Vaping with cotton

[Alan]

I have pretty much stopped roasting the dirty hemp / cotton fiber after I discovered an easy way to reclaim the oil and that I have an amazing new device for vaporizing the oil. E-Cig Cartridge Mod
Have been letting the filter get very oily before changing it. The dirtier it gets, the more it seems to filter. I think of it like strands of fly paper and the large particles are the flies.
After heating the glass (by drawing hot air through it) to loosen the oil, I push the dirty filter into a silicone sleeve. A few drops of everclear are added to get the filter soaking wet. I then squeeze the silicone sleeve over a shot glass to catch the oil / alcohol mixture. I repeat until the alcohol is clean when I squeeze out the filter. The silicone keeps your fingers from touching the mixture so there is no mess.
Place the shot glass in a warm spot to evaporate the alcohol.
I am experimenting with having a filter that I only use with the HILite to see if there is a difference in the oil from the lower temperature. I will use a different filter to finish roasting the tube at higher temperatures. The silicone sleeve of the Turbo Tube can just be switched to different mouthpiece tubes that contain the filters.

 

[ataxian]

I have pretty much stopped roasting the dirty hemp / cotton fiber after I discovered an easy way to reclaim the oil and that I have an amazing new device for vaporizing the oil. E-Cig Cartridge Mod
Have been letting the filter get very oily before changing it. The dirtier it gets, the more it seems to filter. I think of it like strands of fly paper and the large particles are the flies.
After heating the glass (by drawing hot air through it) to loosen the oil, I push the dirty filter into a silicone sleeve. A few drops of everclear are added to get the filter soaking wet. I then squeeze the silicone sleeve over a shot glass to catch the oil / alcohol mixture. I repeat until the alcohol is clean when I squeeze out the filter. The silicone keeps your fingers from touching the mixture so there is no mess.
Place the shot glass in a warm spot to evaporate the alcohol.
I am experimenting with having a filter that I only use with the HILite to see if there is a difference in the oil from the lower temperature. I will use a different filter to finish roasting the tube at higher temperatures. The silicone sleeve of the Turbo Tube can just be switched to different mouthpiece tubes that contain the filters.

I don't understand your reasoning?
Why not just make pure shatter?

 

[Alan]

I don't understand your reasoning?
Why not just make pure shatter?

I enjoy the fresh flower taste.
This is just my preferred method of reclaim. It only takes a few drops of alcohol so I don't have to spend a lot.

 

[ataxian]

I enjoy the fresh flower taste.
This is just my preferred method of reclaim. It only takes a few drops of alcohol so I don't have to spend a lot.

Sorry Alan I was just trying to understand the logic of reclaim?
It makes me barf!
Fresh Flowers and clean glass!
Well purged concentrates blonde in color from top colas.

I know you make a nice vaporizer I wish I had one in my quiver someday!

 

[Alan]

No worries ataxian. I will get you a vaporizer some day soon.

Here is the results of my experiment.

The tube on the bottom was only used at a low temperature.
The tube on the top was used at higher temperatures.

The oil was extracted from both tubes using the technique described above.
The oil from the high temp tube was like taffy and very dark. the taste not the greatest. Considerable carbon left behind to burn off my ss screen in my e-cig module.
The oil from the low temp tube was more like 90 weight oil and much lighter in color. It flowed well into the ss screen from the well. The taste was very nice and potency off the charts. The screen required less cleaning.

Makes me wonder if the fiber filter would be a good way to fractionally distill the oil from the plant so that it can be studied more scientifically. The Herbalizer seems like the perfect scientific instrument to perform the task. The filters could be changed at different temperatures. Now that it is legal in two states, we should have some more scientific research done. It would be a tough job, but I'm sure they would find some people to fill the positions.

 

[DDave]

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

It's Friday and I'm not yet elevated! I read the title as "Vaping Cotton" and was thinking to invite stickstones over for a session! Sucks to be dry, but to resort to what I thought I read... hahaha

Anyhow, I've only had minimal experience with any cotton at all. Didn't really like it. Much more preferred the herb/concentrate/herb sandwich.

On a really SAD side note, just read the label on my boxers and it says "100% Cotton"...

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

 

[pakalolo]

I use Q-tips dipped in ISO to clean out various pieces of equipment. Usually I save them and toss them into an ISO soak when I'm doing a clean-up and reclaim. About a week ago I plucked the tip off of one fairly "dirty" Q-tip and put it in my Solo. I set it to 6 (arbitrary choice) and got lots of vapour with an interesting and not horrid flavour. Since then, I've heated it up five more times and it's still giving decent vapour. Starting to diminish now but I'm astounded by how much I can get out of it.

 

[ToadsWildRide]

Thanks for the pics toad..

Is the cotton used just a cotton ball?

Yes I got them at CVS, boiled them just to make sure they were clean. I originally got them to use with my rebuildable e-cigs but didn't like them for that. They work great in the Ascent and maximizes you vapor production, giving you a second vape session with the cotton alone.

Mod note: This and the following 8 posts have been merged from the Ascent thread.

 

[KeroZen]

@ToadsWildRide : welcome on board!

I wouldn't say that the cotton maximizes your vapor production though. What goes into the cotton in the first place doesn't go directly to your lungs, so it acts more like a temporary buffer. I tried cotton a few times but found I did not need it with my puck technic, and tbh it looks a bit gross when gunked and I don't like having to carry those sticky balls around!

Reminds me the first time a friend came to my house and saw the small vial holding the Q-tips I use to clean around the bowl, waiting to be recclaimed, all dirty brown... He looked at me and asked "please tell me this does not come from your ears?!!!"

 

[Delta3DStudios]

Thanks for the pics toad..

Is the cotton used just a cotton ball?

Not all cotton is alike! Only use 100% organic cotton with your vapes!!

 

[OF]

Not all cotton is alike! Only use 100% organic cotton with your vapes!!

Nothing wrong with "organic" cotton, of course, but what specifically is the issue with the common type? Marketing aside, of course, the 'bug' is about money I think? What is the advantage to us?

TIA

OF

 

[Delta3DStudios]

Nothing wrong with "organic" cotton, of course, but what specifically is the issue with the common type? Marketing aside, of course, the 'bug' is about money I think? What is the advantage to us?

TIA

OF

I believe it's the process of cleaning and treating the cotton. Everything I've read says to stay away from traditional cheap cotton balls and only use organic cotton (preferably grown pesticide free, but not all brands state if pesticides were used in the growing of the cotton)


-------------------------

Does anyone have Ed's wooden stems and a digital caliper? I need to the the largest outside diameter of the stem (any part of it) - I'm thinking it shouldn't be any larger than 10mm, but I'd like to know for sure

I plan on making a second version of my wall mounted charging dock with a place on both left and right sides to hold extra GONGS or glass stems (Link to my new wall mounted charging dock is in my signature).

Unfortunately I only have the glass GONG from Davinci, I don't have any of Ed's stems.

 

[OF]

I believe it's the process of cleaning and treating the cotton. Everything I've read says to stay away from traditional cheap cotton balls and only use organic cotton (preferably grown pesticide free, but not all brands state if pesticides were used in the growing of the cotton).

Thanks, so you don't have anything specific either? I looked a fair bit a while back. I found no scientific tests showing any contamination of concern. And extremely low levels of such stuff can be detected. Like your findings I think there's no specific guarantee of 'pesticide free' (in a corp famous for using more pesticides than any other......), but rather it seems a marketing ploy. Pay the fee, you get to use the bug.

I'm reluctant to say 'no reason to spend the extra effort and money', but I seriously question if there is. Seems to me if there was a demonstrable advantage they'd advertise it? Again, no disadvantage to 'organic' cotton, I just wonder if there really is an advantage.

Thanks again. The question stands.

OF

 

[pakalolo]

I'm with OF. It doesn't have to be organic as far as I'm concerned. If it's cleared for medical use, that's good enough for me.

 

[OF]

If it's cleared for medical use, that's good enough for me.

Interesting take.....'if it's not safe, what's it doing in my aspirin bottle?'.

OF

 

[stickstones]

I quit worrying about it after Vitolo convinced me it was alright. The only thing I don't like about cotton is the taste.

 

[Quetzalcoatl]

Not all cotton tastes alike... I really noticed that when I started using cotton to rebuild my ecig dripper and used a few different ones. I became partial to some stuff the local ecig shop carried, they had 3lb boxes and gave me some to rewick as needed. The cheaper stuff tastes almost like lotion lol.

 

[stickstones]

That's good to know. On my worst days I ended up tasting clean laundry in my mouth. I prefer the degummed hemp fiber taste a lot more.

 

[Caligula]

I don't really think using it as packaging to prevent the bottle from rattling around is considered "medical use".

 

[hoptimum]

Has anyone tried using hemp fiber instead of cotton? Any drawbacks to that approach? I'm thinking of using it with the Ascent

 

[pakalolo]

That's good to know. On my worst days I ended up tasting clean laundry in my mouth. I prefer the degummed hemp fiber taste a lot more.

Has anyone tried using hemp fiber instead of cotton? Any drawbacks to that approach? I'm thinking of using it with the Ascent

I don't really think using it as packaging to prevent the bottle from rattling around is considered "medical use".

Well it is. That's your medicine in there.

 

[tuk]

If it's cleared for medical use, that's good enough for me.

.....'if it's not safe, what's it doing in my aspirin bottle?'.

Following the logic the plastic aspirin bottle must also be safe to vape?

 

[OF]

Following the logic the plastic aspirin bottle must also be safe to vape?

Of course not, but it would be pesticide free, right? PAK has a good point. As did Vitolo (although I missed it.....). USP cotton is not 'organic'. If USP cotton was in any way hazardous and a safer version was available what would you expect to be happening?

If it was superior, I'd expect a valid lab test to show that and then 'it would sell itself'. Aspirin makers would immediately switch over and proudly proclaim it on the label in finest capitalist tradition. I figure the guys selling organic cotton can't really show an advantage? I was unable to find any at any rate.

Again, anyone have any hard evidence of anything to worry about? I've no problem with it, but does anyone have a reason why guys should go out of their way to get it?

TIA

OF

 

[DieHard]

I don't have any experience vaping with cotton but I know a little about asbestos. Asbestos forms naturally in crystals in the form of long fibers. Asbestos fibers are much smaller than cotton fibers. The crystalline structure of asbestos of contains fracture planes that allow a fiber to break into smaller similarly shaped fibers. All with angled edges. Friable asbestos can have fibers that are so small that they can take several days to settle to the floor when airborne. When they get into the lungs they have nowhere to go. They are not dissolved by the body any more than glass (asbestos is a silicate, think glass). So you can see how asbestos fibers can wreak havoc on the body. Cotton fibers are organic and will, in time, be absorbed/dissolved by the body eventually. You don't really hear too much about cotton garment workers getting cancer from what they are inhaling.

My point: There is no danger similar to asbestos from using cotton. There may be some other danger there... But not like asbestos.

 

[Vitolo]