-Opium with a vaporizer-

[anabolictrio]

It is possible to smoke opium with a vaporizer.


I normally use an alluminium foil,but i'd like to try something different.

[MrJim]

I could be wrong but it would seem, although possibly time consuming, that a vaporizer could work. When smoking O the goal isn't to burn it, but to bubble it, essentially vaporize it. I think the success or failure would have alot to do with temp setting on the vaporizer.

[KillerKind]

Vaporizer works great for bud. Seems it would work well for O too. Let us know how it goes.


Edited by: KillerKind

[thealexcometh]

swim would be very interested to know this as well, seeing as swim has a vaporizer that works wonders with his pot.

[MrJim]

This thread is a blast from the past. Since it is resurrected -What kind of temperature do people think would be ideal for O in a Vaporizer? It is normally burned indirectly with high heat so this would definitely be a different technique.

[Alicia]

Would not know temp. but swia can say opium works very well in a vaporizer specially ones where the temperature gradually rises. Swia uses a opium pipe most of the time she smokes over a small candle so the heat is gradually rising but not directly on it.

[MrJim]

So in a Vaporizer, how would the smoking go? Exact same as herb? Is there a certain amount of time you should not leave it before the vapor weakens?

[Alicia]

same principle as herb really swia found. inhaling it all in one go after all vaporizes is pretty impressive too. swia personally keeps pulling on it when she inhales when she starts to see it sizzle. and stops until it is spent.

[allyourbase]

I dont know if commercial vaporizers would heat up enough....on the highest setting SWIM can hold his finger to the heating element of a friend's volcano with no extreme discomfort. SWIM often smokes latex from an "oiler".

[Alicia]

swia also finds consistancy matters as well in vaporisers. IF all else fails instead of using foil get a glass steam roller pipe place the opium in the small opening. finger over one end the the pipe and hold the lighter back a little from the pipe opening and begin to inhale softly as u hold the flame near it the opium should sizzle as this is happening inhale slowly and stop the flame when u stop. then exhale. DO not do to much. becomes very after a while.

[gplant]

What would be a good temperature? I mean there are so many chemicals in opium so what would be an ideal temperature?

[machine_elf]

Should work, in the past SWIM has used and oil burner and just sucked the sweet opium through the straw.

[milorinpoche]

This is my very first post, so please let me know if I'm not properly following conventions. SWIM has told me they have done a lot of recent research and testing on using vaporizers for oils or resins. There are a couple that meet all the best criteria -- no direct application of heat source, heat source is not metal, which can put tiny amounts of undesirables into the vapor, accurate temperature control, not to mention easy adaptation to things other than dried plant material. Most, however, seem to fall short on one or more.

In general, you want a vape unit that has digital temp settings that are accurate -- and best in this regard is one that measures or calculates the temp at the spot where the material is being vaped, rather than the temp of the heat source. You also want a unit that in one way or another will not result in loss as your material of choice bubbles, melts and possibly works its way into places it doesn't belong. Since most units use nothing but sceens to keep the plant material in place, you'd need to adapt.

Also, direct application of the plant material reservoir (the bowl) directly (or almost directly) on the heat source is not great. It can overheat the substance even if the temp is adequately controlled, and it's not as easy to remove the substance from the heat after you've taken each pull. Continuing to vape the substance after you've taken the pull is a waste, obviously. Also, the angle at which the holder is during vaporization can be an issue if it is not properly set up and adapted for resins and oils.

Forced air units can be good, but there are factors you'll need to take into consideration, such as whether you can shut off the fan between pulls to avoid more waste and too rapidly drying out your oils or resins.

Another serious criterion is balloon-style units. Keep in mind that you are using vapors that can and will condense fairly quickly. That can lead to lots of loss on the inside surface of the balloon. OTOH, if you are pulling one pull right after another fairly quickly, they can work great. But SWIM told me that they often like to take a few moments between each pull to better control total input -- particularly for anything for which there is not necessarily instant feedback from your body. This applies for lots of things, including essential oils and resins, but varies from precise ingredients and the bioabsorption rates and metabolism of the individual user. It also takes more vape to fill even a small balloon.

SWIM has found one company that has designed what SWIM feels is the perfect unit, though he's found a few others that can be adapted pretty well. I can provide the name of the manufacturer, which is not technically seller/source info, just an informational website, but being a total newbie to this community, I'd rather someone who is a longer-standing member give me some guidelines for doing that. It's a unit specifically designed for medical purposes, and works quite well for everything from herbs and smoking materialls, to oils and resins. It has the added capacity to truly cool the vapor, and that's optional, based on user preferences. It has a wide temp range, and is very precise and gives a readout that is the temp at the substance, rather than at the heat source.

I'm going to follow up with a post on a low-tech home made setup that another SWIM has used for a long time, to reportedly very satisfactory results.

milorinpoche added 21 Minutes and 40 Seconds later...

OK, here's the low-tech vape set up SWIM2 has recommended:

Materials needed:

Oxygen mask -- full flow, half-face (covers mouth and nose with good seal). I suppose you could experiment with ones that mix in fresh air, but that's just my own surmise. An exhalation valve, though, is apparently available in some masks, and I'm told only adds a very small amount to the cost of these very cheap plastic things.

Tubing -- narrow, which I believe by nature will be what works since that's what will fit the connector on the mask. This helps control the flow better.

Glass funnel with narrow stem, one that fits the other end of the tubing.

Aromatherapy lamp -- the kind that seats an evaporation dish over a tea candle.

Glass evaporation dish. Don't use something porous like soapstone, it soaks up the oils and resins and gets messy and smelly, and can transfer heat unevenly.

Tea candles. And something, if needed, to raise the level of it so the flame is not too far from the bottom of the glass.

Hot glove -- essential for handling the glass when it's hot.

The rest is, according to SWIM2, easy:

Hook one end of the tubing to the mask, the other end to the funnel.

Light the candle.

Place the oil or resin into the dish, in the desired amount.

Place the mask on the face, ensuring a good fit, with the elastic band holding it in place (you'll need both hands).

Put on the hot glove.

Place the evap dish on the aroma unit over the lit candle.

Once the oil or resin begins to heat and melt (or with oils, typically thin out and start to slightly bubble), place the funnel over the glass dish so all the vapors will rise into it and not bleed around it and dissipate.

Start to inhale, very slowly at first, and slightly adjust the inhalation rate as the vapors thicken.

At this point, the material is fully vaporizing, so wearing the hot glove, remove the dish from the heat source with one hand, while continuing to hold the funnel over it with the other hand. The material will quickly cool, at which point you'll have taken a full pull.

Put the dish down, pull down or off the mask and exhale.

Repeat as needed.

This thing seems to have the advantage of being very low-cost, easy to find all the parts, easy to clean it all between uses, and maximizes intake while minimizing the amount of oil or resin actually evaporated with each pull.

You could probably, very easily adapt further for multiple users. Just use a double or triple air hose connector from a fish supply shop. They're used when you have a single pump pushing air through several aeration stones in your fish tank. Makes it easy for several users to be all set up and ready to go in more rapid succession.

More elaborately, one could rig a water/ice chamber between the funnel and mask, to further cool the vapors if that would add comfort to the experience. I'd use ice chips rather than H2O with anything pod-related, as the constituent goodies are highly water soluble, though the loss with bubbling through water is probably not sever and I'm sure many can figure out how to use that water after a while.

The way SWIM, and SWIM2 see it, there's just no reason at all to chase dragons or other such things, with all their well-known flaws. High tech, or low, there are just too many options that will get more mileage, and reduce any toxins (e.g., whatever ions are tossed off when you heat aluminum foil).

milorinpoche added 1 Minutes and 24 Seconds later...

I actually tried do put these two different concepts in two separate posts -- guess I have a bit to learn about using these forums. Thanks in advance for your patience.

milorinpoche added 0 Minutes and 40 Seconds later...

I actually tried do put these two different concepts in two separate posts -- guess I have a bit to learn about using these forums. Thanks in advance for your patience.