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How to Dab Without a Rig or Torch
Technology and time have helped advance many industries, and the cannabis industry is no exception. The days of poorly rolled joints and wasted cherried bowls are long gone.
Today, there are various ways to consume cannabis, from edibles, lotions and sublingual. But the topic for today is an old favorite that's been gaining favor for its enhanced aroma and a high concentrate of THC.
Smoking wax.
First Thing's First: What Is Wax?
Wax is a concentrated form of cannabis. This means that it has higher THC levels than other forms of cannabis.
Wax is a type of BHU (Butane Hash Oil). The process to make wax extracts cannabinoid and terpene oils from cannabis buds and trimmings using butane. This might sound simple, but it takes a lot of skill to do this properly.
Because of this process, wax comes in many different consistencies. It may be runny and liquid, solid and brittle, or somewhere in-between. But, despite the difference in texture, the compounds that make up wax only vary slightly.
Is Dabbing Safe?
Smoking has gotten a bad reputation over the years as more studies have shown the risk of cancer. The accepted belief is that marijuana smoke is a much healthier alternative to tobacco smoke, but that belief might be wrong.
Research showed that the gases and particulates from the smoke increased the risk of cancer, not the cannabinoids. The study showed that the toxic gases and particles held a comparable amount in marijuana and tobacco smoke. This concludes that the harm boils down to the method used, combustion.
Dabbing, however, does not use a combustion method. Instead, it uses vaporization as its delivery system. Vaporization is simply the change of a state from liquid to gas. This means that none of the harmful gases or particles used in combustion methods are present.
It would be best to remember that not all concentrates are created equal. The increased preference for better concentrates has increased producers' pressure to come out with a grade A product.
A study released in 2017 revealed that some concentrate products had artificially added food-grade terpenes. While they are safe to ingest, the question becomes more of how a consumer's body will react when the additives are presented to high temperatures.
Suppose you're not a daredevil willing to deal with high temperatures to make your own concentrate. In that case, buying it from a reputable dispensary is your best chance to high-quality, safe concentrate. A reputed brand will include the cannabinoid profile with the concentrate, so you know what you're putting in your body.
How to Smoke Wax Without a Rig or Torch
So you're convinced you'd prefer consuming concentrated cannabis to traditional flowers. Great! But the problem of not having a rig or a torch remains. What can you do?
If you don't have a torch available and a rig costs too much, there are multiple ways you can get your dab in.
Use Your Stove
The most common method is to use your gas or electric stove. It's always recommended to use a pair of tongs when using this method with a metal or glass nail, so you don't burn yourself.
- Turn stove on to high heat
- Use tongs to hold the nail and hold over the flames for several minutes
- Place the nail back into your rig and enjoy
While this is a classic alternative to a torch, the nail may cool unevenly, warranting some cumbersome trips back to the stove.
Use an E-nail
Although on the pricer end of the spectrum, e-nails are your best friend when you're trying to avoid using flames.
E-nails or electric nectar collectors typically come in the shape of a small box. There's a coil in the box that gets heated to the temperature you set.
Go Electric With a Vaporizer
If you're constantly on the go and prefer a discreet way to dab, then using a vape or a dab pen is going to be your best bet. It's a much more cost-effective way to smoke dabs without a torch and provides the same alternative combustion-free inhalation method.
Another added benefit to vaporizers is that they are typically able to be used with flowers and concentrates. A quality vaporizer is going to hold enough charge to last throughout the day typically.
When using a vape for concentrates, you need to ensure that the device you purchase has a concentrate-compatible chamber.
Use Time-Old Traditions
Concentrates have been around since the early 1940s—a significant time before vape pens and dab rigs. So how did they consume concentrated cannabis back then?
It's Occam's Razor at its finest. How do you make something you love even better?
Add something better to it.
Long before butane torch lighters, vape pen, and fancy glass rig were standard, people just used whatever they had on hand and what they were familiar with.
When you smoke dabs in a bowl, you can pack your cannabis concentrate between two layers of flower to avoid direct flame. Smoking concentrates in a joint is just as simple.
You're going to want to line your wax up into line and place it in the middle. If your concentrate is wax or crumble you can break it down between your fingers and sprinkle it in the joint.
Creative Ways to Dab without a Rig
Store-bought rigs and devices aren't always available for everyone. This is the time to get your creative juices flowing.
A popular approach to smoke dabs without an actual rig is the knife hit. You'll need a metal knife, a disposable water bottle, a paper clip. Sound pretty cheap and straightforward, right? It most certainly is!
- Cut plastic bottle in half
- Take the top half of the bottle and create a notch at the bottom
- Get your dab ready on the end of your paper clip
- Heat your butter knife over a gas or electric stove on high heat
- When the blade is hot and ready, slide it through the notch at the bottom
- Place your dab on the heated knife and inhale
Use a Healthstone
A healthstone is a porous glass designed specifically for smoking dabs with the pipe or bong you already have to smoke flowers. You simply set the stone in your bowl and put the dab on top.
Some people hit their concentrate directly with their torch, but it's best if you can avoid that. Try to use the tip of the flame to melt down your concentrate instead of completely lighting it like you would with flowers.
An alternative is to heat the healthstone with your butane torch as you would a nail and then touch the stone with the concentrate.
Edibles
If smoking dabs isn't your thing, but you still want the therapeutic effects of cannabis, edibles may provide the relief you need. You most certainly will not have the immediate 10x hit that people seek when dabbing, but it will be longer-lasting and much stronger once it kicks in.
Since the amount of THC in concentrate is significantly higher than in flowers, you'll need a much smaller amount. Using it in edibles has a similar process to using flowers.
You still need to decarboxylate your concentrate with butter or oil to turn the THCa into THC.
Final Thoughts - How to Smoke Wax Without a Rig
Dabbing can become an expensive way to consumer concentrated cannabis, and nobody denies that. But with the right creativity, it can become a very affordable and fun process!
If this article helped answer how to smoke wax without a rig or a torch, check out our recent blogs for more tips!
Related Articles:
1. How to Smoke Shatter
2. How to Smoke Crumble
*This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. All products are intended for legal usage. Before consuming cannabis in any form, please consult with a licensed health care provider, smoke at your own risk.
