“My vaporizer does not work!” OR is it you who does not know how to use your vaporizer efficiently?

Using a vaporizer may not be a Herculean task, but it sure needs to be done in a proper manner to achieve the best results.

Here are a few steps that will help you in perfect vaporization.

Right Consistency of Herbs

This most important step is often overlooked by many. Before using, herbs need to be ground to a proper consistency. You can use a herb grinder for a perfect job. In the absence of a herb grinder, a coffee grinder is a good alternative. Ensure that you just give the herbs a couple of quick spins so that they do not become a fine powder that strains through the screen. You don’t have to worry if you have no grinder. Just use a scissors or even your fingers will do. The final result should be herbs with good consistency and without clumps.

Get the Vaporizer Going

Once you have the ground herbs, turn the vaporizer on and turn the temperature to the highest. Different vaporizer units have different methods of turn-on mechanism. The temperature control is either a knob that needs to be turned or simply a switch that turns off and on. You may refer to the operating instructions of the respective vaporizer.

Loading the Handpiece/Whip

The handpiece then needs to be loaded with the herbs. This process depends on the type of vaporizer used. If you are using a handpiece with a screen attached, the herbs should be placed on the screen. Just a small amount of herbs should do as they will provide a more even vaporization. The measurements of 1/8 is enough for once.

A great way is to load the vapor whip is with vacuum power. On your vapor whip, the small glass at the tip is the mouthpiece and the larger end is the loading chamber. Put the loading chamber over a small quantity of ground herbs and suck it into the loading chamber by breathing in the mouthpiece to create the suction. This is the best way of loading the herbs.

The Process of Vaporizing

Once the herbs are loaded, you are all set for vaporization.

Temperature - The first thing to check for is to see that your vaporizer is ready to be used and warmed to the required temperature as per instructions. If your marijuana vaporizer has metal heating element, the element will become hot and red. Whatever the type of vaporizer you use, it should be hot enough to be used for 5 – 10 minutes.

Proper Placement - Then you need to hold the handpiece to the end of the heating element and place the plastic tube-end of the mouthpiece in the mouth.

In most vaporizers, the heating element is at a 45 degree angle,
and because of this herbs spill into the heating element when
the end is attached. If this is what your vaporizer does, you can
just give a slight suction on the vapor whip to avoid spillage. This
is quite simple to do once you get used to it.

Getting the draw - Now the next step is to get the draw. Different vaporizers operate differently. Vapor is created by drawing hot air over the herbs and through the tube into the lungs.

Each person has their own preferred method of getting the perfect draw. Some vaporizer companies advise turning the vaporizer up as high as possible and to take fast and long inhalations to get the maximum benefit. Some say that the best way is to turn the unit down a little after heating it up and then taking the draw. I prefer the first method. I slow down my draw as the element cools down.

The variations of temperature and draw speed are the crucial elements of vaporizing. You will understand this better once you gain a little experience in drawing, and you will be able to figure out what is best for you.

Finally – Once you are done taking the draw, take the handpiece away from the unit to keep heat away from the herbs.

Things needed:

• Soldering iron (12v adapter)
• Flat piece of any wood (1/2 inch thickness and at least 8 x
8 inches)
• A plastic bottle (2 litres)
• Long wooden dowels (22 inches in length and ½ inch
diameter)
• A drill
• Hot glue or a silicon sealant
• Wood glue

Method

1. Start with cutting the flat wood into a triangle with 8 inch sides that are equal, at 60 degree angle.
2. Stain and varnish the wood.
3. One side of the triangle should be the top. Mark the centre of the triangle at the top as well as bottom.
4. Use a drill bit size for the handle of the soldering iron to get into the drilled hole and ensuring the rim on the top (which is the handle end closest to the element) sits on it.
5. Using the same size bit, drill through the centre of the triangle.
6. Turn the triangle over and mark three spots, each spot about 1 inch from the vertex.
7. Using the smallest bit, drill holes through each of these marked spots at a 15 degree angle, so that the dowels will fit into them snugly.
8. Now turn the triangular wooden piece to the top.
9. Take the 2 litre plastic bottle and remove the bottom piece and cut out the indented middle part.
10. Put the black piece on the hole in the centre of the wooden triangle and fix it to the wood with two nails through it.
11. Use either hot glue or a silicon sealant under the bottom of the black piece to fill any cracks that could have been made when removing it from the bottle.
12. On the bottom of the triangle, put some wood glue in all the holes, and put dowels in all the holes and tap them very softly with a hammer in order to set them. You need to let the glue dry after that.
13. Now put the power cord of the soldering iron through the hole in the middle, trimming the plastic if required. Make sure the soldering iron rests on the base and sticks up in the air.
14. Make a nice big hole at the bottom of the 2 litre bottle, ensuring that it will be able to fit into the black piece, leaving a bit of the curved portion.
15. Fashion the bowl now and you are done.

Fashioning The Bowl

Bowl making differs depending on the soldering iron being used. It is easy to make the bowl when you use an expensive iron where the tip screws are on. This sort of iron has threads on the element and the soldering tip also has threads like a nut (from inside.)

I have used this type of soldering iron and have been very successful with it.

There are two ways I worked with it. The first one is by using a Tin foil. A tin foil needs to be wrapped around the threads where the tip would go and make a small bowl of around ½ inch diameter.
Since tin foil that is heated is not good for health and breathing, hence the bowl I suggest will be similar to the one above.

There is another way of making a bowl

You need to get a size 9 metal thimble and make a hole on the top. The hole should be the size of the threads on the soldering iron. Try putting it on and if you find it too loose, you can wrap layers of tin foil around the threads until it is the perfect size and fits tightly.
The cheaper soldering irons usually have the tip screws in and not on. If you are using one of these, leave the tip on and use a much larger thimble.

Once you get a hang of it, you would know that something like this with a soldering iron in large metal topped jars, work fine.
Since you have so many options of vaporizers available in the market, it is not as if there is no option but to make one yourself. Do it if you are interested in making one. All this may sound like a lot of work, but in reality it is not.

If you take my word for it, it is actually a lot of fun. Try it out!

A Few Rules of the Thumb to Vaporize the Correct Way

Hot Element: It is important to draw quickly so as to not burn the herbs. As the element cools down, you may decrease the speed of your draw.

Slow Element: To create the vapor, you need to draw slow, ensuring that it is not too slow, which will burn the herbs, creating smoke.

Even armed with all this knowledge, vaporizing needs a little experimentation, and very soon you will know the style that suits you perfectly. It is all a matter of preference really.

What is the indication that all herbs have been used?

This is one of the most often asked clarifications about vaporizing and there is no perfect answer. It is really hard to say as it depends on the herb vaporizer used.

However, we can give you some pointers:

Color: When the color of the herbs changes from green to brown, it could be an indication that the herbs are spent. If they turn black, you have far exceeded the time.

Flavor: It is common to see herbs changing flavor once their essence has been devoured. Many herbs smell like burnt popcorn at this stage. In order to avoid going to such extremes, you need to learn to detect the changing flavor.

Vapor: Another great indication is, herbs fail to produce vapor at normal temperature, once they are spent. Once this happens, you must make sure you do not force the vapor out of the herbs by resorting to slow drawing on a heated element. This only results in burning the herbs and producing smoke, which is exactly what you are trying to avoid.

Whatever the vaporizer you use, you will get a hang of things after a few uses. Hope this has been a useful guide to vaporizing. Please feel free to contact us for any further information.