very nice jig,i think thats the main reason i do not smoke bho.
i mean its like smokein meth(not that i have)but i have seen it.
torches,skillets,ect.
but for anyone wanting to make it,then this post is good.
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BHO Technique by M4k
Disclaimer: Only make BHO outside. Doing any of this process indoors may result in death. Butane extraction is extremely dangerous and illegal in many places. This is strictly for educating those who may properly and legally perform these activities and may not be used to encourage or facilitate illegal activity. The author does not condone illegal or dangerous activity. Please consult your local laws. If cannabis or butane extractions are now allowed in your area, please leave this page immediately.
Introduction:
I put together this short tutorial on how to make the best quality BHO because of the lack of concrete information available on the internet. Much of this technique was sourced from a variety of different websites (TokeCity, ICMag, etc.) and friends who have been experimenting and perfecting their art form. Despite having access to all these resources, it was still hard to come up with a perfect technique and the information was all over the place. Few people knew what they were doing.
There is a general sense that people believe that concentrate-making techniques should be held tight and not shared. That made no sense to me. In fact, it angered me that all the BHO at the club was unpurged and that I had to resort to making my own concentrates to avoid poisoning myself. I couldn't buy properly processed BHO if I wanted to.
I hope that this tutorial will spark new ideas and create new techniques for making an even better product. Lets up our game and share our knowledge rather than hoarding. Lets reserve all the secret-keeping and profiteering for the corporate dictators. This is how true growth and development happens. Keep building on this technique and fine-tune it. New improvements are made all the time. Ideas like using a vacuum to heating with a ceramic plate were generated by community suggestions and improvements. Sharing this knowledge is what allows the community to grow together. Everybody benefits when we share and help one another.
What is high-grade BHO?
In this tutorial, you will be learning how to make high-grade Butane Honey Oil aka BHO in the form of shatter/sap/nectar/errl. This is the most desirable form of BHO and will beat out any other form of concentrate in a blind taste/potency/smoothness test. This is the only way to obtain 99.99% solvent free BHO.
Over the years, I have tried all forms of dabs and I can tell you from experience that properly made shatter BHO tastes immensely better than any other kind of concentrate because of the terpenes that BHO extracts. It doesn't take too much to find out for yourself, all you need is the right materials. This process will teach you the proper technique for creating high-grade BHO.
What about wax?
Wax is a whipped form of BHO. Often, the process of whipping is done during the purge and most people that make wax purge using less than half the amount of time it normally takes to make shatter (true of many wax techniques, especially Honeycomb BHO). The texture and color of wax is created by forming crystal structures in the oil created by mixing butane, air, terpenes/cannabinoids, and water. Other than terpenes/cannabinoids, all other compounds that create the wax are undesirable. A waxy state usually means that there are undesirable materials trapped within the oil.
People often cite wax as high quality because of the tremendous smells it gives off. If you can smell the wax, that means that terpenes are constantly escaping the product and entering your nose. That means there is less terpenes in the wax to medicate with. Terpenes are a family of compounds which include cannabinoids. Terpenes enhance flavor/smell and are psychoactive. Different terpene profiles will result in different highs. Shatter will hold in the terpenes until it is the right time to medicate.
Tools:
High Grade Cannabis
This is very important. What you start with will have a huge effect on what you end up with. Ideally, you want to only use high grade buds. You also want thoroughly dried product. Technically, you can use any cannabis material. If you use more leafy matter with less trichomes, you will end up puling mostly plant waxes/oils and other undesired compounds like chlorophyll or carotenoids (both will change the color of your oil and affect the taste and purity). These plant waxes/oils and other compounds will decrease the potency of your end product (lower THC %). Highly ground up buds with no smell will give you a finish product with potency, but less taste and a slight harshness from the additional plant matter.
I highly recommend using Gage Green Genetics as the base material for making BHO. Not only are the varieties of cannabis tremendously resinous but the quality of the high will immediately set your product apart.
Keep in mind that you are concentrating everything that butane binds with into our oil. It I crucial to know what kind of bud you are using and what has been put in it. Pesticides, chemicals, hormone regulators, will all enter the BHO in more concentrated doses. I only use organically grown cannabis that has been properly dried and cured.
Unbleached/Chlorine-free Parchment Paper
I use eco-friendly parchment paper to easily work with the BHO. Because this product is sticky, I purge the product on Parchment Paper for easy handling and heat transfer. Others may decide to use their Pyrex Collection Dish/Beaker container instead. I will get back to this. Keep in mind that Parchment Paper contains silicone (as well as bleach and chlorine in most cases) which may react with residual butane during the purge process and may be bad for human health.
BHO Tube
Stainless steel or glass tubes are the only recommended devices for this. I use unbleached coffee filter and a metal screen to keep the bud out of the solution. You will also need a stick with a semi flat end to pack the tube (anything about a quarter of the thickness of the tube will work perfectly).
Make sure to clean your tube thoroughly. Many stainless steel tubes contain metal dust and oils inside the tube from the manufacturing process. Glass will also contain residue from the blowing process.
Pyrex Collection Dish/Beaker
This is for collecting your butane from the tube. I use a 600 mL beaker. Some people prefer a larger cooking tray. A Pyrex Dish allows for greater surface area which evaporates the butane quicker. It may also pick up dust easier if the air is not clean. You want the Dish/Beaker to fit over another container that will contain a 1-2 in. layer of water. Make sure that water will not get into your Pyrex.
Some people who do larger runs may not be able to fit their dish or beaker directly into their vacuum chamber. I will get back to this later.
Infrared Thermometer
This will allow you to measure the surface temperature of a hot or sticky item. Keeping a consistent and exact temperature is crucial to this process.
Vacuum Pump
I recommend the Robinair 5 CFM pump. There are others that will work well.
Vacuum Chamber
I use the Bel Air chambers. I want to explore more options. The key here is to find a chamber that will hold very strong vacuums for an extended period of time without risking implosion. This is why everyone should stay away from glass chambers. If a crack forms in your chamber, stop using immediately. Also, never heat or put pressure on a vacuum chamber as this may cause micro-fractures.
Ceramic Plate
You will need at least two of these. This ceramic plate will occupy the bottom of your Vacuum Chamber. This is what will be heated and reheated to keep your BHO at a constant temperature. Some people use Ceramic dishes, others have been known to use Ceramic tiles.
Oven
This is to keep your ceramic plates warm. Practice how to warm the ceramic plates consistently to the 145-155 degrees Fahrenheit range. I use a Delonghi toaster oven at the "Keep Warm" temperature, roughly 180 degrees. Do some experimentation prior to your first run.
Warm surface
This is to keep your oil at around 125 degrees Fahrenheit if you have several batches of oil to purge. Place your oils on this surface between purges to keep the temperatures in the ideal range. The warm surface I use is the top of the Delonghi toaster oven that remains exactly 120-125 the entire time when set to "Keep Warm" on my toaster oven.
Process:
Pack the Tube
First prepare your buds for packing. Use broken up, smaller buds for consistent packing. If you use shake or trim, simply drop it in and pack evenly. You want to avoid uneven packing and pockets of loose buds because these can result in uneven butane flow and blowbacks. Blowbacks happen when uneven packing causes the butane to turn courses and shoot back up the way it came. This could result in a good portion of the BHO spewing out the back. You will not experience this problem if you follow these directions.
First, break any large buds into smaller budlets (under the size of a USD quarter) and break off any stem that is sticking out. Second, drop a small handful of bud into the tube. Take your packing stick and compact the buds into the tube as evenly and firm. Pack in a circular motion to get the buds to compact right. Repeat. Pack the tube after each handful to create a consistent density inside the tube.
I use unbleached coffee filters to hold any loose bud material inside the tube. Use another thin metal screen outside of your coffee filter to prevent the coffee filter from splitting. Make sure that the outer surface of your filter and metal screen are clean of debris.
Freeze Tube and Butane
Rule of thumb is approximately 1 can of butane per 2 ounces, give or take. I usually bring extra cans with me just in case more is needed during the run.
Freezing the tube and butane allows for less plant material in the end product. I usually don't keep it frozen for too long, just for about 20 minutes in the freezer.
Prepare your work station
You should have your warm surface ready with cut out pieces of parchment. This is where your process may vary from mine. During smaller runs, I am able to blast butane directly into a 600ml lab beaker; your tool may be a Pyrex dish, tray, etc. The beaker I use contains the BHO very effectively and fits directly into my vacuum chamber for purging. This becomes nearly impossible as you increase the amount of BHO to purge in the beaker. You want a thin, flat film (approx. 1mm) for the most effective purge. With larger runs, I will have to transfer the BHO in the Pyrex beaker onto my Parchment Paper.
Regardless of how you decide to do it, always have a mental step-by-step checklist of what you will need and the entire process. Know exactly what you are going to do the entire run so that you don't forget anything or leave out a crucial step or tool. Timing and consistency are essential in making high-grade BHO.
I like to have my vacuum chamber and toaster oven ready before I blast. I place my two ceramic plates in the toaster oven to preheat them to 145 degrees. Ideally you want to be able to put the ceramic plates into the oven and have it exactly at 145 degrees when it is needed. This is when the Infrared Thermometer comes in handy. It is crucial that you already have these temperatures dialed in. Make sure you know what settings to use. I also have my 125 degrees warm surface measured and ready. It is crucial that this temperature is kept consistent the entire time.
Clean all Pyrex Collection Dishes or Beakers. A clean setup will result in a cleaner finish.
If you have a lot of oil to purge, then I recommend splitting them up into smaller batches. Keep in mind that large pools of unpurged oil will poof up when being purged in a Vacuum Chamber. I will cut out pieces of parchment paper that will fit comfortably in the Vacuum Chamber and on top of the ceramic plate that will heat the oil. I place these sheets of Parchment Paper on top of my 125 degree Warm Surface so that I can transfer the oil directly to the Parchment Paper. During the process, any oil that cannot be purged immediately will sit on the Warm Surface until it is ready for its turn.
Blasting your butane
Prepare your butane collection surface using a Pyrex Collection Dish/Beaker. Place that in a pool of hot water (the hot water from your sink is enough).
Begin by taking the can of butane and shaking it up a little bit. Then start blasting! Try to keep the end of the BHO Tube close to the surface of your BHO as it is dripping out. This prevents the Butane from dripping and splashing all over the place.
Stop blasting when the liquid that is dripping out of the tube begins to lose its yellow appearance and turns clear. Excess butane after that will only pull out undesired plant material.
Remember, less agitation is crucial. Do not move the liquid butane as it is bubbling out of the collection dish. Let it sit and do its thing.
As the butane evaporates, often the water will cool down. You can have some warm water sitting by to replace the water that is warming up your Pyrex Collection Dish/Beaker. Be careful as to avoid any moisture from entering your BHO. Use warm/hot water. Anything that may burn the human skin is not recommended. Too much heat will cause your oil to isomerize and shatter will be unachievable.
The Pre-Purge
This is where the transferring to Parchment Paper occurs. If your batch is small and your Pyrex Dish/Beaker can fit into your Vacuum Chamber, then you can skip this step and directly place your Pyrex Dish/Beaker onto the Warm Surface to wait for purge. If you have a larger amount of oil, then you should transfer to individual Parchment Paper sheets on the Warm Surface.
Transfer the BHO when the BHO is still liquid, but most of the bubbles are not actively popping. This allows the BHO to transfer easily without risking too much agitation. With my beaker, I am able to pour the majority onto my Parchment Paper. Any residual BHO is scraped off with a Metal Tool and transferred to Parchment Paper. Keep these at 125 degrees on the Warm Surface until they are ready to be purged. I will put a hood on top of the warm surface to prevent debris from landing onto the oil.
The Purge
Make sure your Ceramic Plate is heated to 145 degrees with your Infrared Thermometer. Waste no time in putting that Ceramic Plate into the Vacuum Chamber and place one sheet of BHO + Parchment Paper on top of the Ceramic Plate. Make sure that the Parchment Paper lies flat and that the BHO is getting even heating.
Turn on your Vacuum Pump and watch the show! You should see the muffin top form and recede. Over the next 40 minutes or so, you will see tons of bubbles escape from the BHO. Some of these are butane gas molecules and others are precious terpenes. At 145 degrees or lower, however, most of the essential terpenes will not escape.
My Ceramic Plates tend to drop to around 120 degrees after 10-15 minutes of purging. I like to give each batch at least 35-45 minutes of complete vacuum to ensure that the butane is all removed. In between, I will swap out the Ceramic Plates 3-4 times and repeat Purge process. I recommend placing a piece of coffee filter or fabric over the air intake on the Vacuum Chamber. When the Vacuum is being released, air comes rushing back into the Vacuum Chamber and can introduce dust particles into your sample. Filtering it prevents any particulates from entering your BHO.
This part can be tweaked according to the strain. Each strains are easily purged at a lower temperature while others may need a slightly higher temperature. Also, the amount of time purging varies based on preferences. Some believe that 40+ minutes of Purge is way too long as all of the butane has already escaped and they believe that the majority of the bubbles escaping at the end are solely terpenes. Others believe that it is essential to Purge for as long as possible to avoid any residual butane. I recommend longer pulls.
The Finish
Your product should be slowing down its bubbling after around 35 minutes of consistent vacuum purge at 120-145 degrees. If you had excess moisture in your buds or you accidentally added more heat than desired to your BHO, then you might end up with a more sappy and sticky product. If you did it correctly, you should end up with a product that you can touch, but will stick after a few seconds.
I prefer to keep the BHO on parchment and store it in a cool dry place.
Congratulations! You have just mastered the process for making some of the best oils in the world. Please share this technique so that the world can experience the wonderful effects of properly purged BHO.
! Nothing can take my excitement away from that, NOTHING!!! I can't wait to get my fingers all sticky icky and my head spinning all crazy... Mmmmmmm BHOOOOOO....
