vape cartridge confusion

[knubs]

Hello everyone. ive been playing around with making vape cartridges and i have some questions and confusions that i'd like some help with.
i bought some batteries (the no button type) and some cartridges from an online wholesaler. i also obtained some PEG 400. the cartridges are the type that you fill by removing the mouth piece and the little rubber plug. it has the wick sticking up inside the tank (its a common style, hopefully everyone understand which ones i am talking about without dropping names of brands that use them.)

so ive been mixing some dewaxed shatter with the peg in a shot glass and i heat it to 140 degrees and mix it up. from what i was hearing i need about 0.25ml a gram. i tried that and it was super thick so i ended up diluting and testing little bits at a time and i think it was about .75ml-1.0ml to make it runny enough. at this rate it seemed to lack potency but hit ok. sometimes though the cartridges get hard to hit as if they were clogging up. also some cartridges seem to get kind of harsh after a while.

so what makes them feel clogged and how do i stop it?
also what makes it get harsh?

i am open to any suggestions to make these more reliable and potent. if you have any recommendations on where to get more info im open to that too. i dont mind doing research, but i just need to be pointed in the right direction. any info i can find on the topic i will read.

 

[toohighmf]

I don't know jack shit except through my similar posts here and a little practical experience. I was taught to mix PEG400 at 1:1 by weight. There are some that argue this is too much. However ever time I get under 40% PEG, it gets too thick to properly hit. Gram of peg to gram of product seems to work pretty good for me. I've been reading about adding terpenes to thin out the product as a dilutant in as little as 3%. About to order some and try.

 

[Digital Man]

Hello everyone. ive been playing around with making vape cartridges and i have some questions and confusions that i'd like some help with.
i bought some batteries (the no button type) and some cartridges from an online wholesaler. i also obtained some PEG 400. the cartridges are the type that you fill by removing the mouth piece and the little rubber plug. it has the wick sticking up inside the tank (its a common style, hopefully everyone understand which ones i am talking about without dropping names of brands that use them.)

so ive been mixing some dewaxed shatter with the peg in a shot glass and i heat it to 140 degrees and mix it up. from what i was hearing i need about 0.25ml a gram. i tried that and it was super thick so i ended up diluting and testing little bits at a time and i think it was about .75ml-1.0ml to make it runny enough. at this rate it seemed to lack potency but hit ok. sometimes though the cartridges get hard to hit as if they were clogging up. also some cartridges seem to get kind of harsh after a while.

so what makes them feel clogged and how do i stop it?
also what makes it get harsh?

i am open to any suggestions to make these more reliable and potent. if you have any recommendations on where to get more info im open to that too. i dont mind doing research, but i just need to be pointed in the right direction. any info i can find on the topic i will read.

1. The wax you are using has too much fats and waxes in it and will need that shit removed through winterization to become less viscous and work in those type of carts. Only at that point will PEG become an effective diluent without ruining the potency.

2. Because the oil is so thick, it is having trouble reaching the coil from the tank via the wick. Once that happens you will be dry hitting the coil and will burn the wick .... hence the burnt taste. Again .......... the oil is too viscous to work in that cart. Like trying to suck axle grease through a straw.

3. If you don't have the ability to get winterized oil, you'll need to experiment with differnt style carts. There are models out there now that are designed for thicker wax like oils. That C3 cart you are using was designed for e-juice .......... low viscocity liquids.

 

[knubs]

Thank you both for your responses!

I've heard some people hint that they lower the viscosity with terps. I'm pretty sure one person I talked to used alpha pinene.
I'm tempted to order some terps but I can't find much info on people doing this. If anyone else thinks it's a good idea I will grab some pinene and some limonene and try it out.


Digital man- my oil was dewaxed in its original solvent. Do you think winterizing would still help?

Also what other cartridge options are there that I can look into? I'd really love to increase potency but I'm honestly having trouble finding good info on this. How are pros doing it and what kind of cartridges are they using? Are they just using some distillate that naturally has a low viscosity or something?

 

[Digital Man]

Thank you both for your responses!

I've heard some people hint that they lower the viscosity with terps. I'm pretty sure one person I talked to used alpha pinene.
I'm tempted to order some terps but I can't find much info on people doing this. If anyone else thinks it's a good idea I will grab some pinene and some limonene and try it out.


Digital man- my oil was dewaxed in its original solvent. Do you think winterizing would still help?

Also what other cartridge options are there that I can look into? I'd really love to increase potency but I'm honestly having trouble finding good info on this. How are pros doing it and what kind of cartridges are they using? Are they just using some distillate that naturally has a low viscosity or something?

If I were you ..... I'd purchase a terp strain from one of the terp providers on-line. They have already blended several terps into what amounts as an attempt to replicate a particular strain profile. Start by adding 5% and see how that works. Increase a bit at a time until you reach a viscosity that works in your carts. These guys are good and reasonably priced.

https://www.extractconsultants.com/

 

[mobin]

if i had a dime for every overly a-pinene infected sample i've tried........

i'd rather swig a bottle of pinesol.

 

[Digital Man]

if i had a dime for every overly a-pinene infected sample i've tried........

i'd rather swig a bottle of pinesol.

Blame the market. With all the bro-science out there and the infatuation for "clear" ................ this is the end result.

Fondly recall the days when you could put some very terpy goo in a cartridge and everyone would rave about the taste. Then all of a sudden if you couldn't see through it ............ it was shit. LOL

 

[mobin]

Blame the market. With all the bro-science out there and the infatuation for "clear" ................ this is the end result.

Fondly recall the days when you could put some very terpy goo in a cartridge and everyone would rave about the taste. Then all of a sudden if you couldn't see through it ............ it was shit. LOL

broscience? good science in the hands of shitty people. just like damn near everything else. most people suck so its not too surprising when they fuck up a good thing.

ill gladly take midgrade distiallate over the finest of crumbles/shat/wax/etc. wayyy more bro science on that side of things....htfspe bullshit and whatnot lol. i mean theres like 34095 names for "shitty contaminated crude" extract.

i get it though. hell ill buy that new taco bell shit even if it is the same taco wrapped up in a different order.

 

[knubs]

If I were you ..... I'd purchase a terp strain from one of the terp providers on-line. They have already blended several terps into what amounts as an attempt to replicate a particular strain profile. Start by adding 5% and see how that works. Increase a bit at a time until you reach a viscosity that works in your carts. These guys are good and reasonably priced.

https://www.extractconsultants.com/

I've seen Gray Wolf recommend that site a few times and that will be my #1 choice for terps, but I was weary of the preformulated strain mixes. It sounds like Mobin hates the pinene mixes though, so i appreciate the input on that.

And Digital- when you say terpy goo that isnt see through, what are you referring to? I dont care about trends or hype, i just want some potent pens to smoke on. This 1:1 peg mix barely gives me a buzz.


Thanks again everyone for the input. I kind of feel like an asshole newb for making this thread. Usually i silently lurk and read in order to educate myself, but i really cant seem to find much info? Google seems worthless. It just takes me to a bunch of bro talk about people blowing "fat clouds"

 

[P-NUT]

Im wondering the same. Ive been making rosin and would like a portable way to consume thats inconspicuous.

 

[Digital Man]

Im wondering the same. Ive been making rosin and would like a portable way to consume thats inconspicuous.

I was given some rosin by a producer with the task of making it work in a cart. Pretty waxy stuff actually but in the end I was able to get it to the proper viscosity to work in any cartridge. First thing that crossed my mind was that it reminded me of what everything looked like (5-6) years ago.. so maybe not all is lost.

 

[tech1234]

Save the headache... Distillate+turps= happy vaping

 

[Digital Man]

broscience? good science in the hands of shitty people. just like damn near everything else. most people suck so its not too surprising when they fuck up a good thing.

ill gladly take midgrade distiallate over the finest of crumbles/shat/wax/etc. wayyy more bro science on that side of things....htfspe bullshit and whatnot lol. i mean theres like 34095 names for "shitty contaminated crude" extract.

i get it though. hell ill buy that new taco bell shit even if it is the same taco wrapped up in a different order.

I'm just not convinced the effort to remove every damn terp/wax/lipid/cannabinoid etc. and who knows what else in the spirit of making a concentrate see-through was a good move for the industry/consumer. Too much goodness is being stripped out of a concentrate to produce raw distillate and since we know not of what we are really pulling out ........... it is impossible to add it back in.... hence my broscience remark.

Yeah I know what you are going to come back with .........it's all about the "purity". I just think the "cost" of purity has exceeded the benefit.

 

[superglue]

I'm just not convinced the effort to remove every damn terp/wax/lipid/cannabinoid etc. and who knows what else in the spirit of making a concentrate see-through was a good move for the industry/consumer. Too much goodness is being stripped out of a concentrate to produce raw distillate and since we know not of what we are really pulling out ........... it is impossible to add it back in.... hence my broscience remark.

Yeah I know what you are going to come back with .........it's all about the "purity". I just think the "cost" of purity has exceeded the benefit.

i tend to agree
the waxes and lipids imo are excusable as the triterpenes-c30's may be the beneficiary agents as they are important in the medical value of certain mushroom species aswell

 

[KidNasty]

Thank you both for your responses!

I've heard some people hint that they lower the viscosity with terps. I'm pretty sure one person I talked to used alpha pinene.
I'm tempted to order some terps but I can't find much info on people doing this. If anyone else thinks it's a good idea I will grab some pinene and some limonene and try it out.


Digital man- my oil was dewaxed in its original solvent. Do you think winterizing would still help?

Also what other cartridge options are there that I can look into? I'd really love to increase potency but I'm honestly having trouble finding good info on this. How are pros doing it and what kind of cartridges are they using? Are they just using some distillate that naturally has a low viscosity or something?

I've used the product called connoisseur concentrates they are a blend of Terps designed to mimic flavor profiles of certain strains. If you have cleaning shatter or even crumbly wax it takes about half a mil of connoisseur concentrates to one gram of shatter and I end up with perfectly clear liquid that works in every tank or cartridge I've ever put in.

 

[Digital Man]

I've used the product called connoisseur concentrates they are a blend of Terps designed to mimic flavor profiles of certain strains. If you have cleaning shatter or even crumbly wax it takes about half a mil of connoisseur concentrates to one gram of shatter and I end up with perfectly clear liquid that works in every tank or cartridge I've ever put in.

Overpriced garbage ........... how's it going Drew ?

 

[Capt.Ahab]

Try the CCELL carts for thick oils.
They work well and depending of the quality of your oil, only a few drops of PEG400 or terps for flavor will be needed if you want to improve flow.

 

[Amish Tom]

I've tried both Extract Consultants and Connoisseur Concentrates terpene blends. Both offer sample kits and charge around the same price per mL.

Connoisseur recommends adding .5mL to 1 gram of oil. That gives you approx 1.5 grams of vape pen oil. You end up with 33% terpenes. Does that seem like too much to anyone else? I added their blend at about 18%. Most I tried are good. There was a common pinene flavor in several of them. G13 blend was my favorite

Extract Consultants recommends adding their blends at 5%. I am much more comfortable adding that amount. Plus you can make a lot more vape pen oil adding 5% compared to 33%. Their DJ Short Blueberry terpene blend was great. Tastes just like a blueberry. You can tell it isn't cannabis derived but I don't mind. Tastes better than any blueberry stain I've purchased. Been looking for cannabis that actually tasted like blueberries for a long time with no luck.

 

[Gray Wolf]

Extract Consultants is my go to source for terpenes, because not only do I know them personally, I know their source personally and am comfortable with their quality control. They've been a major player in essential oils for five generations, and supply many of the other sources.

They don't sell a cart mix diluent despite their huge markup and profitability and were expressing concern about them, before the rash of vaping illnesses and deaths.

Besides diluting with terpene mixes, dewaxing and decarboxylation will both reduce the essential oil viscosity and aid feeding, as will taking out the longer chain molecules using short path distillation.

 

[Gray Wolf]

I've used the product called connoisseur concentrates they are a blend of Terps designed to mimic flavor profiles of certain strains. If you have cleaning shatter or even crumbly wax it takes about half a mil of connoisseur concentrates to one gram of shatter and I end up with perfectly clear liquid that works in every tank or cartridge I've ever put in.

If we have learned nothing else, we've learned that the cart component suppliers are out of control, and are offering potions that have not been adequately tested.

The biggest downside with Connoisseur Concentrates is Drew, and appears to be about smoke and mirrors, vis a vis customer service and quality control. Not to forget they were a prime supplier of Vitamin E acetate that appears to have killed a passel of brothers and sisters, while claiming it to be as salubrious as mothers milk.

I wait with bait on my breath to see what the current FDA criminal investigation of Connoisseur Concentrates turns up.