Homemade oil for my vape pen

Chris Edward

Well-Known Member
All I see is 7 grams for $192.50. Oh wait, I see it now, it’s “slab” instead of powder. That’s a great price! Can I use it the same as the powder, with MCT? I’m gonna buy some :)
Yes, you can.
You just need to break up the bigger crystals before you steep it in your dilutant/liquidizer or else it will take a lot longer to dissolve.
 

Chris Edward

Well-Known Member
Maybe someone has already mentioned this here but a Sub-Zero dry ice cooled ethanol extraction coupled with a full decarb of this full spectrum oil we'll have a viscosity that is low enough to go straight into A ccell
We've talked a little bit about it, but please share any info you know on how you thicken the oil.
When I first began making my own carts, I would have this issue. The problem seems to stem from the long chain molecules in the PEG's (PEG, PEG 200, PEG 400, etc...) used in most liquidizers, which can cause an entire tank to dump overnight.
With QWET that has been thinned with VG/PG, the tanks remain full.
This is using carts that have cotton wicks.

I am sure everyone would love to hear your ideas.
 

p0opstlnksal0t

Well-Known Member
We've talked a little bit about it, but please share any info you know on how you thicken the oil.
When I first began making my own carts, I would have this issue. The problem seems to stem from the long chain molecules in the PEG's (PEG, PEG 200, PEG 400, etc...) used in most liquidizers, which can cause an entire tank to dump overnight.
With QWET that has been thinned with VG/PG, the tanks remain full.
This is using carts that have cotton wicks.

I am sure everyone would love to hear your ideas.
There's not much more to it for a full spectrum vape oil you can start with -50 ethanol extracted hash oil. Filter it over a bed of celite and do a winterization pass or two at -60 or colder overnight this will drop out most of the fats and waxes. I've used a craigslist cheap modified freezer to get to -30f bit this just isn't cold enough so until i spring for an ultra low dry ice does the trick. You now got a winterized full spectrum oil, if you extracted properly and kept it cold enough you won't have any chlorophyll pulled into the solvent. Some people like to reclaim solvent then remix at 10:1 to winterize but I find this step unnecessary. Make sure you purge your hash oil good now. You use squalene or even floraplex diluent to lower viscosity slightly to go straight into a c-cell or even ac1003 or ac1014 style cart. Or, you can decarb at 250f or so for 27 mins and the viscosity will be low enough now to go straight into a cart without adding any liquidizer.
 

booms111

Well-Known Member
No worries, I appreciate bluntness. I am not inherently against using solvents. I just don't have the necessary materials to do it correctly. I also enjoy the many natural flavors retained with solventless concentrates.

I finally came across a working situation for me. I mixed my rosin with Floraplex terpene liquidizer at a ratio of 0.75:1 liquidizer:rosin. I still was not able to push through a 0.22um filter, but it did go through 0.45um filter. The result was much better than I expected. The liquidizer does not impart any taste or harshness at all even at that high ratio. I can still taste my rosin and it has stayed nice and clear and stable in the carts after 24 hours.

Now I'm going to mess around with different rosin screen sizes, temps, and materials to see if I can get the liquidizer ratio down even further. But I sure wish I knew what actually makes up this stuff. All natural terpenes, OK. Such as..... I know it's probably a secret recipe but none of the materials I could source from them show what's actually in it.
https://www.buyterpenesonline.com/terpenes-for-sale/terpene-diluent/
I finally got a mix to run through the .45 filter yesterday, probably would have went through .22 filter also but didn't try. Made some crystal clear gold that works great so far. I mixed around the same ratio you did, .4g of rosin with .3ml liquifier to fill a .5ml cart but I feel I can probably reduce the liquifier down to .2ml it worked so good.

Here's the kicker...the liquifier is True Terpenes viscosity. Theres a big debate over at icmag about there being no terpines in it which TT claims it is and that its actually mineral oil and other stuff. Sucks because it has zero smell, zero taste and mixes really good.

I've tried Mass Terpenes which was nasty plastic taste and definitely has a smell, also tried Mr Extractor flavorless which had a smell but wasn't to bad taste wise but didn't mix as well as TT viscosity. I also tried MCT and that tasted bad like dead fish or something faintly and didn't mix as well as the TT viscosity.

So now I'm just going to wait until this testing of TT viscosity happens by multiple people over at icmag before I make a bigger purchase.
 

p0opstlnksal0t

Well-Known Member
that stuff is a blend, its not as refined as C8 isolate. you might notice a taste difference in the two

https://www.amazon.com/LevelUp-Clean-MCT-Oil-Triglycerides/dp/B078XHRG11

Question:
The bottle says 100% pure capyrlic acid which is not possible with current extraction. what is the true % caprylic acid? do you have a cofa?
Answer:
Clean MCT is the highest purity of caprylic acid available. While batches can vary slightly, the average purity is 99.2% - 99.6% per the certificate of analysis.
 

booms111

Well-Known Member
Strange, I’ve never noticed any adverse tastes from MCT oil
It's really subtle in the background on the exhale with the brand I bought but its there and it's not a good flavor, it is odorless though. I'm sure if I would have bought the right brand it wouldn't taste like it does since I didn't read of anybody saying it had any taste just people talking about health issues possibly with it.
 

Chris Edward

Well-Known Member
I finally got a mix to run through the .45 filter yesterday, probably would have went through .22 filter also but didn't try. Made some crystal clear gold that works great so far. I mixed around the same ratio you did, .4g of rosin with .3ml liquifier to fill a .5ml cart but I feel I can probably reduce the liquifier down to .2ml it worked so good.

Here's the kicker...the liquifier is True Terpenes viscosity. Theres a big debate over at icmag about there being no terpines in it which TT claims it is and that its actually mineral oil and other stuff. Sucks because it has zero smell, zero taste and mixes really good.

I've tried Mass Terpenes which was nasty plastic taste and definitely has a smell, also tried Mr Extractor flavorless which had a smell but wasn't to bad taste wise but didn't mix as well as TT viscosity. I also tried MCT and that tasted bad like dead fish or something faintly and didn't mix as well as the TT viscosity.

So now I'm just going to wait until this testing of TT viscosity happens by multiple people over at icmag before I make a bigger purchase.
If the dilutant/liquidizer doesn't have a smell, then it is not made from terpenes.
It's probably either an overly processed MCT oil or this olive oil based stuff that I am having trouble finding any details on.

I am surprised you were able to get your oil to pass through at a 1.333:1 ratio.
Usually 1:2 is what passes through without issues.

Did you periodically pull back on the plunger to check that there was back pressure?

By any chance did you look at your oil under a microscope to see what was actually removed?
I know it's a small amount of oil but all you need is a tiny smear to be able to see contaminants.

I am assuming the filters are PTFE as these are hydrophobic, which can help with the amount of pressure needed to filter the oil.

I am trying to judge, I just want to help if I can.
 

Chris Edward

Well-Known Member
No worries, I appreciate bluntness. I am not inherently against using solvents. I just don't have the necessary materials to do it correctly. I also enjoy the many natural flavors retained with solventless concentrates.

I finally came across a working situation for me. I mixed my rosin with Floraplex terpene liquidizer at a ratio of 0.75:1 liquidizer:rosin. I still was not able to push through a 0.22um filter, but it did go through 0.45um filter. The result was much better than I expected. The liquidizer does not impart any taste or harshness at all even at that high ratio. I can still taste my rosin and it has stayed nice and clear and stable in the carts after 24 hours.

Now I'm going to mess around with different rosin screen sizes, temps, and materials to see if I can get the liquidizer ratio down even further. But I sure wish I knew what actually makes up this stuff. All natural terpenes, OK. Such as..... I know it's probably a secret recipe but none of the materials I could source from them show what's actually in it.
https://www.buyterpenesonline.com/terpenes-for-sale/terpene-diluent/

As far as the solvent, you could continue to pre-process your rosin as you normally do. The point of the solvent addition is to allow everything to pass through the filters easier, both the "bulk" and polishing filters.
Then you can allow it to evaporate off at room temp in a large, low pan, like a petri dish. Just make sure there is sire directed to the outside.
So there shouldn't be any disruption of the flavors as nothing is heated above their vaporizing temperatures.

I am not a fan of the terpene market secrecy myself.
It just makes me thing two things:

01. This is actually bad shit and they are just trying to sell as much as possible until people get sick.

02. It's made from a really common and cheap ingredient and they don't dare let us know this otherwise we will bitch because then will know they are gouging us.

It's probably #2.
Greed is a hell of a drug.

If the dilutant has no smell, then it isn't made of terpenes.


I am honestly surprised you were able to get a ratio of 0.75:1 through a 0.22 filter.
If you don't mind me asking a few questions I am curious how you were able to do this without multiple filter changes or ruptures.

By any chance do the filters have PTFE membranes?

Did you pull back on the syringe plunger a few times during the filtering to check for back pressure?

Were you able to do this using one or multiple filters?

Did you look at the oil before and after under a microscope to see what was actually removed?

As I said to @booms111, I am not trying to judge, I am just curious and want to help where I can.
 

reallybigjesusfreak

Well-Known Member
As far as the solvent, you could continue to pre-process your rosin as you normally do. The point of the solvent addition is to allow everything to pass through the filters easier, both the "bulk" and polishing filters.
Then you can allow it to evaporate off at room temp in a large, low pan, like a petri dish. Just make sure there is sire directed to the outside.
So there shouldn't be any disruption of the flavors as nothing is heated above their vaporizing temperatures.

I am not a fan of the terpene market secrecy myself.
It just makes me thing two things:

01. This is actually bad shit and they are just trying to sell as much as possible until people get sick.

02. It's made from a really common and cheap ingredient and they don't dare let us know this otherwise we will bitch because then will know they are gouging us.

It's probably #2.
Greed is a hell of a drug.

If the dilutant has no smell, then it isn't made of terpenes.


I am honestly surprised you were able to get a ratio of 0.75:1 through a 0.22 filter.
If you don't mind me asking a few questions I am curious how you were able to do this without multiple filter changes or ruptures.

By any chance do the filters have PTFE membranes?

Did you pull back on the syringe plunger a few times during the filtering to check for back pressure?

Were you able to do this using one or multiple filters?

Did you look at the oil before and after under a microscope to see what was actually removed?

As I said to @booms111, I am not trying to judge, I am just curious and want to help where I can.
I thinkyou're probably right as far as #2 goes. As I've spent a good amount of time now looking around for all the various brands, the biggest difference in price seems to be how its marketed. Anything cannabis related comes in tiny containers with big price tags, while I just got a couple 30ml bottles of pure terpenes for 7 or so dollars a piece with no cannabis relation. Used them in my last batches and everybody says they're the best ones yet. Really comes back to why I like DIY'ing as much as I can. If somebody can do it and price gouge me for it, no reason I cant just do it myself. oh and as far as purity of the terpenes go they all seemed to be just about the same, 99.whatever perent pure.
 

booms111

Well-Known Member
If the dilutant/liquidizer doesn't have a smell, then it is not made from terpenes.
It's probably either an overly processed MCT oil or this olive oil based stuff that I am having trouble finding any details on.

I am surprised you were able to get your oil to pass through at a 1.333:1 ratio.
Usually 1:2 is what passes through without issues.

Did you periodically pull back on the plunger to check that there was back pressure?

By any chance did you look at your oil under a microscope to see what was actually removed?
I know it's a small amount of oil but all you need is a tiny smear to be able to see contaminants.

I am assuming the filters are PTFE as these are hydrophobic, which can help with the amount of pressure needed to filter the oil.

I am trying to judge, I just want to help if I can.
I did another mix last night with .6 gram of rosin pressed from 120 micron bubble hash and .3ml TT viscosity and it pushed through the filter but was just a touch tougher. It's more potent then last mix for sure but I'm going to try .6gram rosin to .2ml viscosity later today see if it will push through.

Yes there PTFE filters. I got .22 and .45 but haven't tried with .22 recently. When I push through I use a 10ml syringe with filter attached and I pull it all the way back so by time plunger hits bottom it's pushed 90% of mix through filter but then I release pressure and pull the oil out of filter back into syringe and re do it again to get as much as possible through.

I don't have a real microscope so no go on examining, best i have is my loupe that goes to 100x think that would work? I can see in the filter looks like little dots after using them so I'd assume there the containments. The mix that comes out of the filter is really clear.

The reason I think the rosin I'm making is pushing through filters now possibly is because I'm using either dry sift or bubble hash to make the rosin with 37u rosin bags. When i first started experimenting i used trim or flower rosin through 120u rosin bags. Trim rosin is dirty and flower rosin is cleaner then trim but not nearly as clean as using kief or hash. Seems the rosin being cleaner with lower amounts of plant material has helped.
 

Chris Edward

Well-Known Member
I thinkyou're probably right as far as #2 goes. As I've spent a good amount of time now looking around for all the various brands, the biggest difference in price seems to be how its marketed. Anything cannabis related comes in tiny containers with big price tags, while I just got a couple 30ml bottles of pure terpenes for 7 or so dollars a piece with no cannabis relation. Used them in my last batches and everybody says they're the best ones yet. Really comes back to why I like DIY'ing as much as I can. If somebody can do it and price gouge me for it, no reason I cant just do it myself. oh and as far as purity of the terpenes go they all seemed to be just about the same, 99.whatever perent pure.
I agree.
It's the same way when it comes to fertilizers for hydroponics, the same basic stuff is sold for 2-10 times as much because they know they can get away with it.

As far as the terpenes, the reason they are so cheap is probably because they are intended for the fragrance industry and they were sourced from petrochemicals.
Chemically the "synthetic" and "natural" stuff are the same and frankly natural doesn't mean anything these days.
Both have the potential to carry lots of bad things in them do to their sources.
However one will sell for 33 cents a ml and the other will sell for $4 a ml mostly because of who it's marketed to.

As far as which product is cleaner, I hate to say this but chances are the synthetic stuff is cleaner because they tend to be processed in systems that are required to be sterilized, which may or may not be the case for naturally produced terpenes due to how loose all the regulations are in this area right now.
I am not a fan of regulations, but when you have companies who are being greedy and secretive, the regulations protect the customer.
If they were honest, we wouldn't need the regulations.

Who's to say that some of these companies aren't using 2/3 plant produced and 1/3 synthetic in their terpene blends, would anyone be able to notice if they were?
And this would cut the price of the product quite a bit while still retaining the "natural" labeling.

I will say this, if they keep up with this gouging and secrecy, as soon as cannabis is made legal in the US, people won't stand for it and they will demand transparency.

An interesting sidenote on that..
I have been keeping an eye on GW Pharmaceuticals patents (the company that patented Sativex and Epidiolex) and recently they have pulled a whole bunch of patent applications that aren't part of drug trials, both in the US and in the UK.
Considering they have been submitting patent applications on cannabis since 2001 or so, I would say this means one of a few things:

01. There is about to be a major clamping down on cannabis regulations in both the US and UK and the patents won't be worth anything, (not likely).

02. GW Pharmaceuticals is being pushed out by companies like Aurora Cannabis (their stock did plummet in December 2018), which leads me to believe legalization is just around the corner at which point they will then be in direct competition with Aurora, who will no doubt move into the US in the blink of an eye (which I believe they are already doing).

03. GW Pharmaceuticals has over reached their potential is about to crumble...

03. Cannabis is about to made legal in both the US and the UK and they need to re-write the patents for consumer use rather than pharmaceutical use.

When giant corporations make sudden changes, it usually means something major is about to happen (in a few years, which is fast for big companies). Figuring out what that change is, that's the tricky part.
 

macsnax

Well-Known Member
No isolate slab on the site right now. I guess they sold out? Anyone know if it’s CO2 bases, or alcohol withe CBdistillery?
They probably do a sell when either stock is getting old or they're running out and have a fresh batch coming. If you could figure out how often they do that, you could keep yourself stocked up at half price..... As far as how they extract, I would imagine it's some kind of closed loop blast, but that's just a guess.
 
Top