Here’s a home made vaporizer we can really get behind.

Lets just take a second to be completely honest here. There’s no point in suggesting that this is possibly for smoking tobacco. Medical marijuana is legal (well, not federally), in several states, and we’re sure there are hackers there that would really enjoy making something of their own instead of just buying something.

We’ve covered a few below and they always seemed to have something in common. They use soldering irons for heat. Inevitably someone points out what a bad idea this is.

They are right to do so. There are a multitude of possible bad things that could exist on that soldering iron, or the adhesive you use to fasten things to it, that you probably shouldn’t breathe. That soldering iron is what drew us to the project in the first place though! It’s a hack! Shame on us (maybe we’ll tackle pressure rated PVC next). It is like drinking beer through a lead pipe.

So, why would someone want to use a vaporizer? It is slightly healthier. You’re not burning all the plant material and inhaling it, you’re heating it to the point that the thc and magic goo inside boils and makes vapor, which you breathe. We don’t know exactly how much healthier it is, but it has to be at least marginally better than burning things and inhaling it.

A very popular device for this is the Magic Flying Launch Box or MFLB, a portable vaporizer that retails for around $100. People have figured out that the thing is quite simple. A wire mesh is heated to roughly 360F (180C) degrees or more by shorting out a battery. That’s it. You might be thinking , couldn’t I use an E cigarette? Well, probably not, they don’t get hot enough. It would be a cool hack though.

When building something like this, you need to do a little research and make absolutely sure the materials you are using aren’t going to kill you. Some wire meshes are coated in zinc or other chemicals. Solder obviously needs to be considered as well. You weren’t seriously going to use treated lumber for this were you? What are you, stoned?

Many people have done DIY versions of the MFLB. Some are super quick and trashy, some are more detailed in their build, and some are even solderless.