What am I doing wrong? Dirty tincture! Black bubbles/dots and Oil stick to jar...

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Pezetka

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Hello @ll,

it is my second time, that I tried to make a tincture with medicinal cannabis. I always use shake. I like to make hash from my buds and the shake should still be around 5-10% THC which I want to use oral. I made RSO in the past with Isopropylalcohol without any problems.

In the case of tincture - of course I use food grade ethanol/alcohol with around 97%. I always end up with the same results. Last time I threw it away down the toilet. I added three pictures and I ask myself what I am doing wrong.

What I do:

1. Freeze everything. (alc + shake)
2. I use a butan extraction glas tube with a little hole on the bottom and a filter-mesh around the bottom/hole.
3. I fill the shake into the tube and let the frozen alcohol slowly run down through the tube
(Of course at this stage if down once I have a nice golden color without too much green)
4. Because I don't want to waste anything and I don't care if chlorophyl gets into my tincture - I take the golden alcohol from the bottom and reuse it 1-2x and let it run through the cannabis again.
5. Press the last drops out of the shake
6. At this point everything looks still fine- but more green than in the beginning (of course)
7. I calculate the THC (CBD) per drop of tincture - so I vaporize at the window as much alcohol as needed to have my final calculation of total tincture - and predictable THC concentration per drop.

It looks totally clear without anything - any plant material - any rubbish - nothing.

This time about 2/3 of the total alcohol amount had to be evaporated to have my final total amount of tincure.

The first time I tried this- I ended up with the same results you can see on my photos.

Problems:

A: A oily layer sticks to the glas container and alcohol does NOT remove it and "soak" it up / dissolve it in alcohol (after the process, I tried to clean the layer with isopropylalcohol and it is almost impossible to get it removed a 100%, yes it dissolves but something must be wrong)

B: Black dots (you can see on the picture) are floating in the tincture - or stick to the bottom.

I don't want to throw all that away after the work and the price for alc and my medicine.


What I think could be the problem:

- The alcohol is saturated and can't hold as much cannabinoids (and chlorophyl)
- 1/3 of the shake I don't decarb- because I also want to have some THC-A within the tincture to have a broader spectrum of Cannabinoids. This third could have been not dry enough (but perfekt bud humidity to smoke! It is not "wet") and the water within the 1/3 could lead to this crazy reactions. But I can not imagine this is the case, because you can also use some 40% alcohol and make tinctures this way (but it isn't as effective)

But: My calculation is 0,9gr/900mg THC dissolved in 60ml ethanol/alcohol ... this should be no problem?! Or does adding more alcohol the trick?

What I ask myself is: If I filter this solution - is there still THC in the alcohol? Are the black bubbles/dots and the oily layer THC? (I guess yes- I mean I have experience with RSO).

I am very sensitive when it comes to THC - I have to be very careful not to overdose (especially oral).


I would be sooo happy if someone could bring some light into the darkness! I am severely disabled and the weed isn't cheap, also the alcohol is expensive...

Thank you!
 
Example dirty tincture
Example dirty tincture 2
Example dirty tincture 3
H

hawkman

2,210
263
be on my experience/knowledge ---hope you get your answer !!
 
Moe.Red

Moe.Red

5,044
313
I would winterize that product and run it thru a Buchner Funnel under vacuum.


That is just an example.

So put everything - sample, any wash alcohol, the funnel, everything in the lowest part of the coldest freezer you have for 48 hours. -40* is the sought after temp, and it needs to be there for 24 hours minimum. The sample will start to sorta congeal - that is the lipids coming out of solution and forming long chains together. These longer chains at very low temps can be easily filtered out with zero impact to your final product in terms of cannabinoids or terpenes but will be much cleaner and a bit more potent.

I expect that anything left behind in your process like plant material or whatever the black dots are will be filtered out and/or homogenized into the final product.
 
mattb

mattb

16
3
Exactly as above poster said except you can get awaY with simple funnel and coffee filter. Filter it frozen before evap and after cover evap dish with filters so no dust gets in. If you want a better solution than glass use "slick sheet" . Ptfe film fold it square and make little boats or just line a square dish . So slick shatter won't stick.
 
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