yay! finished the thread...i took notes...just what i thought might help me later...
ill paste them here....
hope to help others...and matt not have to reHASH it over and over....
here are my notes: (all copy pasta not my words)
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I'll start with tips for using the BubbleNowXL:
-Wrap that b*tch with some kind of insulation. Crucial design flaw. An easy fix is to wrap your machine with one of those car window sun blocks, the shiny 'metal' looking ones.
-Temperature of tap water varies greatly, as I learned from a brewer. Something to keep in mind for several reasons.
-Store bought ice sucks. I have a whole article on that, soon to be posted.
-Temperature of the air affects the overall efficiency. Bubble early or late when it is hot out. Or bubble indoors and keep it cool.
-NEVER overfill the work bag, worst move ever. 3/4 full or less.
-The goal is to perform the spinning agitation at as cold of a temperature as possible. Start with ice in the machine, fill the bag with layers of ice/trim, zip and double knot, more ice. Now add water, but only about half way up. Next, turn the machine on, then slowly add more water until the contents barely begin to spin. You can help the bag find it's home in the ice/water mixture and the machine does the rest.
-Don't be afraid to take the screw out that holds the spinning disk in place. Clean down there once and a while.
TO LOAD THE MACHINE:
-I load the machine with 20 lbs of ice to begin.
-Then I place the work bag on top of that.
-In the work bag goes the trim and ice.
-Layered ice/trim/ice. I like to run about half and half, and would love to hear what you guys do for this step.
-Fill the work bag 3/4 or less. And about half full if using dry trim, as it will expand when rehydrated.
-Double knot the bag closed, or more, worst mess ever if it opens.
-Add more ice, on top and the sides of the work bag.
-Do not fill the machine too miuch or the separation will not be efficient. Leave at least 6 inches at the top.
-Sometimes I let it sit at this point, if the trim is not frozen.
-Then add water, not enough to see it, that is the trick. You will have enough water just before you see it Rize up through the ice.
-Let it soak, just a little if wet/frozen trim. 20+ minutes for dry trim.
-Agitate 20-30 minutes, depends on many factors. I usually just watch an episode of the Simpsons and call it good.
-Drain... see: Draining the Machine post tba
To allow my wet hash to dry:
1) I lay it out as-is overnight, sometimes 24 hours if it is cold out.
2) I grate it to a sand texture with my micro-plane, used ONLY for this purpose. Consider this a disposable tool that needs to be replaced if you are a big hash maker. They can't be sharpened like knives/scissors.
3) I lay this wet sandy bubble hash out on a baking sheet used ONLY for this purpose. I use a non-stick, so no metal for the next step.
4) I let it slowly dry, covered with a silk screen, and occasionally 'cut' it up with a card to let it dry from all sides.
5) As soon as it is dry it goes into my hash curing jar.
Originally Posted by RPsmoke420 View Post
Do you dry and cure while the hash is separated? Do you press your hash after the cure? How long of a cure? Or do you prefer unpressed? Just curious. Also a little confused... after you remove hash from the bags... you place the glob on the drying screen... is that how you leave it over night? Or do you break it up first? I immidiately begin breaking the hash down into sand-like texture out of fear of water/mold/funk.
Great questions.
I dry the blob as-is overnight, mold/mildew won't grow that fast on bubble that is exposed. By the next day the blob has completely changed texture, and at this point I can already judge the overall qualities of the hash. I can judge the purity by color, which is related to my separation process. I can also judge how melty the hash will be when cured, which mostly depends on strain an if you did a wet or dry trim and separation. By the next day this oily mass doesn't want to crumble, it has melted into a solid. This allows me to really grate the hash into a powder (because it won't crumble), which ensures 100% mold/mildew free bubble hash... and frankly the hashes get the best colors from this drying method.
My blackberry hash picts show both drying methods together. The brown candy is simply broken up by hand, the gold powder was grated, then combined to make this image. That was my secret, but now it is everyones
Now I do 15 to 30 minutes of "soft" setting agitation. I used to do an hour. Fresh trim gets agitated slightly longer than the dry.
Some popular full melt varieties are sour d, blackberry kush, og, blue dream.
Updates include:
using more bags: 220 (work), 220, 190, 160, 120, 73, 45
using no ice in the work bag (for machines)
using all RO water
using (chlorine free) paper towels instead of cloth to wick out the water after collection
33 degrees F
Hash does not need curing to be hash, that is only for old school contaminated hash. Pure extracts can be smoked about 24 hours after being made, although they continue to cure over a couple weeks. After about 6 months the potency actually goes down as THC is converted to CBN.
1. After scooping your hash out of your bag and putting it on your screen do you not press any of the water out at all? Just leave it for 12-24 hours?
CORRECT
2. What's the point of the silk screen over the top of the drying pan, just to keep unwanted things like dust and hair out?
CORRECT
3. When you say at last it goes into your curing jar does that mean you cure it similar to herb? IE fill your jar up 7/8's full and burp 1-2 times a day as needed? Or just putting it in a container waiting for it's time to be smoked?
CORRECT, But I don't burp. I fill the jars all the way full and leave them closed.
Stick it in your pocket for a bit.. pull it and let cool. POOF. taffy
the pocket cure. 100 F is a very safe temperature for cannabis resins. You won't drive off or alter flavor at such a low temp.
and IMO, pressing hash isn't a bad thing, just let it cure in powdered form first, and press it by hand, using only the heat of your hands.... prevents oxidation and probably is better in the long term IMO.
hey Matt i made some hash today using dry ice, don't know if you like the method, personally with my cheap set of bubble bags, i got really nice quality using the 73 micron, and then finishing with the 120 bag....u like???
Pocket cure = putting it in a jar in your pocket while you work for a day, the body heat will melt it together and make it easily dabbable
With fresh frozen it goes from the trim table to the freezer tray (exposed to air in the freezer during this stage) for 2-3 hours till flash frozen, then into the ziploc for longer storage or to free up space for the next tower o' fresh to flash