Where can I Get Nitrous oxide?

Nitrous is obtained in one of four ways. You can purchase it in various quantities and purities: small whippits, two inch long tapered cylinders used for dispensing whipped cream (food grade), nitrous bulk, or nitrous bulk. It is also possible (but REALLY DANGEROUS) to homebrew nitrous through proper chemical reactions. The first is the most common form. Tanks are often difficult to fill, and auto-grade nitrous must be purified before use. As with any drug, it is generally better to purchase nitrous from a trusted source rather than make your own due to the possible chemical impurities. For INFORMATIONAL USE here is the process for nitrous synthesis.

Whippits

Whippits are small containers of nitrous intended for home use in whipped cream charging bottles. They are tapered metal tubes with a foil seal at the pointed end and look identical to the cannisters for CO2 powered pellet guns. For whipped cream use, the charging bottle is filled with heavy cream and pressurized with the whippit cartridge. The nitrous causes a frothing action upon depressurization. For recreational use, the whippits are either released into the charging bottle, or into a balloon using a cracker. Caution: the gas in whippits, expanding upon release, is extremely cold. It can cause frost burns. Never open whippits anywhere near your face! Whippits are sold under the brand name EZ-Whip, ISI and others. You can find whippits at head shops and grocery stores, particularly gourmet stores. They come in boxes of 12 or 24 and cost roughly $0.50 each.

(We've received one piece of mail claiming that lead (presumably from the seal) is found in whippits. I doubt that something for food use would be permitted to contain lead but perhaps no one has caught on yet? Someone in a chem lab should be able to resolve this with some gas spectography or NMR - please mail if you're able to do such a thing.)

When we first wrote these pages in 1994 nitrous was lesser known and harder (although not hard) to come by. For this update in 2006, there are now hundred of listings on ebay.

Crackers

Crackers are the most common method of dispensing nitrous whippits. Crackers are made specifically for nitrous use. They screw around a whippit with a spike puncturing the seal when it is screwed down. The nitrous fills a balloon that is slipped over the end of the cracker.

Crackers can be found at head shops and similar stores. Crackers come in metal and plastic, and a variety of colors. The metal crackers are primarily silver and gold, but sometimes anodized black. People don't seem as personal about their crackers as they are about bongs. Don't buy plastic crackers; the intense cold from releasing nitrous will eventually break them. Expect to pay something like $10 for a good metal cracker. Some states don't sell crackers, in this case you can make your own cracker.

Balloons, the heavy "punching bag" sort, can be found at most grocery stores with the kids toys in the cereal section, or near the cake and party supplies. Balloons are easy to conceal and carry. Finally, unlike masks, should you pass out, balloons will not stick to your face.