LASER dabbing (shark free)

[Copacetic]

Ok, so a couple of months ago I managed to get hold of some concentrate for the first time (I have a 33 year 420 background, but had only tried oil smeared on papers/hotknifed before).

I was impressed with the results from a Titanium honey bucket, but not so keen on the noisy torch.

So I got one of these 'oil smashers' from Smoke Tower:
https://www.smoketower.ca/store/Oil-Smasher-Glass-Bowl

I threw away the 'nail' part which you are supposed to heat with a torch, and obtained a soldering station (digital temp control) with a ceramic tip.
I simply put my concentrate in the 'bowl' of the smasher bulb, choose a temp on the solder station, then dip the tip into the concentrate while pulling through my bubbler.

I love this setup, as it's quiet, tasty, very controllable, and it's super easy to use while sitting back in my armchair.

The downside is that it can't be readily passed around guests due to the cable for the solder station (this is also the reason I don't want a regular e-nail setup, won't go into cordless e-nails here)

So I want something cordless to replace the solder station.

I considered getting one of those portable electric soldering irons, but I haven't been able to find one which has a ceramic tip.

Then I thought of......LASERS!

I've seen video of pocket lasers capable of pyrography and the like, so I assume that they'd easily be capable of the temp's required to vape concentrates, but I don't know if it's possible to control the output on any of these devices like I do with my solder station.

Has anyone tried to vape with a laser?

Halogen powered vapes are reported to have very good results, and they use the infra red spectrum to both heat air, and radiate directly on to herb (method depends upon model).

I believe that pocket lasers can be infra red too, so might work well?

I've been asking round my friends to see if anyone has a pocket laser that I could test this approach with, but no joy.

I know this is a long shot but anyone here have one, and some concentrate to test this with?

 

[Joel W.]

I have a green laser that has been turned up a bit. It will pop black balloons, cut black electrical tape and set black match heads on fire. I have tried to burn herb it but it was not very effective. I need to try it with some dark oil now.

An IR laser might work better.

 

[Copacetic]

I have a green laser that has been turned up a bit. It will pop black balloons, cut black electrical tape and set black match heads on fire. I have tried to burn herb it but it was not very effective. I need to try it with some dark oil now.

An IR laser might work better.

Well, I'm keen to know how it works with your green laser when you try it!

 

[Joel W.]

I got a few small hints of vapor off some really dark reclaim but I think my batteries are really weak. They are about 5 years old. I thinned some reclaim out on a dark surface but it just gets warm and bubbles. My laser is an ebay laser that I took apart and turn up the pot up until the light when out and then backed it off a bit. It should be around less than 200mw and it is for short bursts only. I see several on ebay that are upwards of 2-5 watts now.

I need to look into this some more. It's the future..

pew pew pew

 

[EverythingsHazy]

I have a green laser that has been turned up a bit. It will pop black balloons, cut black electrical tape and set black match heads on fire. I have tried to burn herb it but it was not very effective. I need to try it with some dark oil now.

An IR laser might work better.

That's probably because of reflective trichomes, and green pigmentation, which means that green light is reflected off of the plant. Most lasers, including green ones, work best on dark colored (black is best) objects. White takes much longer to burn, if it does at all.

Also, any laser powerful enough to be used for vaping/burning anything, require proper eye protection for whoever is in the room. Especially when there is glassware around. No, sunglasses (Even a few pairs) are not adequate, even if they make the beam look dim. IR light can still mess up your eyes.

 

[Copacetic]

Well, if these are genuine risks then I feel a lot less enthusiastic about the laser idea.
Completing a risk assessment is not my idea of a good way to enjoy being high.

Porcelain can be black as well as white.
So perhaps a laser with a tip/cover made of black porcelain would heat up enough to provide the required temperatures.
The laser could be completely enclosed.

However it feels like somewhat like re-inventing the wheel unless it were faster/more controllable/powerful than an electric cordless soldering iron.


Having said all of that, I wonder if (Joel W) can tell me if your laser can scorch wood like the DIY pocket lasers made from Blu-ray burning lasers that I've seen on Instructables?
There may yet be a way to do lasers safely?

 

[Joel W.]

I envision something similar to a classic combustion pipe except with a light tight deep v shaped bowl for the oil to sit, air holes in the side with the laser pointer pointed down into a metal area. put in a clear window section after the 90' elbow to see visual vapor. Seems like it could be made easily safe but yes, be careful with lasers.

 

[VoltageKeeper]

most lasers that are intended for burning are indeed infrared and thus invisible, so you can't even actually see the beam, which makes them even more dangerous. Thus, the need for this warning:

I always wanted to build a CO2 laser as a side project, which would be more than adequate to burn some stuff, but I never got around to doing it. I mostly just want to make one for the fun of the challenge, never crossed my mind to try and vape with one! I've got a collection of a bunch of diode lasers in various colors and power ratings, but nothing capable of really burning anything substantial.

The funny bit is that co2 lasers almost look like something you'd smoke out of, if not for the glowing plasma inside...they're all infrared beams though so you can't actually see the beam at all, you just see the burning stuff on the other side, haha. Most of them are water cooled...anyway, you could see why it might be a fun project:

I bet something in the 5-10w range would be adequate for vaping, but I can't say it'd be the safest thing in the world! Really, if it could be done in some kind of contained device that'd be optimal.

 

[smokum]

Made me chuckle............ "Do Not Look At Laser With Remaining Eye" as if someone OOPs'd and only had one good eye left