Ok, after always being on the take in Internet forums,I feel if there was a time for reciprocity, now is that time. We all make honey oil with the hope that it is the strongest ever. Having made honey oil more than 50 x over the past 5 years, I've learned a few tricks or methods that I wish I'd known the first time. Please note I acknowledge I am making statements and forming opinions that are solely based on my experience.
Ok, so nobody wants mediocre oil. If you aren't trying to make the greatest concentration each time you try, I would suggest sticking with herb in its natural form. I also make it a point to tell friends who ask NOT to use dro,loud,kind,etc. Why in the world would you want to convert to oil the buds from a super strong strain??? Smoke it and appreciate it for what it is. I recommend using leaf. Basically, cut 2-4" from where it is above soil, and use everything except the buds. I have made honey oil from pure leaf, yes fan leaves as well, that knocked down a set of heads that have been smoking for 50 years. Most folks I've turned on have later reported the honey oil taking them higher than anything else in the weed plant, period. I've seen my share of regular,knowledgable growers and smokers who,after taking 3-4 tokes of oil, tell me there was no possible was my product came from all leaf and stem. This is perhaps the greatest thing about honey oil. You can get 3-5x filtered (maybe higher) butane. The butane extraction technique was nt developed by some bored stoner,it is a well known method of extraction,and thru web it is cheap.
Heres what I do(or use to do)
Cut down plant and remove every single legit bud for drying and to be smoked as is following curing phase.
All the remaining stuff should be chopped and chopped and chopped until it is no longer than your finger.
Let everything dry on a window screen setup like a table. This saves lots of time, and unlike curing buds, we aren't interested in the slow process. We just want kick ass oil.
Once everything is dry or mostly dry, begin putting it in you blender to get it looking like the consistence of cigarette tobacco.
Put back on screen tables and let it finish drying. The whole cut/drying phase can be kept around 6 days if you open windows and allow circulation. He'll, I have poured 5 grocery brown bags out on concrete in sun for an even faster dry.
Once your stuff is dry, hit it with blender again. Here's why. You want to expose as much surface area of the chopped leaves as possible. Doing so will have a significant impact on your return. So while making it into a powder is overkill, don't be lazy and stuff big stuff into your stainless steel pipe. I prefer stainless steel, but there are options. Do 3 runs per load, unless you have more pounds leaf than you intend to make oil. In that case, 2 runs using butane is perfect.
My experience, taken from 50 + sessions, is that you get 1g of honey oil per ounce of leaf. I use a stainless steel pipe 14" long,1.5 -2" in diameter. Longer pipes are better, since the butane turns from gas to liquid inside of pipe, and flushes thru a few more inches of pipe before that beautiful amber looking honey oil begins to slowly drip I into your Pyrex dish. I do all my butane crap outside so as to reduce risk of explosion. Also, if you really wanna boogie and make an ounce of oil fast, have a lasagna pan half filled with water on electric stovetop that maintains a "just before boil" temperature. Sit the smaller Pyrex dish in warm water, and evaporation is expedited considerably. Final comment, I always use leaf from very potent strains, and while you certainly can make honey oil from juicy buds using same process,it doesn't make much sense. It's a complete waste of juicy smokable or vaper bud. While there is certainly a difference between oil make from leaf versus bud, I can guarantee you that it is completely inefficient to use good buds, and the final result is nowhere near the difference between smoking leaf versus bud. Trust me, you will use leaf and stem and still create something that is likely stronger than most anything your peeps have ever smoked. Feel free to email if I am not clear about one of the steps here. It's easy, simple, and when done right, presents no real danger inside stainless steel pipe. Note also that I leave the bottom of the tube free of any metal. I simply tape 2 coffee filters around bottom ,shoot 3 cans thru pipe, empty pipe, refill same leaf, and run 2 more cans thru, finally emptying and refilling for final 1 can purge. One person can setup a pretty impressive assembly line so you can do 4 pipes at a time, combining each of the bowls filled with liquid butane into one on your electric stove until your glass Pyrex dish is left with pure oil, and a few of those pizza looking boils. Finally, let sit out for 24-48 hours to ensure all the butane has escaped. I prefer to keep my oil liquid, but still viscous. Hobby lobby sells everything you need for containers. Good luck, wear goggles , and enjoy!
Final note: I did figure out a few additional steps the truest of the true would prolly wanna do. All related to actually curing the oil, and giving it a 100% natural fruity taste.