Vaping with cotton

[stickstones]

I'm directing cotton discussion here instead of the Ascent thread.

I just recently started using it as a spacer and I like the results. Any safety or usage concerns?

 

[Slightly Medicated]

If you are going to use organic cotton I would recommend: Intrinsics Organic Cotton Roll.

It is a 1lb roll of cotton similar to paper towels. You can just cut or tear off a little bit for your needs. I have had great success with that particular brand.



You can read more about it on their website:

http://www.intrinsics.net/professional-supplies/roll-cotton/

and to order:

http://www.universalcompanies.com/By-Brand/INTRINSICS/_/Intrinsics-Organic-1-lb-Cotton-Roll/

 

[HSIHP]

I don't know much about the safety/ dangers about using cotton but I have used it in my Solo a few times. When my magic flight stems need cleaning I just run a q-tip through, pul off the cotton end and stick it in a solo stem.

I'll admit the first time I used it I was tweaking a little, checking after every hit to make sure it was still pure white and sure enough, it never changed color and besides a slightly strange taste (it was my first time using any kind of oils to be fare) it seemed to work just fine. If I am not mistaken, Vito is a huge cotton fan. He should probably come school us!

 

[lwien]

If I am not mistaken, Vito is a huge cotton fan. He should probably come school us!

While I have a lot of respect for Vito, he does have opinions that I differ with pretty dramatically. Case in point. He's stated that he hates hitting his LSV through a bong filled with water, but yet, it is my favorite way to hit it.

I just have this problem of stuffing cotton in my vaporizer and vaping through it. He, on the other hand, probably has the same feeling about vaping through water. No right or wrong here. Just preferences.

 

[Alan]

I have been using cotton filters in my glass mouthpiece tubes for about a week now with very good success. You can see from the photo how much it filters out. Very similar to a cigarette filter. The best part about it is that you can take the dirty cotton filter and place it in the roasting tube so that the oil can be re-volatilized again. I have gotten hits bigger than I have had by dabbing from roasting the dirty cotton. It gets so concentrated on the cotton and seems to work better than just cleaning the tubes with cotton / alcohol. The cotton fibers don't get all matted down so the air flows through it better.
I place just enough cotton so that it will stay in place, but not enough to hinder the air flow all that much. I'm not sure what size oil droplets get through, but the larger ones get trapped in the cotton. If only the smaller droplets get through, then they should have a better chance of getting deeper into your lungs. There must be a way to measure the size of the droplets. Maybe with a laser.
They do make a very fine fiber from hemp that would probably work just as well as cotton.
The cotton filter should work on many different vaporizers. Don't position the cotton too close to the heat source or you will just volatilize the oil rather than filtering it. When the air flow gets poor, it is time to change the cotton filter. I always look forward to that.
Wax / oil wrapped in cotton works very well too.

 

[Peloton]

I've been using cotton to reclaim stem hash from all of my various stems for months, and it works GREAT. I just swab, stick it in the vape (Usually use the UD) and away you go. Never any burning or hotspots, just plenty of vapor and stonedness


However, I was recently made aware of the benefits of organic cotton, so I'm planning to give that a go. And thanks for the links SliM, I wasn't aware you could buy it in a roll like that.

 

[satyrday]

The taste and texture of cotton in my mouth sets my teeth on edge like how some people react to nails on a chalkboard. Biting down on cotton and biting down on wood (popsicle stick etc) have a similar effect on me. I tried vaping with cotton once and it also had that effect - just the taste of it ...

 

[smokum]

I hate the texture of cotton in my mouth as well, but the taste was always accompanied with some kind of antiseptic (aka: dentist), so another 'negative' associated effect.

However, I've personally never had issue with using it as a medium for vaping oils and inhaling from it ever since Vito showed it a couple yrs ago. But I was just using whatever was on the tip of a qtip which may have been polyester, so thanks for the tip SLiM about the organic/natural availability of cotton.

 

[stickstones]

I was wondering about a hemp fiber as well. not for any real reason, cotton works fine, but it would kind of complete the cannabis circuit.

 

[smokum]

I was wondering about a hemp fiber as well. not for any real reason, cotton works fine, but it would kind of complete the cannabis circuit.

Did some searching around, and all that appears to be available are hemp blended with organic cotton spun and used to make GREEN facial or nursing pads.

 

[hitnrun]

I only recently tried using cotton with Everclear reclaim, and I like it. I put a small dab in a pea-sized piece of cotton, and inhale for 10-12 seconds (just until I get some vapor forming) to soften the reclaim. Then I'll remove the cotton and pull it apart some to spread out the liquified reclaim, ball it back up and re-insert it in the e-nano glass straw. The result is 8-10 highly productive hits.

 

[Alan]

I was telling a friend about the cotton filter in the mouthpiece tube the other day and he sent me this link after we talked about the possibility of hemp fiber. They are using Sodium Hydroxide (strong base) to remove the lignin from the fibers so they will separate. Not sure I want to get a whole kg just to try it. Organic cotton seems a bit easier to obtain.

Degummed Hemp Fiber

 

[pakalolo]

Just this morning I was working with some reclaim and managed to get a large drop on my desk. I used a little ball of cotton to wipe it up and stuck it in one of my Hammer stems. It worked nicely.

I didn't notice any flavour from it and if it's absorbing actives then I can't tell. I've reached an age where the possibility of vaping through cotton having any adverse effects is of no consequence to me. In my youth I heavily used chillums made from coffee cans, plastic lids, and ballpoint pen barrels, and aluminum foil with holes poked in it for screens in a pipe. Look how I turned out.

 

[lwien]

I've reached an age where the possibility of vaping through cotton having any adverse effects is of no consequence to me. In my youth I heavily used chillums made from coffee cans, plastic lids, and ballpoint pen barrels, and aluminum foil with holes poked in it for screens in a pipe. Look how I turned out.

I did see how you turned out in that Ascent vid.

All kidding aside though, I kind of have the opposite feeling that you do. When I was young, I took all kinds of chances in regards to what I put in my body, so much so, that I find it amazing that I'm still alive. But the older I get, the more I make a conscious effort not to do that anymore. I really don't want to push my luck.
Having more days behind me than in front of me kinda changed things up a bit.

 

[Dafni]

I was telling a friend about the cotton filter in the mouthpiece tube the other day and he sent me this link after we talked about the possibility of hemp fiber. They are using Sodium Hydroxide (strong base) to remove the lignin from the fibers so they will separate. Not sure I want to get a whole kg just to try it. Organic cotton seems a bit easier to obtain.

Degummed Hemp Fiber

That stuff sounds like it shouldn't be too hard to make it yourself. Come fall I might keep my stems and give that one a go. Thanks for sharing

 

[Alan]

Interesting notion for creating fiber from the stems. Be sure to rinse well / neutralize before using. Would like to know how it works out for you.

I discovered a different way of cleaning my glass tubes that does not involve any solvents. I draw hot air through the glass tube to heat / soften the oil and then use a clean piece of cotton to wipe it off. I use a bamboo skewer to move the cotton around inside the glass tube. I also find that any oil on the bamboo skewer can be simply scraped off inside of the silicone bowl. The sharp edge of silicone works just as a kitchen spatula. The oil collects together and is easily removed from the silicone for roasting in the cotton.

 

[Peloton]

I discovered a different way of cleaning my glass tubes that does not involve any solvents. I draw hot air through the glass tube to heat / soften the oil and then use a clean piece of cotton to wipe it off.

Good call Alan, I've recently discovered this as well. I used to use iso with my cotton and evap, but I've found its not necessary if you swab the stem right after vaping a bowl, while its still hot.

 

[Alan]

Good call Alan, I've recently discovered this as well. I used to use iso with my cotton and evap, but I've found its not necessary if you swab the stem right after vaping a bowl, while its still hot.

I didn't realize you meant without using alcohol in your earlier post. I always used alcohol with my cotton in the past as well. I still use alcohol if I want it really clean. I also have collected wand hash by heating the glass with some hot air and then using a bamboo skewer blade tool to scrape it out. The cotton seems to me an easy way for managing the oil in the mouthpiece tube.

 

[stickstones]

I like where this is going...

 

[jds32]

I'm entertained by weighing the cotton, weighing the cotton with the concentrate, and then weighing the cotton after use.

The results vary quite a bit between concentrate types and from one concentrate to the next. I don't vary temperature much, but I suspect that would impact the results also.

 

[vaporonly]

I also have collected wand hash by heating the glass with some hot air and then using a bamboo skewer blade tool to scrape it out.

i've used a roughly 8-10" section of hanger wire with just the right bend on my SSV wand for years. didn't even need to heat it.

it's crazy to see the amount that will come out of a well used SSV wand.

Q-tip says their swabs are 100% cotton FYI

 

[Peloton]

Q-tip says their swabs are 100% cotton FYI

I have noticed this too on the packaging, but I think a lot of people's rub with non-organic cotton is the amount of pesticides used on the crops. This is actually what is making me want to explore organic cotton. I've not had any ill effects from using q-tip cotton to reclaim regularly for a while now, but who knows? It's cheap enough I'm going to give it a go soon, I think.

 

[stickstones]

In a pm with Vitolo about cotton, he posted this:

it is very pure.
even on Q-Tips, no glue is used to wind the cotton.. only friction is used to spin on the cotton.
It is safe enough to use in surgery.
There is no other chemical or additive in cotton.

If it says "Cotton" then there is nothing else in it.

Look for this symbol. It means that no other material is used.

 

[lwien]

So here's the question. While it's safe enough to use in surgery, is it safe enough to heat up to 400 degrees and inhale what ever "may" be coming off of that cotton, deep into your lungs?

There may be no problem whatsoever, but the question is.........is there?

 

[stickstones]

like an asbestos thing?