Squisher Squad Assemble!

[Somatek]

Who else squishes their buds to get that gorgeous rosin dripping off your plates?  What’s your process, what temp and pressure do you like?  Do you squish more flowers or squash more hash patties?  Any tips, tricks or opinions to share?  Most importantly, lets see those set ups and how they’re designed for a good work flow.  This is an older pic but I should be rushing out the door, not posting about another passion my ADHD brain has picked up along the way.  I’ll post a current pic soon though, gotta flex the new slaps I’ve added since this pic was snapped.

[Atom]

I squish but my press definitely isn’t this nice. Mostly hash but on occasion I do flower. My cheap press just isn’t great for flower but it does decent for hash. I’ll get some pictures next time I bust it out

[Somatek]

Not sure why my reply didn’t post yesterday, the sites a bit glitchy on my computator lol.  Can’t wait to see it, equipment definitely plays a part but then again I’ve seen some great rosin from hair straighteners.  In the end like most growing you use what you got, while dreaming of that perfect set up.

[Atom]

Definitely. I just keep upgrading when I can afford too. I’d love a NS XP but for now this work fine. I’d get better yields I’m sure but I’m not pressing a terrible amounts. Lately it’s been only throw away hash basically for gummies. Old trim and whatever from fellow growers

[Brad104]

<p style=”text-align: right;”>Wouldn’t it be nice if we were Rich 🤑💰@somatek Hell I’d b happy to be considered middle class ha ha but like you said we can dream bro</p>

[Somatek]

In a sadistic way the forced poverty social supports imposes on people in need has actually brought me more peace in life then when I was growing under prohibition and didn’t think twice about money.  Age I’m sure also plays a part of it, rarely are 20 year olds settled and stable in life as it’s meant for partying and having fun while exploring the world as an newly minted adult.  The bigger part was learning to prioritize my needs vs wants and not being able to distract myself with new toys or going out and really understanding that connection is the only relevant thing, despite how shiny consumerism is.  Being rich would be lovely don’t get me wrong but quite honestly I’d much rather see our inadequate social supports (OW, ODSP, OAS, etc) replaced with a universal basic income, which could be simply based on creating a negative tax bracket which means CRA handles it all and saves a huge chunk of money to mitigate the added cost.  Not to mention creating an opportunity to update the tax code in general to cover internet businesses so companies like netflix and amazon contribute their fair share instead of exploiting loop holes to save billions.  That’s my inner anarchist coming out though lol, I’ve never conformed to social standards and my favourite quote has always been “to a monster the norm must be monstrous” as it perfectly captures my experience.

[Somatek]

I’ve been using old trim and outdoors to test my bubble machine, to be honest I have really squished any bud in the last 6 months or more as I’ve been too busy with other things.

With rapidly changing tech like LED’s or rosin presses a couple years ago, incremental change makes the most sense unless you have money to burn.

[Atom]

Hey its all good man. I look forward to seeing some presses in the future 🤘

[Keith]

Now that’s a squisher.  Me and a buddy through down on a nug smasher a bunch of years ago.  I was selling pot at the time and would sometimes get in stuff that just didn’t look good enough to get sell, so we would smash it.  I was very disappointed with the nug smasher and could tell very quickly that we could’ve taken the money and put together a much larger one for ourselves.  It was literally a bottle jack with 2 heated plates in a metal housing.  It was tiny.  You can’t squish a lb of bud 1/8 at a time.  It worked fine for that and we got hella fried, but I was never able to achieve any sorta volume with it.  Basically just enough for 2 dudes to smoke.  Now a days I don’t smoke dabs anymore.  It gets my tolerance too high and pot ends up doing nothing for me.  Once you start them it seems you gotta keep smoking them.  If I had a perfect way to do it, maybe I would just smash everything though.

[Somatek]

I’ve been happy with my CannaPlates, the customer service is superlative and the price was reasonable.  I usually squish 14g at a time with my 3×5 plates which is enough for a home growers, although their 10×4 caged plates are just too sexy and would be ideal for squishing volume.  I’ve used the smaller nugsmasher at it’s definitely paying for convenience at the cost of quality, even simply having a pressure gauge makes a big difference.

Your comments about dabs and tolerance is exactly why I don’t smoke them often, just for special occasions really or sampling new varieties.  There’s lots of research that shows the endocannabinoid system is very homeostatic, so the more we smoke (especially high THC products like dabs), the less responsive we become to THC.  Which is the current working theory about CHS, cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, which seems to be caused by an imbalance in the endocannabinoid system which affects the TRVP1 receptors in our digestive tract causing the issues with chronic vomiting that’s relieved by hot showers.

[Keith]

You mean when you stop smoking or bc you’re smoking.  I know I won’t eat well or sleep well for a few days after stopping smoking dabs for an extended period.  It totally killed it for me.  It would be cool for discussion occasions though.  I’m still not weed rich yet.  The first 2 plants I grew ran out about a week ago.  Someday I’d like to think I’ll have so much great stuff going on I’ll want to get back into smashing bud.

[Somatek]

CHS is likely caused by continuous, excessive use of high THC/low CBD concentrates like shatter or rosin.  The only prescribed cure is to stop using pot entirely for awhile.  At the end of the day the research is showing that pot is like everything else, used in moderation it’s safe, harmless and non addictive but used in excess it can cause problems but because of the biased research during prohibition we really don’t know the risk/benefit analysis at this point as the science is still developing.

[Atom]

I’ve heard of this bit lucky never experienced it and hopefully never will. I think this is reserved for the gram a day folks

[Somatek]

There’s a myth floating around that CHS is caused by neem oil poisoning but that’s been roundly rejected by any professional in health care.  It’s a false assumption based off anecdotal evidence.  It’s a rare condition, seen more often in places like Cali or Colorado after legalization and the increased availability of high potency concentrate at low costs.

A core value I carry is being aware of the risk of any activity so you can make informed decisions around risk/benefit instead of realising after you hurt yourself.  Shibari is another hobby of mine, which is a R.A.C.K. (risk aware consensual kink) where even if done properly you can cause nerve damage as everyone’s different so being aware of the risk and understanding how to check for signs of nerve compression, checking in with your partner often, clear communications and boundaries are essential.  Shibari isn’t necessarily sexual, many participants are more interested in the meditative, physical challange, aesthetic aspect of the art.  Pot and drugs in general are no different, it’s up to the individual to be aware and take responsibility for their own safety as in the end we all have to live with the consequences of our own actions.

[Atom]

I’m a daily dabber and certainly understand the whole ruining flower experience thing. It’s definitely not a permanent thing, if you stop or cut back you can still enjoy flower. I smoke about a gram a week, sometimes more or less depending on my pain levels and if I have company. I used to smoke 2 grams or more a week and like you guys mentioned, flower lost its luster. I doubt I’ll ever stop dabbing completely, you can’t beat the convenience, not always do I have time to smoke a joint. Then there’s just the flavor of live resins and rosin. There’s something like 40% terps lost during the drying process and live resin or FF hash can capture them.

[Somatek]

You hit the nail on the head, with a conscious understanding of tolerance and pain management any product can be used responsibly.  I smoke more then a 1g of rosin per week as flower, in the end my cannabinoid saturation level is probably higher but neither of us is getting close to what’s assumed to be the dangerous level.  When you see people smoking 5+g dabs or hitting dabs/vape pens all day every day burning through multiple grams that’s a different story.

I use to smoke over a half ounce plus of high potency (probably 20-25% THC) bud a day, every day when I grew under prohibition to manage my undiagnosed ADHD and the paranoia of getting busted.  At that level you never feel stoned, the saturation level is so high you’re just level or paranoid.  So I have no doubt that excess consumption not only wastes money, puts yourself at risk but more then anything limits your actual enjoyment of the blessed Herb.  Less is more is a good rule to live by with pot or most drugs for that matter.

[Brad104]

That’s a good setup you have there @somatek

[NoWorryLeaf]

I am planning to kinda build a DIY – they are very expensive in South Africa. Any tips

[Atom]

My first press was a hair straightener. It worked but had a learning curve. I had no way of telling the temps so was a bit of trail and error. Once I figured it out, I actually got some pretty decent stuff.

The press I use is pretty cheap but it’s also pretty cheap lol. I have to say I would definitely recommend something better if you can afford. You can’t get stuff shipped in from other countries?

[Keith]

2 hot plates and a bench vice would work just fine.  All you really need is the hot plates and from there upper just need something to press

[Somatek]

So it really depends on what you have available or can make.  My set up is simply two 3×5″ plates made of 6061 T6 aluminum with holes bored in one of the short sides for heating elements which run the length of the plates and a second hole bored on the lower plate for the heat probe which is connected to the PID temperature controller that controls the heating elements.  You need to program the PID controller with the right variables as well.   The top is machined with a recess for the hydraulic ram with two threaded screws which hold it in place.  I bought those from a Canadian manufacturer as a kit with everything ready to go.  I just had to buy a bench press with a pressure gauge to complete the set up, which of course I painted to remove all branding as who wants to taint their product with marketing from non-pot companies?

A common DiY design uses a bottle jack in a welded frame but I’d advise against that as if the welds fail all that pressure explodes, at max pressure for a 3×5″ plate we’re looking at 5-6 tons of pressure which uncontrolled is enough to cause serious harm.  Pots suppose to be medicine and not a source of injury, always be responsible.

Which is why I like the shop press design even if they’re a bit bigger as I’d rather be safe, especially as I’m usually dabbing while squishing lol.  A more modern design though are caged plates where the two heated plates are attached to bigger steel plates behind them with springs/bolts in the corners that keep the plates separate unless under pressure.  It’s an easier work flow if using the same press to pre-press your flower before squishing.

I don’t have much more specific info then that as I’ve never built a rosin press since I don’t have access to what I’d need, I imagine you could find a metal shop to fabricate a couple plates for you and then the rest of it can be ordered online.  As always I’m happy to answer any other questions you may have.

[NoWorryLeaf]

Going for the hair straightner – might add a vice to it. LOL

[Atom]

You won’t necessarily need one. They get really hot, probably hotter than should be pressing. I don’t really know how hot mine got but it was hot enough to burn you I’d you touch it. It’s been long time but if I remember it was 10 second presses. I just uses my body weight to press down with a hot pad for stove so I didn’t get burnt. I’m sure every one is different trail and error you’ll get it

[Somatek]

That makes the most sense until you know how much you like rosin and if it’s worth investing in a bigger set up.  I used friends presses for awhile before I could justify investing in a proper press, especially if you’re still a beginner it makes sense to focus on getting the grow properly set up first before looking at peripherals to process crops.

[Atom]

I mostly did it because that’s what I had available. This was about 10 years ago, we pressed buds more than anything. I did start taking my old bags that the sides got ruined, I cut them out and just wrapped that around a gram or so. Sometimes it would blow out, but surprisingly it worked pretty good.

I’ve come along way since then. I might not have the best most expensive equipment but I make due with what I have and am great full to have it.

[Somatek]

That’s a great attitude. Only an unskilled tradesman blames his tools, a skilled one knows how to work with the tools they have to get the results they want.

[Atom]

Someday I’ll have my dream set up when life permits. You cant force it just gotta follow the flow, make things happen the best you can. I’ve found things work out in the end, you just gotta keep moving forward one step at a time. 🤘

[Somatek]

My dream set up’s definitely changed over the years and I’m sure will keep changing as the market evolves.  I already notice I mostly grow longer flowering, lighter, more stimulating varieties as the market is saturated with sedative ones.

[Cannabliss]

I don’t have a press yet, but when I do.. I’ll be back here to form like Voltron lol 🔥🤘🏼

[Somatek]

Gotta give you a thumbs up for the Voltron reference, what else do you need in life other then giant fighting robots and something good to toke?  When you decide to start shopping be sure to share what options you’re looking at, there’s a lot out there and it’s always good getting first hand reviews about the product/companies.

[Atom]

Here’s a little test I’ve done of my FF. I’m learning still and it’s quite a bit different than cured ir dried runs. Very sticky and hard to work with and also hard to dry out. This stuff is a touch wet, it didn’t sizzle when I pressed but it does slightly during heat up. The taste is outstanding. My mind is blown at how long the taste lingers in your mouth, I’m calling it cruch berry live rosin because it taste like exactly that. 🤘😁🤘

[Somatek]

Fresh Frozen bud is very different to run, for clarity did you wash the FF to make live bubble hash then press that or are you saying to pressed FF directly?  Which would be impressive if you got that colour from fresh plant matter.

Once the DiY bubble machine is done the next project is figuring out the easiest way to modify it into a freeze dryer so I can explore both cryo curing as well as properly drying bubble hash quickly before pressing it, especially for live FF as the taste really is exceptional and the closest you can get to the growing plants terp profile.

[Atom]

I made hash first, you can’t press fresh buds the moisture will boil away the thc and make a huge mess. Drying the FF hash is hard because it contains alot it oils that will seal in water and will also boil your hash if you don’t get the majority of it out. The best way from what I gather is to run your hash, then freeze it and micro plane. Other than of course freeze dry. I. Cant afford one as there about 5k. I will definitely be more prepared next time, it’s a learning process

[Somatek]

I was confused by your first post mentioning ” it didn’t sizzle when I pressed but it does slightly during heat up” as I wasn’t sure what you were referencing as I know FF is usually washed to bubble, dried and then pressed since you’d have too much chlorophyll come out if pressed directly as well as the moisture issue.

Making a cheap DiY freeze dryer is my next project once the bubble machine is done.  It might be as simple as buying another 5gal stock pot, a smaller one to fit inside it and a third for the drying chamber and then the vacuum sealed lids and pump.  It should only cost a couple hundred and have a 2-3gal capacity which would be enough to process small crops at a time.  Always more projects then time or money though lol

[Atom]

I’ve definitely tried a fresh bud, but never frozen actually I just assumed results would be the same. The hash just has a bit of moisture, I’ll figure it out as I go I’m not real worried if I f some up. I’m all about running tests and experiments. I read the stuff first but then I just go for it. Try out different ways till I learn. I want the experience of fing it up, and the confidence that comes with it.

[Atom]

I can try a fresh frozen bud in the name of science if you want lol

[Somatek]

I mean, I’d never get in the way of science but I’d also hate to see a good bud wasted as we know it’s gonna be a mess with too much moisture and too much chlorophyll to leach out which is the perfect recipe for poop soup lol.

I appreciate the attitude though as too many people just take what they read as truth and never bother testing/comparing it for themselves.  Growers should inherently be hobby scientists in my opinion since the laws restrict proper science from being done in most places.  Especially with the amount of bro science out there based on anecdotes and tradition despite how they contradict basic botany/horticulture.  Considering rosin pressing was discovered by accident, there’s really no better example of the value of experimenting and trying different things.

[Atom]

Couldn’t agree more. I try to encourage experimental things as much as possible. Debunk the stuff your self and then you know without a doubt, or mabie you prove them right too. Experience and experiment are two words close together for a reason.

[Somatek]

Truers words were never spoken, especially considering how marketing heavy growing is with a new “must have” product seeming to pop up every week.  That’s why I always say to take what I say with a grain of salt as my opinion is based as much off as anecdote and personal bias as anyones.

[Atom]

Well it took me a bit longer that I first mentioned, I’m learning this FF and it wasn’t quite dry enough but here it is. Now don’t laugh at my little PP( pollen press) it’s what I could afford. 

[Atom]

2×3 plates. 

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[Somatek]

Some people buy tools/toys for the praise/validation, other people buy tools to use as part of their craft.  You’re clearly developing your skills which are much more important then whatever tool you’re using.  The colour you’re pulling is far more important then what it was pressed on, beautiful work and thanks for sharing.

[Atom]

Thanks. I really am trying to get premo quality as I’m a connoisseur of sorts I guess you could say. This is my first go at this fresh frozen and will only get better.

[Somatek]

Rosin is definitely as much art as science, you really need to pay attention as you press and how that bud/hash is squishing or else you’re much more likely to get blow outs or over pressed bud with chlorophyll/waxs/etc leaching out.  I’m still very much learning myself which is why I appreciate you sharing the pics/experience.  I’ve processed FF only a couple times with mixed results, so I’m very much at the beginning of the learning curve as well.

[Atom]

Absolutely. I think this little press may actually be at an advantage in the pressure department,being just a simple leaver. I feel the hash start to fill the bags in. Then gradually give it more and more. If it stops moving ease up a little till it feels soft again. Once I saw flow I started ramping up till it plates just barley closed. Then I did a 2nd press with much more pressure.

I got extremely ballsy and actually pushed the limits more than I have with this press. I went in a limb and tried pressing 7g at once. The result were excellent. Having a good ol time 😁

[Somatek]

I imagine it’s similar to my buddies nugsmasher in terms of use; relatively easy to use as it’s much harder to jack the pressure up too high, too quickly and cause blow outs.

What temps do you press flower and hash at and for how long?

For flower I use 82.5C and slowly ramp the pressure up to 5 tons over a couple mins with 30sec to a min at full pressure keeping an eye on the rosin flow.  I appreciate having the pressure gauge as once I find the right times for pressing a batch I can easily replicate it without having to guess about the pressure.  Although I imagine if you’re using it often you’d get a feel, borrowing my friends and also using one of the wheel crank designs (horrible machines) made it confusing seeing widely different results when the times were the same.

I actually laughed at the last comment as it reminded me of a friend back in Guelph.  Every time he’d come press it was more and more, first time was like 7g of hash, then it was just under 14, last time was right around an ounce of hash that gushed streams.  Also apparently out the back as I found a couple grams of rosin that had leaked down the back of the plate lol.

[Atom]

Heres a 3 gram press. Yeild was 2.26

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[Somatek]

A neighbour dropped off a jar of outdoor his new boss gave him and asked me to squish it for him.  It looks like outdoor, early harvested and I’m guessing OG Kush related based on the lemon/earthy/acrid smell.  The first step is letting the press adjust to the new place/new ambient conditions by letting it run for awhile to figure out how to hold the temps in the right range.  The PID controller is constantly looking at the output intensity and duration compared to the temp swings to figure out how to keep it at the right point.  It’s still swinging a bit as the new place is cooler then my old house, once it settles in a steady rythm with the amps kicking in regularly to the same amount (currently swinging between 0-43% max amps) the beast will be ready to smash up some more pretty flowers for that golden nectar.

[Brad104]

Hey @atom you say you are just starting at this art hell 2.26 pull from 3 gms hell you are a Picasso bro pookie in new jack city couldn’t pull that much crack out of an 8 ball ha 😅🤣😅😹😂😅🤣😅😹😂😅🤣😅😹😂😅🤣😅 you are a beast bro and I would like to have the machine you have although I couldn’t produce anything I would give it the old college try Right 👍

[Somatek]

That’s a 75.3% return which is definitely solid as bubble hash usually yields anywhere from 60-80% on average (down to as low as 40% for really low quality bubble), but it’s within the expected yields.  Especially for FF as people tend to run it gently and not beat the hell out of it since the goal is quality not quantity.

[Atom]

I was messing with it more tonight. I got as high as 77% yeild. This stuff is so good you guys I can’t stress how much I’m blown away. The amazing colors are from early harvest. I didn’t scope it but if I had to guess I’d say it was 50% milk

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[Somatek]

The taste of FF is always superb and really can’t be matched.  I’ve never really gotten into the ghost rosin and looking for that pale/creamy look as I find the high short lived compared to a later harvest and more gold rosin like Frenchy Cannoli pushed with his aged temple balls.

That light golden cream colour is something to be proud of, lots of people would give their left nut/tit for a squish that looks that tasty.  Especially hitting 77% yield without a pressure gauge, well done indeed.

[Atom]

I have been washing for over 10 years, rosin for about 5 or so. But this is my first go at fresh frozen. I’m learning alot and I’m loving it. It’s something fresh and exciting and not to mention absolutely delicious. You could do it I have no doubts. The press was fairly cheap about 220 if I remember right. It may be more with every thing that’s going on. I definitely would never advise this press for flowers.

When I’m pressing this hash it’s hardly enough to come together. I quickly learned it’s not the same as regular hash. It will squish out the seems of the bag. I could see little specks of it. I also double bagged it and that made world’s difference. It’s crystal clear now, just wow you guys.. wow

[Somatek]

What micron bags are you using?  I find as long as I don’t ramp the pressure up too quickly I can usually get clear rosin with one 25mic bag although it really depends on the material.

[Atom]

I’m using 37 mic press club 2×9. I’m Basically folding them 3 times then I cut the bag. Then I flip the cut piece so the stitches aren’t on the same side. Then cram it in remaining bag piece that I cut, fold er up and press.

[Somatek]

That’s a smart use of your cut offs when a lot of people just toss them and use 2 bags.

I’ve tried a couple different bags but always come back to the cannaplates bags as it just makes more sense having the seam running down the center of the bag on top instead of on a side like every other bag so less rosin gets trapped in them.

[Atom]

I’m all about trying to not waste stuff. I’m a semi homesteader I guess you could say, so I tend to save everything I can. I’m very resourceful and will find a use for things somewhere

[Somatek]

That’s my mentality, although stuck in the city I’m limited but I do want to get my bokashi buckets/worm composting going again as it’s wonderful turning all the kitchen scraps into beautiful soil. which is why I’ve really considered using metal screens for pressing to try and cut out a single use product.

[Atom]

Ive seen those and press club says I could wash these ane reuse but I don’t think I Wana go that far. I saved all my bags for the neighbor who likes to make tea. These FF hash chips gana peal his wig lol

[Somatek]

I just wouldn’t trust the micron size on a second squish if bags were re-used.  So they get set aside for whoever wants to make some deadly edibles as used pucks tend to make nice butter with all the residue left in them.

[Atom]

So terpy. I pressed every bag at 185 but these ones in particular were runny with terps.

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[Somatek]

Looks like a barrel of monkeys worth of fun to collect lol…

[Atom]

It was a pain. I had to put it in freezer and still that didn’t workout. I used an old metal serving tray made from stainless. Basically made a cold plate. Then when it gets too cold it’s like shatter. Was a fine line between frozen and room temperature to get it to collect.

[Somatek]

I had a nice little slab of marble that was perfect for helping with collection.  I prefer stone over metal as I find it holds the cold temps longer.  The rosin collector HMK made for me also really helps with saucy rosin that’s a pain otherwise.  It’s a simple oblong glass gather (maybe 4″ long and an inch in diameter, everyone thinks it’s a weird butt plug) with a handle, so it can be cooled as well and has enough weight that as you roll it over the parchment paper it collects it all before scrapping it off into your jar. if needed it can be tossed into the freezer quickly to solidify really runny batches.

[Atom]

I try to make it into the freezer within 1 min after pressing. It helps stabilize it and helps keep color nice. I bet with your press you could just have it run into a jar. How much have you pressed at once? How much you pulling for yeilds?

[Somatek]

I can run around an ounce of flower in bottle tech (3 can squeeze onto the plates in a pinch) but usually just run 10g pre-pressed bags as it’s a better work flow for 1 person as I don’t usually press huge volumes.  The most hash I’ve run was 28g of bubble in two bottle techs that yielded around 70-75%, which he then used to start learning how to make diamonds with using a heat separation.  That batch crashed but he’s since got his own press and figured out the tech, although the last bubble he shared with me was 5 star melt that barely left any residue in the banger.

As far as yields I press a lot for various home growers so it can be all over, I’ve seen flower as low as a 5-10% return and as high as 30% (purple kush was always good).  I’ll only press my own varieties if they yield 15-20%, currently looking for one that’ll consistently yield 25%+ to grow just for rosin.

Same with hash, I’ve seen yields of under 40% from kief people have asked me to press (5 years ago my buddy who’s making diamonds/5 star brought 14g of kief to a pot social to press, oh how far he’s come lol) to just over 80% for some killer FF bubble I made with a friend.  Overall the returns from the plant weren’t great as FF bubble doesn’t yield huge amounts but it was gorgeous smoke, bright and tasted like breathing in the live plant.

With rosin it really is quality in, quality out which is why I’m not expecting much from this jar the neighbour dropped off but we’ll see.  By the time the press had stabilized I was too tired and fell asleep, after shutting it off of course.

[Atom]

Right on. Mabie my little 8-10% return isn’t to bad I guess. I really think it’s because I can’t get much pressure. I see a bit trapped around yje edges of pucks. Even if it’s only .1 it adds up to % when only pressing 2 grams. I might experiment some and try larger amounts.

[Somatek]

Balancing the pressure is key to getting good yields without compromising the quality, some varieties (a lot it seems) only yield 10-15% even if properly pressed.  Which is always why I do a test press or two with only 5g to get an idea of how the material squishes before running any quantity.  Especially as I press a lot of bud/hash from different people as you never know how the humidity or other variables affect the press.

I just fired up the Beast again, it was finally running like normal by the time I went to bed.  I guess cranking it up to 180C (I had some patches to put on clothes/bags and realised I could use the press as I don’t have an iron lol) really messed with the PID as it took a good while to simmer down into the proper heating cycle to maintain temps.  I’ll post some pics of how it turns out, good or bad as this bud looks pretty marginal…

[Brad104]

All I can reply is what you already said @atom        “WOW”.        💯    💯  💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯

[Somatek]

Well the press test is done, 5g prepped in the 2×4″ pre-pressed and then squished in my standard process:

-end of bag folded over, bag centered in the 3×5″ plates with the parchment fold lined up at the back pretty much.

-plates are closed with basically no pressure for 5 secs to start warming the material/bag up before slowly ramping up to 1 ton (us) over another 5 sec (give or take as I don’t actually count) where it sits for a couple secs before slowly ramping up to 2tons for 30 seconds to again get everything warm and expanding equally.  To much pressure to quickly leads to blow outs or tears as the material expands quicker then the bags, creating friction/pressure and problems.

-next I slowly ramp up to 3tons, wait for a hot second or two, then up to 4tons for another 30 seconds.

-the final push is even slower as it’s often where you see blowouts tears/bleed through in the parchment if you haven’t given things enough time to expand equally but with a slow and steady increase in pressure there isn’t problems, obviously good parchment paper too.  I give it a good 5-10 seconds at 5ton’s before slowly ramping up to the full 6 tons of pressure for 1500 psi on the bags (not plates) where I press for 1.5-2 mins depending on the material (this stuff was 1:45 but I’ll probably reduce it to 1:30 to see the difference in yield/colour).

Not a good sign when you only see rosin oozing at when it reaches full pressure…

I honestly wasn’t expecting this much but it eventually started flowing…

Collected off the parchment after a good 15 mins in the freezer to make it solid enough to collect as it was very runny.

Scrapped off the rosin collector and ready to weigh to find out how the scraggly bud did…

[Somatek]

First weigh in comes in just under 10% which means it’s time to scrap the collector clean and see if we can get another 0.04 to hit 10%.

There we go. 0.54g total for a return on 10.8%, definitely on the low end but I was honestly expecting around 5% looking at the bud.

Decent colour, might be a bit over pressed so I’ll ease it back 15 secs and compare.  Very runny consistency, it’s the colour I like to see from flower in that amber/gold range.  Now for the most important part, testing for quality control!

The HMK doughnut recycler was ready to go, grabbed a nice directional bubble cap and dabber.  It’s pretty much what I expected, strong pine/citrus flavour but nothing special and probably around 5 or 6 for potency (out of 10).  Very much middle of the pack; low end for yield and generally unremarkable end product.  Although I’ve got just shy of a 1/2lbs of it to squish, which means lot of chances to try different ways of squishing or play with the time, temp or pressure to show the differences it makes.  For science of course, it’s hard sometimes but you get by one squish at a time, toke by toke until it’s all been thoroughly tested…

[Somatek]

210g of lightly seed, what I assume is lowers from outdoors based on the small buds.  So the first step is cleaning the stems and seeds out, at least as much as I can which means breaking it up more then I normally would but as it was all packed into 2 pint jars (about 70g in one, 140g in the other lol) I wasn’t too worried about man handling it.

One hour later (or one Fat Boy Slim live set, however you keep track of time) there’s a mostly clean bowl of bud and lots of stems/seeds left in the other.  Next it was time for supper (a very disappointing pizza), relax for a bit and coffee to get ready to start pressing.

First up with have a comparison between pre-pressing and bottle tech (partly so everyone knows what’s meant when the two are mentioned/discussed).  So 20g pressed to 1t in the 2×4″ pre-press and then packed into a 90mic bag with the end tucked in on top between the puck and the bag.

She’s a gushing with 4 times as much bud as the test squish lol, I did reduce the max pressure to 1250 psi at bag and then kept the pressing time the same as the test (1:45 mins)

[Somatek]

Looks like a decent return and slightly better colour then the test, we’ll see when it’s weighed out.

Quick shot of the parchment to show with with slowly cranking up the pressure you don’t see rosin beading on the back where it’s been forced through micro tears in the parchment.

And a shot of the 2nd press to make sure there wasn’t much left behind and see if I should adjust my time, if the quality hasn’t changed then I can bump my time up a bit for more yields on the next squish.  Which is why I’d normally do 10g presses to start until I’ve dialed in the best way to press that batch.  This is more for fun, practice as it’s been awhile and a good demonstration for people who don’t know the process.  Next we do the bottle tech to see how it compares.

[Somatek]

First we prep the bags by tucking the bottom corners in and then squishing the bottom into a circle to make a little cylinder which we fill with bud or in this case two with 10g each.  Which is one variable, this way of pressing uses more bags and yield would probably be better compared if I pressed two 10g pre-pressed bags.  That takes twice as long though and when pressing quantity time is more important then bags that cost a buck a piece.  So I decided to keep the time variable the same with understanding that bottle tech costs twice as much (ie $2/press instead of 1…)

Next a couple shots of the bags slowly being compressed, you can’t rush this step or you’ll have blow outs, especially with 10g packed in as you need to give the bud/bags time to heat and expand as the pressure goes up.  To much expansion under too much pressure is always bad.

Apparently I forgot a snap of the rosin oozing out of the press but the ever essential post press pic…

and second press pic…

Now to go weigh it all out and compare the weights (between presses and different techs).  This pic does nicely show what happens when you let the pucks slide one the parchment as it wiped the front clean lol.  Always be careful when pulling the parchment out until you can lift the pucks clear and set aside.  Although I always wipe the edges off to get as much rosin out of the bag as possible.  The 2nd presses really weren’t necessary as you can kind of tell by the feeling of the pucks if they need to be squeezed again, both the pre-press and bottle tech came out fairly dry so I expect the yield will be pretty insignificant and quality will probably be lower.  We’ll see after it’s collect, weighed and sampled though, assuming I can still type after 4 dabs lol.  For Science!

[Somatek]

Quick, pretty bad, shot of the rosin from last night.  The pre-press was between 2.3-2.4g, the bottle tech was around 2.8-2.9.  The second presses yield 0.16 and 0.00 (there was some on the parchment but not enough to register any weight) respectively.

Which is pretty consistent when compared. Bottle tech reduces the surface are of the puck and distance the oil needs to travel; so tends to get a better, more complete extraction on the first press compared to pre-pressing where more seems to be left in the puck.

I’ll get some better pics tomorrow when I have a chance.

[Somatek]

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Let’s see if posting a video of the 30g squish works….

• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by Somatek.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by Somatek.

[Brad104]

How much does this press cost it looks like a great one to start out with@atom I really would love to make rosin at home I wouldn’t know how to act bro.

[Brad104]

@somatek you are just a beast with it this is a kick ass tutorial on the rosin I definitely enjoyed it thanks again for the tutorial

[Somatek]

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cj_aVLbg4zvUvMqhLz-irsGE4b4mF39vetxsEw0/

Well since it won’t let me edit posts for some reason I’ll just post a link to the video on IG…

[Somatek]

The last squish came out pretty considering the buds definitely oxidized since I de-seeded it a week ago.  This was 30g pressed at 82.5C at 6t pressure for 1:30 at full pressure (maybe another 1.5-2 mins ramping up to pressure) for a return of 3.45g or 11.5%.

[Author]

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