Where would we be without seasoning? If people didn’t collectively eat a bunch of random plants scattered around the planet, our food would suck, we’d still be savagely ripping into beasts that roam the wilderness and bears or hippos would still be our biggest enemies, not our politicians. Properly seasoned food tastes better and in similar sense, seasoning a titanium nail helps your dabs not taste like you’re licking the side of a PBR can.
Seasoning food is different in the sense it refers to actual process of mixing fresh or dehydrated herbs into your dishes. Properly seasoning your nail is a bit like seasoning a cast iron pan although it’s not nearly as involved. Seasoning cast iron adds to the durability - though titanium is already more durable and less reactive, it still adds a poor flavor if unseasoned.
Follow the steps below to quickly and effective season a titanium nail.
Seasoning your titanium nail
There are two ways to effectively season a nail – an express method using only water (that’s not exactly seasoning) and a method using oil, which is similar in principle to seasoning cast iron. For the first step in either process, get yourself a titanium nail – most designs are universal, unless you have a whack rig.
Seasoning the right way with oil
Unlike a cast iron, you’re best not to use olive oil because it’s too viscous and titanium is far less porous. You can use an expensive THC oil but that’s considered a waste. Instead, use coconut oil of the cooking variety (not a body lotion), hemp oil, or CBD oil.
- Clean it off with isopropyl alcohol then rinse it thoroughly, especially if you already been using it. You’ll want the surface to be as clean as possible.
- Put the nail on the rig so you don’t burn your little fingers and begin to heat it with a torch until it gets hot AF (i.e. glowing red).
- Slather the chamber with your choice of oil using a dab tool and some kind of lint-free cloth.
- Do not use a Q-tip, a paper towel, or anything you’d use to wipe your ass as paper particles and any dust they’ve been exposed to can get trapped in coating and give your dabs a different kind of shitty taste which contradicts the whole reason for seasoning the nail in the first place
- After it cools to room temperature, do this again 1 or 2 more times.
Congratulations – dabs from your nail won’t leave a metal butt taste in your mouth.
The not-actually-seasoning method
Really? The above process is quick and painless but if you’re super lazy, try this method.
- Get either a metal mixing bowl or a cooking pot, fill it with water, and add a little ice. If you don’t have ice, you can make your own by mixing water and cold. Google it for further instructions.
- Get the nail red-hot while it’s attached to the rig. No matter how lazy you are, don’t hold it with your bare hands because you’ll burn the shit out of your fingers.
- Use a utensil of some kind (e.g. chopstick, channel locks, a real robot hand, etc.) to safely transfer the nail to the water bath and slosh it around.
- Repeat step 3 a couple times.
- Rinse it off with isopropyl alcohol and a cloth, minding step 3 and the subpoint for the better process described above, then use filtered or distilled water to rinse again.
- Avoid using tap water as weird shit gets in city water and wells which can subtly alter the flavor of your dabs.
Now you have a clean nail. Fun fact: the second process takes about the same amount of time.
