Now that we all have dab rigs it won’t be long until they start to become clogged with reburn. If you chose to ignore our advice about getting a simple rig, rather than a complicated one, they are probably already getting there. I know this because I stubbornly refused to give up my shower-head perc for a long time. So, no hard feelings. In fact, kudos to you, because right now we are going to tackle how to properly clean your rig.
Alright, so I am aware that there are already many established cleaning products already out there that you may or may not already use successfully. If you are brand loyal, feel free to stay so, as for strictly cleaning purposes, these products work just fine. The problem that I have with them is that they typically contain dyes to make them a more attractive color, and artificial fragrance to mask the fact that they are mostly isopropyl alcohol. That said, I would suggest using the tried and true method of isopropyl alcohol. It’s a fraction of the cost of any officially designated cleaner.
Combine one part isopropyl with one part pipe cleaners, and one part elbow grease, and you have a recipe for a clean rig. You can add salt as an abrasive if it pleases you; I typically use rock salt, but only in my flower rig. If you are lazy like I am, and have the time, you can just pour the isopropyl into your rig and let it sit for a few hours, making sure to give it a swirl every one in a while. Once the liquid in the chamber is a nice, dark, coffee color, go ahead and pour it out. I recommend into a flushing toilet or the garbage, as this it will resinate anything it touches. Repeat this step as necessary. Now I know that this doesn’t really need to be said, but I’m going to say it anyway. Isopropyl alcohol is EXTREMELY flammable, and appropriate cautions should always be taken.
As mentioned previously, this first method I reserve for strictly cleaning an oil rig. However, if you are interested in collecting your reburn, or reclaim, it is only step two in a larger process. Now, before we get any further, I understand you may be asking, “Why would I want to collect reburn?” Well, the most obvious answer is that, in a pinch, you would have a reserve of reclaim from which you could take a dab when you otherwise couldn’t. Since oil is vaporized, rather than combusted the way flower is, reclaim tastes much better, and shouldn’t at all be thought of in the same way we think of it’s smellier cousin, resin. In fact, the clinch hit is the least of its uses. It can be used to properly season a new nail. Also, I’ve heard of people rolling blunts with everything from maple syrup to honey, even jelly. Trust me, the best thing to smear on a paper prior to rolling, be it blunt or joint, is reburn. I call these uplifting treats afterburners. You heard it here first. Those are just a few of many uses, which we will detail in the future.
When it comes to collecting the reclaim, you can save a little time and energy by purchasing some sort of reclaim collecting attachment for your rig. These usually come in the form of a an extension that attaches between the downstem and the nail. I’ve seen the run the gambit from a simple “Z” shape to elaborate contraptions one might expect to find in a Dr Suess book. Regardless of whether or not you choose to pick up a collector, or how efficient the collector you end up with may be, you will find that the reclaim starts to collect on the various surfaces in the various chambers of your rig, including the surface of the water. Again, the more surfaces you have given the reclaim to collect on in the choosing of your rig, the more will collect inside, and the more time you will devote to the ritual of cleaning.
When you actually reach a point when you are ready to clean and collect, and I know for some of you this will be when it is no longer possible to take a hit, you are going to need a few simple household items. They are: a decent sized bowl, a metal or silicone-coated spoon, a suitable container, preferably silicone, and hot water. The water doesn’t need to be boiling, but it needs to be hotter that you can typically get from your tap. Remove the nail and the dome if you have one. The collectors can be scooped, put through the process that follows, or if you’re really careful, you can apply a little heat from your torch and just pour it into your container. Applying the torch unnecessarily has personally cost me both a oil rig and an ash tray at this point, so when I say be careful, I mean ninja careful.
Add a little hot water to your rig and swirl it around, emptying it into the bowl. Since the reclaim is a non-newtonian fluid, the addition of hot water will cause it to behave more like a liquid, and less like a solid. With repeated hot water rinses, the majority of the reclaim should empty into the bowl with ease. From there, it’s a simple matter of scooping it up with the spoon and storing it. A metal spoon works well as it is typically cold relative to the water, and the reclaim sticks to it very easily. Personally, I recommend setting it in a sunny window and letting it cure for a few days, as one of the biggest differences between the oil you start with, and the oil you just reclaimed, aside from the fact that it has been vaporized once and then condensed back into oil, is the addition of the water in your chamber. That said, I recommend changing this water often. I even add a little colloidal silver to keep it fresh.
Once you have collected reclaim to your heart’s content, you can use the isopropyl and the pipe cleaners to detail your rig and get it back to shiny. I know that I have already mentioned being careful, but ninjas would not combine torches and alcohol unless they were trying to assassinate someone, so please, don’t bust out the the isopropyl until your done with the torch. I’m pretty sure every cannabis related accident I’ve heard of or read about has involved a careless attitude when it comes to flammable substances and sources of ignition.
I don’t want to end on a down note though. So, now that you know how to collect reburn, the potential is there to collect quite a bit. Get creative, and please hit us up in the comments or with the below contact info if you have any interesting ideas on what can be done with all the reclaim we will be collecting. Most importantly though, enjoy the fruits of your labor. You’ll thank me the first time you light up an afterburner.
