Hash makers unite!

[Atom]

Greetings fellow hash makers! Want to open a space to discuss anything hash related. I’ve been washing it for over 10 years but I still have more to learn in the ways of drying techniques and washing fresh frozen material.

 

Wondering who else washes and if they do fresh frozen? How do you dry? If you know nothing about washing and want to learn, ask away.

 

[Atom]

Ive always hand washed but this year i got me a wash machine. Only used it once but did pretty good job I’d say. Saves on the ol back 🤘

[Somatek]

Does your model need any modification to optimize for hash production like the Bubble Dude’s machine?

[Atom]

The hose needs replaced for sure and I plan on it asap. Other than the hose I’m not sure. Do you run one? I’m pretty green with it, one run, some reading and videos is all I know.

I’m definitely looking to pick someone’s brain who has some experience with one especially fresh frozen. I’m not real sure how much to run in the zipper bag. I’ve read anywhere from half to 3/4 full be don’t specify if that dry or what.

 

[Somatek]

I’ve used them the last 2-3 seasons mostly to process outdoor for people who don’t have time, although I’ve always borrowed a friends as I’ve been thinking/talking to friends about how to build one for a couple years now.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have and I’ll do my best to answer, although I don’t know nearly as much about it as growing and may try to draw a friend into the conversation who has more experience running bubble, making hash rosin as well as making it into THC diamonds using a heat separation on his plates.  With a new community ideally we can keep the quality of info high and I wouldn’t want to speak outside of my knowledge.

[Atom]

Do you run it fresh frozen or dry?

[Somatek]

Mostly dry although as that’s the common way most people grow/harvest their crops, a couple people have brought me FF though and once I have my pot supplies replenished I’ll probably run seed crops as FF instead of drying them.  Unless of course I get around to building my freeze dryer adaption and can dry crops in 24-48 hours lol.  Then I’d be more inclined to dry sieve as I find water always diminishes the terps compared to proper dry sieving and re-sieving or using static tech to clean the heads.  Plus then I could press the rosin right away without having to dry it again as even a freeze dryer loses some terps to sublimation.

[Keith]

I still need to learn how to do this

[Atom]

I’ll post up some pictures when I do some runs the next few weeks. It’s not bad at all, especially with this machine

[Keith]

What’s the machine?  I would really like to see your process.  I really enjoy learning through communicating with others.  I love to be able to ask questions.  It’s kinda weird but I’ve never read anything about making hash.  I’ve been smoking pot for 25 years and still don’t know how bubble hash is made.  I know what hash is but I don’t know all the methods of making it.   I smoked a bit of it, in the late 90’s I think.  I’ll go and look some shit up to prep for your post about it.

[Atom]

It’s just a washing machine for the most part. So basically you just add ice and water, turn the timer on to desired run time, stand back and watch.

 

The way I’ve always done it was either a 5 gallon bucket and a dry wall mud paddle (by hand no drill) or a huge brute storage tub for larger 20 gallon runs. I’ll definitely throw up some pictures and give some information on what I’m doing.

[Keith]

I didn’t know there was washing involved.

[Atom]

You basically Wana get it as cold as possible and the thc becomes brittle like ice Sickles. Then you run the water through a set of micron bags and scrape out the thc

[Nate]

I don’t really know much about hash washing/bubble hash. I’d be interested to hear on how you would go about doing it by hand. I don’t think I could justify buying a machine at this point anyways. I’ve only ever made half assed dry sift by using a cheap fine sieve that I bought at the dollar store. Definitely not super pure, but it was a good way to get rid of a bunch of heavily seeded bud without picking all the seeds out to smoke it.

[Atom]

It’s not bad at all really. There’s a small investment of probably 60 bucks give or take. Depending on the quality of mesh bags you want, some are hundreds but last along time. Honestly I’ve always gotten pretty cheap bags, but I have gone threw about 10 sets. I’ve learned how to take better care over the years, I can explain that another time.

So you need your bag set. 2 5 gallon buckets, a dry wall mud paddle or something to mix with, store bought ice and water. It’s very important to use as pure of water as possible. If you have RO system that is perfect. I don’t and always buy it. It’s you’ll need between 2 and 3 gallon of water and a half a big bag of ice (10 lb). You want it to be as cold as possible or things start to get sticky and can make for greener hash.

 

You put your bags in one bucket, ice, water and materials in other. You then wait 15-20 mins, until materials feel soft. You want only the thc to break off for the best quality. You stir fairly easily, you don’t Wana beat it to much. Stir for 15 min. Then dump threw bags. Wait 5-15 min to settle depending on amount your running. Then sift it out into separate piles to dry.

I repeat once and sometimes twice if it’s really quality trim or bud. Always add more ice if it melts to much. This is a pretty basic explanation and I will explain more when I do some runs. If there’s any questions ill gladly answer.

I have never done fresh frozen so yall get to share my experience. I’m doing 9 fairly large plants so hopefully it turns out. 😅

[Keith]

What’s the ice to water ratio?  So you’re actually adding the buds to the ice water, mixing it, then straining it in the bag?  Where does the thc collect?  In the bags with the buds? I’m missing something here still I think.  It was a very good explanation, I’m just slow with these things.

[Atom]

It’s about a 2.5gallon of water -> 10lb of ice. You then let that soak in a separate bucket than your bags. You agitate the materials, then dump that though your set of bags. Then you pull out the top bag full of buds, called the work bag. You set that in the now empty bucket for a 2nd mix. They you sift through the bags. The thc will settle out of the buds and water. It gas to remain as cold as possible or else it will get sticky.

Each one will contain a different grade of hash, you can mix them or separate that’s up to you. I usually mix certain bags and run a full 8 bag set anyway to help keep them clean.

[Somatek]

Awesome thread, I’m a huge fan of hash (sieved or bubble).  I actually am in the process of tweaking the design of my home made bubbble machine made of stainless steel with insulation to make it more usable when the temps are high, that drains directly instead of through the agitator for easier cleaning, for less then the cost of a bubble machine (not including time building it).  Here’s a pic from and early test, I’ll make a detailed post about it in case any other DiY’er want to start kicking the idea around to find ways to improve my design.

[Nate]

How’d you make the machine? Did you have to weld sheet metal together? Or were you able to find a pre made vessel that you could repurpose?

[Somatek]

I’ll start a separate thread with DiY instructions on how I built it as I designed it to be easy to replicate.  Basically it’s a 5gal steel stock pot with a drain at the bottom, surrounded by sheet insulation cut to shape.  There’s a couple other modifications and I’m currently rebuilding the agitator (long story) to improve it but like I said I’ll start another thread instead of derailing this one.

[Atom]

Nice I dig it. Seems there is a need for better washers tbh. This plastic one just doesn’t seem well designed. Idk if it’s to keep cost low, but all the plastic, the dang ol accordion drain hose? The hell!

[Somatek]

That as well as the fact it drains through the agitator which has to trap those precious trichs is what made me look for a better solution.  The design flaws are purely related to the fact it’s just a personal washing machine for tiny apartments so people can wash one days worth of clothes.  I call it the “stoner tax”, take a regular item slap a pot label on it and charge a premium price even if it’s not well designed.

As well as the brief description above I’ve also added external cooling by cutting out recesses for ice packs to fit into the insulation and am currently rebuilding the agitator so that it’ll be external to both keep the heat it generates away from the cold water as well reducing the surface area trichs can get stuck in.  I’ll try to get it up tonight after I eat some food

[Loves2Trim]

Ive used the bubble washing machine Adam Posted and 100% agree on that hose. I will look into finding a department store replacement for that thing. The ribs on the hose seem like a likely place for bacteria to hide and for precious thc to get caught in!

[Atom]

Its ridiculous really. I mean even as the original intended use as a washing machine it’s a poor design. Gotta assume it was the cheapest option available

[Atom]

First fresh frozen run. Colors coming out are absolutely amazing. Smells? Just like fruity pebbles. This is same strain i been running indoor, all organic sun grown in subcools super soil recipe. It was 1.9lb wet and looks like about 1-1.5 oz return. Ill update when its dry

[Atom]

It’s not 100% dry but looking like I got about 40 grams. This includes the food grade 25 micron with about 6 grams. The most productive bags were the 45 and 73 with 45 @ 12 gram and 73 with 9. From my research about 3-8% yield is standard and after some math I got about 4.6% yield. Not to bad, considering this is hands down the best hash I’ve washed I’m extremely happy. I shouldn’t have to buy rosin for along time

[Brad104]

@atom damn bro you are just a monster.I hope by the next few years I am able to make some of the good looking product that you got there, you are just a monster,my dude.

[Atom]

Heres a picture of the pre soak. The smell coming from this thing is ridiculous.

[Atom]

Heres after 3 runs. Holy foam!

[Atom]

Its hard to tell but it was almost white when it came out of the bags. 🤪 

[Atom]

<p style=”padding-left: 40px;”>Heres a shot of it pretty much dry. I know im probably going to catch hell from someone for not micro plane. </p>

[Atom]

[Atom]

Want to share a tip for cleaning your micron screens off. Your going to want atleast 91% alcohol, the higher the better.

I use a 5 gallon bucket with the bottom cut out. Then I flip it upside down, put your bag inside out in the bucket so only the screen part is where the hole is. You don’t want any alcohol to touch the actual bag material, it will ruin your bags and worse they break down and gets into your hash.

With your bag upside down on bucket, place a paper towel. Then add a bit of alcohol, avoid any splashing be careful not to get it anywhere but the paper towel. Then just let it soak for 5 mins, wipe it clean. It will wick out the hash and cleans them up pretty good. I like to do it twice just to make sure there good and clean.

[Atom]

I tried to capture the white color that comes out right away when pulling the bag. It quickly fades to a slight tan/grey due to oxidation. Its hard to see atleast on my phone.

[Somatek]

Beautiful product, are you using parchment and pizza boxes to dry the bubble or another way?  Micro planning  adds a different kind of damage, I’m not convinced it’s necessarily needed.  Realistically if you want to limit oxidization to preserve colour you need a dry freezer which isn’t rational for home growers.

Like I’ve said elsewhere I personally don’t fixate on colour, rosin makers have always been trying to match the look of shatter/solvent products as part of the endless battle about which is better.  I’d rather focus on rosin as it’s own thing instead of apple to orange comparisons.  From that perspective microplanning doesn’t make sense, I’m perfectly happy with aged rosin like Frenchy promoted.

[Atom]

After hearing you put it that way I’m over the micro plane. I tried it and it was very time consuming and just a sticky mess. I got a few grams through it and said to hell with it.

I’m figuring out this sorta technique that’s similar to concrete work. I basically vibrate the spoon I’m using to scoop with over the top of the hash while it contains lots of moisture still, but scooped out onto press screen. Then it pulls water up to the top, while allowing it to move it around and flatten out into a thin strip. Then I frozen that over night and crumbled it up. Picked out big chucks and very easy chopped it with the edge of meat hammer while folded into the press screen. It worked good, so far don’t look like I did any damage to heads.

This is all experimental for me and if I mess up I’m at peace with it. I’m learning, long after this hash is gone I’ll have this experience.

[Atom]

I have it on parchment in a closet drying. It’s not the most ideal dry but it’s what I can do. I’m worried about drying it in fridge. I’ll be storing it for awhile before I press, I already went press crazy and have enough for quite a while. I want to store it then press as I need.

[Somatek]

Drying in parchment in a cardboard box in a fridge/freezer definitely helps limit oxidization and preserve the terps which start evaporating off significantly as low as 20C.  Something to consider for next time but like you said, it’s a learning process and I’m not experienced enough to have strong opinions about how much it affects this.  Thanks again for sharing your experience as it helps us all.

[Atom]

I did research the fridge dry method and practiced a little a month or so back with a trim run. That was only a few grams though and this is a pretty substantial amount. If I let this stuff get moldy I’d be upset with myself. This represents an entire summers worth of work tending my girls. Anyone who tells you growing is easy has no idea wtf there talking about.

I’m going to throw together a do’s and don’ts post, and basically a what I’ve learned summary. If someone can take my experience and get inspiration to try this them selfs, to me that is what it’s all about. I’m certainly not doing this for money, this is my medicine. I’m extremely lucky I feel to even get to pursue these things and it humbles me when after all the research, all the work and the worries will I be able to make it happen. It’s a great feeling when you set out to do something, and exceed your expectations. I’m glad to share this experience with you all.

[Somatek]

I imagine I speak for a lot of people when I say thanks for sharing, this is exactly the kind of quality info that helps others learn and understand the possibilities.

Fully makes sense being cautious as it’s always best to learn new tech with material you can afford to lose so there’s no pressure.  Like I’ve previously said I think a bit of oxidization creates a better product as the effect is more well rounded by having a more complete cannabinoid profile instead of just being THC/CBG heavy from an early harvest.  Can’t wait to see how it presses when you get around to it.

[Brad104]

Dude it’s coming through clean and clear I see the white coming out perfect.,as soma said it is a beautiful product.I just wish I was there and was able to take a few hard pulls from one of your devices loaded with it in it.

Great job though bro and a good post about it as well, thanks for the share bro

[Eaton Beaver]

Very interesting thread!

Has anyone used the dry ice method for hash?

I found the dry ice method seems to be the easiest. At least from the videos I’ve seen. I have not done any hash. I’m still on my very first grow. So no experience here whatsoever.

[Atom]

Here’s a shot of my micro plane attempt. Took a few times back into the freezer and about 30 mins to get this about. First I tried with gloves, didn’t take long the start shredding them and getting to the hash. Then I tried without gloves and was just a sticky mess. After that I just decided to break it up by crumbling it while frozen, then carefully chopping it up with the edge of a meat tenderize hammer. That worked really well and was fast. 

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[Brad104]

I can not 🚫 wait until I can get my growing lined out the way I want so then I may start being able to learn how to process more goodies as you do @atom your a beast my dude

[Atom]

You can do it bro. Its more time consuming than anything but its exciting and fun at first. I’ve done it lots of times, not like this quality much worse throw away stuff basically. Material I got for free no one wanted. I’d get just trash bags full, sometimes 3 to 5 at a time. Is have to go through it to get sticks big leaves whatever they didn’t want to mess with and ran it, at first i just infused it with veg oil until I found rosin. Then I’d save my shake and trim up, get a few grams of pretty decent.

 

This stuff I’ve shown here is by far best I’ve made. I’d say it’s a solid 5 star hash. It goes up to 6 star rating bit it has to be dabable without pressing, and leave zero residual material.

[Somatek]

Unicorn poop is suppose to be able to make 6 star with the right plant.  A buddy made some and shared it with me, really incredible to dab bubble hash and watch it disappear. You really do need the right variety to get 6 star as some plants just don’t produce trichs with the right qualities/heads for the best hash.

[Atom]

Lol unicorn poo. Do you need to remove the glitter first? Or just mix it in glitter and all? Someday I’ll get some 6 star. Once I run some indoor it should be a bit better, or more done atleast.

[Somatek]

All that glitters is gold, that’s where the 6 star magic hides 😉

In general I feel like indoors produces better concentrates as the environment isn’t as harsh and plants get babied more.  That’s not really based on anything, just a general opinion I’ve developed over the years comparing the same variety grown indoor and out.

[Atom]

Lol that’s hilarious

[Somatek]

I think Purple Panty Dropper is still one of my favourite names, especially after hearing the story of how it got it’s name

[Brad104]

It sure looks like you got it down man.That one stuff looked amazing 😍

[Atom]

Finally got around to washing the final plant. Its the grape pupil purple cut, this stuff turned the water like beet juice color and hash is a bit purple too. Idk if I can keep it this color but I’m gana try. I’ll update after it’s dried.

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[Somatek]

Anthocyanin’s (the purple pigment) generally aren’t the nicest to smoke, that’s why a lot of purple pot can be harsh when smoke but is much better when vaped (like violeta). It’s the same reason we don’t want to over press bud and get the chlorophyll coming out. Looks amazing though, hope it smokes just as nicely.

[Atom]

I really didn’t expect the water to change that much tbh. I’ve ran some trim and it changes it some but nothing like this. The trim run was pretty tasty. The bud it’s real good I’m hoping it taste like it. Kinda opium ish

[Somatek]

They definitely seem to run more, I get the same thing when I run violeta, a rinse usually cleans the trichs up if you decide you don’t like the taste.  If it tastes good that’ll be pretty spectacular with the colour

[Atom]

If not I’ll throw it in some gummies. I’m hopeful so I have a different flavor this winter. It’s to bad it won’t press purple though.

[Brad104]

So that’s why you and Soma are wizards bro, you guys have been using your unicorns shit ha ha 😅🤣 that is great you two

[Somatek]

I’ve never actually grown Unicorn Poop, it didn’t really stand out aside from making exceptional hash but then most modern gear doesn’t.  I got excited when I realised today the mystery seeds my buddy gave me that neither of us could remember what they were are Balochistan #1 from the first year Irrazin started the Indian Landrace Exhange.  The opposite end of the spectrum as they’ve been inbred for generations by different families in the area and are probably as close as we can get to landraces today.

[Brad104]

I see what you are saying I just wish I could be around in the pot shop dude and kick it with you and whoever in one of those comfortable chairs

As always thanks alot bro

[Atom]

O shit you were serious about the unicorn poop? It went right over my head, thinking you were joking, if I only added a mythical creatures poop lol.

[Somatek]

Lol, yep, unicorn poop is a modern variety, no idea who makes it but incredible for concentrates.  That’s too funny

[Keith]

My buddy gave me some hash this weekend.  He told me he used trim and made it with dry ice.  We didn’t have time but he’s going to walk me through it.

[Keith]

I didn’t save the trim this time bc there was so much dead leaves.  But I was thinking maybe if using some of the larf.  Anyone ever used dry ice to make hash?

[Atom]

Dry ice hash is ok depending on how you make it. It’s generally pretty green because the dry ice is so cold it breaks up material into tiny pieces that make it through the screen. It can be strong but normally less than bubble hash.

 

I used to make keef by taking a Tupper ware container, filling it about 2/3 full, throw like 10 pennies in it stretch a nylon stocking over it and freeze it for 24 hours. Then shake lightly over parchment. It works pretty good actually. The more you shake the more green gets in it. I’d do about a 10-15 second shake, collect the keef and put it back in freezer for a few hours. Repeat till i felt it was done.

[Somatek]

That’s where the beauty of re-sieving comes into it’s own or static cleaning to improve lower quality kief by separating the trichs from the contaminants.  It’s a lot more work then bubble though in the end, personally I love dry sieved hash and can’t wait to build a tumbler once the bubble machine is done…

[Atom]

Well it pretty much lost its color after the first day. Its much different from the other strain.

It yeilds very poorly first off. About 1/3 of the yeild as the purple gorilla. It’s also much different consistency, it’s more dry and not as oily. It dried up already actually I’m kinda shocked. I dropped a peice on a joint coal and did some nose hits. Taste pretty good but well see how it presses.

As you can see in the pic I didn’t blend the different bag sizes well lol

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[Keith]

That’s not a bad idea.  I could def try that.  Reading that kinda put hash into a different perspective for me.  You’re just knocking off the crystals.  However you can.

[Somatek]

It’s pretty incredible how different the resin is from different plants, one reason I love making hash/rosin.  Which reminds me I need to toss some rosin in my bag to leave at the shop for co-workers to sample, it’ll make harvesting more fun having a crew of dedicated pot heads I can leave samples out for to get their opinions.  It’ll be handy when I’m evaluating varieties as the more opinions you have the less grower bias affects your decisions.

Looking forward to seeing how it presses out for you

[Atom]

You should check out press club bags. I’m not actually sure if they ship there but I can’t imagine why not. You can get a sample pack for just a few bucks. They have a zero blowout guarantee and give out free stuff randomly.

[Keith]

I’ll check them out.  They’re for making hash?  Was this reply to me?

[Atom]

There for pressing rosin. It’s for anyone who will listen lol

[Keith]

My buddy was talking about how different plants produce different resins.  He let me rub a plant that felt greasy kinda.

[Atom]

Definitely, some are way more greasy. There’s actually another for of hash called charas made by rubbing the plant between both hands, then scraping that off and smoking. Very popular in some countries. I can never bring myself to try it.

[Somatek]

It’s mostly in India/the Himalayas where people rub charas ad the humidity/temps are too high to sieve hash.  Fresh it’s suppose the be amazing, I use to get imported hand rubbed and it was highly oxidized,more like smoking hash as far as the effects go then hash.  I imagine it’s loaded with CBN after a day or two let alone shipped half way around the world

[Atom]

I’ve always heard of temple ball but never seen any. Someday I’ll visit Amsterdam and try it out 🤞

[Brad104]

From all we’ve spoken soma I believe that you are super close to me in age and I wanna ask if you have ever smoked any hash that would fry you, for I never have I only seen it around here when I was in Jr high in late 80s they always said it was blonde Lebanese but I never got much of a buzz like I wanted is that how it is supposed to be or did I just get horrible stuff cause I was younger

[Atom]

It was very likely what they said but “real hash” made the traditional way isn’t as potent as say bubble hash or hash using modern techniques. There basically beating it over screens. It’s probably only 40 or 50% actually thc, while bubble hash can reach insane amounts if made well, like 70-80%. You should of gotten very stoned though from it so it’s hard to say.

 

What did it taste like? Sorta spicy with a very long lingering taste?

[Keith]

Dang I shouldn’t saved all the stuff I was rubbing off my fingers.

[Atom]

Got a tip for ya. Wear rubber gloves then freeze them afterward. The hash will pop right off 🙂

[Keith]

That’s a good idea and kinda makes wearing the gloves worth it.  I had some last time, but just didn’t want to wear them bc gloves aren’t usually as good to do things with as a non gloved hand is.  But I could’ve gotten a decent amount.  I just need to get really tight gloves.

[Brad104]

That’s an awesome idea @atom I will definitely be doing that this time,bet

[Keith]

Oh shit I’ve made that, on a way smaller scale.  I was peeling layers of thc off my fingers a lot when I trimmed.  This whole thread really helped me understand the simplicity of what hash really is.  Kinda embarrassing that I’ve been smoking this long but have never made or learned about hash

[Somatek]

finger hash is a long standing perk of trimming.  My left hand is out of commission so capitalization will be limited  limited to what I can do with good old righty lol

[Brad104]

I should have guessed that you were a Lefty, they say a lot of intelligent people are left handed I believe.

[Keith]

My wife and son are lefties

[Somatek]

I’m right handed, which is how I gouged my left hand with the chisel as I was rushing and not working smart.  I was literally thinking as I started to push the chisel into the wood that it was a dangerous/stupid way to be working as I broke the cardinal rule and hand my left hand in front of where I was cutting perfectly lined up to be gouged if I slipped.  Which I guess is progress as I’d normally realise that after hurting myself, not the second before… It only took me 30 years to learn that much, maybe by the time I’m retired I’ll have figured out how to work safely lol

[Atom]

This is after about a week curing. As you can see it’s very oily, the terps are kinda separating and coming to the surface. If this don’t get your dab juices flowing idk what will.

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[Somatek]

Damn that’s a sexy way to start a friday off.  Now I’m even more excited for the  Barbara Bud FF bubble hash arriving today, grown by Mat Beren (aka House of the Great Gardener and Great Gardener Farms).  Which I’m excited for as he was one of the first OG growers to move to the legal market and is one of my favourite seed companies and it was people like him and Kirt Tousaw challenging the pot laws and winning that pushed the gov to legalize.  It was one of the cases I used to get my own charges thrown out years ago as judges don’t have much leeway once you point out the supreme court has ruled the gov has violated our charter rights and struck sections of the law down only for the gov to reinstate them within a month.

[Atom]

Definitely show that one off 😁

[Somatek]

Oh trust me, I’ll be posting in the “what are you toking” thread as soon as it comes it.  Last year was their first year in legal production (ironically their seeds are still available on the illegal market as well) but sadly the OCS (provincial distributor) didn’t really order much and it was gone before I could order so I missed out.  I was ordering it within a couple hours of it being posted on IG though lol

[Author]

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