Announcing RSO 2.0 - An 20 Year Update to a Classic Recipe

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mimiemu

mimiemu

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I'd like to announce the public launch of a personal project called ā€œRSO 2.0ā€, an update to the 20 year old Rick Simpson Oil (RSO) extraction process. For the past two years being sequestered at home by the pandemic, I've worked on making cleaner RSO. What has come of it, is a radical, cost effective, approach to safely creating cleaner oil at home using only kitchen utensils. For all the progress thatā€™s been made in the extraction field in the past 20 years, RSO has been left behind. Here's whats new:

1.Introducing a one hour Room Temperature Winterization.
2.Exploiting Isopropylā€™s Super Power.
3.Distilling in Brine water to cleanse and protect the oils.
4.Lower temperature extractions to save CBDA/THCA. Important for today if
the acidic state can impede flu from entering cells.

This is a free process to anyone wanting cleaner oil, nothing for sale.

Oh, I would love to hear feedback Please critique for any typo's, ambiguities or scientific inaccuracies. Let me know your thoughts!

ā€¦MimiEMU
 
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phxazcraig

phxazcraig

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Take a look at this. Its the process written for distribution as a .PDF. This might do. The home page is significant because it has instructional videos. I cant visualize how to recreate that here. Your thoughts? (here's the pdf..)
Interesting. I didn't see a link to your site with more info, so that would be handy to point out where I missed it.

I've made RSO for some time, before my wife died of pancreatic cancer. It was also before RSO could be found easily in dispensaries. By the way, I calculated the overall cost to be about the same ($70/gram) when I made it myself versus buying in dispensaries in early days of legalization here in AZ.

Some comments and questions follow.

First, some commenting on my procedure. I used a Magical Butter machine, up to 3 ounces of (expensive! up to $400/oz) buds PLUS some leftover vape residue to try to minimize cost. For a solvent, I used Everclear. My process was like this:
1. Dump buds, shake and some vape residue into a Magical Butter machine along with 5 cups of Everclear. Set to the tincture setting, which if I recall correctly cooks for 4 hours at 160F. Grinds the buds as well.
2. Pour green tincture through series of finer mesh filters to try to filter out as much green stuff as possible. Same with butter or oil by the way, but I think I have less loss with tincture.
-note: pouring tincture into a tall container and waiting for a day allows a lot of particulate matter to sink to the bottom, allowing pour-off of cleaner tincture. (Works for oil too.)
3. Pour tincture into a mason jar
4. Put mason jar into rice cooker set to cook for maximum time (2 hours). Mason jar doesn't fit, so can't close the lid, but want the lid open anyway. Water boils, heats Everclear, tincture starts bubbling and alcohol gradually evaporates over the course of 4-6 hours. I do this in the garage because of fumes.

-result: thick black tar-like oil at the bottom of the mason jar. I get approximately 1:7 ratio of oil to bud. 7 grams of bud in gives 1 gram of oil out.

Because the oil is so thick, at this point I had cut it 50% with Wesson oil. That got the oil fluid enough to draw up into a big syringe (originally designed to refill ink cartridges on a printer).

Because the oil is so black (vape residue in part, incomplete filtering) it was nasty to eat. So my wife suggested putting it into gelcaps from the local health foods store. So that's what I ended up doing. I drilled a bunch of holes in a piece of wood to hold the gelcap bottoms. I used the syringe to carefully put drops into each gelcap, then put the cap on the gelcap and threw it into a plastic bag labeled with the number of drops I put in the gelcap (measure of potency) and the date of the extraction.

This way my wife didn't have to taste the gunk. She just ate the capsule and had it kick in about 2 hours later. By making several strengths of pills (3 drops, 5 drops, 7 drops, etc.) she could vary the dosage by combining multiple capsules once she determined the strength of that batch.

***
Compared to your method, I see advantages and disadvantages. I wonder if you could comment on the use of a Magical Butter machine to kick off the process? And perhaps the use of a simple rice cooker to boil off the alcohol. I wouldn't want to boil the alcohol on my stove, partly because it is a gas stove, but also because it is indoors. The rice cooker can be plugged in anywhere - back porch perhaps - and it really keeps the smell down to move that outside. Magical Butter machine too.

My biggest issue with this, beyond the hassle of getting drops into gelcaps, was the filtering aspect of this. I sort of gave up hoping for an extremely clean output when I went to gelcaps. But I'd love to know how to do better, and the brine step seems interesting there.
 
Eskander

Eskander

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Nice write up. One suggestion for a modification is this:


You can decarb with no smell and no loss of volatiles using common kitchen gear. It is also very easy to get perfect and consistent results every time.

-eskander
 
Garbage_bear

Garbage_bear

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I take about 3/4 of a gram of RSO a day. I highly suggest investing in a source turbo and watching their videos. They have some videos on how to extract clean oil with everclear. My oil is not black/green. It is golden. You can smoke it if you want.
 
Eskander

Eskander

149
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I take about 3/4 of a gram of RSO a day. I highly suggest investing in a source turbo and watching their videos. They have some videos on how to extract clean oil with everclear. My oil is not black/green. It is golden. You can smoke it if you want.
For the price of those you can buy a Chinese rotovap which is far better. Harder to run I guess but a little practice goes a long way.

I'm not sure at what point an extract become RSO rather than QWET or QWISO. I think any of those extractions that come out looking shitty are called RSO lol...

-Eskander
 
Garbage_bear

Garbage_bear

394
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For the price of those you can buy a Chinese rotovap which is far better. Harder to run I guess but a little practice goes a long way.

I'm not sure at what point an extract become RSO rather than QWET or QWISO. I think any of those extractions that come out looking shitty are called RSO lol...

-Eskander
Yeah Iā€™m a simple man and those rotovaps look complicated. I would rather just press a button lol.
 
Skeggox

Skeggox

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I take about 3/4 of a gram of RSO a day. I highly suggest investing in a source turbo and watching their videos. They have some videos on how to extract clean oil with everclear. My oil is not black/green. It is golden. You can smoke it if you want.
I have a question regarding mine. Ran 21g in everclear for a tincture I normally evaporate to 1 oz. Fell asleep and all the alcohol evaporated. I let my tinctures set 1 week so the left over os dark. This is rso or did i fuck 21 grams up lol
 
C

cronicoldguy

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For the price of those you can buy a Chinese rotovap which is far better. Harder to run I guess but a little practice goes a long way.

I'm not sure at what point an extract become RSO rather than QWET or QWISO. I think any of those extractions that come out looking shitty are called RSO lol...

-Eskander
Yes, a rotovap can be found relatively cheap. I just ordered a POS rotovap ($351CAD) from Walmart via 3rd party Chinese seller. But you need more than just the rotovap unit. That is where the expense begins to climb. Trust me, I am in the process of piecing an operational unit together. Ask Moe what he has into his. I bet 4k or more.

The Source Turbo for what it is, is an outstanding piece of hardware. It is basically a turn-key unit. Nothing more required other than solvent, material to process, and your time. Yes, small batches. But that is who the unit is geared towards. A person processing an ounce or 2 at a time. Larger batches are easy, just take longer to distill. Refill the crucible with solution between cycles.

I have a question regarding mine. Ran 21g in everclear for a tincture I normally evaporate to 1 oz. Fell asleep and all the alcohol evaporated. I let my tinctures set 1 week so the left over os dark. This is rso or did i fuck 21 grams up lol
If it was evaporating at room temp, should be no prob at all. If using heat, and not monitoring the temp, it could have gotten too hot, essentially killing the cannabinoids. Vape some. That will tell you.

Also, if bent on keeping it a tincture, should be no issue putting it back to solution and reducing again.

I have taken batches of RSO that I didnt filter very well. I have put it back into solution, winterized, filtered, and re-distilled with no noticeable degradation in potency.


A question I have.
When winterizing and filtering, most of us here now know that this removes, lipids and undesirables. But in some cases, are there health benefits of leaving these in? Is there any medicinal value in what I would normally throw away?

EDIT: Forgot to add this: Is there any medicinal or any other use for the left over processed flower? Or is it complete garbage?
 
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G

Godfish

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Looks like this guide is dead? most of the links are 404 and no new posting on this, I find this good info that needs to be refined and updated, for clarity and correction. So many people have the info and it's not getting put in a simple compressive guide?, this PDF is very close but has some contradictions and double steps? I may in the future refine the steps for clarity because I feel us new to this just need the DIY How to with-out all this distracting facts to get lost in.

For example the guide says to decarb at the start then at the end also? I'm not sure if its necessary to do it at the end also or just first, Sorry but lots of people like me "i.e not very smart" who want to/need to follow a guide just need it a little clearer.

Thank you for your time and knowledge, you guys are so smart! and can help us lesser humans that just need this process for the medicine.
 
CHSAdmin

CHSAdmin

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3
Hi everyone,

I started this thread back in February 2022. This past March, I published an update that makes this MUCH simpler and faster. I discovered a simple holistic hack in making RSO that really cleans up the oil, effectively doubling the potency. It's very easy, so if you know how to make RSO, you will get this.

Here's the magic - add distilled water to the wash before boiling out the alcohol. The water absorbs the water solubles that normally get boiled into the oil. By cleaning out the polar and semi polar compounds, winterization can be done in under an hour. So now, you can take 2oz cured plant and have vapable decarbed winterized oil in under 2 hours. I have multiple lab test reports showing Total Cannabinoids in the high 70's. Given this is such a cleaner oil, I call it Refined Cannabis Extract, aka RxCE.

So this is totally legit and free, absolutely nothing for sale. I have a webpage that explains everything with a demo video and 7 lab tests. Given posting a link is problematic and will probably get me banned, I suggest doing a Google search for "RSO RxCE". Admins, pm me and I'll send the link to you for approval. You can then post the link as a reply.

Why would I do this? I've lived my life in the shadow of a miracle. This is my Pay-It-Forward to help home bound MMJ patients by cost reducing the process. Turns out, it's also faster, cleaner and more potent compared to the original RSO/FECO.
 
C

cronicoldguy

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I for one will be seriously looking into this. Anyone else?

Can anyone here elaborate on this process?
 
CHSAdmin

CHSAdmin

7
3
Hi,

No sure anyone here has run this yet. There is a demo video on the RxCE webpage that takes 2oz hemp and makes oil in under 2 hours. There's a link to the Quick Start guide just to the left of the video. This Quick Start Guide is built with screen shots from the video.
 
C

cronicoldguy

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Well, I have experimented with this process a bit since this thread was posted. I have had mixed results, but have since fine tuned the process for myself.

This is something you DEFINITELY want to do. It is a 'night and day' difference in the end product. In just about every aspect. Clarity, flavor, and potency. Finished end product vapes in CCell carts all day long. And you dont hack fucking your lungs out. Glass dab bowl wipes spotless with a q-tip. With absolutely no additives/thinners added to the oil.

If anyone interested, I will make a post describing exactly what I found.

If you could have sampled what this turd turned out to be! This was actually from a fuckup doing this process. Somehow I had managed to created an emulsion. Everything was bound. It took some work, but I managed to turn it into gold. End result was stellar.

1688240112603
 
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CHSAdmin

CHSAdmin

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Well, I have experimented with this process a bit since this thread was posted. I have had mixed results, but have since fine tuned the process for myself.

This is something you DEFINITELY want to do. It is a 'night and day' difference in the end product. In just about every aspect. Clarity, flavor, and potency. Finished end product vapes in CCell carts all day long. And you dont hack fucking your lungs out. Glass dab bowl wipes spotless with a q-tip. With absolutely no additives/thinners added to the oil.

If anyone interested, I will make a post describing exactly what I found.

If you could have sampled what this turd turned out to be! This was actually from a fuckup doing this process. Somehow I had managed to created an emulsion. Everything was bound. It took some work, but I managed to turn it into gold. End result was stellar.
I am very interested in what you have found! Please do explain further!
 
C

cronicoldguy

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I am very interested in what you have found! Please do explain further!
So I have tried this process a few times now. As I said above, with mixed results. I do believe this process has merit. But cant get consistent results. I am not so interested in the 'time hack' of this process. I am more interested in making the cleanest and purest concentrate I can. So I really want to incorporate this step into my process.

My experience level. Stating this so others may have some patience with my questions. LOL:
I am an amateur. No real chemistry training other than oil/gas industry related. With that said, I am not a genius, but can learn if I am interested. I have learned the basic concepts of different extraction processes. Ethanol/Iso extraction is my chosen method. This method is what I am focusing on. I have assembled a half-assed decent home lab with some nice equipment, including a rotovap. I have been making RSO for years, but only refining the process for the past year or so. I am at the point that I am making some really nice oil. Clean, vapable, and flavorful.

So my first attempt at this process seemed to work. I used just plain distilled water. Not salt saturated. I wasnt able to collect oil as in video at CHS. All free oil was stuck to side of pot and the rest emulsified in the solution. I filtered off the milky wash water then froze it solid. I then let it thaw at room temp. The oil had separated and I was able to collect it. This has worked every time to free emulsified oil in plain distilled water.

The residual oil in first pic. 2nd pic is the wash water after being froze solid and thawed at room temp. Third pic is the 'chips' collected. This shit was stellar! Smooth to vape and great HIT!
20230701 204951
20230703 194629
20230703 202428


I tried another batch with the water saturated with salt (=>36g/L). Seemed I had more free oil, but some still emulsified. I froze the solution and then let it thaw at room temp. Looked like some oil still present. What is strange is that there were 2 different liquid phases. I am certain I had boiled off all solvent, as final volume was just less than what it was with just water/salt solution. End point was hitting 96C. Maybe should have left it there longer? So not sure what was going on. There was oil or fats suspended at the phase transition.

I drew a line at the transition. The green near the line and dots is shit suspended

20230728 140302a


I am trying to do the process as described by CHS. But I am doing something wrong or missing an understanding. I cant get consistent results. I am also trying to adapt the process to a lab environment and not as described in video/literature. Given I have no formal chemistry training, this is a bit of a challenge as well.

So here are some of my questions:

1) What is the optimal ratio of distilled water to volume of solvent to wash? Or is that dependent on the amount of bud/flower processed?

2) To reduce the potential of emulsification, is it better to winterize prior to the water wash so not so many fats and waxes present? Time is not of essence. Quality is.

3) Is it better to do any remediation prior to water wash? Such as filtering thru carbon/DE? I filter down to 1.5 micron prior to water wash or winterization to remove any plant particulate. I also add a 0.45 micron syringe filter to feed tube on rotovap when evaporating. Is it safe to filter down that low and not lose any 'essence'?

4) Can the water wash be performed under vacuum to reduce required temps? Or is 96C required for a reaction? If so, what equipment is recommended? I have assorted glassware: 250ml to 2000ml round bottom boiling flasks, 125ml to 2000L separatory funnels, heated stirrer, heating mantle, 5L glass jacketed reactor, rotovap, fractional still, and other shit. Not sure why I bought the reactor. Seemed like a good idea and useful at the time. Down the road I am sure I can utilize it.

5) I dont do quick washes. I do several soaks/washes to pull all I can from the biomass. I want it all. I can winterize to remove the fats and shit. I just dont want to leave anything behind. I have been using E-NRG for the initial extraction and Everclear to finish. It is 92% ethanol and 8% isopropyl. Is it better to use 99.9% iso instead given ethanol has a water content? I just received 4 gallons of USP grade as I type.

Thanks for reading and look forward to your reply.

PS. I dont do social media so I cant join your facebook discussion. Thanks for the invite and reply. Appreciated.
 
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CHSAdmin

CHSAdmin

7
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Hi @chronicoldguy,

Sorry for the lag, I'm not getting notifications when posts are made.

Great to hear you're having success. I'll answer ur questions and lets talk about emulsions and separating the oils.

Q: What is the proper ratio of alcohol to water. A: The alcohol is going away, so it's really about the properties of the water. The answer really is, how big is your boiler? You should have 1/4-1/2" standing water so the boiler doesn't run dry when boiling out the alcohol (happened to me with 99% ISO wash..). The volume of water for my quart pot is 1 cup vs 4 cups for my 3 gallon still. It's the water's hydrogen bonding that enforces some emulsions, so its the water's bonding gets modified by salt.

Lets talk about emulsions for a minute. The amount of emulsion at the end is determined first by the plant's phenotype amount of semi-polar compounds. Phospholipids and semi-polar compounds make up amphiphilics. This is the class of compounds that form the glue to bonding oil & water. Part of these amphilics are denatured proteins. Proteins 'denature' at 87c/190f. The proteins unfold and present non-polar surfaces that start absorbing oil. It's at this temperature+ that you will see your floating oil disappear. Whats happening to the best of my knowledge is the amount of amphilics increases as heat increases leading to more solublity, and thats when the oil balls up and sinks. So, emulsions are made up of several things: Alcohol and water being miscable, phospholipids, and denatured proteins. The alcohol/water emulsion ends when the alcohol is boiled out. The remaining emulsions are harder to crack. Salt modifies the hydrogen bonding and breaks down those bonds freeing up the oil, but the last emulsion is hard to break, but we dont want to. This emulsion is the trash that makes the oil sludgy, bitter and nasty. It's best to dump out that water, but save all the black sediments.

Q: is it better to winterlize earlier.

No, we are using winterization to separate out any remaining amphilic compounds that get rehydrated in ethanol. You will see the oil on your boiler is hazy. This is partially a water/oil emulsion (Emulsion colors are lighter green up to a pale green). By rehydrating in ethanol and cooling in the freezer, any remaining emulsion gets caught up in the waxes. So, keep the Rapid Winterization. It's a backstop to amphilics sneaking into the final oil.

Q: Can the water wash be performed under vacuum to reduce required temps?

I believe so and it would save the terps too. I'd love to try this on a Source Turbo, but it's limited to 300ml of alcohol, the EtOH Pro would be a better test bed. The alcohol boils off at lower temps leaving the water just like at atmospheric pressure. I've read a lot of posts where ST users end up with standing water in their oil then have to dry it out for 3 days in vacuum so as not to lose the terps.

Q: I dont do quick washes. I do several soaks/washes to pull all I can from the biomass.. E-NRG and 99% ISO.

You're doing it right. Multiple fast washes are better that one long wash. Thank you Lincolh20xx on Future4200 for pointing this out. This is now the recommended procedure. E-NRG Ethanol + ISO denaturant is great! ISO 99% is great, but can't be recycled, meaning a new purchase at every extraction. You DO NOT want to dry out ISO as it might form peroxides and that can lead to explosive crystalls forming when the ISO dries out. Fortunately, water disrupts the peroxide formation, so 91% will always be safe. I am now into recycling my 91% using a tabletop 3 gallon moonshine still on a hotplate. A quart of 91% costs me 4-5$ US so recycling keeps down the burn rate. The Ethanol at the final reduction gets boiled off. The final reduction would be a good candidate for the Source Turbo.

So, sorry about the lag. Lets keep chatting. Did I answer all your questions?

PS: Thanks for working with this. Everyone's questions and feedback make this process more robust.
 
CHSAdmin

CHSAdmin

7
3
View attachment 2015187

Ooh aah! That looks very interesting! Not sure what it is, but it's interesting! Looks like waxes after a time in the freezer.

So, forgot to add this to the last post. To collect the sediments, here's an easy way. Use a wood fiber or paper tea bag (search amazon) and rubber band it to opening of a soda bottle. You can then pour the cold waste water thru the tea bag and it will catch most of the sediments. You can then place the bag in a bowl of warm ethanol (1oz min) and the oils will dissolve. you can then wring out the bag and toss it. Non-woven polypropylene tea bags work great but that encroaches on the whole microplastics issue in our food chain. I recommend a paper product to be safe.

I have used a brown tea bag and it works fine, but does let very small, ie, under 1 micron, black sediment dust pass thru. You can see that if you collect the waste water. This is a very small loss. The polypropylene bags will catch this. Polypropylene is safe for all 4 alcohol used in the RxCE process. The 4 alcohols are given an A rating for chemical resistance. To stay within that rating, it's best to limit ethanol to 120f.


 
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