There are a lot of reasons why most people don’t put in the effort to clean their dab ring. It can seem like a lot of work with little reward, especially when you just want a clean tool.
But guess what? Today, you can have it all and you don’t have to be an extraction expert. If your dab rig has water in it, you can easily keep your reclaim. Enjoy your dabs, clean your rig, get rid of the water, and keep the reclaim… here’s how.
What is re-claim?
Re-claim is the term used to describe the condensation from vaporized cannabis concentrates. It’s a residue that is high in THC and if you are dabbing at the proper temperature, low in combustion byproducts. Packed with good medicine, reclaim can be made into cannabis edibles and even smoked like hash oil. The trouble lies with harvesting it, especially when your rig is full of water.
- Dry devices are rougher on the throat but you can use your reclaim as soon as you collect it.
- Water cools the vapor and has some filtration effects, creating a smoother toke. However, you can’t dab your reclaim unless you purge out the water. If you don’t, that dab will crackle violently when it hits a hot element.
Supplies you’ll need
Before you begin, you are going to need to get some necessary supplies together. Clear space in your kitchen and grab all these items:
- Dirty Glass Dab Rig
- Baking Pan
- Broiler Safe Baking Dish
- Boiling Water – The amount of hot water needed depends on how gnarly the rig is.
- Silicone oven mitts – Both heat and waterproof, silicone oven mitts will allow you to pick up a hot glass full of boiling water. Plus, they are easy to clean and can be found at the dollar store.
Phase 1: Clean your glass
There are two parts to this process: cleaning your dab rig and harvesting the reclaim. Before you begin, check your glass to ensure that there are no hairline cracks at the joints. Only use a piece that has been tempered properly. And do not attempt this with cheap glass.
- Set your oven to its lowest temperature setting and start boiling water.
- Pour any standing water from your dab rig into the broiler-safe baking pan.
- Fill your dab rig with hot water and stop above the reclaim water line. Let it soak for thirty seconds.
- Use the silicone oven mitts to pick up your rig and plug the holes. Shake it up until you notice the reclaim melting off the sides. Pour the water onto the broiler-safe baking dish.
- Repeat this process until your glass is clean.
Phase 2: Purge water from reclaim
To ensure your reclaim is safe to vaporize, you have to purge all the water from it. If you just completed phase one, you should be left with a broiler-safe baking dish full of water and chunks of reclaim. Pour out as much water as possible and allow the reclaim to collect on the sides.
- Preheat your oven to its lowest broiler setting.
- Place the baking dish on the lowest over the rack and keep an eye on it. Any water remaining will evaporate, leaving you with a nice little puddle. This can be collected and stored on parchment paper.
If you are using your reclaim to make edibles, you can get away with the evaporation method:
- Leave the dish out to dry.
- Measure out the oil or butter needed for your recipe and pour it into the dish.
- With a silicone spatula, deglaze the dish.
- Scrape together the deglazed oil or butter to use in your recipe. You can also freeze it for a future date.
Note: Use this method to make edibles at your own risk because the dose will be hard to determine.
Putting water in your dab rig or keeping it dry is a personal preference and it all comes down to value. The price to pay to keep reclaim used to be a harsh, dry dab but not anymore. Now, you can take a cool and smooth dab, clean your rig and keep all the reclaim.
