Micro/sugar crystals Vs. Boulders

Hello all, an early thank you to all those who assist me in my future endeavors.

I’ve been extracting for almost 3 years now and everything has been getting better and better for myself. Throughout the 3 years of extracting I have learned to make a variety of BHOs including, but not limited to: shatter, crumble, badder, HTFSE, HCFSE and have had great success with all of the above.

Just a little background here:
I started off with an open system extraction method then moved onto a closed-loop extractor. I’ve owned my closed loop for about a full year now and absolutely love it. It took me about 6 months to feel well-versed with my closed-loop system along with a ton of forum reading. I should also state I took a university level general chemistry course which also helped a lot with understanding terminology and legitimately understanding the science behind extractions. With that being said please do not “dumb down” any terms or processes that might help me in the future.

If needed I can provide more pictures of my product.

The reason why I’m posting here is because I’m really looking to make boulder like crystals. I’ve had great success making crystals, but every time I have an end product of micro/sugar crystals.


These may look like boulders… but really they’re just micro crystals compacted together from being jarred. Once the slightest amount of pressure is applied they break into what I call micro crystals
What I’m looking to get out of this is to achieve boulder like crystals as the ones below
I will upload some pictures of the product I have jarred in my oven soon

I should state again that I use material I believe is worthy enough to make crystals out of. I truly believe if you’re making product that’s high-end it should be made only with top-dollar material from the beginning. My lower quality material I make into slabs.

I ALWAYS DISTILL MY SOLVENT TO ENSURE THERE ARE NO MYSTERY OILS IN MY EXTRACTS

I am currently using n-butane and have a 2lb closed-loop system.
Here is some info in regards to my extraction method:

  1. Deep freeze material (most of the time I’m using dry-cured instead of fresh-frozen) and chill butane. (Both being chilled with dry ice)
  2. Assemble collection chamber including ball valve, set collection chamber in dry ice and pull vacuum (the collection chamber is of course sitting in dry ice up to where my insight screen are)
  3. Fill dewaxxing sleeve on material column with pellets of dry ice.
  4. Once material column has achieved optimal temperatures I start packing material
  5. Attached material column onto the system and open ball valve. (I pull a vacuum on the collection chamber prior to filling the material column that way when I’m done filling material column I can attach to my system open the ball valve and instantly have my material column in a vacuum to ensure no moisture is in my system.)
  6. I let the vacuum pump rub until my system is at approximately -30inHg
  7. Once my butane is at optimal temperatures I start my extraction. I close my ball valve and run my solvent through for the first wash, then a second wash, then a third wash. (I allow my solvent to saturate the matieral for about 5 minutes until I open the ball valve for each wash) I use about a total of 5lbs of solvent for 2lbs if material… (I know many people use 5lbs of solvent per lb, but with my experimenting, studies, and research it has little to no affect on the yield)
  8. Once all my solvent it out of the system I close the ball valve, remove my material column and pull the collection chamber out of the dry ice.
  9. I set my recovery tank in dry ice 15 minutes prior to recovery. I attach the collection chamber to my recovery tank and set the collection chamber in a warm water bath (approximately 85-95F) and start recovering.
  10. Once there’s is about 1-2lbs of solvent left in my solution I disassemble my system and pour my solution into preheated and precleaned 4oz mason jars

… now onto the actually crystallization

  1. I fill each jar about 2/3 to 3/4 full of the solution and cap them
  2. I let them sit for 3-4 days without burping or agitating what so ever. (At this point a small amount of precipitation has occurred)
  3. Onto the 5th day I burp them once and set them into my vacuum oven at approximately 85-95F (I HAVE NOT PULLED A VACUUM AT THIS POINT) they sit at ATM in the oven for 4-5 days.
  4. At this point they have been jarred for about 8-9 days and there is a good layer of crystals already formed on the bottom of the jar. I burp them once more and set them back into the oven and pull a vac (WITH THEM CAPPED STILL) and let them sit for another 3-4 days
  5. After this period I start to burp them once a day
  6. Once I believe precipitation is no longer occurring (on average after 2.5 to 3 weeks) I uncap them and pull vac to -28inHg. I repeat this 2-3 times per day for 2-3 days.

Now… that is as far as I’ve gotten with my extraction method and have been reading more and more everyday to achieve these boulder like crystals. I’ve come to the conclusion that the extractors behind these boulders are separating the HTFSE from HCFSE then redissolved their HCFSE in hexane or pentane then recrystallizing.

I’m looking for advice as to if here is a process that involves no redissolving to achieve these boulder like crystals. If not, should I use hexane or pentane to redissolve my crystals? After redissolved my crystals do I use my same method of jarring them after redissolving?

Once again, a huge thank you to everybody who educates me more on these boulders!

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One thread over homeboy…no hexane or other solvents needed…

Just follow the otss…if ur getting sugar ur not jarring enough explosive solvent w the oil!

LMAO! Right! A diamond miner probably safer! Right

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Actually I’ve done an expierment where I took the same material under the same exact conditions (temp and vac) making the independent variable my solvent. One jar super saturated, one jar semi-saturated, and another jar barley saturated and I did see different outcomes, but still not the kind of boulders I’m seeing on social media. With that being said it is not the amount of solvent I am keeping in my solution.

In regards to your comment on the explosive liquid… there are many people who use the mason jar technique and have never had anything go wrong. I have been using this technique and have produced a lot of HTFSE and HCFSE doing so.

Even if for some reason the cap would fail, mason jars are designed to unscrew before the cap would give out. The worst that can happen if it is sitting in your vacuum oven is the inside of your oven getting messy with your oil.

Thank you for your input on the next post over though!

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u asked how to get boudlers w out all those solvents…ok well that’s how most of us do it…

I’m an avid mason jar user…if I want Boulders I leave more solvent, it slows the evap down tremdously, but also builds pressure that I’ve seen shoot lids off … A cold crash before sealing to PREgather thcA on bottom helps to get bigger stones too but not necessary

I just didn’t wanna be the one that told u to add more solvent and then u blow a jar bc adding way to much…this the diamond miner comment…

Scroll through that thread…I can promise u though… If your getting sugar, u don’t have enough solvent present at time of seal…

Edit. I was just trying to point you in the right direction like I was… Your so close!!!

Sugar equals lil to no solvent at time of seal

Boulders equals more solvent…unless ur like some the guys w the secrets that don’t need to jar all that SOLVENT… But as for the rest of us that’s how it’s done

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Can you show me some pictures of what your boulders are looking like? When I say I left the solution super saturated, I literally mean sketchy saturated.

I’m really looking for diamonds with clarity to them like the ones below

As to your mason jars… the lid it self legit had a tear through it from the pressure? What I’m saying is I’ve legit never seen myself or read of somebodies mason jar lid busting open. It’s always been just leakage or the screw coming undone

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Yeah I’ve shot the lid right through the screw band!

It’s not safe …

I get facets but those are super super defined…

Probably the other solvents I would imagine…

But as for that clear, yes maybe even more clear! And most facets yes

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2 months ago someone Mason jar (glass jar, not the lid) exploded in a wood box they used.

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Yeah, if your not worried about your lid blowing off the your definitely not leaving enough solvent in your juice.

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Have blown lids, shredded rings, and have had not enough solvent as well… it took many practice runs over and over before I ever got what I was looking for!

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That truly is mind boggling… there had to be some factor to the glass busting other than pressure. I always use brand new 4oz mason jars for my runs and have never ever had an issue.

I’ll keep my solution even more satured than before next time and see how the outcome is, but I’ve had some batches with a shit ton of solvent in them. The lid to the mason jars almost always pop up and make an indent, but have never ever failed on me.

Ueah

When you “etch” the glass, your compromising the structural integrity of it

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I personally have never made an “etch” in the mason jars for that exact reason

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I picked out the bigger ones left… They were all this size mainly but they was quiet few 5x that size…

Is this clear enough and faceted sides enough! Once they get bigger they get defined more

They covered in terps only reason tinted yellow…

The center one was only one the wasn’t swimming in terps when I grabbed… They would drain right off

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@Demontrich @BG305 out of curious have either of you tried the process below?

  1. Separate HTFSE from HCFSE
  2. Redissolve HCFSE in another hydrocarbon solvent (pentane or hexane)
  3. Recrystallize using jar method
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@StoneD That’s the exact product I’m looking to make.

When you’re jarring what’s your solutions viscosity looking like? Oil like, syrup like, water like, or should be it similar to the solvent you are using?

EDIT:
I should also ask, how are you removing those nice facets from your jar?

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I wish!

I dont blast…yet

I do ethanol washes, soon to be running spd.

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Here key tip I figured out…
Everyone says smaller taller jars … they make solid Crystallize piece on bottom hard to get out,I’ve heard only!..I like wide and thin(I’m playing w tall thin jars now, I may like better but I think I’m gonna run into stuck to sides)… The wider thinner ,It let’s terps get under the stones somehow and slides right out with a spoon, probably bc not solid layer Crystall where no terps are…

Btw it’s very thin at seal, almost water thin but not… It’s the trick sealing at right level and knowing when to burp and when not to burp…
More of an art…

Move over couple threads and read read read read read read…u have a ton to do!

I use quart wide mouths and it barely comes up inch off the bottom when done,…

Btw always wear ppe and good luck!

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About how much do you fill the quart wide mouth with your solution? Also, when you say “btw it’s very thin at the seal” and “always wear ppv” what do you mean by that?

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Ppe typo personal protective equipment

Gonna be hard to compare apples to apples, as I may blast a different amount solvent,or have more oil or less in it…

RECOVER or let evap 90% initial amount, pour into jars… Follow 1/3rd rule from there… Read over otss like we all did!!! It’ll help!!!

Btw I don’t know if the op ever intended on having full jars after was all done… That the oil only comes to 1/3rd mark oil in end… So when u pour into jars it’s really saturated

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Have not tried that procedure yet. I just blast cold then jar and burp depending on what the lid looks like. If it’s bowed out big I do twice a day. This is what I left behind looks like.

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