Homemade oil for my vape pen

Chris Edward

Chris Edward

Well-Known Member
Schmarmpit said:
I owe you a beer, good brother! Never thought of processing the rosin dab with alcohol. I was so stuck in the mode of using lots of alcohol to strip the buds (which i had experience with), but with 3.7g of rosin i only had to mix a couple tablespoons of 200 proof ethanol. I then froze that blend, filtered through the 0.22 syringe filter, and impatiently cooked off the remains at around 150f for several hours. Surprisingly the natural smells of the plant were still very much intact in the resulting oil. I finally saw the filtered waxy gunk being caught by the filter. Had to pull back several times to unclog it. The end product is fantastic! I didn't even cut it with anything, just loaded it warm right into the cart. Requires a preheat when cold or you can't draw, but otherwise hits greats to start then starts clogging halfway through. I figure it's time to dilute a little, but now it can actually be small percentage. I'll also run a batch and let it air evaporate. This batch turned out dark amber and I wonder if it was the hours of heat.

To answer your previous questions, i never got that 0.75:1 liquidizer mix though a 0.22, and the 0.45 was a struggle at that. I had to keep heating the syringe and filter in a water bath. Probably just stretching the filter holes with the heat and pressure i was applying. Even after all that, thinking it was clear, lots of waxes fell out in the following days.

Thank you again, you've been a supreme help.
Click to expand...
I am glad I could be helpful.

What color was the rosin prior to adding the alcohol?

If you put the alcohol:rosin mix in a flat, wide glass dish, like a petri dish and then cover it with some micron mesh fabric or a micron mesh cloche and leave if for a few days near an open window, this is a pretty safe way to evaporate the alcohol.

A little coffee warmer works well to speed up the process and there is no open flame to worry about.
 
reallybigjesusfreak

reallybigjesusfreak

Well-Known Member
Holy shit, I cant believe we've been talking about this for 52 pages now, thats awesome. So after using Wax Liquidizer, Extract Solutions, and MCT oil, I've decided that MCT is the smoothest and best tasting as its extremely neutral. Any study I"v read saying its bad involves heating it to temps way hotter than I am, and all of those are from 2017 or earlier. I keep hearing people claim that MCT is terrible, but nobody is every able to back it up with any other study than showing it being heated to like 450 degrees.
 
Chris Edward

Chris Edward

Well-Known Member
macsnax said:
I think I'll be moving that way this year. I haven't vaped any of my juice for a month or so. The more I thought about what is in that stuff, the more it turned me off. What's the learning curve like for making distillate?
Click to expand...
I am the same way.

I am moving from vaping to tinctures.
As soon as my hemp finishes, I will transition over to tinctures.


As far as the learning curve for distillate making, it's not difficult, it's "complicated."
The difficulty (and expense) comes with how obsessed you become with trying to duplicate what the big producers create.

Basic QWISO and QWET (Quick Wash ISopropyl and Quick Wash EThanol) are easy to do and don't require a lot of equipment, some mason jars, a strainer, some coffee filters, basic and cheaper stuff.
Just make sure that everything is as cold as you can make it (everything, the mason jars, strainer, etc..). You can go as far as using dry ice, but it's not truly necessary. Just put everything in the freezer the night before and work quickly to do the washes (preferably inside the fridge or freezer) and then once you strain out the bulk material, the "threat" of chlorophyll contamination is over and you can slow down a bit and even let the Iso or Ethanol come up to room temp.
You get a Buchner funnel to help make the bulk filtering go quicker.
You can even setup a recirculating water pump driven aspirator to create the vacuum needed for the Buchner funnel, or you can use a hand pump.

If you use Iso just keep in mind that it is easier to filter at room temp. In the freezer it becomes a bit thicker, unlike ethanol which remains water thin at 0°F.

It's the post processing that requires all the investment.
If you want to reclaim your iso or ethanol.
If you want to filter all the fats, and waxes out.
If you want to isolate the terpenes, CBD, and THC...
Stuff like that.

So you can go from a basic $25 investment, or $100 for a basic setup plus a Buchner funnel, to well over $2,000 in a heartbeat, especially if you buy your supplies from cannabis "friendly" companies which buy wholesale from Chinese or Indian companies, silk screen their names on the products and then quadruple the price.

I hope that was helpful.
 
Chris Edward

Chris Edward

Well-Known Member
booms111 said:
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.
Click to expand...
So, you are making kief, then taking the kief and putting it in a 37 micron bag and pressing this?
I am just trying to figure out your process.

What you are seeing in the syringe filter is most likely the vegetable wax building up like plaque in an artery.

You may want to try going from 120 microns to a couple of finer filters (in stages) before you get to the 0.45 filters.
Think of it like sanding.
You don’t go from 60 grit to 8,000 grit in one step, which is sort of what you are trying to do here, instead you go in steps.
In filtering you can make bigger jumps than you can in sanding, but the idea is still the same.
This is why I suggest thinning out the extract, this way the losses are minimized. Figuring the more you thin it out, the easier the filtrate passes through the filters and less usable material remains in the filters.
If you make the filtrate thin enough, you can allow gravity to pull it through the filter and this will not only extend the life of the filter but it will also mean more material is given time to pass through, so there is less loss.
If you divide the filters micron size by half for each filtration, the 8 steps it will require will still have a yield that is similar to forcing the same thicker material through a 0.45 micron filter.
Then once the oil is filtered and the solvent evaporated, you can add as much or little of the dilutent as you want.

Considering we aren’t using these filters the same way as they are intended, a frugal way to get a second use out of them is, once you are done using them, flip them and allow 30ml’s or so of ethanol to pass through the filter and wash the membrane and you can probably get a second use out of it.
Depending on the filter you are using, you may need to cut a short section of 1/4" tubing to put onto the filters tubing adapter and inside the luer lock and whatever you do don't apply any pressure or the filter will come loose, just let gravity pull the solvent through.
I have a feeling some folks re-use these a few times without washing the filter membranes despite these filters being made to be single use.
You shouldn’t do this.
I am not passing judgment, it’s just that between pushing hard on the syringe plunger to force the oil through and then reusing them only ensures the filter membrane will burst and then the filter is useless.


Just to clarify, are you pushing the oil through the syringe and filter into a catch vessel, then pulling the oil back up through the filter into the syringe and then pushing it back through the syringe and filter into a catch vessel?
The issue with doing this is that syringe filters clog really easily and you risk bursting the filter membrane.
This is why periodically as you are filtering your oil you should pull back on the plunger a little to check that there is still back pressure to ensure the filter membrane is intact.


As far as the loupe, I am sorry that won’t work.
Even the 120 micron bag you were initially using filters finer than you can see with the loupe.

I understand being a purist and not wanting to use alcohol to extract off the plant, but are you against using alcohol at any point?
Again, I am not judging, I just want to know your ideas and methodology, that’s all.
 
Chris Edward

Chris Edward

Well-Known Member
Go go n chill said:
Fact: the syringe cartridges with the membrane made of PES flows faster than the PTFE product. I used over 30, flip flopping from one to the other.... PES membranes are the better choice for what we are doing.
Click to expand...
PES has a lot of advantages.
They are (slightly) cheaper, they clog less, you don't have to use as much pressure, you can process more material through them (compared to PTFE), and it is suggested (by Dow Corning) to sterilize them by washing them with 70% alcohol.

So as @Go go n chill has said "PES membranes are the better choice"

Up until recently they haven't been available on sites like Aliexpress, so that's probably why they aren't showing up on Amazon or eBay, or cannabis "friendly" sites.
Plus the cannabis "friendly" companies want to ensure they sell out of the stock they have before they start pushing the new and improved products and I am sure they will try and sell PES membranes for more, despite them costing less.
Keep in mind when bought in bulk, they cost about $0.05 USD each.

Here's a company on Aliexpress selling 100x 0.45 syringe filters for $18.43 USD
$0.19 USD per filter isn't bad.
This same company sells PTFE filters for $0.27 USD each, for comparison.
I'll shut up, here's the link:

http://tinyurl.com/y6g7ktzh

I shortened the URL because it contained over 400 characters.

The site seems to be having an anniversary sale coming up in 5 days (China time GMT+8), which looks like at that point the price will reduce to $16.43 USD and then they are giving away $6.00 USD coupons off $15.00 USD purchases to entice people to buy more crap so it looks like once all the coupons are applied the final price could be something like $10.43 USD for 100x 0.25micron syringe filters.
At that price, even if they suck, who cares!
 
macsnax

macsnax

Well-Known Member
Chris Edward said:
I am the same way.

I am moving from vaping to tinctures.
As soon as my hemp finishes, I will transition over to tinctures.


As far as the learning curve for distillate making, it's not difficult, it's "complicated."
The difficulty (and expense) comes with how obsessed you become with trying to duplicate what the big producers create.

Basic QWISO and QWET (Quick Wash ISopropyl and Quick Wash EThanol) are easy to do and don't require a lot of equipment, some mason jars, a strainer, some coffee filters, basic and cheaper stuff.
Just make sure that everything is as cold as you can make it (everything, the mason jars, strainer, etc..). You can go as far as using dry ice, but it's not truly necessary. Just put everything in the freezer the night before and work quickly to do the washes (preferably inside the fridge or freezer) and then once you strain out the bulk material, the "threat" of chlorophyll contamination is over and you can slow down a bit and even let the Iso or Ethanol come up to room temp.
You get a Buchner funnel to help make the bulk filtering go quicker.
You can even setup a recirculating water pump driven aspirator to create the vacuum needed for the Buchner funnel, or you can use a hand pump.

If you use Iso just keep in mind that it is easier to filter at room temp. In the freezer it becomes a bit thicker, unlike ethanol which remains water thin at 0°F.

It's the post processing that requires all the investment.
If you want to reclaim your iso or ethanol.
If you want to filter all the fats, and waxes out.
If you want to isolate the terpenes, CBD, and THC...
Stuff like that.

So you can go from a basic $25 investment, or $100 for a basic setup plus a Buchner funnel, to well over $2,000 in a heartbeat, especially if you buy your supplies from cannabis "friendly" companies which buy wholesale from Chinese or Indian companies, silk screen their names on the products and then quadruple the price.

I hope that was helpful.
Click to expand...
Yeah thanks. I do a qwiso once in a while, but I've never reclaimed the alcohol. I actually came across one of those cold coffee brewers recently, those things look like they were made for doing a quick wash. Probably give it a whirl next time I do iso.
 
booms111

booms111

Well-Known Member
Chris Edward said:
So, you are making kief, then taking the kief and putting it in a 37 micron bag and pressing this?
I am just trying to figure out your process.

What you are seeing in the syringe filter is most likely the vegetable wax building up like plaque in an artery.

You may want to try going from 120 microns to a couple of finer filters (in stages) before you get to the 0.45 filters.
Think of it like sanding.
You don’t go from 60 grit to 8,000 grit in one step, which is sort of what you are trying to do here, instead you go in steps.
In filtering you can make bigger jumps than you can in sanding, but the idea is still the same.
This is why I suggest thinning out the extract, this way the losses are minimized. Figuring the more you thin it out, the easier the filtrate passes through the filters and less usable material remains in the filters.
If you make the filtrate thin enough, you can allow gravity to pull it through the filter and this will not only extend the life of the filter but it will also mean more material is given time to pass through, so there is less loss.
If you divide the filters micron size by half for each filtration, the 8 steps it will require will still have a yield that is similar to forcing the same thicker material through a 0.45 micron filter.
Then once the oil is filtered and the solvent evaporated, you can add as much or little of the dilutent as you want.

Considering we aren’t using these filters the same way as they are intended, a frugal way to get a second use out of them is, once you are done using them, flip them and allow 30ml’s or so of ethanol to pass through the filter and wash the membrane and you can probably get a second use out of it.
Depending on the filter you are using, you may need to cut a short section of 1/4" tubing to put onto the filters tubing adapter and inside the luer lock and whatever you do don't apply any pressure or the filter will come loose, just let gravity pull the solvent through.
I have a feeling some folks re-use these a few times without washing the filter membranes despite these filters being made to be single use.
You shouldn’t do this.
I am not passing judgment, it’s just that between pushing hard on the syringe plunger to force the oil through and then reusing them only ensures the filter membrane will burst and then the filter is useless.


Just to clarify, are you pushing the oil through the syringe and filter into a catch vessel, then pulling the oil back up through the filter into the syringe and then pushing it back through the syringe and filter into a catch vessel?
The issue with doing this is that syringe filters clog really easily and you risk bursting the filter membrane.
This is why periodically as you are filtering your oil you should pull back on the plunger a little to check that there is still back pressure to ensure the filter membrane is intact.


As far as the loupe, I am sorry that won’t work.
Even the 120 micron bag you were initially using filters finer than you can see with the loupe.

I understand being a purist and not wanting to use alcohol to extract off the plant, but are you against using alcohol at any point?
Again, I am not judging, I just want to know your ideas and methodology, that’s all.
Click to expand...
Yep I'm dry sifting through a 220 then a clean up through 160. Then I take the kief and press it in a 37u rosin bag.

I only use the syringe filters one time but I would try cleaning them like you suggested once I get some ethanol. I loss about .2ml each time on average in each syringe filter.

Really I haven't been having any trouble pushing through a .45 as long as the mix is nice and warm and clean from pressing. Haven't had a blown out filter yet and plenty of back pressure each time, if I pull up on the syringe plunger the back pressure pulls it right back down. Only time I've had any issues is when i used rosin that the rosin bag blew out, won't try that again.

When I push through the .45 filter I only do it once into the catch vessel. Then into cartridge. I think your referring to when I initially mix the rosin/liquifier and cook it until stops bubbling I pull the mix back into the original syringe that I drew the liquifier in to make sure it's all mixed up really good then back into the catch vessel for few minutes in oven. Then I run it through the syringe filter.

Nope im not against using ethanol as long as I can remove it from finished product. I don't like bho though, feel like no matter how much bho is cleaned I can still smell it or sometimes taste it which turns me off. I'm ordering some ethanol soon just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Funny other day buddy showed up with live resin sherbet cart that was supposedly 72% from dispensary and $55 for .5ml size. Was really orange colored like a orange gummy bear. We both thought my carts were stronger and better tasting even with the liquidator.

Next I want to get some ethanol and do as you suggested with it and buy some terpine flavors. I want to buy a heat plate or something to remove the ethanol, what temperature setting should I be looking for and any recommendations on what to buy?

Thanks for helping out man I really appreciate it!
 
natureboygrower

natureboygrower

Well-Known Member
booms111 said:
Yep I'm dry sifting through a 220 then a clean up through 160. Then I take the kief and press it in a 37u rosin bag.

I only use the syringe filters one time but I would try cleaning them like you suggested once I get some ethanol. I loss about .2ml each time on average in each syringe filter.

Really I haven't been having any trouble pushing through a .45 as long as the mix is nice and warm and clean from pressing. Haven't had a blown out filter yet and plenty of back pressure each time, if I pull up on the syringe plunger the back pressure pulls it right back down. Only time I've had any issues is when i used rosin that the rosin bag blew out, won't try that again.

When I push through the .45 filter I only do it once into the catch vessel. Then into cartridge. I think your referring to when I initially mix the rosin/liquifier and cook it until stops bubbling I pull the mix back into the original syringe that I drew the liquifier in to make sure it's all mixed up really good then back into the catch vessel for few minutes in oven. Then I run it through the syringe filter.

Nope im not against using ethanol as long as I can remove it from finished product. I don't like bho though, feel like no matter how much bho is cleaned I can still smell it or sometimes taste it which turns me off. I'm ordering some ethanol soon just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Funny other day buddy showed up with live resin sherbet cart that was supposedly 72% from dispensary and $55 for .5ml size. Was really orange colored like a orange gummy bear. We both thought my carts were stronger and better tasting even with the liquidator.

Next I want to get some ethanol and do as you suggested with it and buy some terpine flavors. I want to buy a heat plate or something to remove the ethanol, what temperature setting should I be looking for and any recommendations on what to buy?

Thanks for helping out man I really appreciate it!
Click to expand...
This is one of those candle wax melters you can get at Walmart with a 25w bulb inside $15 lol.It really works well at helping evap off Etoh without burning as well as warming it up enough to thin my distillate.You'd have to leave your product on there a very long time to burn it,that's why I like it.I want to make sure all etoh is gone when I get to making a cart.(the pictured distillate is for some edibles.I just realized this wax warmer would be great to use last week)
I'm doing an extraction on some good indoor this weekend, ima try putting straight in a cart after I thin it on this.The cork ring stand you see on top did not come with it(it looks like it does,right? :grin:) The top width is about 4" across.
20190323_121807.jpg 20190323_121042.jpg
 
booms111

booms111

Well-Known Member
710slickxx said:
Anyone here ever use "connoisseur concentrates, mr extractor's flavorless liquifier?
Click to expand...
I've used it. Has a slight smell to it by itself but I don't remember it having a taste. Works pretty much like all the other dilutant liquifiers I've tried.
 
710slickxx

710slickxx

Well-Known Member
booms111 said:
I've used it. Has a slight smell to it by itself but I don't remember it having a taste. Works pretty much like all the other dilutant liquifiers I've tried.
Click to expand...
Dude when i smell it it smells like mct oil lol or it reminds me of it... speaking or mct, have you ever added terps to mct? Does it work?
 
Chris Edward

Chris Edward

Well-Known Member
booms111 said:
Yep I'm dry sifting through a 220 then a clean up through 160. Then I take the kief and press it in a 37u rosin bag.

I only use the syringe filters one time but I would try cleaning them like you suggested once I get some ethanol. I loss about .2ml each time on average in each syringe filter.

Really I haven't been having any trouble pushing through a .45 as long as the mix is nice and warm and clean from pressing. Haven't had a blown out filter yet and plenty of back pressure each time, if I pull up on the syringe plunger the back pressure pulls it right back down. Only time I've had any issues is when i used rosin that the rosin bag blew out, won't try that again.

When I push through the .45 filter I only do it once into the catch vessel. Then into cartridge. I think your referring to when I initially mix the rosin/liquifier and cook it until stops bubbling I pull the mix back into the original syringe that I drew the liquifier in to make sure it's all mixed up really good then back into the catch vessel for few minutes in oven. Then I run it through the syringe filter.

Nope im not against using ethanol as long as I can remove it from finished product. I don't like bho though, feel like no matter how much bho is cleaned I can still smell it or sometimes taste it which turns me off. I'm ordering some ethanol soon just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Funny other day buddy showed up with live resin sherbet cart that was supposedly 72% from dispensary and $55 for .5ml size. Was really orange colored like a orange gummy bear. We both thought my carts were stronger and better tasting even with the liquidator.

Next I want to get some ethanol and do as you suggested with it and buy some terpine flavors. I want to buy a heat plate or something to remove the ethanol, what temperature setting should I be looking for and any recommendations on what to buy?

Thanks for helping out man I really appreciate it!
Click to expand...
I am glad I can be helpful…

Now I see the method to your process, it makes sense.

If you dilute your oils 50:50 with ethanol you can let gravity do the work for you. It it’s not a quick process but at the same time it doesn’t put unnecessary pressure on the filter so it can washed and reused a few times.

As far as the ethanol goes, that sucks that it is so difficult to buy in your area, but a lot of areas are like this.

You could always file for an ethanol “fuel” license and make it yourself, or you could go the “gray” route and get a water distiller and process some 40% vodka through it a few times until it comes close to the azeotrope (95% alcohol).



This way the taxes are already paid (that seems to be all they care about). But you don’t need the alcohol to be over 80% to dissolve cannabinoids, especially when they have already been isolated like you are doing in your process. You can probably get away with 70%.

You just need the alcohol to disperse the cannabinoids so they can pass through your filters, so it’s not like you need a lot.

A lot of people use Iso because it is cheaper and you can get 91%+ at the local drug store, but it’s toxic to humans, like most of the other solvents used.

At least with ethanol if some of the solvent remains in the oil, it’s not going to cause harm.

You can vape ethanol, if you can stand it.

As far as BHO goes, there’s no telling what impurities were in it (they probably used the cheapest lighter fluid they could find) and the impurities just get concentrated as the solvent evaporates away.

Do you make your own rosin bags or do you buy them?

I haven’t bought a commercial cart in several years, I almost forgot how expensive they are…

The cart costs like $8 max to make and that's factoring in labor, packaging, etc, which all cost much more than the cannabis oil.

It’s like selling concrete.

The bag costs more than the contents.

As far as the hot plate recommendation, a basic coffee warmer will work for small batches. They are supposed to keep coffee about 200F, which is a good, safe temp for cannabis oil.



You can fit a 60mm petri dish on one or up to a 600ml beaker.

If you can find 90mm glass petri dishes those would work as well, but 90mm seems to be mostly plastic these days and the 100mm one are just a bit too big.

What works great are the little 1 cup size Anchor or Pyrex dishes, they are easy to get, decently priced and come with lids so you can close them up if you need to.



If you are doing larger batches, you probably want to get a something with a more stable heat source.
While you are at it, a lab grade magnetic stirrer with heat will be your best bet, but these can go from $50 to $1,000 pretty quickly.
I am designing one myself, but with all the other crap I have going on, it’s a slow process.
If I were to buy one, this would be the one I would buy:



https://www.ika.com/en/Products-Lab-Eq/Magnetic-Stirrers-Hot-Plate-Lab-Mixer-Stirrer-Blender-csp-188/IKA-Plate-Package-cpdt-10003302/

The price seems high, but it comes with a lifetime warranty, so it’s the last stir plate you will ever need to buy.
 
Last edited:
Chris Edward

Chris Edward

Well-Known Member
natureboygrower said:
This is one of those candle wax melters you can get at Walmart with a 25w bulb inside $15 lol.It really works well at helping evap off Etoh without burning as well as warming it up enough to thin my distillate.You'd have to leave your product on there a very long time to burn it,that's why I like it.I want to make sure all etoh is gone when I get to making a cart.(the pictured distillate is for some edibles.I just realized this wax warmer would be great to use last week)
I'm doing an extraction on some good indoor this weekend, ima try putting straight in a cart after I thin it on this.The cork ring stand you see on top did not come with it(it looks like it does,right? :grin:) The top width is about 4" across.
View attachment 4305329 View attachment 4305330
Click to expand...
That seems nice, but where do you find the bulbs?
Incandescent bulbs are being phased out all over the globe, so they are becoming hard to find.
macsnax said:
Yeah thanks. I do a qwiso once in a while, but I've never reclaimed the alcohol. I actually came across one of those cold coffee brewers recently, those things look like they were made for doing a quick wash. Probably give it a whirl next time I do iso.
Click to expand...
I have never tried one of those, but I suppose they would work for bulk filtering.
 
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