What To Know About Silicone

Silicone was originally created as an insulator

Silicone was first created by chemists working for Corning Glass and General Electric. The first commercial use of silicone began in a 1943 joint venture by Corning Glass and Dow Chemical. It was created as an insulation alternative to the glass fibre resin that was initially used by Corning Glass and General Electric. Although its initial use was for automotive applications, silicone can now be found in households everywhere in the form of cookware, apparel, hardware, and electronics. Silicone is so functional that its use spans nearly every kind of product, including water pipes, downstems and concentrate containers!

Silicone is an inert polymer

Silicone, at a very micro level, is made up of silicon and oxygen atoms repeating. These atoms create siloxane, a unit which is then strung together to create silicone. The repeating siloxane is what makes silicone a polymer.

A polymer is any material made up of repeating units, and includes other similar materials such as plastic. Polymers are considered to be ubiquitous with the average everyday life due to their functionality and stability. Silicone rubber is often considered an elastomer, since it's both made up of polymers and is stretchy and elastic.

Silicone can withstand high heat and extreme environments

Silicone is an important material for smokers due to the incredibly high amounts of heat it can withstand. Silicone retains its composition up to 572 degrees Fahrenheit, that’s more than twice the heat of a pot of boiling water!

The power of silicone surpasses even natural rubbers, since it’s relatively unaffected by UV rays, ozone, and other typical ageing factors. Its ability to retain its initial shape also gives it an edge over most rubbers and polymers.

Silicone is the best way to store your concentrates

Since concentrates are often difficult to handle, collect oil from hands, and degrade after excessive exposure to sunlight and oxygen, an easy way to counteract this is with a simple stash container.

Silicone is considered the perfect material for stashing away concentrates since it has a nonstick surface and is so heat resistant. Silicone is more commonly found when dealing with concentrate materials over flower materials since so much of concentrate consumption requires dealing with high temperatures and butane.

Silicone on Smoke Cartel

If you’re looking for a variety of silicone products, Smoke Cartel is the right place to start looking!  Smoke Cartel has its own branded line of silicone products, ranging from our Silicone Brick Concentrate Container to our Silicone Concentrate Stations.

Some of the most recognizable silicone products come from Budderblocks, which made waves with their Stackable Silicone Containers and their PocketSlab made for discreet concentrate storage for when you're on the go. They've really thought of it all!

Silicone is also often found on vaporizer mouthpieces, such as the Kandy Pens Black Edition Portable Concentrate Vaporizer. Errlybird's Silicone Mats are another awesome addition to the silicone family! These mats and are ideal for setting down a hot dabber tool after you’re finished.

You can even buy a silicone mouthpiece for your favorite water pipe with all of the different shapes and sizes from Mouthpeace, perfect for cooling smoke and avoiding germs.

Keep checking back at smokecartel.com for more silicone products to enhance your sesh!