How to perfect the process of extraction at home

[cronicoldguy]

My extraction method of choice is soaking in ethanol. Reason being is that I want my concentrate as clean and natural as possible. If any residual solvent, Everclear isnt harmful if ingested.
My extraction method.
Please let me know if I am doing something wrong or missing a step(s)

Is it worth the cost and effort to dehydrate the Everclear prior to extraction? Other than the finished oil having a slightly higher viscosity, is there an advantage of using anhydrous ethenol? Is a molecular sieve inert chemically? Sulfates are out of the question, so I will not go that route.

How do I know I have pulled everything? Flavor is secondary, THC/CBD content is primary. I want to ensure I am leaving nothing behind. Should I continually soak/wash the flower until solvent is clear? I winterize after extraction, so I dont care if undesirables are pulled as well. They can be removed. And I am recovering the solvent. So I dont mind using lots.

Once I have my extraction method down and efficient, I will then worry about retaining terps for flavor.

To verify my method is extracting all available THC/THCA, would I have to send samples to a lab? Or is there a way I can confirm myself? I am thinking these would be required:
1) Sample of raw un-processed flower (determine available THC/CBD)
2) Sample of extracted concentrate
3) Sample of processed flower (extraction efficiency)

Could somebody recommend a lab with integrity in B.C.? What is the cost of such testing?

STORAGE
The reason I moved from smoking flower to smoking/vaping oil is that I am a heavy cigarette smoker as well. Quitting ciggies would be optimal, but it aint happening anytime soon. Tried. So in the quest to reduce tar and carcinogen intake, I am moving to concentrates. With that said, I have to purchase flower in rather large personal quantities to be able to afford my meds (0.25lb-0.5lb). So I have to store it for some time.
Meds you might say? Yes. I am sure glad Ritalin wasnt quite the thing yet when I was a kid. I would have been the Poster Child for the ad campaign. In my mid 50s, I still struggle with ADHD today . Although I believe my cannabis use has held me back in in some aspects of life, it has also been my savior.

What is the best way to store concentrates? Vacuum sealed in freezer? How long can Full Spectrum Oil be stored and still retain core properties?

 

[Moe.Red]

Sorry I missed this thread. I'll try to answer some questions.

No need to dehydrate everclear. 95% is good enough as your weed will contribute a little water too unless you freeze dry under vacuum first. Molecular sieves are not worth the cost or effort. I use the same everclear several times, and I have a brewers alcohol hydrometer I thro in from time to time, and when the water content gets too high I use that bottle as a cleaner.

I've got some info on the "when is it done" on my gopro at home, I'll try to dig that up.

As for testing, I use TLC at home. Lemme find a link, I'll come back and add that

My son has ADHD and it helps him too. I get you.

Storage is not a problem once in concentrate, just leave it in liquid form and refrigerate. I'll show you pics of how I do it when I get home. Over time, THC will become CBN, but that is good for sleeping, and it happens much slower in a fridge.

I'll be back.

 

[Moe.Red]

OK, here are some videos on testing for cannabinoids at home

High THCV strains and breeding them

This is the other plate I mention in the vid, it looks like there are clearly visible bands on the bottom that I hypothesize are terpenes. I would like an expert to tell us what they are.

www.thcfarmer.com

That particular thread was about finding the perfect decarb time and temp, but the process is the same for testing concentrates.

 

[Moe.Red]

I think you may have seen this already, not sure

A little Rotovap job tonight

So here is a choppy, crappy, most definitely terrible video of what I was doing tonight while getting schooled on lighting in another thread. If more than @Aqua Man want to see this stuff, I'll do a better job and take you thru the whole process from post harvest to cannabinoid crystals in jars...

www.thcfarmer.com

 

[Moe.Red]

Here is another thread that has some info on how I do it, and the tools I use

Hello from Moe.Red

Hey everyone. Been lurking. Started posting. Probably came off as a noob idiot with big opinions based on google fu. Wanted to try to lend some cred to my posts, best way I could think of was to make a vid. I use a gopro on my head a lot for documentation, so since I'm all set up why not? This...

www.thcfarmer.com

I think we have plenty to start with lol. Let's get this figured out together.

Funny, that seems so long ago, but not really. Its when I joined the forum.

 

[Moe.Red]

OK, last one for a while, here is a link to a post in that thread that describes my process from a couple years ago

A little Rotovap job tonight

So here is a choppy, crappy, most definitely terrible video of what I was doing tonight while getting schooled on lighting in another thread. If more than @Aqua Man want to see this stuff, I'll do a better job and take you thru the whole process from post harvest to cannabinoid crystals in jars...

www.thcfarmer.com

 

[Moshmen]

The more you say rotovap the more I want one ! Maybe next year

 

[Moe.Red]

Hey @cronicoldguy , 2 things. First, you just attracted the master of pressing to your thread, Mosh is the man.

Second, we should consider renaming this thread to something like "How to perfect the process of extraction" or something like that. Let me know what you want and I'll edit it. I know you were disappointed there were not more people talking about extractions, I think that will help.

 

[cronicoldguy]

Hey @Moe.Red, appreciated the replys. I will likely read them over several times. I appreciate you and others sharing your collective knowledge. I hope to be able to contribute as well once I have something worthy to share. I have learned a lot just from reading threads in this forum.

And absolutely. Fell free to change up this thread as you see fit. I am here to learn. Whatever you think is going to help people the most. I am willing to help in any way I can to do this. There seems to be a wealth of knowledge here on growing, but a little skinny on processing and concentrates. I realize the premise is sharing how to grow some bad-ass bud. But hey, the forum name is THCFARMER. I'm farming THC from bud!

But seriously. I think we all here will benefit. Not just those interested in extraction. Wouldn't a proficient extractor's opinion be an invaluable asset to a grower in choosing strains?

From what I have read and learned in my quest, even pressed rosin, CO2 oil, and BHO are put back into solution to further refine. Hell, arent some distillates put back into solution to further refine? That tells me a rotovap is invaluable not matter what your extraction process may be.

- You mentioned Ethanol etho:water ratio changes with solvent usage. Can I not just simply distill Everclear back to 95% with a rotovap or fractional still?

Suggested topics we can cover:
Extraction (I am sure I missed lots. Please fill in the blanks)
- Preferred strains best suited for ethanol extraction. THC / CBD / THC-CBD / CBD-THC
- Flower / trim prep prior to 'soak'. Example: dry at what temp and time. Methods of drying. Air, freeze dry, oven..... and why freeze drying is best
- Solvent choices with Pros/Cons
- Ratio of Biomass to Solvent to achieve full extraction. Example: Bio by WT and Solvent by Vol.
- "Did I get it all?" any indications all medicine has been extracted. "Do I keep washing 'till solvent clear?" How much solvent is too much and being wasted?
- 'Soak Time'. This differs depending on desired result. Lets start with 'Getting It All'. Then maybe quick-wash and other techniques.
- Pre-evaporation refinement proceedures. Such as Winterization and sub-zero vacuum filtration. Buchner funnel usage, filtering mediums such as diatomaceous earth and charcoal.
- Tips on conserving solvent and storage
Evaporation
- Safety First - VENTILATION! ...............
- Must have equipment/tools/glassware/hydrometer if recovering solvent (high proof, not beer or wine)
- Evaporation methods/equipment. $Poorboy Rig, $$Source Turbo, $$$Rotovap
- Maybe a brief "Advantages of evaporation under vacuum". Solvent recovery, less chance of accidentally damaging batch with heat, retaining desired elements ...........
- Degassing? Is it needed? Why? How.
- I know I missed lots, its late



@Moshmen
I have a cheap-ass rotovap coming from China. Actually, I have two different rotovaps coming. Quality and functionality is questionable given the prices. One of the units however, seems to be good. There is a youtube vid of a guy using the same unit in an actual lab for over a year. But as @Moe.Red, pointed out to me, there is no bump trap. That could be an issue. Fortunately, I have about a gallon of solution ready to rotovap that I can afford to fuckup if that so happens. I will post a review once I get it and do a run or two. Also, I have never used one before, so I will post how that goes as well. Should be good for a chuckle or two out of Moe.
As well as a rotovap, I plan to incorporate a reaction chamber into my 'lab'. Another very valuable piece of equipment from what I have learned. Very versatile. They can be had relatively cheap. As a matter of fact, I can get a decent one cheaper new than I can get a vacuum controller new. Look for pic in thread mentioned below.

Now some interest shown in extraction and refinement for the layman, I will update my thread as I find affordable equipment. I will start by adding the 2 rotovaps I have coming and the Reaction Chamber I am referring to. I will do this tomorrow. Late and gotta work in morning.

Affordable Extraction and Evaporation Equipment
Maybe we can do the same for this thread. I have found lots of equipment on the 'cheap'. Stuff that can get a guy or gal in the door. Such as a 2L Vevor Wine Press for $99CAD. I just grabbed one for pressing and squeezing solvent from biomass after 'soak'. Recover as much as possible. Has anyone found something better? Let us all know! That is the best I could come up with. Vevor seems to be a trustworthy vendor so far. I have ordered several items from them in this quest. Very fast shipping. Less than a week. Insane variety of products. Anything I have received so far has been acceptable quality.

 

[jadins_journey]

Big thanks to @Moe.Red for the link to this thread. I'm here to learn. Thank you in advance to all who share your experiences.

I've made my own cooking oil, effective. Let's me sleep 7 hours so that's worth a lot
Next, I want to fill my own cart's. I'm tinkering around currently with this goal in mind with not much luck, yet

jj

 

[Moe.Red]

Hey guys I'm kinda deep in another project and spending all my time on that over the weekend, but I'll be back to answer those questions when I have a bit of time this week and can put some time into the response.

 

[cronicoldguy]

Big thanks to @Moe.Red for the link to this thread. I'm here to learn. Thank you in advance to all who share your experiences.

I've made my own cooking oil, effective. Let's me sleep 7 hours so that's worth a lot
Next, I want to fill my own cart's. I'm tinkering around currently with this goal in mind with not much luck, yet

jj

Yes, a big thanks to @Moe.Red. Any contribution is more than welcome, and appreciated. I am making this thread to benefit us all.

As far as filling carts, that is part of the reason I am refining. For a vape to work and last using crude oil, it should be winterized and cold filtered. I dont use any additives, so I refine the crude as thin as possible with simple proceedures. I am only using my refrigerator freezer. It gets down to -18C. That seems to do the trick.

 

[cronicoldguy]

OK. If this is allowed, I will post what I have found in my quest for Affordable Extraction and refinement Equipment. Items will be posted as I find them, not in order they would be utilized. The majority of the equipment can be found at Vevor. Prices are good, very fast shipping, and what I have received from them to date has been very acceptable. Some items listed I have not personally purchased or tested. I will indicate this. If and when I do purchase these items, I will update as required. I will include prices at time of writing.

I will start with a Reaction Chamber as it is versatile and you can actually do extractions with it. With the right setup, it could almost be turn-key.

Reaction Chamber

VEVOR Jacketed Reactor 5L Laboratory Glass Reactor $1044.99CAD - Purchased

- Extractions, Homogenize, Infuse, Winterize, Colour/Pestiside Remediation, Distillation/Solvent Recovery, Decarboxylation



Biomass Press

VEVOR Wine Presser, 0.5Gal/2L Grape Press $99.99CAD - Purchased / Tested

- Press and squeeze biomass to recover as much solution as possible.



EVAPORATION / SOLVENT RECOVERY

Source Turbo $735CAD - Purchased / Tested

- Evaporation and solvent recovery. Vacuum filtering. Possibly decarboxylation (i havent confirmed)

Great machine. The first actual piece of equipment I have purchased. Works great and as advertised. You can evaporate and recover the solvent. You can use it as a Vacuum Pump and utilize a Buchner Funnel to Vacuum Filter the solution prior to evaporation.

Small batches and takes approx. two hours for one cycle. Several cycles maybe required to fully evaporate the batch solution.

Rotary Evaporators

Lumana Rotary Evaporator 5L ($351.00) - Purchased

Ordered but still on boat from China. @Moe.Red noticed there is no Bump Trap. That might be an issue. I believe a trap can be found for it. Will have to be very careful in the mean time.

- Evaporation and Solvent Recovery



Bmatwk 1L Roary Evaporator ($51.00CAD) - Purchased

This is almost laughable in pricing. Ordered but still on boat from China.

- Evaporation and Solvent Recovery



Vacuum Pump / Chiller / Cold Trap

Circulating Water Vacuum Pump Air 60L/min Stainless 180W Lab Chemistry Equipment ($221.99) - Purchased

This unit acts as a Vacuum Pump, Water Circulating Chiller, and Cold Trap. All required to operate a rotovap, reaction chamber*, or fractional/short path still.

*Depending on process



This is just what I have found and purchased. Please feel free to post better options or deals. I will continue to update as I find goods.

 

[Moe.Red]

Can't wait to see what you do with the reaction chamber.

I gave away my source turbo because it was too damn slow and you had to keep adding ice. But it's how we started too.

- You mentioned Ethanol etho:water ratio changes with solvent usage. Can I not just simply distill Everclear back to 95% with a rotovap or fractional still?

To a point, you can take water out. but it is way more efficient when taking a lot of water out than just a little. A molecular sieve is what you really need to remove water from ETOH.

I'm gonna rename the thread then come back and see what other things I missed.

 

[Moe.Red]

Suggested topics we can cover:
Extraction (I am sure I missed lots. Please fill in the blanks)
- Preferred strains best suited for ethanol extraction. THC / CBD / THC-CBD / CBD-THC
- Flower / trim prep prior to 'soak'. Example: dry at what temp and time. Methods of drying. Air, freeze dry, oven..... and why freeze drying is best
- Solvent choices with Pros/Cons
- Ratio of Biomass to Solvent to achieve full extraction. Example: Bio by WT and Solvent by Vol.
- "Did I get it all?" any indications all medicine has been extracted. "Do I keep washing 'till solvent clear?" How much solvent is too much and being wasted?
- 'Soak Time'. This differs depending on desired result. Lets start with 'Getting It All'. Then maybe quick-wash and other techniques.
- Pre-evaporation refinement proceedures. Such as Winterization and sub-zero vacuum filtration. Buchner funnel usage, filtering mediums such as diatomaceous earth and charcoal.
- Tips on conserving solvent and storage
Evaporation
- Safety First - VENTILATION! ...............
- Must have equipment/tools/glassware/hydrometer if recovering solvent (high proof, not beer or wine)
- Evaporation methods/equipment. $Poorboy Rig, $$Source Turbo, $$$Rotovap
- Maybe a brief "Advantages of evaporation under vacuum". Solvent recovery, less chance of accidentally damaging batch with heat, retaining desired elements ...........
- Degassing? Is it needed? Why? How.
- I know I missed lots, its late

Preferred strains is a whole other subject, except if going for mass qty. The beauty of this med is in it's delicacy, a subtle push on this cannabinoid paired with this terpene and you have a different experience. I try very hard to maintain that experience thru the entire extraction. I think of it as a purified RSO. Everything on the plant that is soluble in ETOH makes it from the moment of harvest to the capsule in a very short time. The temp never exceeds room temperature, and in fact the plant is generally at -40C during this whole process. When you start with freeze dried buds you harvested today, something approaching 100% of the stuff we want is retained in the process. The result has no water, making the cold ETOH baths even more effective.

If I were to pick a strain that was all about volume, whether that be pressing or chemical extraction, probably Critical Mass. But I don't think it is great medicine. It's very blonde, just THC all day long.

I kinda answered the second one, I freeze dry prior to extraction. I trim and dry buds used as flower or pressing.

I'll let you answer some of the other ones as you go thru this process, but once you start extracting hit me up.

 

[DoobieBro462]

My extraction method of choice is soaking in ethanol. Reason being is that I want my concentrate as clean and natural as possible. If any residual solvent, Everclear isnt harmful if ingested.
My extraction method.
Please let me know if I am doing something wrong or missing a step(s)

Is it worth the cost and effort to dehydrate the Everclear prior to extraction? Other than the finished oil having a slightly higher viscosity, is there an advantage of using anhydrous ethenol? Is a molecular sieve inert chemically? Sulfates are out of the question, so I will not go that route.

How do I know I have pulled everything? Flavor is secondary, THC/CBD content is primary. I want to ensure I am leaving nothing behind. Should I continually soak/wash the flower until solvent is clear? I winterize after extraction, so I dont care if undesirables are pulled as well. They can be removed. And I am recovering the solvent. So I dont mind using lots.

Once I have my extraction method down and efficient, I will then worry about retaining terps for flavor.

To verify my method is extracting all available THC/THCA, would I have to send samples to a lab? Or is there a way I can confirm myself? I am thinking these would be required:
1) Sample of raw un-processed flower (determine available THC/CBD)
2) Sample of extracted concentrate
3) Sample of processed flower (extraction efficiency)

Could somebody recommend a lab with integrity in B.C.? What is the cost of such testing?

STORAGE
The reason I moved from smoking flower to smoking/vaping oil is that I am a heavy cigarette smoker as well. Quitting ciggies would be optimal, but it aint happening anytime soon. Tried. So in the quest to reduce tar and carcinogen intake, I am moving to concentrates. With that said, I have to purchase flower in rather large personal quantities to be able to afford my meds (0.25lb-0.5lb). So I have to store it for some time.
Meds you might say? Yes. I am sure glad Ritalin wasnt quite the thing yet when I was a kid. I would have been the Poster Child for the ad campaign. In my mid 50s, I still struggle with ADHD today . Although I believe my cannabis use has held me back in in some aspects of life, it has also been my savior.

What is the best way to store concentrates? Vacuum sealed in freezer? How long can Full Spectrum Oil be stored and still retain core properties?

I press all my flower into rosin personally. Then I put it in parchment paper into a Mason jar then into the freezer. I think you should be able to do the same with your ethanol extracted concentrate.

 

[ritoMox]

My extraction method of choice is soaking in ethanol. Reason being is that I want my concentrate as clean and natural as possible. If any residual solvent, Everclear isnt harmful if ingested.
My extraction method.
Please let me know if I am doing something wrong or missing a step(s)

Is it worth the cost and effort to dehydrate the Everclear prior to extraction? Other than the finished oil having a slightly higher viscosity, is there an advantage of using anhydrous ethenol? Is a molecular sieve inert chemically? Sulfates are out of the question, so I will not go that route.

How do I know I have pulled everything? Flavor is secondary, THC/CBD content is primary. I want to ensure I am leaving nothing behind. Should I continually soak/wash the flower until solvent is clear? I winterize after extraction, so I dont care if undesirables are pulled as well. They can be removed. And I am recovering the solvent. So I dont mind using lots.

Once I have my extraction method down and efficient, I will then worry about retaining terps for flavor.

To verify my method is extracting all available THC/THCA, would I have to send samples to a lab? Or is there a way I can confirm myself? I am thinking these would be required:
1) Sample of raw un-processed flower (determine available THC/CBD)
2) Sample of extracted concentrate
3) Sample of processed flower (extraction efficiency)

Could somebody recommend a lab with integrity in B.C.? What is the cost of such testing?

STORAGE
The reason I moved from smoking flower to smoking/vaping oil is that I am a heavy cigarette smoker as well. Quitting ciggies would be optimal, but it aint happening anytime soon. Tried. So in the quest to reduce tar and carcinogen intake, I am moving to concentrates. With that said, I have to purchase flower in rather large personal quantities to be able to afford my meds (0.25lb-0.5lb). So I have to store it for some time.
Meds you might say? Yes. I am sure glad Ritalin wasnt quite the thing yet when I was a kid. I would have been the Poster Child for the ad campaign. In my mid 50s, I still struggle with ADHD today . Although I believe my cannabis use has held me back in in some aspects of life, it has also been my savior.

What is the best way to store concentrates? Vacuum sealed in freezer? How long can Full Spectrum Oil be stored and still retain core properties?

Blast from the past: Cannabis Alchemy - The Art of Modern Hashmaking LINK
I had this book in 1985, ordered it from Last Gasp back then

 

[Moshmen]

Wow can’t believe I missed this thread thanx for the tag Moe.

I personally prefer pressing for extraction how ever I wash my pucks ! Lol we get every drop of thc and all the othe good stuff! Moe is the ethanol extractor course you already know the rotovap is the way to roll there.

Strains - man’s that’s a loaded question just depends on what ur after ? We grow meds over here so never really worry about return we are looking for effects my personal preference is sativa leaning strains - I use concentrates mostly for pain .

 

[pilto]

Biomass Press

VEVOR Wine Presser, 0.5Gal/2L Grape Press $99.99CAD - Purchased / Tested

I use this for pressing my infused coconut oil after soaking my rosin chips in it for 6-8 hours at about 180F . It works fine but it broke the first time I used it. It still functions but the press plate and screw came apart on mine.

 

[sportyridr]

Nice thread fellas...

I make my extraction the old school way with the everclear wash, strain etc...then reduce until I get to the approx. milligrams I want for cooking/dosing using the online calcs. As always with this is that my THC content is my best guess. Apparently I'm quite consistant with this my folks tell me as their edibles (caramels) are right on the money every time. I don't do this on a big scale but prob 4 times per year when needed.

I would be interested in a tutorial that shows how to get things going with this type of extraction for people without spending a boatload of money I don't have. Is there a basic roto vap for reasonable money that WORKS lol (yes I'm cheap) so I could take things up to a bit higher quality.

Watched Moe's roto vap vid but that's way outta my league with all that equipment. Looking for the next level up from the basic old school extraction.

OR

Just forget all that and continue doin what I've been doin, seems like its all pretty much hands on at all times anyways eh!