Making Hash

Here's the whole article with many different methods listed. Any opinions?


How to make wicked hash

by Liza Scammel and Bianca Sind. Posted on Thursday, May 23 2002 07:00:00 AM CC36 GROWING Hash/Kif
Making hash is easier than you think!
Making hash is an ancient art. The first proto-human who rubbed her
fingers together after handling a mature cannabis bud was making
hash in much the same way it is made today. Although the process of
removing the resins from cannabis have become more refined, the
essence has remained unchanged for millennia.
Making hash is the process of extracting and preserving the
psychoactive resins from the cannabis plant. These resins are found
primarily on tiny glands called trichomes, which under a magnifying
glass look like mushrooms ? a head on top of a stalk. These trichomes
are part of what gives cannabis buds their "frosty" appearance.
Trichomes are most heavily concentrated in the flowering buds of
mature female cannabis, but smaller amounts can be found in the
leaves and trim of both male and female plants. The leaves and trim
are usually unpleasant to smoke and therefore discarded, but they
contain upwards of 10% of the plant's total resin production, and
throwing this away is a waste of potentially potent plant material.
Home-made hash is becoming an increasingly popular way for ganja
gardeners to maximize their harvest, and produce something a little
different and special compared to the same old big bags of bud! This
article outlines some of the most popular and easy ways to make
hash. We have not included techniques that would require solvents like alcohol or isopropynol.

Many ways

There are many ways to make hash. Flat screening and blender hash are relatively easy and
inexpensive, but the final product will contain more contaminates than drum machine and bubble bag
hash, which require some financial investment. No matter the method, hash makes great use of scraps.
THC levels vary in different plant strains, but the most potent hash is one made entirely of gland heads.
Most hash contains gland heads and stalk as well as contaminates. Contaminates, whether vegetable
matter or otherwise, lower the potency.
super Skuff
The leaves, trim and other plant material that is often thrown away is called "skuff." Your finished
product is only as good as the raw materials you start with, so take the time to inspect your skuff. Frost
on your leaves is not proof enough that it contains THC, get a magnifying glass and look for that
mushroom-like gland. If trichomes are not present, discard the leaf as it will only add contaminates to
your hash.
Don't alter your skuff in any way, if possible. Crushing or grinding it in advance will only damage the
trichomes and increase contaminates. Generally skuff should be dry, but not too crumbly. The texture of
the skuff is more important when using flat screen or drum machine methods.

Flat Screening

Flat screening removes the trichomes by rubbing the
skuff over a fine steel or silk screen. This is a very
simple process but the quality of hash is very dependent
on the skill and patience of the maker. The principle
behind this method is that the trichome heads are of a
fairly consistent size, so that when applied to a mesh of
the appropriate size, the trichome heads will pass
through but other plant matter will be left behind.
You'll need a flat screen. Screens can be bought from
printing supply shops for $10 to $30, depending on size,
or you can make your own. To make your own, fasten
four pieces of wood together to form a frame, then glue screening to the bottom. Small hole screens are
best, between 125-137 lines per inch.
You'll also need a piece of glass or a mirror to collect trichomes, a credit card or something similar for
pushing, and of course skuff.
Skuff used for flat screening should be dry, but not too dry. If your skuff is really crumbly, too much
vegetable matter will pass through the screen.
Put the screen on top of the mirror or piece of glass and place the skuff on the screen. Using the card,
gently push your skuff back and forth across the screen. Using minimal pressure on the skuff produces
the best hash. The first layer of powder that comes through will be the most pure and potent.
Because the skuff must be in contact with the screen to remove the glands, it is almost impossible to get
a pure hash through flat screening. For this reason, some people choose to pass their skuff through an
old pair of panty hose or a screen with slightly larger holes first. This produces a mixture of trichomes
and small bits of plant material, which is then transferred onto the small holed screen. The screen then
only needs to be tapped to let the glands fall through and be separated from the vegetation.
Flat screen hash generally contains more contaminates than any other method. However, it is the
simplest and cheapest way for the home gardener to make use of scraps.

Drum Machine

A drum machine is cylindrical, like the inside of a clothes dryer, and is electrically powered. Inside the
drum is a screen which the skuff is slowly tumbled against. It's much the same principal as flat
screening, except the drum machine tumbles the skuff instead of rubbing it. Drum machines can be
bought, or if you are handy, plans can be found to build your own.
The most popular drum machine is the Pollinator, developed by Mila, a pioneer of Amsterdam's
hashmaking community. She has developed machines in a variety of sizes to handle different quantities
of product.
The drum screen should be 125-137 lines per inch like the flat screen. Lightly fill the drum with dry skuff
(remember not too dry) and turn machine on low. Let it run from a few minutes for up to one hour ? the
shorter the time, the more likely you are to get only gland heads. You can collect the hash-powder and
then run the machine again to produce a lower grade of hash. Depending on the quality and quantity of
original material, you can do this a few times, with each grade containing more contaminates.
If your skuff contains a lot of larger leaves, you may want to put a rubber ball into the drum after the
first collection to help rub the surface against the screen.

Blender

Unlike the previous methods which use screens to filter the
trichomes, the blender method uses the principle that the
resin glands are heavier than water, while other plant
material is not.
The blender method uses water, ice and agitation to
dislodge the trichomes. Ice-water makes the trichomes
brittle, causing the resin glands to solidify and become easy
to snap off. The glands are heavier than water so they sink
to the bottom when separated, while the plant material
floats.
To make hash this way you'll need a blender, ice cubes, a
reusable metal coffee filter or silk screening, a large glass jar and paper coffee filters.
Fill the blender about half-way with skuff, then cover with cold water and add a tray of ice cubes. Blend
for 45 seconds to a minute ? the mixture will become green and frothy, like a smoothie. Pour this mix
through the metal coffee filter into your glass jar. Run more water through the filter to make sure you
haven't missed any trichomes.
Once your jar is full, put it in the fridge to settle for a minimum of 30 minutes. You 0should be able to
see a white or blonde coloured substance settling on the bottom of your container ? those are the
trichomes. Carefully, so you do not disturb the trichomes, pour off or siphon off about two-thirds of the
green water.
If you have more skuff to process, do it now and filter into the container you just drained. Return to the
fridge, allow to settle and siphon again. When you have processed all your skuff, add a few ice cubes to
the container and let settle one last time.
If you want to increase the purity of your product you can carefully put this settled mixture back into the
blender for a final mix and separation. This may or may not be necessary depending on your preference.
Pour the final mix of water and trichomes through a paper coffee filter. The water will pass through the
paper but the glands will not. Drain well and allow to dry. You now have dried resin glands ready to be
pressed into hash.

Bubble hash

The ice-water filtration technique has quickly become a very popular way to make hash. This method
combines the best of the screen and blender methods, using ice-water to make the trichomes brittle and
agitation to knock the heads off, then straining the mix through filters for increased purity.
Hash made in this fashion is sometimes called "bubble hash" - because
it is so pure that it bubbles when heated! Well-made bubble hash is a
very potent product ? a tiny piece will produce enough billows of smoke
to get a small crowd high.
The two main commercial ice-water filtration systems available are
"Bubble Bags" from Fresh Headies and the Ice-o-lator, another product
developed by Mila. Both operate on the same principle of using cold
water and filtering bags to isolate trichomes. You can also make your
own kit by acquiring mesh of the appropriate sizes and carefully sowing
it into bags of strong material.
In order to make bubble hash you'll need a kit with filtering bags, two
impeccably clean five gallon pails and a hand mixer. The exact method
can vary depending on which system you're using, but the essentials
are the same. The Ice-o-lator uses two filters to screen out
contaminates, leaving the trichomes caught in the second filter. The
bubble bag kits from Fresh Headies contain either three or six colour?
coded bags, and allow you to simultaneously make different grades of
hash.
To start with a bubblebag kit, place your skuff into one of your five gallon buckets. Use up to 100 grams
of dry skuff, or double that weight if it's fresh or wet.
Because ice makes the trichomes brittle, add plenty - at least six ice cube trays. Then fill up the bucket
with cold water. Leave a few inches at the top so you don't splash too much when mixing.
Use the hand mixer to blend continuously for 15 minutes to one hour or more. Mixing longer will produce
a higher yield that will be slightly less potent. The mixture will become green and frothy. You should take
breaks every so often to let the mixture settle.
When done mixing, allow the mixture to settle for at least 30 minutes. If the ice has melted, add more.
If possible, put the pail in the freezer, or outside if you live in a cold climate ? you want that water to
stay cold!
Now put your "work bag" into your second bucket. This bag should have a screen size between 200 and
250 microns, the one from Fresh Headies is 220. Pour your frothy green mix into the work bag in the
second bucket. Slowly lift out the bag and squeeze out the water. Set aside the work bag with the green
matter for a second rinse.
Now you have a bucket full of green water which contains many trichomes, as well as other
contaminants. Everything that was smaller than 220 microns is in that water.
Arrange the other bags inside of the now empty bucket. Put the bag with the finest mesh in the bucket
first, then place the bags with larger screen sizes inside the first one. With the Fresh Headies three bag
kit you put the 25 micron bag in first and the 73 micron bag inside of it. You'll get fine hash if you just
use one bag with a screen size around 73 microns.
Now you carefully pour the green water into the bucket with the bags. Then you slowly lift out each bag
in succession, being sure to give them time to drain. If you're using a 25 micron bag it will drain very
slowly ? be patient. Squeeze out the excess water from each bag after it is drained.
You will now have a brownish sludge at the bottom of the bags. Remove it with a credit card or spoon to
a plastic bag. Blot the sludge with a towel to remove excess moisture, and let it dry out for at least 12
hours. You might want to wait up to a week for it to fully dry and cure, if you are that patient! Be sure
that your product is entirely dried so as to avoid mold problems later on.
You'll get less product from the 25 micron bag, but it will have a unique and potent affect when
consumed. Bubble bag creator "Bubble Man" speculates that these are the smaller trichome heads ? not
immature, but simply the smaller heads associated with Sativa strains. He argues that Indica strains
have larger trichome heads, and that Sativa strains have smaller heads on longer stalks. Crosses
between these two types doesn't produce medium sized trichomes, but rather a mix of the large and
small. This theory seems to be borne out by results, but much more research needs to be done.
Now go back and give the green matter in the work bag a second rinse, to be sure that you get out
every last trichome!
The yield from 200 grams of skuff is around 6 to 20 grams, with an average yield around 10 grams. The
quantity of hash produced depends in large part upon the quality of your original material.
Pressing
The previous four techniques leave you with a product that, once dried, resembles sand. This "sand" is
actually a collection of trichome heads and stalks. In Holland, these heads are referred to as "pollen" or
"polm," which can create confusion as the trichomes are clearly not a "pollen" as defined by the english
use of the word. Because it is a powder and a potent cannabis extract, this raw product is also
sometimes jokingly referred to as "hippy crack."
The final step to making hash is to turn this powder into a solid mass. This can be as simple as rubbing
small quantities between your hands to produce a ball of resin, as our ancestors did thousands of years
ago. (Unlike our ancient ancestors, you should wash your hands first!)
Another way is to press this powder into a bar or cake. The powder should be completely dry before
pressing. If it stored damp it can become moldy,
ruining your precious product. So be sure it is totally
dry! If you put it into the freezer for a while the water
inside will coagulate on the surface as ice and can
then be blotted off.
To press you'll need heavy plastic wrap, cardboard,
newspaper, a frying pan, a heavy rolling pin and a tile
or marble surface for rolling.
Cut the cardboard to the size you would like your
finished bar to be. Make a bag around the cardboard,
then remove cardboard. Fill the bag with dry
trichomes, seal and wrap in several layers of wet
newspaper. Place bundle in frying pan on very low
setting. Turn your bar often and unwrap to check if all
the trichomes are melted. Don't let the newspapers
dry out or catch on fire!
Once melted, remove from frying pan, leave wrapped
in newspaper, and transfer to the rolling surface.
Using the rolling pin, press and roll from the center
out. Continue doing this all the way around your bar
for 30 to 45 minutes.
Unwrap newspaper and allow to cool in freezer for at
least one hour. Then unwrap from your plastic. You
now have some awesome hash!
Hash bash
Hash can be smoked, eaten and even taken as a suppository if you are so inclined. If your pot products
are intended for cross-border travel then turning your buds into hash is a smart way to maximize your
smuggling efforts.
By making fine hash you have become part of a tradition that dates back into pre-history. Take pride in
your work, and you will be rewarded with the head-stash of the gods!

CANNABIS CULTURE MAGAZINE
www.cannabisculture.com
307 West Hastings Street Vancouver BC
V6B 1H6 Canada
Monday, 19 January
2009
7:21pm in Vancouver -
1 min since 4:20 in
Niue

good read man!

For great DIY method for "drum" screening- check out current issue of "Treating Yourself" Magazine, pages 82-84, Issue #14 (Winter 08). Nice photos and detailed instructions!!

Seems ok but looks like you would get plant material mixed in.

WolfDawg said:

Seems ok but looks like you would get plant material mixed in.

Click to expand...

I agree, still it doesn't seem a bad way to go for smaller amounts that you couldn't justify (time or money) going the bag route, i would give it a go Ransack, thanks for posting too:hi: Arti

You're welcome! I thought it might be helpful to all of us who are starting up, keeping it small and don't want to spend 300 or so on the bags.

well, I make a batch of blender hash ever 3 months or so..so xmcu that for my birthday last year my wife bought me a new blender...just for hash...LOL it has to be the worst hash in the world, but when I'm running low on smoke, it's better than going without...lol Anyway, I'm going to be investing in some bubble bags at the end of my curent grow. Steppin up in the world!!! But the method does work but don't expect anything pure...It's always green..that hippy crack!!

Blender hash can be very pure. Have plenty of cold water to wash out the veg matter. Don't overblend, your just trying to knock off the glands not break up the herb. The resin is heavy, so siphon after it settles (save siphoned water to recover any not settled). Rewash resin and siphon water off repeating until water clears. Hash is quite pure with this method.

well, the more I wash it, the less that is left...lol Did I say I'm smokin some blender trash right now? lol Still gonna invest in the bubble bags...lol

All your losing is veg matter, but just in case save your wash water and check for any that may siphon through. When I use this method, I filter the leaf out as much as possible before the settling/siphoning. I had bubblebags, but the plastic like material on the inside of the bags started to flake off and contaminate the hash. I tore the screens out and still use them paced in a strainer.

I tried this method last month and I would rather smoke schwagg... A real good high if you like smokeing plant pulp... I am getting some bubble bags...

Okay, it's looking like I should ditch this idea and get some silk screening I suppose. I'll sub in the screening for a bubble bag and do it that way. Thanks for all the input!

I think I'll try the gumby method... I watched a youtube video on it yesterday and It looks pretty dam easy...

..................nevermind youtube is wack.......sorry

Blender try

My blender hash try:





The method is exactly the same as the previous post , execpt i used a tea filter (bigger) , not a coffee filter.

It's my firth try with blender but the yield ( 2/10 ) and quality (better than 30euros/g in NL ) are so good that i was very; very surprised.:confused0054:
It is so easy an quick.
the only problem that it make only one quality product but i think is best method when you have 20g to make.
Quick, easy, clean.:rock
Don't you know ?

This thread made me think about the TPB's and how they made hash. Trailer Park Boys actually had a good technique for blender hash, no water just frozen trim and a glass blender frozen as well. Here is a link gotta scroll down to the vid, but if you want to watch on you tube you have to sign in.