Tek Rosin Tek

[momofthegoons]

Are they plugging the straightener into a lamp dimmer? Those have rotary dials or slides to control power. Plugged into one of those would allow more granular control of heat, and they are pretty cheap iirc.

My understanding was that he was actually rewiring it. But this would certainly be a solution...

And lmfao at the Walmart sale press...... swear to God you can find anything there!

 

[Kellya86]

The fan speed controller works a treat...

I have a far broader spectrum of temps available to me now...
And I can go lower than I need to go...

And a question... how low can you go with the heat...
Can you theoretically eliminate heat altogether with enough pressure???

 

[momofthegoons]

And a question... how low can you go with the heat...

That is a real good question.

In the article I sited earlier in the thread, the temperature used with the modified straightener was 140 - 150 F. I would imagine you need some form of heat to melt the goodies out?

I'm a bit excited to hear that speed controller works.... I think I might have something I can use as well.... now where the fuck did I put it???

 

[Kellya86]

I would imagine you need some form of heat to melt the goodies out?

But under extreme conditions the laws of physics can get strange..
So water boils at room temp in a vacuum..
So under the immense pressure of a squish, maybe room temp plates would suffice.???
I don't know.. hope some one will chime in...

Anyway find your speed controller and squish a nug...
Iv been wearing a 25kg rucksack and kneeling on my straighteners will all my weight.
Im getting tasty low temp results with pleasing yields...

 

[momofthegoons]

I found my dimmer switch. It's one of those slide models and I had a hell of a time zeroing in a temp. I need to get a better one. However, I had a pretty successful squish considering. According to my IR gun the hair iron was around 170 and the product sort of reflects it in color. But I had had it with fucking around for my first squish and just wanted to get on with it after about 1/2 hour of fiddling with the damn thing. I only had natural parchment paper... not sure if that's the 'approved' thing to use?

 

[Kellya86]

I found my dimmer switch. It's one of those slide models and I had a hell of a time zeroing in a temp. I need to get a better one. However, I had a pretty successful squish considering. According to my IR gun the hair iron was around 170 and the product sort of reflects it in color. But I had had it with fucking around for my first squish and just wanted to get on with it after about 1/2 hour of fiddling with the damn thing. I only had natural parchment paper... not sure if that's the 'approved' thing to use?

Well you got results... different to mine for sure...
Iv not had that widespread splatter yet....
My very limited squishing knowledge would make me think that maybe you are using too much heat, and not enough squish...???
My plates are just about cool enough to touch for a second when I squish .... accuracy I know... no ir gun here....
My rosin comes out quite slow with little fizz...
How was it to vape...???
How did you vape it...???

As for the paper.. it seems to be the Achilles heel of rosin....
Vapefiend sell raw parchmant paper, purpose made for the job, so that must be ok...

Mine seems suitable enough..
Im using very little heat, and relatively little pressure...
It comes off the paper very clean and easy, if that means anything...
Id assume if the non stick coating had broken down at all, it would be less efficient, and it would stick...???
Im not too worried.....

Is ptfe sheet the answer.....???

 

[momofthegoons]

My very limited squishing knowledge would make me think that maybe you are using too much heat, and not enough squish...???

There's no doubt the temp was too high. I was impatient and couldn't wait any longer. I'll be a bit more thorough next time.
I squished for about 15 - 20 seconds so I think the time was long enough. I'm thinking the temp was the problem?

How was it to vape...???

It comes off the paper very clean and easy, if that means anything...

Mine also came off the paper easily. I was sort of surprised because I've tried this before and it was sticky/wet and didn't come off easily until a couple days later; like there was moisture in the rosin.

But the flavor suffered a bit. I dabbed it and it was a bit harsh. Not like other rosin I've had from the same method. So that sort of solidified that I had squished at too high a temp.

But fun stuff!

 

[Kellya86]

So what's the deal with the presquish...???
I presquish a little to just make it neat and keep it all together better..
Should I be proper squishing it to a flat..???

Also apparently a little heat first, without the squish, helps gett the juices flowing for a better yield on the squish...
Kind of like a primer draw on a conduction vape I suppose...

Anyway I'm having much fun with the squishing, and even more with the testing...

Im using very low temps and a long hard squish....
I can touch my plates without instant burns...

 

[momofthegoons]

So what's the deal with the presquish...???

That same article I've been quoting says to make your nug into a little puck prior to squishing. But it sounds like you are doing that as well as a short, warm squish to get everything ready to percolate.

I haven't had time to play around with it any more but I think I'll set some aside today and do more experimenting. That last squish of yours has me inspired. Looks mighty nice.

 

[Kellya86]

That same article I've been quoting

Was there a link iv missed somewhere???

My rosin does look a little darker than id like to see, but this is due to me using 8 month old, well cured og kush....
Can't wait to see what fresher does....

I actually have some 2 year old kush, and some 3 year amnesia I may try...
But iv read that fresher is better....

When I next harvest I will set aside 4oz to squish....
That gives me a couple months to sort a squish rig out....

 

[momofthegoons]

Was there a link iv missed somewhere???

Unfortunately, Skunk magazine doesn't publish their articles online. I'll see if I can snap some pics of it....

My rosin does look a little darker than id like to see

That last pic is the same color of the rosin I purchased from the maker I keep yammering on about. Okay.... I can see I need to dig up a few old photos and also see what I can do about that article.....

I'll be back.....

 

[Kellya86]

In thinking of buying this instead of making my rig.....

https://vapefiend.co.uk/pressie-heat-press

It can go as low as room temp and can achieve
1500psi..
@herbivore21 what you think...????

 

[momofthegoons]

@Kellya86 that looks like a nifty little gadget! That one even sparked my interest. Although it looks much more 'industrial and has it's own compressor, the size might be it's downfall.

I've taken pics of the article I keep mentioning. This extractionist grows veganically and his stuff was pure fire. Best I've had to date.

The money shot.....

Mind you... he's not doing his commercial squishing on a flat iron... he builds his own presses. But I've seen him do an amazing amount equal to the pic above with one when a press wasn't available.

 

[herbivore21]

My first main question is... how much pressure can I exert with a decent record vice, a scaffold pole, and some anger....???

You should be able to get ~2000 pounds of pressure into your vise in this way brother, perhaps more depending on the vise in question and how much of that day's newspaper you've read that morning

As my friend @Hogni says, sadly our buddy Joel doesn't make plates anymore due to changes in his own circumstances. A shame, he's a stand up guy and his products have stood the test of time IME.

Shame about the lack of availability for them plates.. Ill may make my own..
And I can't wait months, iv waited my whole life already....

I understand the relationship between force and suface area... so preferably I want as small as I can get away with...
With the vice method I could use a torque wrench to gauge my pressure as a reference point... But I image is just want as much as possible...
Cant have too much pressure right...???

Basically speaking, you're right here. A 1 ton vise used to press will allow you to press between .3-1g at a time. The lower end of this range should extract almost all, if not all of the rosin in one press. The bigger sized amounts of flower I mention will require 2 or 3 presses.

More pressure and bigger plates means you can press more at a time, within limits.

Last night I squished with straighteners again, This time I had them on the lowest setting and switched them off 30 secs before squish...
(Scientifically accurate I know, but I'm just playing right now..)

Anyway I got far better results this time, more glassy, and far more tasty....
But took far more effort....
The colour stays the same though, maybe this is more to do with the age of my herbs used..
Fresher = more light goldern...???

Excellent work man, it is amazing how good the results can be even when using a straightener in this way isn't it?! I started out pressing with a straightener and vise personally also :)

You are right, cured flower will give you darker rosin, but often, the darker rosin from cured flower tastes better than rosin from fresher flower. It will depend on the chemovar you are working with as to whether this is the case or not.

I had to really fucking squish with all my effort to get this... im at my limits of man power now...
Cant work out if my hand squeeze is more or less powerful, than my body weight....

Anyway im having much fun with this... should have done it ages ago, rather than piss about with solvents, waiting times, and purging...
Cant wait to get my squish rig built...

I have you @herbivore21 to thank for this....
Thanks mate.....

It is my great pleasure, my friend. It is reward enough for me to know that you're getting delicious solventless meds out of those wonderful flowers that you've worked so hard to have

My friends @momofthegoons and @Killick had a great idea suggesting using a dimmer to reduce the stable temp while the straightener is on

My very limited squishing knowledge would make me think that maybe you are using too much heat, and not enough squish...???

This is a good guess. @momofthegoons it is often the case that we use more heat and less pressure when manually trying to press nugs, since putting enough force on a straightener using our body weight alone to get good yields at lower temps is very challenging. The temp ranges I suggest above alongside those pressure measures should give you an idea of what we need. A clamp or vise can help get the requisite pressure, but of course, may also break the straightener. I've broken many myself in the past lol

There's no doubt the temp was too high. I was impatient and couldn't wait any longer. I'll be a bit more thorough next time.
I squished for about 15 - 20 seconds so I think the time was long enough. I'm thinking the temp was the problem?



Mine also came off the paper easily. I was sort of surprised because I've tried this before and it was sticky/wet and didn't come off easily until a couple days later; like there was moisture in the rosin.

But the flavor suffered a bit. I dabbed it and it was a bit harsh. Not like other rosin I've had from the same method. So that sort of solidified that I had squished at too high a temp.

But fun stuff!

Placing your collection on a cold surface can make it easier to remove from the parchment :)

We need to discuss parchment options more broadly too. I should say that I only recommend using a small handful of products made by Oil Slick for pressing. I have used RAW and the usual suspects for cooking parchment, as well as all of the Oil Slick offerings (not the new clear one).

In the past, the old style Oil Slick Slick Wrap product was great for rosin, the new version (with hydroguard, look for the large blue sticker on the box) is not safe to use with rosin, as a plastic layer was added to the product to protect meds stored inside it in high humidity environments (humidity could cause the parchment layer to delaminate into your meds). Now, the best Oil Slick product for pressing rosin is what they call Oil Slick 'Slick Paper'. Collecting rosin from this Slick Paper (as well as the old 'Slick Wrap' that was safe for pressing) is much easier than the other parchments out there, these really are the ultimate and I would never even countenance pressing without the respective Oil Slick parchment of my choice.

I use Oil Slicks' PTFE Slick Sheet for pressing rosin from hash (although I almost never press rosin from hash, as all of my hash is already dabbable and the rosin simply tastes inferior). I do not recommend PTFE for pressing nugs since deformation of the PTFE during the press could be a contamination risk. Nugs have a lot more pointy bits and require more pressure to rosin than hash does.

So what's the deal with the presquish...???
I presquish a little to just make it neat and keep it all together better..
Should I be proper squishing it to a flat..???

Also apparently a little heat first, without the squish, helps gett the juices flowing for a better yield on the squish...
Kind of like a primer draw on a conduction vape I suppose...

Anyway I'm having much fun with the squishing, and even more with the testing...

Im using very low temps and a long hard squish....
I can touch my plates without instant burns...

Pre-squishing can minimize the stress on your parchment imparted during the press that can cause blow-outs, also very important if you use screens to press.

Pre-squishing can also allow you to press larger amounts at a time and achieve better yields without your material ending up outside the plates.

I tend to squish very small amounts that I gently ball together in my hand, but with larger amounts, more diligent pre-squishing is important. When you are pressing very large amounts on a press larger than a vise, you really need to pre-squish your material to get it all to fit nicely.

Was there a link iv missed somewhere???

My rosin does look a little darker than id like to see, but this is due to me using 8 month old, well cured og kush....
Can't wait to see what fresher does....

I actually have some 2 year old kush, and some 3 year amnesia I may try...
But iv read that fresher is better....

When I next harvest I will set aside 4oz to squish....
That gives me a couple months to sort a squish rig out....

Don't worry about the darkness or lightness of your rosin. If your flower is cured, that darker rosin could be better than lighter rosin. I assure you, I've had full melt from long cured flower that looks as dark as some people's reclaim that tastes better than any pale oil I've ever dabbed.

Cured resin is IMO the reason why dark oil should not be dismissed out of hand. I prefer cured resin 90% of the time.

I look forward to seeing what you end up getting for a rig!

In thinking of buying this instead of making my rig.....

https://vapefiend.co.uk/pressie-heat-press

It can go as low as room temp and can achieve
1500psi..
@herbivore21 what you think...????

That press will allow you to do single nug presses similarly to what a vise press would allow. It is difficult to know how much pressure it can bring to bear on your nugs, since they only give a PSI measurement, and it is not clear whether they measured that by multiplying the total pressure able to be applied by the pneumatic press by the surface area of the plates, or of some hypothetical nug (PSI MUST BE MEASURED 'AT THE WORK', what I mean is that the plate surface area is not what you need to know to determine your PSI, rather, you need to use the surface area of your pre-squished nug).

Regardless, I would not expect that unit to allow presses beyond 1g at a time or so. A DIY vise press will achieve the same and a hydraulic press design with ready to order plates will far surpass what this one can do in terms of quantity. It depends on how much you want to press at a time really, if you want something ready made that can press up to 1g of flower at a time, this should work well :)

 

[Kellya86]

Thanks for the lengthy reply...
You have assured me that I'm on the right track here....
And gave some good info...
Nice to know that dark rosin isnt inferior....
I was just expecting the bright yellow oooz that I see in pics....

I'm really torn now, between buying the pressie, or just buying some ready made plates to fit in my huge record vice...???

Would you happen to have a link for some good plates..???
I looked at some but they only went down to 150c...too high still I think...

I only ever want to press a gram a time....
Im not going industrial....
I would like to save money as I'm still recovering from my american adventure...
So if ready made plates are cheaper, and can produce just as good rosin as the pressure would, then id be up for that...

On a funny note... I send a friend pictures of my squishing efforts, (the ones I posted here)...
And he sent this back...

At least he tried right.....
And I did tell him to use parchment paper...
He just decided he knew best...

 

[Pyr0]

what on earth???
I just posted the above ^, but it posted under a different account name

 

[momofthegoons]

what on earth???
I just posted the above ^, but it posted under a different account name

I've alerted @OldOyler to this.... I cannot imagine wtf......

 

[Kellya86]

what on earth???
I just posted the above ^, but it posted under a different account name

That's mental......
You could of at least given away all his grinders while you were briefly @InterplanetaryTanner...

As for the press, thanks for the info there.
I'm happy they are making improvements.
I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be buying one when they do come in...

Looks about perfect for what I want...
Self contained, small, large temp range, and enough pressure...

 

[Pyr0]

yeah it might be my best option as I don't have the room or desk space to be bolting a huge press down

 

[InterplanetaryTanner]

Thanks for doing my job for the day, @Pyr0!

As long as I'm here I might as well let you guys know we dropped a new press yesterday: https://www.interplanetarydevelopment.com/products/push-press

We also had some manufacturing issues on the aesthetic side, so the small first batch we've receive, we have on sale for 50% off! And that discount stacks with promo codes!

P.S. Thanks for not giving away all our products!