3 ms·

Edibles kind of suck TBH. Everyone's body digests and metabolizes things at a different rate, so while one brownie may get me absolutely stoned for 4 hours, my

by exelius 11y ago

Edibles kind of suck TBH. Everyone's body digests and metabolizes things at a different rate, so while one brownie may get me absolutely stoned for 4 hours, my friend may need to eat 3 to get the same effect. Also, edibles take anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes to kick in -- you don't get the immediate effect you get from inhaling it. Vapes are better, but the quality varies widely. THC is not water-soluble, so you need a hydrocarbon solvent (usually butane) to extract it and dilute it into enough of a liquid that it won't separate. Those vapes are actually pretty good and hit almost like smoking a pipe, but then again you're breathing in solvents along with it. Also, this type of liquid is close to impossible to make yourself -- at least safely (since it requires subjecting volatile solvents to high pressures and temperature). There are "solvent free" blends that use things like coconut oil, but IMO those vapes don't work nearly as well and give a very thin vapor that is very hard to draw on. For this reason, some people prefer "dabbing" which is basically taking refined THC (in either solid or paste form) and burning it at very high temperatures, then inhaling the smoke. That way you get high without solvents or the majority of the burnt plant material, but a dabbing setup is expensive and it's really only feasible in places where you can easily buy the "wax" (i.e. Colorado). If you mean the hot air vaporizers... they tend to be expensive and use twice as much material as smoking it, plus they don't "hit" like a pipe or bong (you have to inhale for a much longer time to get the same effect).

c22 11y ago
> Also, this type of liquid is close to impossible to make yourself -- at least safely (since it requires subjecting volatile solvents to high pressures and temperature). I built a closed loop (butane retaining) essential oils extractor for around $1500 and I never felt unsafe operating it. There are no high pressures involved, I pull the system to a slight vacuum then flood it with butane to around 15 psi (all my valves, ports, and joints are rated to 300 psi). There are no high temperatures involved either, butane boils at 30.2°F so I just leave the system at room temperature with the gas reclaimer running till all my solvent is back in the cylinder. The largest risk is actually developing a butane leak and flooding the area with an odorless flammable gas, but basic precautions can protect against this.
- exelius 11y ago
  Then you are far beyond the skills of your average garage mechanic, my friend.
  - c22 11y ago
    Really? Cause I just sourced appropriately rated threaded components from the internet and screwed them together with thread sealant from the auto shop. The hardest part was probably modding a minifridge to run on its back so I could fit my receiving tank in it for faster retrieval. The craziest mechanicals are probably inside the appion g5 refrigerant reclaimer and bargain basement vacuum pump I got off ebay. In fact, if I think about it this was probably my first real project as a "maker", my design document was literally a single sheet of graph paper. Since then I've embarked on much more ambitious projects (frame-up electric bicycle, cnc plasma cutter, modular light up dance floor...) and I feel like my skills have probably increased many-fold over where I was at the time. If I were to build another one today I'd probably introduce considerably more complexity (electronically actuated valves with process automation for example, perhaps co2 as a solvent which would require cooling with liquid nitrogen). Shit, at the time I think my toolbag consisted of a screwdriver and an adjustable spanner.
GordonS 11y ago
> edibles take anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes to kick in For me it's generally 120 minutes for the effects to start, then another 60 or so before the peak. > THC is not water-soluble, so you need a hydrocarbon solvent (usually butane) to extract it and dilute it into enough of a liquid that it won't separate While it does seem to be very fashionable in the US just now - you don't have to vape concentrates. There are lots of 'dry herb' vaporisers that are capable of vaping weed and hash. A good alternative to edible is a cannabis tincture which is used sublingually. The onset is rapid, and so it's much easier to dose.
- exelius 11y ago
  > While it does seem to be very fashionable in the US just now - you don't have to vape concentrates. There are lots of 'dry herb' vaporisers that are capable of vaping weed and hash. Yeah, I personally think these vaporizers don't provide a very "satisfying" experience; and you have to draw on them a whole lot to get the same effect. They also use far more "herb" than many are willing to commit to consuming at a single time (most use at least half a gram, when you'd probably load a pipe with less than a quarter gram). I've used a "Volcano" (uber high-quality German vaporizer) and while it actually works quite well, it's a novelty and it's basically a freaking $600 electronic bong. And it still has the problem where it requires a whole lot of material to adequately fill the chamber. I've seen the tinctures, but never tried them. Too many new products these days... :)
  - GordonS 11y ago
    I've never used a 'desktop' vape like the Volcano, but portable vapes only use 0.1 - 0.15g (you couldn't fit in any more if you tried). With some you do need to draw on them a lot, but they definately make your herb go a lot further, which more than makes it worth it, I think :) Tinctures are actually an 'old' product that's sort of becoming more popular again.

by exelius 11y ago

c22 11y ago

> Also, this type of liquid is close to impossible to make yourself -- at least safely (since it requires subjecting volatile solvents to high pressures and temperature). I built a closed loop (butane retaining) essential oils extractor for around $1500 and I never felt unsafe operating it. There are no high pressures involved, I pull the system to a slight vacuum then flood it with butane to around 15 psi (all my valves, ports, and joints are rated to 300 psi). There are no high temperatures involved either, butane boils at 30.2°F so I just leave the system at room temperature with the gas reclaimer running till all my solvent is back in the cylinder. The largest risk is actually developing a butane leak and flooding the area with an odorless flammable gas, but basic precautions can protect against this.

exelius 11y ago
Then you are far beyond the skills of your average garage mechanic, my friend.
- c22 11y ago
  Really? Cause I just sourced appropriately rated threaded components from the internet and screwed them together with thread sealant from the auto shop. The hardest part was probably modding a minifridge to run on its back so I could fit my receiving tank in it for faster retrieval. The craziest mechanicals are probably inside the appion g5 refrigerant reclaimer and bargain basement vacuum pump I got off ebay. In fact, if I think about it this was probably my first real project as a "maker", my design document was literally a single sheet of graph paper. Since then I've embarked on much more ambitious projects (frame-up electric bicycle, cnc plasma cutter, modular light up dance floor...) and I feel like my skills have probably increased many-fold over where I was at the time. If I were to build another one today I'd probably introduce considerably more complexity (electronically actuated valves with process automation for example, perhaps co2 as a solvent which would require cooling with liquid nitrogen). Shit, at the time I think my toolbag consisted of a screwdriver and an adjustable spanner.

GordonS 11y ago

> edibles take anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes to kick in For me it's generally 120 minutes for the effects to start, then another 60 or so before the peak. > THC is not water-soluble, so you need a hydrocarbon solvent (usually butane) to extract it and dilute it into enough of a liquid that it won't separate While it does seem to be very fashionable in the US just now - you don't have to vape concentrates. There are lots of 'dry herb' vaporisers that are capable of vaping weed and hash. A good alternative to edible is a cannabis tincture which is used sublingually. The onset is rapid, and so it's much easier to dose.

exelius 11y ago
> While it does seem to be very fashionable in the US just now - you don't have to vape concentrates. There are lots of 'dry herb' vaporisers that are capable of vaping weed and hash. Yeah, I personally think these vaporizers don't provide a very "satisfying" experience; and you have to draw on them a whole lot to get the same effect. They also use far more "herb" than many are willing to commit to consuming at a single time (most use at least half a gram, when you'd probably load a pipe with less than a quarter gram). I've used a "Volcano" (uber high-quality German vaporizer) and while it actually works quite well, it's a novelty and it's basically a freaking $600 electronic bong. And it still has the problem where it requires a whole lot of material to adequately fill the chamber. I've seen the tinctures, but never tried them. Too many new products these days... :)
- GordonS 11y ago
  I've never used a 'desktop' vape like the Volcano, but portable vapes only use 0.1 - 0.15g (you couldn't fit in any more if you tried). With some you do need to draw on them a lot, but they definately make your herb go a lot further, which more than makes it worth it, I think :) Tinctures are actually an 'old' product that's sort of becoming more popular again.