just bought a quartz nail! questions! please help!

[Jman5280]

just got a 20 dollar quartz nail...how do i season it? i have read a few different ways but nothing clear.

 

[herbivore21]

All you really need to do is torch the bejeezus out of it for a good 5-10 mins, until any black parts turn white. It will season itself over time, just make sure that after every hit you are hitting the nail with the torch a little so that all residue turns white white = seasoned, black = not seasoned enough.

 

[Jman5280]

Just got a quartz domeless nail, it was a cheap $25 set up. I torched it for 45 seconds at a time about 15 times. I also dropped in some shatter and moved it around to "season it". it left some black residue at the bottom of the nail. I just took some rips off of it and man my shatter taste sooooooo good. Even though I already started using it I have some questions...

1.does it matter what the tool is made of that is holding the concentrate and touching the heated nail? I have a Skillet Tools made in USA stainless steel fork tool and I also have a glass poker tool, is there something preferred? Not sure if stainless melts off into the quarts when it is that hot...

2. I started another thread on seasoning but then I realized I had more questions, if you know how to season please throw in some advice!

3. how long should I be torching for? (I have a vector nitro) Can a vector nitro melt a quartz nail? is there any risk to burning the shit out of it for like 10 minutes? is it ok to get red hot?

4. is there a certain time i should wait between hits?

Thanks!

mod note: Threads merged. In future please report redundant threads so that we can deal with them. Thanks for your cooperation.

 

[Jman5280]

All you really need to do is torch the bejeezus out of it for a good 5-10 mins, until any black parts turn white. It will season itself over time, just make sure that after every hit you are hitting the nail with the torch a little so that all residue turns white white = seasoned, black = not seasoned enough.

i cant get the black residue at the bottom to turn white...it just looks like resin. can someone help with the questions above please? thanks!

 

[Caligula]

i cant get the black residue at the bottom to turn white...it just looks like resin. can someone help with the questions above please? thanks!

More fire. Seriously. The black stuff should start to glow red then turn white.

Also what type of torch are you using? It may be that yours isn't getting hot enough. (Edit: the vector should be ok)

Also I found this method to work very well:

Yes, you want the nail to get red hot. The white ashy stuff that "seasons" the nail is actually a good indication of this since it's more apparent when it turns red hot vs clear quartz which is hard to see in direct sunlight.

Also real quartz should be just fine with these heat levels. Doesn't matter how big your torch is, butane will only burn so hot.

Skillet Tools is a legit company, their stuff should be fine if it was intended for dabbing. I like Boro but glass dabbers tend to wick melted concentrate up and away from the heat source.

I let my nail cool down between hits. If you want specifics, usually 200°F or under if I'm checking with my IR probe. I don't think this matters though... and it will obviously take more torching to bring the nail back up to temp the cooler it gets.

 

[Jman5280]

More fire. Seriously. The black stuff should start to glow red then turn white.

Also what type of torch are you using? It may be that yours isn't getting hot enough. (Edit: the vector should be ok)

Also I found this method to work very well:

Yes, you want the nail to get red hot. The white ashy stuff that "seasons" the nail is actually a good indication of this since it's more apparent when it turns red hot vs clear quartz which is hard to see in direct sunlight.

Also real quartz should be just fine with these heat levels. Doesn't matter how big your torch is, butane will only burn so hot.

Skillet Tools is a legit company, their stuff should be fine if it was intended for dabbing. I like Boro but glass dabbers tend to wick melted concentrate up and away from the heat source.

I let my nail cool down between hits. If you want specifics, usually 200°F or under if I'm checking with my IR probe. I don't think this matters though... and it will obviously take more torching to bring the nail back up to temp the cooler it gets.

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

another question, when heating up how long to know when your good to dab?

last night i was able to get hits from as little as 5 seconds of torching (it burned slower and kinda dripped down tot he bottome) and I dabbed after torching for 30 seconds (it burned up in a split second and vanished) how do you know where the sweet spot is?

also, is it harmful to do a dab off of a unseasoned nail? bc i did last night!

 

[Caligula]

No not harmful. It just won't taste as good. Some people say it tastes like burning plastic but I didn't think it that bad.

Anyway, you want the nail to be between 600 and 700°F when you do your dab (lower temps for carb capping). If it all flash vapes in a a second it's too hot. If you have a puddle of melted concentrate after the dab it was too cold.

As said before you want the nail to get red hot so torch it for a while. From there 10 seconds or so cool down time is needed but this depends on how big/thick the nail is, etc. Takes some practice to find the sweet spot.

Before I got my IR probe I found that if I could hold my hand about 1/4 inch over the nail without it being uncomfortable then it was cool enough... however I don't think I need to tell you to use caution when holding your hand over a piece of 1000° glass.

 

[Jman5280]

Thanks @Caligula, very helpful.

are you saying to heat up the glass until its red hot and then wait 10 seconds to cool down?

do you want the very end of the torch flame touching the nail?

 

[syrupy]

do you want the very end of the torch flame touching the nail?

You want the hottest part touching the nail (the end of the blue cone-shaped flame)

 

[Caligula]

Thanks @Caligula, very helpful.

are you saying to heat up the glass until its red hot and then wait 10 seconds to cool down?

do you want the very end of the torch flame touching the nail?

Yes. Red hot then wait 10.

Also blue fire = good fire. Use the inner cone of the flame.

 

[Jman5280]

I was using the very end of the flame...so put the glass nail in the middle of the flame, at the end of the inside stronger blue flame?

that seems nuts but alright!

how long should it take for quartz to heat up with that? more than a few seconds?

 

[syrupy]

Maybe 15-20 seconds. Kind of depends on the size and design. Do you have a picture or link to the nail you got?

 

[Caligula]

Watch the video I linked. Torch it for that long. It's impossible to get it "too hot". The flame only goes up to a certain temperature.

You're over thinking it. Torch until red, wait, dab and repeat.

 

[Jman5280]

Torch goes up to 1300, what's quartz melt at? And what does boro or glass melt at? I assume it's quartz but who knows...

here it is...I have used it a few times already. is this seasoned?

I just heated it up til it was glowing and let it cool but it tasted funny. BUT i got the same hit when I let it burn for only 7-10 seconds and hit it immediatly and it didn't taste bad...

 

[Caligula]

You probably didn't let it cool enough before dabbing. Also you need to burn that black shit until it turns white.

 

[Jman5280]

You probably didn't let it cool enough before dabbing. Also you need to burn that black shit until it turns white.

shoot the flame directly into the nail? or just heat up the outside longer?

 

[Caligula]

I heat it from the outside. I also turn the nail as i torch it to more evenly heat it. Keep at it until you see that black stuff cherry then keep on it a few seconds more. Should turn white as it cools after that.

 

[Jman5280]

I get the same hit from a 5 second hold, is there a chance 5 seconds is good enough? would burning it hotter be better in any way?

+ with a torch, is butane getting in your hit from it? like going into the pipe?

 

[Jman5280]

is hitting a vape pen with a KISS cartridge or other cartridges be "healthier" in any way than dabbing? I feel that when you heat up quartz nails or any nail, you end up inhaling butane from the heat up process. I can see the flame shooting into the slots and holes in my nails and some of that has to be being inhaled right?

 

[Caligula]

No

 

[Jman5280]

No

lol thanks

whats the smallest size torch that can heat a quartz nail? I like the vector nitro but its loud as fuck...

 

[Caligula]

I like my Bed Bath and Beyond Crem brule torch.

 

[Jman5280]

arent they the same as vector? i have a problem witht he noise, and size honestly...kinda pissed i bought it lol

i want something small enough to heat it up

 

[Caligula]

Not going to happen. Sounds like you want an e-nail.

 

[syrupy]

Jman, weren't you posting about vaping irritating your throat? Or am I misremembering?