Make Your Own Delta-8 Cartridge Using These Tips
The delta-8-THC market is evolving. Cartridges are now made of better quality materials, and the concentrates are healthier than in the early days of vaping.
Even better, you can now buy all the components separately to make a DIY delta-8 cartridge, fine-tuned to match your preferences.
While delta-8 companies may try to match everyone’s flavor and potency needs, it’s tough to satisfy everyone completely, especially when they need to mass-produce cartridges to keep the costs low and the profits high.
This leaves only one option for users who would like a custom vaping experience – making their own.
In this guide, we teach you how to make the perfect delta-8-THC cartridge just how you would like it to be!
DIY Delta-8 Cartridge – Why You Would Want To Make Your Own
Like the varying preferences for taste and potency needs, the reasons for DIY vaping cartridges vary from one person to the other. Here are some of the reasons why you may want to make your own vaping cartridge:
- Know what’s inside – When you buy a ready-made cartridge, there is no sure way to know the ingredients, safety, and quality. The hemp-derived cannabinoid is highly unregulated, which increases the chances of the cartridge containing harmful or low-quality distillate.
The only way to ensure that the cartridge contains superior quality and safe ingredients is to control the entire process. And since you don’t work or own a hemp company, that means making a DIY delta-8-cartridge.
- The ultimate custom vaping experience – Although the delta-8 producers may try to create products that satisfy most people, nobody understands your needs more than you. It would also be costly for companies to tailor their products to each customer’s needs.
- Save money – Buying ready to use cartridges is expensive in the long run. Even using refillable carts, the cost of the delta-8 vape juice still adds up after some time.
Making your DIY carts means there are no labor costs, which make up a significant portion of the ready to use carts.
Also, cartridges only contain small amounts of distillate, usually 0.5ml or 1ml per cart. With 10ml delta-8 distillate, which costs roughly the same as a regular prefilled cartridge, you can make more than 20 DIY cartridges. Talk about savings.
Prefer video! Watch this video for step by step guide on how to fill your own Delta 8 cart
How To Make Your Own Delta-8 Cartridge
Items Needed For This Project:
To make your DIY delta-8 cartridge, here is a list of all the things you will need:
- Delta-8-THC Concentrate – Distillate, vape oil, shatter, wax.
- Terpenes
- Diluent – avoid diluents with PG, PEG, MCT, or VG as they are not considered safe for vaping purposes
- Empty refillable cartridge
- Source of heat – magnetic heating element or a hot water bath
- Syringes with metal blunt tip needle or slim metal tips for easier dispensing. The syringe should also be calibrated in millimeters for more straightforward measurements of the distillate and other ingredients.
- Two mixing containers – preferably metal or glass, a shot glass will do.
- Stirrer – This can be anything thin enough to stir the mixture. A stainless steel or glass rod is preferred, although the blunt tip needle will get the job done.
- Gloves, alcohol wipes
Before we start, here are some important notes about the supplies:
Base Concentrate
This is the most crucial ingredient on the supplies list – the delta-8-THC. It is available in several forms, including distillate, which in most cases is ready for use in the cartridge without additional preparation, vape juice, which may also be ready to use, shatter, wax, among other concentrated forms.
High-quality distillate is usually highly viscous; some choose to mix it with terpenes to reduce viscosity and improve the flavor.
If your distillate is not too thick and you don’t wish to add terpenes, you may skip this guide to the refilling part. Always buy your delta-8-THC from reputable suppliers to ensure quality and safety.
Great CBD Shop has a fantastic bulk delta-8-THC distillate on sale. It is fully lab-tested and comes in 10ml glass vials. The distillate tests at 91% potency and comes with a bonus glass Luer Lock Syringe and a 14GA blunt tip. This bulk delta-8-THC is available for $49.99 only.
Diluent
The purpose of using a diluent is to liquefy the delta-8-THC concentrate and to ensure it stays liquid and doesn’t separate in the cartridge. It can turn your shatter into vape juice. Avoid diluents with PG, PEG, MCT, and VG.
Terpenes
These are compounds that occur naturally in the cannabis plant. You can add them to improve flavor to your vape or support the entourage effect, leading to more intense benefits.
Use cannabis-derived terpenes if possible; however, these are more expensive than botanical derived terpenes. Terpenes can also be used to reduce the potency and viscosity of your concentrate.
Cartridge
The type of cartridge you pick will affect your vaping experience. It will also determine how viscous your final formulation should be for the best experience and avoid leaks.
510 threaded CCELL cartridges and modern ceramic cartridges are preferred for their performance, taste, and overall better vaping experience.
Making the Delta-8-THC DIY Vape Juice
Step 1 – Turn the heat up
Place your concentrate into the mixing container, place it on the heating element, or in the water bath. If you are using a water bath, ensure you keep the water from boiling. There is no set temperature but remember delta-8 and some terpenes begin vaporizing at around 315 Fahrenheit (156 degrees Celsius), so keep it below that.
Step 2 – Introduce the other ingredients
Check to see if the concentrate is sufficiently warmed up. If you’re using a concentrate other than oil or distillate, you will need to add diluents with the heat applied.
In this step, you can also add terpenes and mix thoroughly while the mixture is on the heat. Mix until there is no difference in color or viscosity in the mix.
The ratio for terpenes and concentrate can be to your preference. There is no correct ratio. However, the thicker your concentrate, the more diluent you will need. Keep in mind the capacity and number of cartridges you wish to fill.
Step 3 – Let it cool
You may let the mixture cool in the container to view its viscosity at room temperature. If it’s not acceptable, you can reheat the mixture and add more terpenes or diluent if necessary.
Step 4 – Put The Mixture In The Syringe
If the mixture is well mixed and of the required viscosity, draw it up the syringe as it is ready to go into the cartridge.
Step 5 – Dispensing
If your Syringe is calibrated in milliliters, dispense 1ml of the mixture into a 1ml cartridge or 0.5ml into a 0.5ml cartridge. If your cartridge has the fill lines, fill up to the line. If it doesn’t, dispense until it’s nearly full but leave some room for an air bubble.
Step 6 – Cap the Cartridge
Once you are done dispensing the distillate, cap it tightly. If the air vents are at the bottom, flip the cartridge and leave it to rest. This allows the air to escape without causing leakage.
Step 7 – Clean the cartridge
Using the alcohol wipes, clean the outside of the cartridge of any delta-8 that may have spilled on it.
Enjoy Your Cartridge
You have now learned how to make your delta-8 cartridge. Your product is now ready for testing. Connect the cartridge to the battery and start with small hits. Enjoy!
