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Harm Reduction Cotton filter choices

jones-in_J

jones-in_J

Bluelighter
Joined
Apr 17, 2012
Messages
1,521
Location
Baltimore. Spending my rent money on filipino hook
So i already know that micron filters are the most effectuve/safest way to IV drugs but that's not an option at this very moment

So im wondering of these 3. Choices which would work the best

1) q-tip
2) cotton ball
3) cigarette filter

Ive been using a q-tip ever since i started exceot for a few times when i suses the cotton from a cig filter cuz it was the only thing available at the time

Im surprised cig filters are normally portrayed as the worst filter out there on this site. I mean if you sat there and tore it with your hands i see how all the cotton hanging off could be risky that itd draw up and the solution could give you cotton fever :;thumbs up::


But if you cut the filter with scissors just enough to have a perfectly cylinder shaped piece of cotton it seems with how sturdh it is and hiw cottons not peeling off itd make a better filters then a q tip
 
Ive used a cig filter every time, never had any negative results. However, I've also heard that they contain small pieces of glass but that's probably bullshit considering I've never had any cotton fever, collapsed vein, etc. but the only way to be 99% safe is with a micron filter
 
don't use a cig filter they contain fiber glass very bad to put into your veins and a cutip is the same as a piece of cotton rolled up tight
 
Use a compacted cotton, like a few cotton balls shoved into a syringe*, then you backload the liquid through the compressed cotton.

*With clean hands, I'd recommend rinsing with isopropyl or wearing sterile gloves or both.

Never use a cig filter, they're horribly inadequate and as mr flowers pointed out, fibers will contaminate your solution.
 
tricomb said:
Use a compacted cotton, like a few cotton balls shoved into a syringe*, then you backload the liquid through the compressed cotton.

*With clean hands, I'd recommend rinsing with isopropyl or wearing sterile gloves or both.

Never use a cig filter, they're horribly inadequate and as mr flowers pointed out, fibers will contaminate your solution.
Click to expand...

Im kind of confused. Are you saying to stuff some cotton into a needlee, then throw my smack into the back of the needle along with enough water for a shot, shake it up, then transfer the liquid into another needle and shoot?

I get really really good dope that immediately dissolves when it hits water, this process youre talkikg ahout sounds unnecessary and like a waste kf an extra needle if the process is the same as what im envisioning
 
No, it's not unnecessary regardless of how clean you think your heroin is, you need to treat your body with the respect it deserves as you only get one body in this life.

Note: these syringes don't *need* needles attached, you don't need to use a syringe you're going to use for IV, you could even use oral syringes for this.

1) mix your heroin and water in your "cooker" (dont apply heat) and pre-filter as you draw it up in syringe 1.

2) syringe 2 is stuffed with compacted cotton and has the plunger removed (duh)

3) inject/backload the contents of syringe 1 into the back of syringe 2, then run some water through syringe 1*.

4) reattach the plunger to syringe 2 and push the solution through the cottons.

5) inject/backload the contents of syringe 2 into the back of syringe 1*, the one you're going to use for injection.

* I recommend you use a new (third) syringe for the final step but in a pinch, knowing it's not as safe, but safer than your current method of filtration, you can do this method with only two syringes.
 
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mrflowers00 said:
don't use a cig filter they contain fiber glass very bad to put into your veins and a cutip is the same as a piece of cotton rolled up tight
Click to expand...

That is not true at all. Cigarette filters are made from cellulose (a material from the cell walls of plants). Cotton is 90% cellulose.

tricomb said:
Never use a cig filter, they're horribly inadequate and as mr flowers pointed out, fibers will contaminate your solution.
Click to expand...

There is no higher risk of injecting fibers from using a cigarette filter than a cotton, that risk exists with cotton too and many people believe the risk is actually lower with a cigarette filter. The cellulose used to make cigarette filters is spun in a continuous fiber and then formed into a compact filter, whereas cotton fibers are smaller and can break off and enter the syringe more easily, and cotton is less compact and uniform.

Either way, using the filter-in-syringe method should hopefully decrease the chances of getting a fiber in your actual shot.
 
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Most importantly, a cigarette filter is not compacted enough to filter "adequately" and should only be used if there are absolutely no alternatives. Why would many believe that the risk of injecting fibers is lower with a cigarette filter? I've never heard of that school of thought.ß
 
Hm interesting, i mean i normally just mix the dope with water in a spoon and use a piece of cotton from a qtip to draw it up, beint careful that the water im drawing up is all actually drawn up thru the cotton

I still think the backloading technique sounds really unnecessary lol. Maybe if my arm gets infected and falls off one day i will give in and admit you were right lol
 
jones-in_J said:
Hm interesting, i mean i normally just mix the dope with water in a spoon and use a piece of cotton from a qtip to draw it up, beint careful that the water im drawing up is all actually drawn up thru the cotton

I still think the backloading technique sounds really unnecessary lol. Maybe if my arm gets infected and falls off one day i will give in and admit you were right lol
Click to expand...

The backloading technique is really handy, but for the most part... people have made out okay using just regular cotton. I use sterile dental cotton, rolled tightly into a ball.
 
^^

images
 
tricomb said:
Most importantly, a cigarette filter is not compacted enough to filter "adequately" and should only be used if there are absolutely no alternatives. Why would many believe that the risk of injecting fibers is lower with a cigarette filter? I've never heard of that school of thought.ß
Click to expand...

For the reasons I just explained :)

The cellulose used to make cigarette filters is spun in a continuous fiber and then formed into a compact filter, whereas cotton fibers are smaller and can break off and enter the syringe more easily, and cotton is less compact and uniform.
Click to expand...

I can explain in more detail if you like?

I have been told that a cigarette filter is less likely to have fibers enter the syringe than a piece of cotton (from a cotton ball, q-tip, etc) by people that worked at needle exchanges and harm reduction outreach organizations, and the research I've done on how cigarette filters are made does seem to support that contention. If one is not using the packed cotton-in-syringe method or obtaining a densely packed sterilized cotton from a HR service then it is my belief that a cigarette filter is actually more effective than a piece of cotton. You don't have to agree with me :)

My main frustration was with mrflowers perpetuating the myth that cigarette filters are made from fiberglass and that you will inject fiberglass if you use them.
 
Ksa said:
I don't wana give bad ideas lol but nitrating the cotton by treating it with concentrated nitric acid would remove the elasticity and make the cotton much more compactable, certainly making a better filter.
Click to expand...

Except nitric acid is extremely toxic so you really do not want to risk not removing it all from the cotton effectively (which would probably be very difficult).
 
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