Bangers for dab rigs come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Typically, they’re made of quartz, and there are many different levels of quality out there. The welds and the thickness are the most important factors. Cheaper quartz bangers tend to wear down quicker as they generally tend to be thinner; they’re also not as effective at retaining heat as higher quality material is. Regardless of whether you have a cheap banger you picked up from your local glass shop or a high-end American-made quartz banger, they will get chazzed with extensive use.
What is a Chazzed Banger?
Chazzing refers to the carbon build-up that accumulates inside the banger after use. The carbon build-up is caused by taking dabs too hot, roasting the oil to the walls and base of the banger. This creates a layer of carbon that is difficult to remove. So, most people just blast it with the torch again. Torching this layer of carbon off your banger will remove some of the polished top layers of the quartz, leaving it porous and able to trap more carbon in the future. The discoloration of the quartz is a result of failure to manage the temperature of your dabs appropriately.
Chazzed / Clean Banger Photo by @ellevibey
How to Clean & Fix a Chazzed Banger
It’s very, very difficult to clean or fix a chazzed banger, so learning to avoid it is key. Once the quartz has become porous and carbon gets trapped inside, the only way to get it back to looking new would be to remove the top layer of the quartz. This can be achieved with a Dremel tool or a sandblasting machine. Your banger will still be porous afterward, though, and it will not last as long or hold heat as well since it will be thinner from removing quartz material. It is possible to re-polish the cup, however, the time and effort it takes makes it inadvisable. It’s best to just purchase a new banger and try to prevent it from becoming chazzed in the first place.
Can You Use a Chazzed Banger?
Sure, you can use a chazzed banger until it breaks completely. But the more chazzed it gets, the less heat it will retain. The porous quartz filled with carbon will not trap and hold heat as well as solid quartz would. Also, your flavor will be negatively affected as the concentrate will sit in this carbon as it melts and turns to smoke.
How to Properly Temp Your Dabs
To prevent this from happening you will need a couple of things, and a little bit of patience is required. You can’t just drop a dab into a hot banger and expect it to taste good or melt appropriately. This also takes a little bit of practice and familiarity with how different thicknesses of quartz retain heat.
Typically, you would heat your banger up for roughly 30 seconds and let it cool down for 50 seconds to a minute. Although, this can vary depending on the power of your torch and how thick the quartz is. Do not let the quartz get red hot, as it is not necessary and wastes butane. Generally, you will want your quartz to be around 500-600 degrees Fahrenheit when you actually put your dab in. Although, for bigger dabs you may want a bit more heat, and for smaller dabs a bit less.
Practice will teach you exactly how much heat is needed for what size dab. You want the banger hot enough to melt and boil your dab into thick vapor. But you don’t want it hot enough to where the remaining dab in the banger gets baked to the sides. Optimally, you want some of the extract left in the banger in a liquid form, so you can easily wipe it out afterwards.
Photo sourced from Weedmaps
Keep Your Banger Clean
Now that you’ve learned what temperature is best for dabbing, we move to the most important step of keeping a banger clean. Always clean your banger after each dab. Q-tips and isopropyl alcohol work just as effectively as cleaners specifically designed for quartz bangers. If your temperature was correct, you should have a little bit of concentrate left in your banger. This residue can be easily wiped out while the banger is still hot. A small amount may still be left behind on the walls. If you want to clean it even more, dip your Q-tip in isopropyl alcohol to free up the rest.
If you want to keep your quartz looking perfect for a long time, make sure you get as much of the extract out of the banger after dabbing. Any extracts left in the banger will certainly be roasted onto the side when you heat up your next dab. If you can keep the banger completely clean after every dab, you can keep your quartz looking perfect for a long time.
What Tools Do You Need for Dabbing?
The first thing you will need, of course, is a concentrate dabbing rig of some sort. Just like any other kind of glass piece, there are a variety of options on the market to choose from and most will come with a banger. As well, you will obviously need the concentrates to dab with. There are quite a few different consistencies of concentrates out there; from crumbles to sauces, some are easier to work with than others.
Goof Ball 8 Section Headdy Piece from Chameleon Glass
The third thing you will need is a dabber of some sort. Dabbers help you scoop out the concentrates and safely place them into the hot banger. A carb cap is also necessary for taking lower temp dabs. You cover the top of the banger after your dab starts melting into the bottom. This allows you to produce thicker vapor at the lower temperatures. It also acts as a carb hole to speed up the flow at the end of the pull. Sometimes the dabber and carb cap come as a single piece!
Directional Carb Cap from Chameleon Glass
Fifth, you will definitely need a torch to heat up your banger. Butane torches are the most popular, and the best for your banger. However, a Bernzomatic torch can work in a pinch as well. Alternatively, you can use more advanced heating methods like an e-nail that keeps your banger at a set temperature. You could also get an entire electronic rig, like the Puffco peak. Lastly, don’t forget to keep a stash of Q-tips on hand for the cleanup.
Optional Dabbing Accessories
While not necessary, per se, to enhance your dabbing experience some people also purchase temperature guns or Terp-ometers. These can be used to monitor the temperature of the banger as it cools down, allowing you to effortlessly avoid taking hot dabs.
Regardless of the banger that you buy, the better that you treat it, the longer it will last. Especially when you avoid those super-hot dabs. If you do find that you went too hot and the smoke is thicker than usual, you can end the dab sooner to prevent what’s left from baking on to the sides of your banger.
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