I have a large glass extraction tube about 2 ft long and almost 2 inches in diameter. Does anyone have any tips on extraction and cleaning when dealing with a tube this large? Very interested in learning how to get the best yield/getting all your oil out and into the pyrex with such a large tube. I am totally new to BHO, I've read a lot of material about it but am still learning the art of it all through trial and error. Lots of gratitude to you guys on here, probably would have blown myself up if not for you, thanks.
iv'e been dabbing and blasting for a couple months now, but im a *very* fast study and since basically switching from nug to oil completely, i have accumulated a decent working knowledge of the technique, and the variables involved.
my first thoughts about your tube is that its huge. huge in general, but particularly for being glass. i prefer to use mt stainless steel turkey baster for nug runs, and i use 2" ABS tubes very occasionally for trim runs, and that is normally a 12"-15" length packed very snugly with trim. i usually get around 1.5 oz in the tube. and remember that its roughly 1 can of butane per oz of material in the tube. i suggest that you get the filter clamped (hose clamps ftw) on, steel screen too for added safety if you want (filter on the inside, screen on the outside; using the same one hose clamp). then weigh the tube assembly and write the number down. pack it as tight and even as you can with a dowel or similar. then weigh it again. subtract the start weight and figure out how many cans you need according to the 1:1 ratio. then cap it up (for the ABS tubes i use a 2" ABS test plug; plumbing dept at ace hardware) and secure that with a hose clamp too. 2 feet of tube will prolly need 2 cans minimum of butane, and thats bound to make the glass pretty cold. use gloves (fuggit, protective eyewear too while were talking about pressurized explosive solvents... blowouts *can* happen, and BHO in the eye has got to suck some serious ass). also, blast the butane in in 10-15 sec intervals, and then ease up on the pressure on the can so that it stays attached, but isnt spraying. hold that for a 5 count, then 10-15 sec of spray, 5 off, etc. this will help to prevent pressure from building up too much in the tube, lessening the chance of a blowout. do this until the discharge from the tube is running clear. at that point no more spraying is needed, but keep the can attached and the tube vertical until it stops dripping. i usually get a friend or the wife to put a 2nd set of hands on the tube so that we get heat into it. it seems to make the dripping run out a little faster. bottom line here, is make sure that the only way for pressure to get out is thru the filter.
some tips that i dont want to omit:
-all butane action happens OUTSIDE.
-NO SMOKING once the butane cans come out to play.
-tear off the extra coffee filter. extra filter leads to extra leaching of the oil as the run progresses. extra coffee filter WILL capture oil that would otherwise end up in your dish.
-if using a glass tube, inspect it before every run for hairline chips or cracks. do not use a damaged piece of glassware for pressure applications.
-heat the water for the hot water bath inside and carry it outside for the run.
-catch in a clean dish.
-make sure nothing can fall into the dish you spray into while spraying.
-have extra hot water and an extra can of butane ready.
-cut the end of the butane adapter tips to open them up for better flow.
-pre-tip the cans, especially if using more than one can.
-hot water bath until the bubbles stop and the dish is not cold; a cold dish means its still off-gassing butane. if the water is too cold at this point, add more hot water, thats what you took it out there with you for!
-purge well.
i use a blow dryer on high to heat the dried off dish from the bottom side, then place it on my nalgene vacuum plate and under a 100w infrared lamp at a distance of 5-6 inches. after 3 or so minutes of warming, the pyrex chamber goes on (to the infrared can stay on and keep doing work) and it gets vacuum purged in 5-7 cycles. the first 3 or so pac pulls are low pressure; just to get the oil to foam up. i then vent the chamber and go again. once the oil doesnt foam up to the point of wanting to get on the chamber, i just let the pump go for whats usually 4-5 minutes, until the foam oil collapses like a bad souffle, well, actually about 1-2 minutes past that point. then i vent the chamber again and use a small butane pen torch to raze the bubbles at the surface and heat the oil. dont dwell on one place, and dont get close with it - do not burn your oil. basically use the torch to tell you if the bubbles you are razing have butane in them or not. flareups are butane bubbles, and more purging is required. 4-5 cycles of purging at this point usually gets the oil to a point where no more bubbles appear under 25mmHg of vac and heat. then let the oil cool to room temp, ideally over-night. you will see some really fine bubbles on the surface in the morning, which can be razed with the small torch again.
hope this helps to take some of the guess work out of your upcoming run!