Hello everyone, I have a few questions I would like some help with, thank y'all. tl;dr What is the ratio for an 89%+ vape pen. Would 1g:1ml be at least an equivalent solution? Do all vape pens, even the $3 one from the gas station, get hot enough to decarb BHO or do I need to do this before making my oil? If I did so for the hell of it, would it hurt anything? Has anyone used Vapeur Extracts products, specifically their "Clear Filter". Does that help filter matter found in your BHO, or would an Everclear wash be better? What have y'all done, if you have done anything? Recently I used a vape pen my buddy got. They're discreet, do not leave a strong scent, as smoke does, and they're simple and quick to use. I liked 'em and got 'em at what is apparently a pretty good price for the 0.5ml, 89% ones around here, $35 dollars. That was just some overstock price, or someone trying to introduce them, I suppose, because now they are going to be around twice that. This prompted me to look into making them. I could be simply using the wrong words, but I'm not finding simple, clear information. These are my questions, and if you can link threads from a search, mea culpa, I didn't notice it, also, thank you for it. My first question is ratio. From what I can assume, based off of common food equivalents. ~0.5g (flour) - ~0.9g(butter) seems like it would equal ~1ml. I'm just spanning that because I'm sure there is a difference between crumble and shatter, or whatever the more crumbly BHO would be called, but then again maybe it is not, because when dissolved it's still the same thing, I do not know. A friend was saying, the 89% 0.5ml pens are something around ~0.4g - ~0.6g of BHO. No idea where he got those numbers from, but if that were true, that would put the cost of me making these pens, including the blanks and liquidizer, something around $23/unit. But, this is only true if I am right to assume I would make something equivalent to, or stronger than, the 89% pen, using a 1:1 ration That's my first question, am I correct in thinking that? My second question would be, and though I've found answers, I've also found contradicting answers, so, do all e-pens get hot enough to atomize BHO. I'm talking about that $3 pen that has no adjustments you get from the gas station because it's so cheap and you figure "hey, if it blows up, at least it'll be a story". I remember that used to be a problem, or at least was explained to me as a problem when e-pens started becoming popular. Is it still a problem? Are the commercially produced pens decarb'd? Would it hurt anything if I did decarb my BHO before making my pen? My last question is, has anyone used "Vapeur Extracts: Clear Filter". I can no longer get shatter, all I can get is this crumbly stuff. It looks good, it's a light colour, but it looks like it has small pieces of plant matter still in it. Almost a keif look to it. From what I've read and found, winterizing, which seems like an easy thing to do, would be a waste at such small quantities. Has any of y'all used these filters, aside from that, has any of y'all used this product? Do these filters actually help clean up any matter still in your BHO or is this more of a novelty. Would the better route simply be an Everclear wash? Or what have y'all done to refine your oil? Grazie.
I have used PEG based stuff before. Something called Skorpian Jus and Vapeur Extracts. The Clear kit they make indeed dewaxes similar to an everclear winterize. I had found in my extensive testing that I could get the disposable carts direct from China with ceramic atomizers not the silica wick ones but still after all the different ratios and filtering and using shatter or more waxy stuff... It's better to use it in a dripper set up and forgo the tanks and the potential leaks and carts not working well. For me. I'd put 1 gram into a shot glass and use boiled water in another glass to apply heat while adding a 1:1.5 to a 1:2 ratio of the concentrate to the liquid maker. That being said... I would fill around 6 carts with that one gram plus the liquid maker stuff. This is because no matter what the recirculating nature of the tank systems has the residual vaped burned off goo going back into the tank and makes the overall performance pretty poor. So I would only fill the carts with about 300ml or less. Using distillate with no lipids really is best in this application. But I still make up some carts because they are convienient and nice. They do not get me all the way there but are good for on the go use. Therefore also good to use cheap batteries which will provide ample power. The atomizer in the cartridge is what can burn out. Batteries not so much an issue you are right. That's I I can think of right now, but feel free to ask anything I missed.
Filtering I don't do unless it's a bunch but being able to liquidize wax and fill your own pens is nice. I would recommend checking out True Terpines product that does the same thing without PEG. The plastic taste also is why I filled the carts so little when I'd make them. Here's an image on a tiny mod.
Have you ever done a 1:1 ratio or is it too viscous to be "universal" for the cartridges, or wicks, or whatever it is. I'm new to these things, but have read something about one type being able to handle a thicker substance better, or something to that effect. I appreciate it, and of course it all comes down to just making it which hopefully will be sometime this week or next week. I've seen products similar to True Terpines, but I figured my first go I may keep the cost low. I was gonna go with Wax Liquidizer, or Vapeur Extracts because that'd be a cheap route for experimenting. Vapeur Extracts is one I've just found and a buddy told me about Wax Liquidizer. If I went the route of small 0.5ml disposable cartridges, is there a type that would be better suited over another?
When I was looking at sourcing the carts it all came down to price. At $3 a pop for the disposible glass cartridges that would sometimes just go kaput, I never did much testing. I had maybe one of the Chinese ones go bad and would buy 50 at a time, less than a dollar each. Would be less than 30USD for 50 carts. Carts can work with the thicker 1:1 ratio but heres the thing, that shit will be thick and once it cools it will be hard to vape. It already has to be warmish going in when filling the cart, so you NEED at least one blunt tip syringe for sure. As soon as it cools if your ratio was too high with the concentrate it will be practically immobile in that cart, a little liquid like when heated. You can put the rubber stoppers on it to safely dip it in hot water or use a heat gun or hair dryer to make the liquid flow to the coil again... but then it's like, why am I doing this... I have to keep the cart in my armpit so I can get a hit, damn. Hahahaha.
Before Juuls were "hip" in schools I was filling those carts and rebuilding them, sneaky sneaky, the sky is really the limit. I bought this pen vape from the gas station the other day and may fill it with canna-oil just for shits and giggles. I could show you if you'd like. Here are some pictures of wax vapey creations: The first image is a wax setup that can take the wax straight (load each hit) OR use a cotton wick and "drip" the canna-oil mixture at 1:1 ratio or less with a little dropper bottle, you can get like a couple pulls before having to redrip. In the image there's no cotton wick, the coil acts as the wick. Attachments work too! Last image is the pull to draw pen with cart from China.
Right on man, I really appreciate the information. I'm going to give it a go sometime this weekend and see what happens. Thanks.
I use my torch for dabbing to heat the cartridge when it gets to thick. Keep the cartridge in your pockets to keep warm.
Yes, but I only do it every so often now. I wanted a way to fill my own instead of paying distillate prices for poor quality silica wicked premade cartridges. At the time (few years back) you couldn't find any empty carts but Alibaba came through for me. Direct from the manufacturer in China was key. I have since moved on to just using wax as is, likely because of the lack of pleasure I was achieving from the cigalikes. Too much draw needed, not enough potency. If I had the ability to winterize then make some carts I would do it to minimize the not ideal taste that happens when the reclaim circulates in the tank. If I had a ton of distillate or a way to make it I would be chomping at the bit because that truly shines in the little carts. None of these carts I make would be considered "quality" IMHO. I gave them away and wanted to see how much interest there was but I was ahead of the curve a bit, eventually cartridges caught on but not many were making their own like me.
I never made any videos of myself doing it but I just made this the other day. It's a cheap store bought nicotine vaporizer and I put the canna vape juice in it. With wax in hand (well a shot glass) and it in hot water in a cup, I'd mix in the liquidizer agent (PEG) and stir with a blunt tipped syringe needle and plunger, when incorporated draw it into the syringe and dispense into the cartridges while the mixture is still warm. Could do it in 10 minutes at the coffee table and fill a bunch of them. Bad thing is if it is too viscous, it cools down and doesn't flow well in the cart, you can heat them a bit or adjust your ratio but that's pretty much it! Very easy.
After having not used the PEG solution with wax for some time and after hitting the one I made pictured above for a few days on and off I am pleasantly surprised at how well it works BUT I have been having some mild heartburn after vaping in it. Changed the wick and it's been okay again. I cannot stress enough, especially if NOT dewaxed, how gummed up the atomizer/coil gets with the cannabis oil. Not a deal breaker but vaping all that residue, when I can taste it, I change the coil for sure. Going about my day and having it in my pocket as a sneaky way to medicate is still worth it.