Terpenation at Terpene Station

[mr. durden]

yea it takes a second till the butane drops, its not quick. If you are seeing oil still in the sight glass after the last dump, rinse again you didnt get it all. If you dont overflow the recirculation tube( the compression fitting at the top) You will have a lot of oil in your column from evaporating off the butane under vacuum. By the last flood you cannot get the oil out with one dump if you dont over flow. Each overflow carries a bit of oil to the collection where it boils off. This is why I do multiple dumps of the main column before I finish. I dont wait til the end. Last run I dumped all of the 3rd flood in the collection a little at a time so as not to flood the appion with oil laden butane. I ended up with a huge gob of oil stuck in the bottom of the down tube. First time I had ever seen that....same heated run as the one mentioned above. This is exactly how it looked when I opened the collection pot. The main down tube was sealed to the bottom of the terp.

View Image

this is kinda what it looks like when you have water in the system, except we have butane to pour off and it is this runny glob. not that i'm saying yours has water in it. just looks sorta like that.

 

[nakadashi]

Whoa, what do you think happened there? Maybe dump 3 had so much oil that it coalesced into a mass that blocked the down tube, and it just kept building up during subsequent dumps...

Did you notice any issues with the extraction that were caused by the glob?

 

[RegisPhilburn1]

Has anybody been experimenting with a bottom fed continuous shower? kinda like the BHOgart but bottom up? Im not sure i understand how you would regulate the flow of liquid to match the gas evaporation rate in the collection pot, so as not to overflow. Looks like the BHOgart uses a manifold gauge but im not sure of the particulars of how it works. Any help would be most appreciated

 

[mr. durden]

Has anybody been experimenting with a bottom fed continuous shower? kinda like the BHOgart but bottom up? Im not sure i understand how you would regulate the flow of liquid to match the gas evaporation rate in the collection pot, so as not to overflow. Looks like the BHOgart uses a manifold gauge but im not sure of the particulars of how it works. Any help would be most appreciated

I have along with from the top. We just calculated x much of butane per gram and the rough volume of that number. When we got close to the mark on the exterior, we shut off the butane and dumped the column.

Just because you can run a lot of butane through a column doesn't mean you should. At some point you are picking stuff up that you don't want. If anything, you want as short a contact time as possible

What I'll sometimes do when using my 6x12 spool is gauge the time it takes to get the dip tube cold, say 12 seconds and then run for 24 more seconds and then dump everything.

If you want great results, keep your tank in dry ice using a 10 gallon igloo cooler and freeze your tubes with dry ice prior to installing in your system

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[nakadashi]

FE,
I realized my explanation was very unclear earlier and would like to just double check that what I am seeing is normal. This is what I see during a column dump:

Is this how column dumps go for you too?

 

[nakadashi]

Ah crap, I did not put .jpg after the last picture. Here it is.

 

[mr. durden]

have you tried adding heat to the column? is this a dry ice extraction?

 

[nakadashi]

have you tried adding heat to the column? is this a dry ice extraction?

This is regular ice run with no column heat. Doesn't using dry ice and column heat just speed up the recovery time? (ie, the time it takes to reach -10"hg)

 

[FatherEarth]

It looks like its getting there. Notice the ice creeping up the column to the sight glass. Kinda looks like valve 4 is open. Before you opened valve 3 did you close 4? How many coffee filters are you using in the ends and what kind? Are you using additional or finer mesh screens? What is your packing density? Is your gauge properly calibrated?

Yes I think its not too far from normal. I still have some in @ 0 in fact thats right about when it starts to freeze the column if using regular ice. By the time you reach -11 though it should be empty, and starting a new flood. Check your gauge and answer a those questions for me please. Thanks


FE

 

[nakadashi]

It looks like its getting there. Notice the ice creeping up the column to the sight glass. Kinda looks like valve 4 is open. Before you opened valve 3 did you close 4? How many coffee filters are you using in the ends and what kind? Are you using additional or finer mesh screens? What is your packing density? Is your gauge properly calibrated?

Yes I think its not too far from normal. I still have some in @ 0 in fact thats right about when it starts to freeze the column if using regular ice. By the time you reach -11 though it should be empty, and starting a new flood. Check your gauge and answer a those questions for me please. Thanks


FE

FE,
1. Yes, valve 4 was closed when I opened valve 3.
2. One regular white coffee filter on each end with two cotton balls behind them. (Coffee filter on the very outside) I had a problem with debris before but the cotton balls fixed it.
3. No finer mesh screens, but thinking about adding them now...
4. Packing density -- about 150g in the column so should be within acceptable parameters.
5. Gauge not calibrated unfortunately I assumed because it reads 0 when nothing is happening that it was calibrated properly, but I will now look into calibrating it..

One interesting observation I made today was that there was ice on the top and bottom of the columns during final dump while the pressure was approx -5"hg. When it reached -10"hg there was only ice on the top of the column as usual.

 

[icdog]

FE was that clump an increase in yield somehow? Any update on those vids you were going to make? Is there an update to the operating procedure now?

FYI to anyone. Purchased a digital readout butane meter and it works very well. I've only used it a bit but it looks like the butane dissipates very quickly away from the source and it was interesting to see how long spent material still had butane in it.

 

[nakadashi]

FE was that clump an increase in yield somehow? Any update on those vids you were going to make? Is there an update to the operating procedure now?

FYI to anyone. Purchased a digital readout butane meter and it works very well. I've only used it a bit but it looks like the butane dissipates very quickly away from the source and it was interesting to see how long spent material still had butane in it.

I was emptying out a column today with the dump valve and vent valve sealed, and I guess there was still a lot of butane in it. Had a massive weed explosion. Half the column of weed flew up into the air and into my face so I am pretty fucked up right now. Lesson learned I guess, lots of butane in the spent material still

 

[RegisPhilburn1]

I was emptying out a column today with the dump valve and vent valve sealed, and I guess there was still a lot of butane in it. Had a massive weed explosion. Half the column of weed flew up into the air and into my face so I am pretty fucked up right now. Lesson learned I guess, lots of butane in the spent material still

Sounds like the butane is having trouble flowing through your column, how tight are you packing? is your material bone dry? Water in the material has the possibility of freezing and blocking/slowing the flow of the tane. At what level on the pressure guage did you isolate the column? I usually dont untill 10hg.

+1 for safety goggles hehe

 

[RegisPhilburn1]

Just because you can run a lot of butane through a column doesn't mean you should. At some point you are picking stuff up that you don't want. If anything, you want as short a contact time as possible

What I'll sometimes do when using my 6x12 spool is gauge the time it takes to get the dip tube cold, say 12 seconds and then run for 24 more seconds and then dump everything.

Thanks, short contact time is the reason i would like to try the bottom up shower, i figure that the soak method has alot more contact time than a short shower, but i might be mistaken.

So if im getting this right, basically just log the amount of time it takes for the first flood to reach the top 10s for example, and then instead of closing valves 4 and 2 just leave them open for double your recorded time 20s, and then dump when at 10hg?

 

[FatherEarth]

Cotton balls? That could be your problem. I tried using a cotton disc for a filter and it slowed down my runs tremendously. When I pulled the cotton disc out afterwards its was full of fine material and oil. Toss the cotton balls and get your filters right.

Try this when loading your tubes:

*Always put your filters between the mesh screens and your material.

1st
Put on your mesh screen and solid end cap, and tighten.

Now take 2 or 3 coffee filters and open them up flat over the open end of the tube. Now take two fingers and push into the hole. Then take your packing rod and push it to the bottom taking care to tamp it evenly around the edges and repeat with a second set of filters. I always place my the end that was packed up that way the loose end is down so when you dump #3 it doesnt get stuck in the material. See if that helps and report back if you would please. Thanks.

With Respect,

FE

 

[FatherEarth]

short contact time is easy to do even with the current configuration. when flooding the column allow it to push all the butane through the vent tube until its nearly clear. You can push like this for a bit without overflowing the collection if you pay attention.without using heat though it will take a while to boil off leaving you with a soaking tube in the meantime. Just do the first pull then change pots saving all the first floods....

 

[FatherEarth]

ICDOG I did make some videos but havent gotten around to editing them and getting them up.
And the clump wasnt an increase but the material was a heavy yielder for sure. Didnt have anything to do with the technique I assume...

 

[mr. durden]

Thanks, short contact time is the reason i would like to try the bottom up shower, i figure that the soak method has alot more contact time than a short shower, but i might be mistaken.

So if im getting this right, basically just log the amount of time it takes for the first flood to reach the top 10s for example, and then instead of closing valves 4 and 2 just leave them open for double your recorded time 20s, and then dump when at 10hg?

honestly, i think a lot of people are over thinking the whole blasting process. i've done top down single blasts,bottom up single blasts, and multiple cycles using the machine as it came designed. if you are running super cold, as with dry ice, it quickly becomes a moot point on purity of product. if you freeze your column, you should be able to get waxes extracted to stick to the bottom of the spool and you pour off the good stuff. I can't emphasize enough that negative temps will make the biggest difference after good starting material.

also make sure to clean your stuff well and double sift. remove water leaf before grinding. sifting removes the stems and wire stems. this stuff makes a difference in the look and smoke of your product. try smoking water leaf or stems and see how they taste.

so you are correct in the timing aspect. if it takes 10 seconds to hit the dip tube, run it for another 20 seconds, or less if you choose. shut the #2 valve and open #3. now the problem you might run into is that could fill up your spool too much. so i would do the initial 10, run another ten, turn of the butane, and dump the ball valve. i normally use a 6x12 spool when doing this method.

when you have removed enough butane via reclaim, close the valve at your butane tank and open #2 to drain whatever butane is in the hose. that way when you are ready to either run another tube or set up for your next tube with a fresh bottom, you aren't running warm butane into your column and you can vac the butane hose

 

[mr. durden]

Cotton balls? That could be your problem. I tried using a cotton disc for a filter and it slowed down my runs tremendously. When I pulled the cotton disc out afterwards its was full of fine material and oil. Toss the cotton balls and get your filters right.

Try this when loading your tubes:

*Always put your filters between the mesh screens and your material.

1st
Put on your mesh screen and solid end cap, and tighten.

Now take 2 or 3 coffee filters and open them up flat over the open end of the tube. Now take two fingers and push into the hole. Then take your packing rod and push it to the bottom taking care to tamp it evenly around the edges and repeat with a second set of filters. I always place my the end that was packed up that way the loose end is down so when you dump #3 it doesnt get stuck in the material. See if that helps and report back if you would please. Thanks.

With Respect,

FE

i do mine differently only because it is a pain to use gaskets and clamps.

i got the basket filters for 10-12 cup and take four and separate them out then crumple them up and stick them in the tube. then i do another 4. i flip the column over and use my dowel to push them together while the column is up against a hard surface. then i push them in an inch or two.

i use a big funnel and fill the column 3/4 of a cup at a time and then tamp. after the first cups worth, i reach down and push the filters back in an inch or so as they might have started peaking out the end. subsequent cups of material won't move the filter. then i put 2 sets of 4 at the top, pack them in, put the plastic end caps on either end and freeze the tube.

of course i don't use mesh screens before the 20 mesh gaskets anymore. i'd rather over do it with coffee filters versus ruining a batch of oil.

i had to pack 9 tubes for tomorrows run... it goes much quicker this way :/

 

[mr. durden]

short contact time is easy to do even with the current configuration. when flooding the column allow it to push all the butane through the vent tube until its nearly clear. You can push like this for a bit without overflowing the collection if you pay attention.without using heat though it will take a while to boil off leaving you with a soaking tube in the meantime. Just do the first pull then change pots saving all the first floods....

i agree, plus you know when the column is full by the dip tube getting cold.

doing single tube runs, using dry ice and sometimes freezing tubes with dry ice, i can do a run from turning on the appion to pouring in 18-30 min and this is doing 3 cycles