All
First off - thank you to all the members who have created this encyclopedia of knowledge. Prior to posting I have done my homework – but yes – I am asking for a bit of a spoon here. I’ve been super-small-scale extracting in a non-commercial fashion for a year and a half and this site has been amazing. I’ve read everything from ethanol to butane to rosin and have tried all 3 methods. I’ve practiced/experimented (and wasted a LOT of material) and now I’ve gotten to the point where the next harvest (2.5 weeks away) I’m planning on devoting the entire batch to concentrates. The goal is to make a terpy delicious budder that reflects a balance between quality and yield that I can dab and decarb for vape carts. Taking all I’ve learned over the past 2 years of screwing up (and having some success), I’ve come up with a solvent/butane protocol that I hope will work for me. Since I’m going to devote my entire harvest to this I’m hoping that a few kind souls could look it over and provide any recommendations or suggestions, as well as their opinions on a few specific questions (as well as posting this for the benefit of others like me). I don’t want to screw it up because my next opportunity to try wont be until January. I’m a medical doctor with lots of laboratory research experience and am following good safety protocols and will be having it lab-tested prior to use.
Extracting column (closed column, open system)
-2 inch 150g jacketed stainless steel closed-column from BVV
Specific Questions
-Solvent mixture – it seems like people like iso compared to N-butane. I’m thinking of purchasing a tank of EcoGreen 20lb -20lb 40/40/20 iso/but/prop mix. Anyone have any thoughts on this mix in relation to the goal (terpy budder that can be dabbed or decarb to vape)? I get the 15% discount on BVV and they have EcoGreen vs their own (but the EcoGreen says its more pure at 99.95% than BVV brand)
-Tips on how to gauge when a run is finished and when its time to use new material in the column (since I can’t accurately measure solvent use in vol/pounds). Essentially – how many times should I fill up my extractor column before running new material, time to soak, or should I just run it continuously and stop collecting once it clears up?
-How long to purge/spend under the heat vs no heat? I want to make sure as close to 100% of the solvent is removed but would also like to preserve the terps (but with the priority being on solvent removal). People have lots of different opinions on this on all the various threads. Keeping in mind my goal of terpy budder that can be vaped, should I keep it on heat the whole purge, or just intermittently? How often to whip during this?
Protocol Any general tips/comments/suggestions would be much appreciated!
-Harvest directly into cooler w/ dry ice (dry ice packed in freezer bags)
-Freeze on dry ice for 6-8 hours / overnight
-Put the extractor column and all other equipment that will touch material into second cooler w/ dry ice
-Crush up frozen material directly in cooler to size similar to those when coming out of an herb grinder
-Fill extractor jacket w/ dry ice and isopropyl solution and fill extractor w/ material using 50 micron filter paper at extractor exit valve
-Use vacuum pump to remove air from extractor any suggestions here? I’m not sure how long I should soak or if I should. Seems like a balance between yield and solvent use (and I’m open blasting so wont be recovering solvent so that’s more important)
-Fill extractor with solvent and let sit for 2 minutes and then drain into pyrex pan
-Fill w/ solvent again (re-using the same material). Do this 3-4 times or until the solvent coming out looks significantly lighter than the initial round and repeat until entire harvest is done
-Take the multiple pans of solvent/oil and as they evaporate condense them all down to one pan
-Place the concentrated solvent/oil solution back into dry ice for 6 hours to winterize
-Run frozen solution through the Bucher using vacuum neg pressure from a vacuum created in the purging chamber that is hooked up to Buchner (NOT run vacuum pump directly connected to Buchner)
-Place winterized solution into small pyrex pan that will fit directly into my 9 inch diameter/1.5L purging chamber
-Once most of the visible solvent has evaporated and the mixture is pretty thick then start whipping for at least 30 mins or until it changes its color/hue
-Place in vacuum chamber on 90F heating pad for a total of 72 hours, removing the oil every 12 hours to whip it (whip it good)
***help here as well - should I leave it on heat the entire time? Or just intermittent and if so, how long?
Dont need to winterize extracts unless fat is a known issue. Your proposed method isnt the most efficient in fat removal.
Making a badder that will then be made into carts might end up delicious but dark. Its always best to seperate thca from terps to perform a decarb to retain color and terpenes. Aka dont whip the whole batch if you want to go backwards (quickly and solvent free, atleast).
Nobody here can tell you what pressures to expect on your systems for your runs, all i can suggest is to go slow, smart and concise with moving gas. Pure butane is somewhere between 15 -35 psi, 70:30 can run a fair bit higher around 70-90psi. Ensure your system is rated for blends.
Everything else regarding holds versus flow through can be found here. Sounds like your system is small so id imagine you have a small solvent tank as well, kind of limits you to a soak.
Run times are strain and percent specific. All strains should be test run and ya got to weigh yield against asthetic.
Edit:
Your oven tech is really important. 90F is decent, id cure shatter en masse at that temp. Id go lower for really nice, wet fragrant sauce or live.
In terms of the badder - delicious but dark is okay for me. It’s all for personal use so I don’t care about the color if it tastes good and gets my raging ADD under control. I don’t have the ability to separate the thca from terps anyhow (I assume you’re talking about a centrifuge technique or using distillation?). I tried SPD last run but screwed it up and figured it was a bit too much for me since I only get one opportunity every 3-4 months (and I’m relying on my harvest for my stash).
The system can handle the pressures of a 70/30 blend - I’ve checked w/ manufaturer and also tried it using cans that were 50/30/20 (nbut/iso/prop) and it worked out fine.
I was thinking that as well in terms of being limited to a soak. I’m running a small (but not the smallest) personal use system - see it here
Any thoughts on purging? Mainly should I be using heat the entire time or should I just use intermittent heat?
Thank you so much for the help! I really do appreciate it.
Yeah - not my cup of tea. Can’t advise you on anything about that.
Purging should be done in a rated vac oven or in a rated environment, you can push more solvent out with higher vac with heat and vice versa. You can also use less heat and higher vac to preserve color at the cost of some lights.
With badders, its quite easy, your agitation is helping you a lot.
You can also turn temp up and high vac if youre going for shatter.
Ya i would prefer a close system but cost is always the limitation. I’m outside w/ out any flames or metal stuff (save for the extraction column) in the middle of a grass field. I wear my motorcycle protective gear w/ full face helmet. could be worse. could be better.
Wut? You’re missing some steps partner. You’re gonna have a bad time try to pull that little bit of oil on its own through a buchner.
Also that warm initial solvent pulls a lot of nasty stuff. I posted awhile back on how I used to open blast. I was able to pull nice golden slabs back in the day.
I agree closed loop systems are expensive but your life and the safety of those around you is priceless.
Don’t be unsafe and don’t risk the safety of yourself and those around you. Please save for a closed loop.
You’re gonna have a lot more fun and a much easier time. Plus!! Your solvent will last longer and less of a consumable.
Once upon a time, I used one of those, not a dewaxing one but a standard 90 gram column the 1" diameter one… I used it for like two years and learned to purge my oil and leaned about the flips.
Wasn’t bad but once I started being able to get bulk material about a qp to a #, I felt like a clown and a dangerous son of a bitch open blasting and invested in building a closed loop. I open blasted a qp twice in my life and I hated every fuckin’ second of it and was in absolute full panic mode.
The amount of solvent you will see in the open will scare you and if you’re getting a dewaxing column that’s gonna keep your solvent a freezing cold liquid for longer and I’m not saying you don’t know this already but if you don’t: Butane is more flammable when kept as a freezing cold liquid.
Keep yourself and those around you safe. Life is precious and priceless
if you’re using cold solvent you technically don’t need to dewax
also bvv is a total rip off edit: for some things.
… you might be able to find a used one cheaper but hfs vacuum ovens have been sworn by just like AI, Cascade (is a gold standard gajillion times better than AI and HFS) and Yamato.
Right. I feel like the open blasting part derailed this but let’s roll with it.
are you saying that I can’t properly purge without a vacuum oven/a vac oven is required? Or will whipping and a heating mat with vac chamber be okay?
l understand all the concerns about open blasting and appreciate all the well wishes and am taking it all into consideration. If I’m in the middle of the yard outside with no flame sources, is it still ragingly dangerous? How could it explode if I’m surrounded by grass and no fire? It seems like I’m missing something here?
It’s not a matter of “how could it” it’s a matter of if it does… if it does you’ll be severally burnt… or dead and nobody wants to see that happen to anyone… which is why you’re getting the backlash.
Nobody wants to see you hurt/dead.
It’ll be okay, usually 72-108hrs in vac chamber on a matt will purge it clean (to my knowledge, I’m not a reliable source) enough to be safe, even faster if you’re whipping it.
If you don’t care about color, you can purge open blasted crude in a dehydrator after doing an initial purge in a warm water bath, it takes about a week, but I’ve had success with it and pretty good results.
Vapor Cloud, you have no control over where it’s going when your blasting/open evaporating.
You’re blasting into a contained rated unit in a cls and you’re recovering into a rated tank; Which during the process there’s no open vapors being exposed to the atmosphere.
You’re going to have a puddle of freezing butane laden Cannabis oil and then what? You’re gonna need to change phases of that freezing liquid gas to a vapor to start evaporation of the extremely flammable solvent… So then you put your safe heat source which is a pre boiled pot of water at 100°f under what you extracted on to and you have a big vapor cloud going everywhere and if it finds a nice open electrical source…
The wind is a bitch and also part of the triangle of fire. Which is oxygen which helps fires grow stronger especially fires started by lpg.
Not saying don’t extract outdoors, much safer than indoors just another reason to go closed loop.
If I bought this system minus the extracting column and added 2 stainless steel hoses and a tank do you think that would work? I’m thinking I could fill it w/ cans, distill the solvent and then capture in the tank and then have my closed loop system for not too much $$.
Could I upgrade my 2" extractor that I have to something closed loop for around $500? My wife would go nuts if I spent more than that. I’m thinking i could just get a collection pot and some stainless steel hoses and a tank? Thank you so much for helping with this I REALLY appreciate it.
you’ll hit under 500$ with both choices I gave you and better than the bvv idea.
personally I would go with the 6x12 with a platter. much easier harvesting.
I would 100% ask @Killa12345 what he’d charge for a hemi lid before you go to the other sites
oh fuck yeah you’re gonna need reducers for your column so you’re gonna need two of these and the gaskets and clamps … then you’re gonna need the ports and shit…
it might hit 600-650 given the blue monster yellow tape, the torque wrench and the high pressure clamps and gaskets…
you might at most hit 600$
It’s all just tri-clamp parts Where you source them from is all up to you
