Rosin handling tips?

How do you guys deal with rosin that's tough to handle? I've just started using my rosin press (3x5 plates on an H-frame) and what I'm getting off one strain is beautiful. But, unlike the other couple of strains I've pressed, it just won't gather. It just smears. I saw some improvement in harvesting it, if I scraped the parchment on a cold surface. But, even so, I'm then immediately fighting to get it off the scraper, whether stainless or silicone. I'm leaving a lot of it on the paper too, which I don't like. Any handling tips for rosin like this?

Thanks.

Let it dry some and try again? Probably not a great rosin strain, so it goes...

Bugeye said:

Let it dry some and try again? Probably not a great rosin strain, so it goes...

Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion. I dabbed at it a bit today and it felt marginally better. A little tackier...perhaps. I'll press some more and let is sit for a few days. We'll see...

Thanks again...

some strains take different temps to get stable rosin.....try a different temp

Dryness of your buds also plays a big part. Fresh cut will be watery with a greenish tint, and this can improve just by drying out buds more. I sometimes steam buds that are over dried so that they crumble less when pressed. If I over steam them, I get a watery finish that is clear, not green. In both cases they firm up if left to dry overnight. But how much they firm up is definitely strain dependent. I have pressed a couple strains that no matter what temp setting still produce soft oil.

if it's runny, put it on a frozen surface to collect. you can then let it dry.

Thanks for your thoughts, guys. The RH of what I'm pressing is 60–62 and, so far, I'm pressing everything at the same temp. and pressure, just to give myself a baseline across the 9 different strains I have to work with. As I'm going thru them (I pressed 3 more strains yesterday), it's clear that strain variance is significant. A Kaia Kush x Yoda Kush sample pressed and picked up like a champ., while others just smear on the paper. Anyway, I'll try the impact of drying the flowers more, prior to pressing...and compare that to pressing at 60–62 RH and letting the rosin dry.

Thanks again...

@Shayno Try this as an alternative to parchment paper:

https://www.amazon.com/Oil-Slick-Labratory-Resistant-Alternative/dp/B00AWK04IQ

Thanks, @tstick. Even though my problem was not with my parchment (it was the consistency of the rosin), I've been tempted to try the slick stick paper. The moisture resistance of the slick sheet interests me, particularly for pressing fresh material. Have you used this paper yourself?

BTW, leaving the rosin sit for a day or two seems to do the trick. I still need to use a shovel tool. But, I can work with it after drying it a bit...which is all I need.

Its all in the art of the press,
High temp more runny

Assinmycock99 said:

Its all in the art of the press,
High temp more runny

Click to expand...

Personally, I've found no correlation between heat and consistency, at least not with the strains and temp. range I've tested so far. I ran 2 recently harvested strains over the weekend, pressing 4g (RH=62) @ at 140/170/200/220 and I found no difference in rosin consistency or clarity.

I just tested the Slick Sheet from Oil Slick and I'm not impressed at all by this material. I started with a couple of buds to compare it to parchment paper. I pressed at 82C/180F for 45 secs under 4 ton (533 psi) and the material melted. I ran a second test at 82C/180F for 5 secs under 1.5 ton (200 psi) and the material melted. Has anyone used this material with success?