How do I fill my own vape cartridges?

Looking for help filling your own cartridges, disposables or pods? We have you covered.

Generally the methods used to fill disposables, cartridges and pods are generally the same. The main differences between filling different types of hardware will come down to how the cartridge, pod or disposable is capped.

Here is a step by step break down of what you will need and what you should and shouldn’t do.

1.  Prepare your materials

   You will need:
   – Distillate (Delta-8 THC, HHC, D9o, etc)

   – Terpenes (Unless your material is pre-infused at 4% or more, all of our products are formulated using 5%)

   – A way to heat the product (A water bath, a heated magnetic stir plate, an oven, a microwave, etc)

   – Mixing tools (You can use a dab tool or another stainless steel metal tool that is long enough to mix the product. We recommend using a heated magnetic stir plate with magnetic PTFE stir bars for most consumers. The best method for mixing at scale is to use a homogenizer)

   – A borosillicate/glass syringe (we offer these on our website) or a cartridge filling gun. (Check out cart.farm for filling solutions)

   – Cartridges (Make sure to purchase screw tops or you will need special equipment to cap them), disposables or pods.

   – Optional but recommended – Infrared Heat gun to check material temperature while mixing and filling (You can find these on amazon for $15-$20)

2. Heat your material

   – The amount of heat and time needed will vary depending upon the method you use to heat.

   – If a heated magnetic stir plate is within your budget, this is the easiest and most cost effective way to mix and heat your material. We highly recommend a heated magnetic stir plate if you are mixing larger amounts (50 grams or more). If you are mixing amounts over 500 grams for retail purposes you may want to consider using a homogenizer and the microwave method instead.

   – The easiest way is to microwave the product in 30 second intervals until you have achieved 170 degrees or a liquid consistency (should flow almost as well as water or cooking oil for optimal filling). If the product releases a vapor, you have overheated the material. If you choose to use the microwave method, remove all labeling and the lid before microwaving the product and this material may melt to the jar and ruin your material. 

   – The safest (and also slowest) way to heat the material and preserve your product is a water bath. Make sure the lid is firmly secure. Remove all labeling. You will need two pots, one that can fit on top of the other securely on your stove top. Fill the larger and smaller pots with water, enough to submerge the product in the smaller pot and enough to boil for 10-30 mins in the larger pot. Place the smaller pot on-top of the larger pot. The idea here is for you to bring the larger pot of water to a boil so that the steam heats the bottom of the smaller pot and also the water inside. This will slowly and evenly heat the material while also ensuring that you do not overheat the material. This method is basically the same method many people use to melt chocolate.

   – Some people also place their product in a baking tray in the oven. We do not recommend this method as it is very easy to break the jar and overheat the product. If you have a way of ensuring that you will not overheat the product you may use this method, however, make sure to remove all labeling and the lid as they may melt or catch fire.

3. Mix your material with terpenes (You may be able to skip this step with pre-terpene infused material)

   – We recommend starting with 4-5% terpenes and working your way up to as much as 10% depending upon the terpene used, the cartridge and the material (Delta-8, HHC, etc). If you wish to impart no flavor or smell into your material you can also use other cannabinoids instead such as CBC, CBT, D9o and D8o.

   – The cheapest and most accessible way to mix terpenes in would be using a dab tool or another small metal tool to stir the terpenes into the heated material. This method makes it easy to achieve an inconsistent mixture however. It may also require you to re-heat the material after it is mixed in order to fill your hardware. Terpenes tend to want to separate to the top of their container, you should be able to see fairly well how evenly mixed your mixture is just by looking at the layer of terpenes on top.

   – We recommend using a heated magnetic stir plate to mix your material if you are just mixing the products for your own consumption. This will allow you to easily achieve an even mixture without overheating your product. It will also assist you during the filling step by keeping the mixed material warm.

   – For retail operations we recommend using a CAT homogenizer. If you do not use a homogenizer, your terpenes will not be evenly mixed into your material which means that you will have an inconsistent product. When purchasing a homogenized you must purchase a closed G shaft. For more information or assistance, feel free to contact us.

4. Fill & Cap your hardware
   – The cheapest way to fill your hardware will be to fill them individually using a glass syringe. You will need to make sure the material is heated to a liquid consistency, around 170 degrees F should work for thicker materials. For acetylated cannabinoids, you will not need to use as much heat if any heat at all. Once the material is hot enough, you will draw the material into the syringe and fill the hardware in the correct filling location. Make sure not to insert the material into the center post of the hardware. We recommend placing your syringe as close to the glass or medical grade plastic that will contain the material as possible before filling the material into the hardware. Make sure to screw the lid onto the cartridge within 2 minutes of filling it in order to ensure there will be no leaks caused by atmospheric pressure. If you’re using a pod or disposable, most pod lids or disposable lids simply clip onto the tank/coil section.

   – One of the easier but more expensive methods is to use a filling gun. You can find a link for a website who sells one of these above. With a filling gun you can easily fill thousands of cartridges in a day. The filling gun makes sures that you have an even fill every time along with keeping the material hot enough while filling. For more information on using these, please see their website.

   – If your operation exceeds the capabilities of a filling gun, shoot us a message and we will be happy to help you find a solution.

   For any questions not answered here, feel free to send us via email at [email protected]