Help with Oil

[Inkstaind]

Hello, and thanks in advance for any advice you can lend. My sister has stage 4 breast cancer and I've been researching Cannabis Oil. I've made an attempt to produce our own, paying much attention to the best methods I've found online. We opted for using Ethanol since we cannot get a high enough proof of Everclear here in California. I'm confused about something though, hence my question.

The person I believe is really on top of his game when showing how to make the oil is producing way more concentrate than I am. I cooked up approximately the same batch I witnessed him brewing, followed every step, and he's showing, in the end, about 5 times what I ended up with. I've learned to boil of the solvent at about 165 degrees, playing it safe. But honestly, after 9/10th's of the solvent evaporated, leaving very little solution/oil left, it was still bubbling. From what I understand, as long as it's still bubbling then the solvent is still present. I'm thinking had I kept going I would have had next to nothing left, aside from very little residual oil. Although, the pro I've been learning from has far more. Do we NOT boil off till the bubbles completely stop? Also, it appears most people can boil this off in less than 2 hours, while it's seriously taking me about 6-7 hours. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks again for the help, very, very much appreciated.

 

[GreenGenez]

Hello, and thanks in advance for any advice you can lend. My sister has stage 4 breast cancer and I've been researching Cannabis Oil. I've made an attempt to produce our own, paying much attention to the best methods I've found online. We opted for using Ethanol since we cannot get a high enough proof of Everclear here in California. I'm confused about something though, hence my question.

The person I believe is really on top of his game when showing how to make the oil is producing way more concentrate than I am. I cooked up approximately the same batch I witnessed him brewing, followed every step, and he's showing, in the end, about 5 times what I ended up with. I've learned to boil of the solvent at about 165 degrees, playing it safe. But honestly, after 9/10th's of the solvent evaporated, leaving very little solution/oil left, it was still bubbling. From what I understand, as long as it's still bubbling then the solvent is still present. I'm thinking had I kept going I would have had next to nothing left, aside from very little residual oil. Although, the pro I've been learning from has far more. Do we NOT boil off till the bubbles completely stop? Also, it appears most people can boil this off in less than 2 hours, while it's seriously taking me about 6-7 hours. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks again for the help, very, very much appreciated.

I dont heat mine over 85F. Just enough warmth to cause evaporation. Place a fan blowing in it or turn on a ceiling fan. Every few hours once it gets thick like molasses, stir it with a dab tool. Do this untill when cooled and returned to room temp the concentration is very thick and sticky. If any hints of ethanol remain, remove all your oil and place inside a silicone case, then put the case in a warm area ( on top of your grow hood (HID) mabey) for an hour or so and keep stirring periodically. All because ethanol boils off at 170F doesnt mean you should heat your extract to that temp. Ethanol evaporates readily with ease at 80F, it just takes a little longer. Also terpenes become volatile and gas off at 100F. I love hash and oils but I love cannabis largely due its terpenes. Keep your heat below 100. I use a lazer thermometer, I would advise anyone making oil and using a powered heat source to evaporate/purge to have one.

 

[Inkstaind]

Thanks for the response! I'm guessing that at 85F that would take a very long time to evaporate. If it's taking me 6-7 hours at 165F, wow, don't know if I have that kind of time at 85F, to monitor. Do you see bubbles when evaporating at 85F?

Is it true if you see bubbles that means there is still solvent present?

 

[Teddy Edwards]

Here's also a good place to start for information - The Basic Links For Patients and Caregivers

 

[GreenGenez]

Thanks for the response! I'm guessing that at 85F that would take a very long time to evaporate. If it's taking me 6-7 hours at 165F, wow, don't know if I have that kind of time at 85F, to monitor. Do you see bubbles when evaporating at 85F?

Is it true if you see bubbles that means there is still solvent present?

Bubbles are only present with butane, I've never seen bubbles with ethanol.

 

[GreenGenez]

A small fan pointed at the extract with speed things up considerably

 

[Inkstaind]

Ok, I’m a little confused. I thought the bubbles had everything to do with the solvent still being present, in this case Ethanol. I can definitely still smell it.

The video I watched the guy incorporated his MCT oil when the solution was still rolling/bubbling yielding a lot of final product. I’m just not seeing how he didn’t end up with 50% Everclear still left in his oil. Nearly everything I’ve watched says let it roll/bubble till it stops.

 

[GreenGenez]

The bubbles do represent the evaporation of ethanol. ( when heated to ethanols boiling point)
I do not boil off any extract unless its butane, and I've only done 1 butane run and didn't feel comfortable with how flammable the evaporative gases are. Never done it since.

I make bubble hash with my 11 bag kit. I have the 5gallon size. Then after the hash has dried completely, I dissolve that with minimal amounts of everclear. Filter through a 25micron stainless steel filter and then into the pyrex 9x13 pan.

I'm not trying to be rude when I say this, .... have you ever considered that your trim isnt as heavily coated with resin as your opponents may be?

I've been doing this shit for over a decade now and the quality and concentration of trichome on the starting material matters greatly when it comes to the final yield of extract.