Dabbing is best done with a good butane torch and a glass rig with a nail. It gets you extremely high and is a very enjoyable experience. Most dabbers have reliable pieces to enjoy dabs out of. But if you have wax without a rig, you might be looking for other methods.
If you're new to dabbing, or if your piece has an untimely accident, it's a good idea to have some ways to dab without using a rig. There are 7 main ways to smoke wax without a rig.
Here are the 7 ways:
How to smoke wax without a rig
1. In a Joint
On of the simplest ways to enjoy dabs without using a rig is by simply sprinkling it into a regular joint or blunt.
Simply lay out your rolling paper and grind up your weed just like you are rolling a normal doobie. Sprinkle some bud in there first and then generously spread out little pieces of wax throughout the paper.
Then, finish it off with some more bud and roll it up just like normal. Use your lighter to spark up the joint and the wax burns with the rest of your weed as you smoke.
This method is best done with crumble or wax, that way you can easily roll it with your bud like normal to avoid a mess. This method is pretty effective, especially for those new to dabbing. It can be a great way to experience wax without a traditional dab rig.
Drawbacks:
The major draw back to this method is that you aren't really dabbing the oil/wax like you are with a torch and glass. The temperature and heating area is so minimal that the dabs will burn slowly, which makes for a very enjoyable and tasty joint. However, it is very different from getting instantly high through the normal method of dabbing.
2. On a bowl
Simply sprinkling your concentrate on a normal bowl of weed is another great way to enjoy dabs without a rig. Lightly hold the lighter over the bowl to slowly melt the wax while smoking the weed as you normally would.
You'll notice a taste difference for sure and the weed will likely burn a bit more slowly. Make sure to take your time and not burn through all of the concentrate too quickly, try to use the lighter as less as you can. Putting an open flame to your concentrate can negatively effect the quality.
You will only need a little bit on concentrates to put on your weed. This is one of the best ways to smoke a bowl and one of the best ways to consume marijuana for some people. Weed can be enjoyed in many forms and many ways, even without a rig.
Drawbacks:
Similarly to putting it in a joint, the temperature isn't quite the same as a normal dab rig set up.
But if you have a nice clean bong to enjoy the bowl out of, this is a great way to add a little flavor to your normal bowl. Not to mention you'll be a lot higher than you are after a few typical bong rips. We recommend using a bong for this method compared to a hand pipe but both will work. A normal water bong is preferred to that you get proper filtration. A hand pipe can get messy after smoking a bowl with dabs in it.
3. Load it in a vape pen
Most vaporizers nowadays make it extremely easy to enjoy concentrates just by loading it up into the device. Vape pens are portable and easy to use. No torch is required for this method and it's best for dabbers on the go.
Smoking wax with a pen is easy, quick and perfect for mobile dabbers or people without a rig. It is easy to find a good vape pen online and there are many different styles and price ranges to chose from. Most marijuana vapes are known for the rich taste and flavor that they provide as well.
Drawbacks:
A lot of vapes just don't hit the same way a normal rig is. You will still definitely feel the effects from using the vape pen, just not as intense as a traditional dab would be. However, depending on the individual, this less intense high might be preferable. Additionally, as technology gets better and companies innovate, vaping dabs continues to get better and better.
4. Use a healthstone
Back in 2010, Aqualab Technologies released an innovative way for dabbers to enjoy medicine without the need for a traditional dab rig set up. You will still need to use a torch to heat it up, but it is a lot smaller and easier to transport. You'll be able to smoke dabs on the go very easily with a healthstone.
The healthstone consists of a porous carbon vapor stone and a fitted bowl made from thick and tempered glass.
The steps are pretty simple:
- Insert the carbon vapor stone on the glass bowl (usually small side of the stone goes in first)
- Load the dab gently on the stone using a metal dabber
- Slowly melt using a small butane torch (You'll need to find the optimal distance so that the tip of the flame does not burn your wax)
- Inhale from the mouthpiece as the dabs melt into the porous holes of the stone
- Because the carbon retains minimal heat, it vaporizes concentrate a lot more slowly. This makes for flavorful, colder dabs.
You still need a torch, not just any lighter will do, you need to control the heat very precisely to melt the cannabis concentrates.
Drawbacks:
There aren't many drawbacks with using a healthstone, this is actually one of the best ways to dab without a dab rig.
One con is that liquid concentrates do not work very well because they may seep through the holes. This results in wasted dabs. Solid concentrate like crumble and shatter work best for this.
Without knowledge of the dabbing process, an inexperienced dabber might have trouble with the steps and heating the stone correctly. But if you don't have any dab rigs, or don't feel like investing in one, a healthstone is a perfect alternative.
5. Bake with it and make edibles
Cooking with wax to make edibles is a very efficient way to get high. It's a great activity and is perfect for someone who might not want the immediate effects of dabbing.
There are tons of great recipes and tutorials online. But overall, you need to make sure you heat the wax with oil or butter to convert the activated THC, that way you can get high by ingesting it.
This process is called decarboxylation, I highly encourage you to review our how-to guide:
You could bake brownies, cupcakes, or even gummy candy! Really anything that you desire.
Drawbacks:
Making edibles hardly has any drawbacks. The main and obvious one is that you don't get an immediate high like from a huge dab hit. Edibles take a little while to onset, but they can have you feeling especially medicated.
6. Eat it or take it sublingually
Similar to cooking with wax, you will need to decarboxylate it before being able to get high from consuming. After this process is completed, some prefer to take a small dab of the oil beneath the tongue or on a cracker rather than baking with it.
Additionally, some specific oil is made to be ingestible. For example, something like Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) is best taken sublingually. RSO is a full spectrum extract of the cannabis plant.
Drawbacks:
It won't have an immediate effect like dabs normally do, but it does have a faster onset than most edibles would. The taste isn't extremely sweet or tasty like an edible but most people find it tolerable.
7. Stove and hot knives method
Using your stove to heat up a knife a pretty simple method to taking dabs outside of the traditional ways.
Heat up the stove and place the knife partially on the burner until it gets red hot. After letting the knife cool, you drop your wax on top of the knife and inhale the smoke as the wax melts. You want to make sure you move the hot knives are off of the stove, putting it directly onto a heat source can be quite dangerous.
Drawbacks:
The main con of using a hot knife is the fact that it is extremely wasteful. Since you have no mouthpiece, the smoke immediately spreads in the open air. Using hot knifes for smoking wax is probably the most primtive way to smoke.
To prevent this, you can use a cut plastic bottle or aluminum can to capture the smoke over the butter knife. This is great for times when you don't have a torch or access to a rig, but it isn't exactly the safest method.
With a can or plastic bottle, you risk inhaling toxins with the smoke.
These are the main methods of "dabbing" without actually dabbing. Cannabis wax and concentrates can be used in a variety of ways and people are continuing to innovate. Even without a dab rig, wax can still be a very enjoyable way to use cannabis.
Of course there are a few other methods, but overall, these are the safest and most reliable ways to enjoy dabs without a normal rig and torch set up.