The flap is built onto the previous silicone layer

Let it dry for a few hours then take it off the baking sheet. Now wipe off the grease and let the whole thing dry for another full day, after which it will be ready for use.

How the final construction looks like once it’s all dry

Inside of the VB

Using this VB is a bit different than using a commercial one. Because the edges are much harder there’s a greater chance of skin bruising, so you need to be really careful on how you apply it. Your skin should never be stretched when applying the VB, and if you feel any sharp pain you should take it off and re-apply it.

The VB pulls out the sternum completely

The VB itself is not a cure, but merely a tool to be used in conjuncture with posture control, stretching, strength training and breath hold training.