Fact Checked by Doctor NameRolling a high-quality joint is something a cannabis lover aspires to.
We all appreciate that friend who crafts the best joint each time that rolling paper and weed is in his hand.
While you may not know how to roll a filter like a professional, it is still a top skill that any weed lover must pick up.
Introduction to Rolling Filters or Crutches
Table of Contents
If it is about standard rolling of joints, there are many guides that will cover the basics.
So here is an element that will be taking your joint to a new level that is rolling a joint with a crutch or filter.
A crutch or filter is a rolled-up cardstock strip, a cardboard-like, thin paper that is used in business cards.
Often people simply snip off one strip from any business card or the cover flap of their rolling paper and form their crutch. But if you wish to master how to roll a crutch, then the ideal way will be to buy a bunch of pre-cut filter tips.
They will help you to be consistent every time you roll a crutch. Once it is rolled up, you can place it in your joint’s mouth end.
Understanding the Purpose and Benefits of Filters/Crutches
A crutch will improve your whole smoking experience in many ways.
Once you reinforce the opening of the mouth end, a crutch will ensure an easier pull off your joint and an even burn.
It will too prevent crumbled weed from being inhaled into the throat or burning.
It means you will cough less. Finally, it will help to maintain your joint’s structural integrity.
Step-by-Step Guide on How to Roll a Filter or Crutch
Choosing the Right Material for the Filter/Crutch
Cardboard or thick paper will make the best filters for your joint, commonly known as crutches. It will let better airflow through your joint.
A crutch will prevent too much moisture from making the end of the joint wet and lower waste.
Great alternatives to paper are wooden and glass crutches. You can find them at head and tobacco shops or a few dispensaries.
Measuring and Cutting the Filter/Crutch
Use the index card or cardstock paper. Then evenly tear off one piece roughly by almost half-inch wide or a bit more than a centimeter.
If you roll with longer paper of king size, you will wish to increase its width almost 2 centimeters or to three-fourths of one inch. You do not need to be completely perfect with the width.
Try to check and assume it out to your best ability if do not have any measuring tool handy. Then fold one crease into the rolling paper to make sure that you have torn it evenly.
Fold the paper
Bring an end of the paper and then fold it into a shape that will resemble a zig-zag “M”. For doing this, make almost four creases folded perfectly back-to-front.
Do it until the paper’s tip looks like “M”. Keep a sufficient amount of length left over for your next step.
Wrap it up
Take the rest of the length leftover from that folded tip. Then wrap it around those folds until you have a circle that surrounds the pattern of zig-zag M.
If you do not have sufficient paper left over for completing the wrap, you can unwind the M and give an attempt to do it again with smaller folds.
Inserting the Filter/Crutch into the Rolling Paper
After getting the ideal crutch folded and properly rolled up, drop it into your rolling paper’s tip.
It will be easiest to grind up the cannabis and place it inside your rolling paper after you insert the filter or crutch.
Based on if you wish to have a cone-shaped or pinner joint, put the crutch at the joint’s end tip.
Then accordingly, disperse the ground cannabis throughout the rolling paper’s inner crease.
Rolling Technique for Filters/Crutches
After you have the crutch and cannabis placed well in your rolling paper, you have reached the final step. Just roll it, seal it, relax, light it, and enjoy.
Materials Needed for Rolling Filters/Crutches
- Index card or cardstock paper
- Joint or rolling papers
- A cannabis grinder
- Ground cannabis
Different Types of Filter/Crutch Materials
Pre-made Filter Tips
These are pre-rolled paper filters or crutches that have become popular in the last few years. They are a more viable choice for many.
It removes the time and skill required to fold small, properly spaces pieces of thick paper. Pre-rolled filters are a great investment for anyone who wishes the filter without any hassle to make them.
Cardstock or Index Cards
They also contribute to better and greater airflow. A cardboard or index card filter will let you waste less of your weed.
This is because it will provide a fastening area where you will not burn your fingers. They are many such benefits with these filters.
Business Cards or Thick Paper
It is common for weed lovers to use such items from around their houses to roll their crutches.
A thinner than a normal cardboard shipping box but a bit thicker than printer paper is the perfect weight of paper to make a DIY crutch.
If any random business card has been used up, you also have a pre-rolled paper strip or crutch available for purchase.
Raw or Pre-Rolled Tips
Same as the perforated filter strip, raw or pre-rolled tips are designed specifically for cones.
Such paper strips come with proper pre-defined fold lines that will guide you to make your own filter tip or crutch similar to a little cone.
DIY Filter/Crutch Options
A few other good crutch options are:
- Back flap of a checkbook
- A rolling paper pack’s flap
- Manila file folder
- Magazine subscription card
Benefits of Using Filters/Crutches
Improved Joint Structure and Stability
Using a crutch will make the joint much more sturdy. It will keep it open at an end.
Without a crutch, the joint may close on itself or be squished. It will restrict the flow of air and stop a smooth draw.
The crutch will add to the rolled joint’s structure. The first step to rolling the ideal joint is making use of a rolling tip with high-quality rolling paper.
Enhanced Smoking Experience
The crutch or filter tip will create a much-required space between the material that burns and your lips.
It means you will be able to smoke the entire contents of your joint very easily, and you will not burn your fingers. It will not dissolve or crumble so fast.
Thus it will too help conserve precious weeds. Also, filters will make the complete experience, mainly in groups, more enjoyable and very hygienic.
Minimized Resin Buildup
A very important benefit of making use of a crutch is that it will let better airflow.
Thus it will prevent the joint’s bottom tip from closing in on itself or getting clogged with a build-up of sticky resin.
You will use your cannabis more efficiently as the filter will let you evenly burn through the bud before you are at the rolling paper’s end.
Reduction of Hot Smoke and Harsh Hits
You will be able to roll up the best joint with the finest cannabis available. But you may experience a bad burn from an ignited joint.
The risk of burns from a joint is low. But a crutch will include additional space between you and the burning weed.
It is a strong mouthpiece that will keep your lips and fingers free from harsh burns.
Alternative Options for Filtering Smoke
Glass Tips and Roach Clips
A weed filter created from glass will make a blunt or joint feel very premium. It is true when you buy pre-rolls in legitimate places.
There are a lot of unique designs when it is to glass joint filters. It is great for every stoner. It can be efficient based on its design.
Due to the glass, the smoke that will pass through it will cool down. Usually, weed filters created from glass will be lasting until you break or lose them.
As they are created from a fragile material, they are less expensive and will cost a few dollars each on average.
Roach clips are known to be unique metal holders. They act as an alternative option to crutches. But they do not make filtering of smoke and weed.
Reusable Smoking Filters
They are available in many materials such as ceramic and glass materials, wood, or silicone. You can also find many printable 3D models of dragon or skull-shaped joint filters.
Ensure you practice proper hygiene to lower dirty filter tips and harsh hits.
Ceramic Weed Joint Filters
A popular choice for preventing choking on an unexpected weed is joint filters created from ceramic.
Rolling filter tips created from this are well-known as they are efficient and of high durability.
Based on the thickness of the ceramic filter tip, it will not break very easily like glass. Not every, but a few ceramic weed joint filters will easily fit into rolling machines that are hand twisted.
They are a great option compared to regular paper filters. They will keep the smoke cool and the mouthpiece dry.
They will also provide a satisfying smoking experience and you can clean them easily by soaking them in alcohol.
Carbon Filters
When carbon filters are used as filters and rolled into blunts or joints, the activated carbon lower toxins like nicotine or tar.
It provides a very cool smoke feeling that is scratch-free. But they may clog at very cold temperatures and then not properly filter.
Unbleached Paper Rolling Tips
A disposable paper filter tip is often used with pre-rolls that are sold in a few legalized states.
It is cheap and will do an excellent job if you are aware of how to fold a few crazy designs of filter tips. There are cannabis filter tips that are already rolled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is a Crutch a Filter?
A: A crutch and filter are interchangeably used when talking about joints. But a crutch will never filter out any smoke particle compared to a cigarette filter.
Q: Can You Reuse Filters for Joints?
A: Yes. You will be able to reuse a crutch. Just tear open the roached joint and roll the crutch into a fresh one. But usually, you will wish to roll a new filter as it will become softened with tar and saliva. It may impact your joint’s taste.
Q: Do You Need a Crutch in a Joint?
A: No. But if you put a crutch into the joint, it will make it very easy to smoke and have a very enjoyable experience.
Q: Can You Place a Crutch or Filter in Your Blunt?
A: Yes. But it will be done less commonly compared to a spliff or a joint.
Q: Can you roll a joint with just Kief?
A: Kief means resin glands present on the cannabis flower’s outside that hs the cannabinoids and terpenes. Kief is more strong the flower. You can include additional kief inside the join for a lot of potency. A lot of companies will brush the joint’s outside with cannabis oil and then roll them in the kief for giving the pre-rolls a higher level of THC. These are known as infused pre-rolls. But if you fill a joint with only kief it may become hard as kief burns much more quickly than flower. Also, you will require a lot of kief to do it.
Q: What are the different joint shapes?
A: The most common one is a cone-shaped joint. But as you get more comfortable with the process of joint rolling, you may wish to experiment with some other shapes like an L joint or tulip-shaped joint and a pinner or a thin cigarette-type one.
Conclusion
Anything worth doing will generally take a lot of practice. So do not get worried if it will take some tries to get your filtered joint ready for a great smoking experience.
There is any right or wrong for crafting a crutch or filter. But such basics will assist you to find the process that will work the best for you.
Once you understand how to roll a filter, you will be able to roll up some perfect ones that cleanly pull, evenly burn and receive an appreciative sign from anyone you pass the roll next to.
