Last Updated on April 18, 2023
If you are anything like us, you love experimenting with cannabis products and trying them out. But, there is just something strange feeling of excitement and anticipation that storms through your body when you get your hands on a new product. That might be edible, concentrated, or something else. But, if you consider yourself a real cannabis lover, you know that dabs are the secret gem of the marijuana world and can have amazing effects.
This feeling is multiplied by 10x when you create that same new product yourself. Sure, it’s easy to go to the local cannabis store and buy whatever you need. But making something yourself, with your ten fingers, well..that’s something which will get your heart pumping.
So, where is the story going? Combine dabs with the art of creating something of your own, and we have a jackpot. But hold on for a moment. What is the main ingredient for dabs? Shatter. If you don’t have a quality shatter by your side, the dab won’t turn out as you expect them to. So, how to make shattered, you may ask.
What Is Shatter Weed?
Shatter isn’t a new thing. It’s been around for quite some time now, and if you haven’t heard about it, maybe it’s because it has various names. For example, wax, hash, and oil are all present in the cannabis community, but they all describe the same thing – a shatter.
Anyways, what exactly is shatter? Well, in a nutshell, shatter is a concentrated cannabis extract, a pretty strong one. We will cover the process of its creation later in the article, but for now, the vital thing is that shatter is exceptionally potent and often has as much as 80% of THC. In contrast, the cannabis flower has around 25% THC, which is more than enough for most people.
As for the physical look, shatter is unique. It has an amber color, is semi-transparent, and has a texture that resembles glass – hence the name, shatter. It’s very brittle, and you can break it with ease. Depending on the purity of the product, shatters can be transparent or cloudy—generally, the less cloudy, the better.
How to Make Shatter in Easy Steps?
First, let’s see what equipment you need. Online, you can find tons of guides on making shatter, and we feel like every one of them is different. So, don’t be confused if we state something that isn’t mentioned in other guides here. Everyone has a different process, but we all follow the same simple guidelines.
What You Need To Make Shatter?
Enough of talk; let’s see what you need for your little shatter manufacturing:
- Gloves
- Kief
- Wax paper or parchment paper
- Hair straightener (yes, you read that right)
So, there it is. This is all you need for your little experiment. We think everyone has all of this sitting somewhere around the household. As for the kief, you can buy it fairly quickly from the cannabis store or collect it yourself after grinding your weed. But, it’s the one thing we can’t create shatter without, so it’s essential.
How To Make Shatter With Kief?
Let’s presume that you have all the equipment needed, that your sleeves are rolled, and that you are ready to go. What is the first step?
STEP 1. Ready Your Kief
First and foremost, get your kief ready. It would be best if you were gentle with it as it’s dust-like, and you can quickly lose it. Then, pour the kief onto the wax (or parchment paper).
STEP 2. Pour Kief on the Paper
This is the part you need to do correctly; thus, you need to take it slow and pay attention. Since you poured the kief on the paper, you need to fold the paper around the hash slowly. Think of the square – that is the shape you want to get. If you’re left with any excess paper, you can use scissors to cut it off, don’t be afraid. As long as you have this little square in front of you, things will be okay.
When the square is ready, and you’ve folded your paper several times around the kief, you need to take another wax paper. With this 2nd paper, you will wrap the square you made only once. You don’t need to be too detailed when it comes to this; only wrap your square once, and that’s it.
STEP 3. Heat Up the Hair Straightener
Next, get your hair straightener hot and ready. It would be best to be careful as it can get very hot and you don’t want to burn yourself. Let it heat up for 2-3 minutes.
STEP 4. Press the Kief in Straightener
Take the rectangular-shaped paper with kief inside in one hand and the iron in the other. Open the “claws” of the hair straightener and place the paper inside. Now you need to press down hard. You can use your other hand to push the iron more to increase the applied heat. Push down hard, and hold for 10-20 seconds. Be careful not to overdo it, as using too much heat can completely melt your kief, and the end product won’t be usable.
STEP 5. Smoke Your Kief
Open your paper, and voila! That honey-resembling substance you see inside that shatters! And it’s ready to be smoked. If you notice that you have more kief on the edges of the paper, you can take out the shatter you just made and repeat steps 4 and 5 with the kief residue you have. This way, you will create even more shatter. After all, why waste that lovely kief? Better put it to use!
STEP 6: Storage & Picking Up Your Shatter
Carefully pick up your shatter and store it in a container. You can leave it there for quite some time as long it’s placed in a dark, cold place. But, if you want to experience this concentration you just made to the fullest, we suggest that you use it straight away. So, get your dab rig ready, and we can guarantee that you will have a fantastic time.
How To Make Shatter With Butane?
To make shatter form butane, you will need the following things for each purpose:
- A vacuum pump to remove the butane from the extract once it has been extracted from the plant itself
- Several cans of butane coffee filters
- Clamps to secure them to your tubes
- A glass-holding dish for your resinous oil
- A heating oven for the right temperature
- Plenty of high-trichome buds
Process
Step 1: Load the extractor with ground marijuana. Make sure you put in as much as you think you’ll need. Don’t overfill it, because you’ll end up with a lot of waste. Then, turn on your stove. Turn the flame as high as the flame will go and keep the temperature low. Use the top part of the extractor to press down on the flame.
Step 2: Now saturate the marijuana with butane. Once saturated, it will take longer to burn than when the bud is dry.
Step 3: After you pour the liquid propane into the jar and close the lid, put it on a hot electric range. Put the Pyrex container on top of the boiler. The vapors from the propane will begin to condense inside the container, eventually making its way back up through the spout and back into the canister.
Step 4: Use a pressurized vacuum pump to further purify your cannabis oil, removing almost all traces of butane, leaving you with a pure, flavorful oil.
Step 5: Once the concentrates have cooled, scrape them off the container’s bottom with a razor blade and place them on parchment paper.
FAQS
Is shatter stronger than resin?
Different marijuana concentrates like shatter, wax, resin, and rosin can help you get a stronger high. Resin, which occurs naturally and can be smoked in a variety of ways, is the least potent of the bunch. Shatter is typically the most potent, but making it takes a lot of skill.
Is shatter Indica or Sativa?
The answer to users’ questions regarding which cannabis flower strains are specifically utilized in shatter is “any and every strain.” This concentrate is available for purchase in both sativa and indica varieties.
How long is Shatter Potent?
Not more than six months. Glass is the best option if you need to protect weed for a longer period of time. You’ll need a sealed case, which you’ll keep in a cool place, as we mentioned earlier.
It’s Easy!
As you can see, creating DIY shatter is relatively easy. Online you will find tons of different guides on how to do it. Some even cover making shatter with butane, but we think it’s overkill and that you don’t need super toxic and unstable butane to do the job. Creating something on your own can be challenging; you will be rewarded if you push through and follow the simple steps covered in this guide. There isn’t a better feeling than smoking a good quality shatter – which you made!