Short answer
Heat a quartz banger to 450-550°F. Load a dab of live resin about the size of a pinhead on a dab tool. Touch it to the banger floor, cap the banger, and inhale for 5-10 seconds. Live resin holds more terpenes than shatter or distillate, so it vaporizes at a lower temperature. Wait 10-15 minutes before a second dab.
What live resin is
Live resin comes from cannabis plants frozen within hours of harvest, then extracted with butane or propane. The freeze step keeps terpenes and volatile compounds that dried, cured plant material loses. THC content runs 60-90% in most tested batches. Dried flower runs 15-25% THC.
Tools
- Dab rig with a quartz banger, or an electric nail
- Butane torch, or a coil heater for an e-nail
- Carb cap
- Dab tool, metal or quartz
- Infrared thermometer
- 91% isopropyl alcohol and cotton swabs
Steps
- Pour 91% isopropyl alcohol into a small glass. Set cotton swabs next to it.
- Heat the banger with the torch. Stop when the quartz shows a faint orange glow. That takes 30-45 seconds on a 4 mm banger.
- Wait 45-60 seconds. Check the banger with an infrared thermometer. Target 450-550°F. Above 600°F the terpenes degrade and the vapor turns harsh.
- Load a pinhead-size dab, about 5-10 mg of THC, on the tool.
- Touch the dab to the banger floor. Cap the banger at once.
- Inhale for 5-10 seconds. Use a slow pull. A hard pull cools the banger and wastes product.
- Hold the vapor 2-3 seconds, then exhale.
- Swab the banger while it is warm. Leftover oil bakes into carbon and ruins the quartz.
Cold start method
Put the dab in a room-temperature banger. Heat the banger until the resin bubbles and vapor starts, about 10-15 seconds. Cap it and inhale. The cold start keeps terpenes intact and cuts the risk of overheating.
Live Resin for Sale: A Comprehensive Buying Guide
Dose
A pinhead dab holds 5-10 mg of THC. A dab the size of a grain of rice holds 30-50 mg. Colorado sets 10 mg as one serving for edible cannabis, but inhaled THC reaches the blood in seconds, so the two routes are not equal. Inhaled effects start in 30-90 seconds and peak at 10-15 minutes. Start with one small dab and wait 15 minutes.
Storage
Keep live resin in an airtight glass jar at 60-70°F, away from light. Silicone containers absorb terpenes. Refrigeration pulls moisture into the jar when the lid opens. A one-gram jar lasts 2-4 weeks with regular use.
Safety
A torch and 500°F quartz cause burns. Work on a stable surface away from curtains. Ventilate the room. Do not drive after a dab. Keep jars locked away from children and pets. High-THC concentrates can cause anxiety, rapid heart rate, and vomiting in some users. Stop if those symptoms appear. Call 911 for chest pain, fainting, or repeated vomiting.