It’s happened to all of us at least once — you begin heating up your nectar collector or banger with your butane torch and then suddenly the flame fizzles out as you run out of butane. There’s nothing worse than going to refill the canister to only find out that the last time this happened to you, you used the last of your butane refills and forgot to put it on your shopping list. Luckily, there are several ways to heat up your nectar collector or dab nail without a torch. Here’s everything you need to know.
How to heat a nectar collector without a torch
There are actually quite a few ways to get your nectar collector to the right temperature for dabbing. Unlike dab nails that are stuck in a stationary position, nectar collectors (AKA dab straws) are pretty portable. Attached to a small glass bubbler, you have the tip which is a long skinny piece that is easy to heat up with unconventional methods. Once you get your tip warm, you can apply it straight into your concentrates container and dab away.
For example, if you’ve got a dab rig set up, you might have an e-nail handy. Even though the coil won’t wrap around the tip of your nectar collector, you can still touch the tip of the collector to the coil until it starts to glow red, at which point you can dab away.
But if you don’t have an e-nail handy, what can you use to heat up a nectar collector?
Odds are you have a lighter laying around somewhere. You might even have a push lighter in your car. You can apply heat to the tip of your nectar collector until it starts glowing. While it might take a little extra time since the flames are significantly weaker, you can still heat that thin piece of titanium or glass to the right temperature for dabbing with your dab straw.
If push comes to shove, you can also touch your nectar collector to the hot grate on your gas grill. That said, don’t try to stick your face or hands near the flames of the grill. Just allow your grill to heat up to a nice, high temperature, and hold your dab straw to the grate until it starts to get hot. Take care to keep your hands and face away from any open flames.
Can I heat a nectar collector on the stove?
The easiest way to heat up a nectar collector is with your gas or electric stove. Much like the hot knife method for dabbing, you can slide the tip of your dab straw in between the coils on your electric stove until it starts glowing. From there you can apply it to your dab container and enjoy.
The same thing goes for a gas stove, except you’ll have to hold the nectar collector into the flame. Just be sure to wear protective gloves to keep yourself from getting burned. Once you apply heat, you can hit your dab straw like you normally would without a torch.
