Advice for trying the RSO technique

Mellowyellow25 · Dec 15, 2017

I'd like to try making canabis oil using the so-call Rick Simpson RSO technique.

That means I will need to freeze my flower, freeze the grain alcohol then submerge the flower in the GA. Strain the spent flower then heat the remaining liquid in a rice cooker.

The final results will then be placed on a coffee cup warmer (a constant low heat) until the residual GA has evaporated.

Simple enough and since I do not have the background nor the equipment to do this any other way, worth a try for me, at least.

So my question is this. Since I will be saturating the flower with GA, is it necessary to dry and cure the flower or can I go straight from the harvest to making the oil. That is, will I lose any potency this way?

Thanks for any help and guidance.

PDX Dopesmoker · Dec 16, 2017

I have never heard of anyone doing fresh frozen RSO, but I would like to see what the result would be.
The method you're suggesting is a fresh frozen QWET extraction followed by an unnecessarily warm removal of the solvent (depending on what you want to do with the final product).
Do you want to smoke or eat the final product? If you want to smoke it then try evaporating the alcohol off at room temperature in small batches in a glass pie plate instead of boiling it away hot, that should get you a tastier result.
RSO involves extracting at a higher temperature to get more of the green stuff with mysterious medical benefits into the oil, the point of keeping the material frozen is to avoid picking up that green stuff.

XXX_710 · Dec 16, 2017

I agree with PDX that you should use time at room temperature to evaporate most of the solvent.

I put the material in a large jar and pour the GA / Everclear in, cap it, shake for 3 minutes (which is a long time to shake a damn jar), then strain it out. The tricky part is straining the material from the alcohol. You will need to use some progressively smaller strainers before the final coffee filter strain. If you dump it straight in a coffee filter without a finer prestrain, it will take an eternity to run through. I use a jelly bag first (you can use it to ring out the solvent absorbed by the cannabis), then a second wire strainer with very tiny holes, then it goes through the coffee filter. Use the unbleached filters that are round, as I've had trouble with the cone shaped ones.

Let us know how it goes. Good luck!

Overgrowth · Dec 16, 2017

Water will make the efficiency of grain alcohol worse and extract more chlorophyll plus cause evap to be much longer.

My suggestion for RSO slow way
1: Fully Cure material- if you use oven do not go over 150F
2: Soak whole or ground material in the Alcohol for 2-5 days in dark
3: Filter with coffee filter -Check color if your not happy with clarity go to next step
4: Winterize extract 48hrs.
5: Evap out side With cheese cloth cover

My suggestion for RSO fast
1: Place material in stove pot
Cover with grain alcohol place on
20-45min on Low MedLow heat (WARNING FLAME DANGER) Do not go over 172.83F
2: Filter with coffee filter.
3: Evap with Heat out side on Low fan help

herbgreen · Dec 16, 2017

I would do this OUTSIDE....

This shit can blow you up and burn your house down

Watch Run from The Cure
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuQVeeZki_E

checkout Rick Simpson's Web-site....

phoenixtears.ca

^^You will have to copy/paste this in URL^^

Using the rice cooker is a good idea...no spark no flame lots of ventilation

OUTSIDE! maybe on a screen porch with open windows and fans

Do Not burn your house down!

Rick says get the material "bone dry" and others have good de-carb info...

I would dry and cure and then get it a little extra dry through the de-carb for the grain alcohol wash

Good Luck and Stay Safe... Read alot about it...Take it Slow!

We have seen way too many tragic results already with BHO...Do Not Blow Yourself Up!

Keep It simple and just follow Ricks Method you will be fine

Gray Wolf · Dec 16, 2017

Mellowyellow25 said:
I'd like to try making canabis oil using the so-call Rick Simpson RSO technique.

That means I will need to freeze my flower, freeze the grain alcohol then submerge the flower in the GA. Strain the spent flower then heat the remaining liquid in a rice cooker.

The final results will then be placed on a coffee cup warmer (a constant low heat) until the residual GA has evaporated.

Simple enough and since I do not have the background nor the equipment to do this any other way, worth a try for me, at least.

So my question is this. Since I will be saturating the flower with GA, is it necessary to dry and cure the flower or can I go straight from the harvest to making the oil. That is, will I lose any potency this way?

Thanks for any help and guidance.

RSO is typically soxhleted unfrozen. What you are describing is closer to QWET.

RSO is also typically done with dry material, as wet material adds too much water.

Mellowyellow25 · Dec 16, 2017

Ok, so guess I'm mixing oranges with apples.

The end result is it load the oil into a vape pen cartridge made for these very thick oils. I use them now but have to buy the product at a medical dispensary. It's very expensive for only a tiny amount. Hoping to get around this and make my own.

My understanding is doing it with cold/frozen solvent and flower reduces the chance of getting chlorophyll in the final product. That "green" color you spoke of.

Understand about doing the rice cooker burn off with plenty of ventilation. Will do that in the garage near a window and running a fan. Thanks for the concern : )

The oil I buy new is golden in color. The RSO in the video is dark black. I understand the commercial product uses high-end CO2 extraction to obtain this purity. My chances of this are much less. Any suggestions with this added information will be appreciated.

BTW: I do have some flower that has been curing since mid October. I could use this batch and save what is coming to harvest in a week or so for my next try. I can only grow one plant at a time in my cabinet so not a lot to work with.

mushroombrew · Dec 16, 2017

Mellowyellow25 said:
Ok, so guess I'm mixing oranges with apples.

The end result is it load the oil into a vape pen cartridge made for these very thick oils. I use them now but have to buy the product at a medical dispensary. It's very expensive for only a tiny amount. Hoping to get around this and make my own.

My understanding is doing it with cold/frozen solvent and flower reduces the chance of getting chlorophyll in the final product. That "green" color you spoke of.

Understand about doing the rice cooker burn off with plenty of ventilation. Will do that in the garage near a window and running a fan. Thanks for the concern : )

The oil I buy new is golden in color. The RSO in the video is dark black. I understand the commercial product uses high-end CO2 extraction to obtain this purity. My chances of this are much less. Any suggestions with this added information will be appreciated.

BTW: I do have some flower that has been curing since mid October. I could use this batch and save what is coming to harvest in a week or so for my next try. I can only grow one plant at a time in my cabinet so not a lot to work with.

Just wanted to clarify.

RSO is ingested never smoked. DO NOT smoke RSO.

The oil in your vape pen is BHO or Distillate.

I know it gets confusing.

Put the rice cooker outside bro. It f'ing reeks. I use ISO as the solvent. A gallon of RSO cooks down in 15-20 mins.

Rick Simpson is not clear about how long it takes which I find stupid.
You will have black funk (RSO)

Read this a few times
https://www.medicaljane.com/question/how-do-you-make-rick-simpson-oil-rso-with-weed/

SkyHighLer · Dec 16, 2017

Good advice and fill in above. Sounds like you've read through Rick's instructions, they are explicit, and I suggest you take them as word.

http://phoenixtears.ca/faq-about-rso/

http://phoenixtears.ca/producing-the-oil/

It is difficult to get flow through ventilation in a garage, and they often have ignition sources such as water heaters. The high/low switching within the rice cooker is very likely an open contact thermal switch, an out and out ignition source. Rick is not being overly cautious when he states outdoors with a fan set to keep the vapors from entering the device.

So, extreme caution, and/or if you have the experience, open the rice cooker up, and seal off any sources of ignition.

PDX Dopesmoker · Dec 16, 2017

QWET made from dried material and evaporated hot and relatively thick might be result in a product with the right consistency to work in pens, but it might not taste like primo material. If you evaporate away the solvent at a low temperature using a larger surface area for evaporation you'll end up with a product which tastes a lot better and is harder & less sticky, if its a thin enough film you'll get a shatter type result.

Just for the sake of starting an unnecessary but potentially amusing argument I would also like to add that I disagree with mushroombrew about not smoking RSO. I've smoked a lot of that stuff, it will get you plenty high and it has a unique flavor with is appealing to some aficionados, but is often rejected by people who haven't acquired the taste.
One time over 20 years ago I smoked so much RSO that I was certain that amount accumulated in my lungs would be enough to put me away as a large scale dealer had they decided to dissect me. I was stoned on that stuff for a long time, a couple years or so, smoked a bunch of it, mostly made with Everclear. No ill effects have reared their head yet.

Gray Wolf · Dec 16, 2017

Mellowyellow25 said:
Ok, so guess I'm mixing oranges with apples.

The end result is it load the oil into a vape pen cartridge made for these very thick oils. I use them now but have to buy the product at a medical dispensary. It's very expensive for only a tiny amount. Hoping to get around this and make my own.

My understanding is doing it with cold/frozen solvent and flower reduces the chance of getting chlorophyll in the final product. That "green" color you spoke of.

OK, the confusion may be with your use of the word RSO, with regard to carts, while describing the QWET process, with RSO recovery techniques.

For your purpose, QWET is definitely a better process than RSO.

Understand about doing the rice cooker burn off with plenty of ventilation. Will do that in the garage near a window and running a fan. Thanks for the concern : )

You're welcome, but don't take it lightly.

The oil I buy new is golden in color. The RSO in the video is dark black.

If you smear it on white paper, probably dark enough green to appear black.

I understand the commercial product uses high-end CO2 extraction to obtain this purity. My chances of this are much less. Any suggestions with this added information will be appreciated.

BTW: I do have some flower that has been curing since mid October. I could use this batch and save what is coming to harvest in a week or so for my next try. I can only grow one plant at a time in my cabinet so not a lot to work with.

I suggest that you try this: http://thealchemistresource.thealchemistresource.com/p/blog-page_24.html

mushroombrew · Dec 16, 2017

PDX Dopesmoker said:
QWET made from dried material and evaporated hot and relatively thick might be result in a product with the right consistency to work in pens, but it might not taste like primo material. If you evaporate away the solvent at a low temperature using a larger surface area for evaporation you'll end up with a product which tastes a lot better and is harder & less sticky, if its a thin enough film you'll get a shatter type result.

Just for the sake of starting an unnecessary but potentially amusing argument I would also like to add that I disagree with mushroombrew about not smoking RSO. I've smoked a lot of that stuff, it will get you plenty high and it has a unique flavor with is appealing to some aficionados, but is often rejected by people who haven't acquired the taste.
One time over 20 years ago I smoked so much RSO that I was certain that amount accumulated in my lungs would be enough to put me away as a large scale dealer had they decided to dissect me. I was stoned on that stuff for a long time, a couple years or so, smoked a bunch of it, mostly made with Everclear. No ill effects have reared their head yet.

Yes residual ethanol can be smoked.

Isopropyl/Benzene/Butane etc not so much my friend. RSO made as Rick does with ISO should NOT be smoked period.

herbgreen · Dec 17, 2017

If you want to smoke or vape something try rosin

Rosin IS the shit....

The DIY rosin makers are easy to make or a lot of weed dispenseries even have one to use

Thats no solvents....no explosions....no fires....no worries

Better taste effect and yield....and easy

I would say rosin is maintaining terpenes much better than ice-o-lator water hash or solvent based hash methods

Mellowyellow25 · Dec 17, 2017

I have been watching some YouTube videos showing these DIY Rosen presses made from Harbor Freight tools. They add two thick aluminum blocks with heating elements drilled into each. I believe they are 12 ton presses. Cost around $100 plus the blocks and heaters.

I did try this using a hair straightener but the amount of rosen from one nugget was almost minisqual. The fellow I was watching last night pulled around 6 grams from a single ounce using his 12 ton home brew press.

So I agree this is the safer, simpler way to go.

Would I still want to dry and fully cure the flower if going in this direction or does having some moisture allow the rosen to run out better!

Gray Wolf · Dec 17, 2017

Mellowyellow25 said:
I have been watching some YouTube videos showing these DIY Rosen presses made from Harbor Freight tools. They add two thick aluminum blocks with heating elements drilled into each. I believe they are 12 ton presses. Cost around $100 plus the blocks and heaters.

I did try this using a hair straightener but the amount of rosen from one nugget was almost minisqual. The fellow I was watching last night pulled around 6 grams from a single ounce using his 12 ton home brew press.

So I agree this is the safer, simpler way to go.

Would I still want to dry and fully cure the flower if going in this direction or does having some moisture allow the rosen to run out better!

Here is a link with a print for the plates:

http://thealchemistresource.thealchemistresource.com/p/blog-page_15.html

We had poor luck pressing fresh cut material.

SkyHighLer · Dec 17, 2017

PDX Dopesmoker said:
QWET made from dried material and evaporated hot and relatively thick might be result in a product with the right consistency to work in pens, but it might not taste like primo material. If you evaporate away the solvent at a low temperature using a larger surface area for evaporation you'll end up with a product which tastes a lot better and is harder & less sticky, if its a thin enough film you'll get a shatter type result.

Just for the sake of starting an unnecessary but potentially amusing argument I would also like to add that I disagree with mushroombrew about not smoking RSO. I've smoked a lot of that stuff, it will get you plenty high and it has a unique flavor with is appealing to some aficionados, but is often rejected by people who haven't acquired the taste.
One time over 20 years ago I smoked so much RSO that I was certain that amount accumulated in my lungs would be enough to put me away as a large scale dealer had they decided to dissect me. I was stoned on that stuff for a long time, a couple years or so, smoked a bunch of it, mostly made with Everclear. No ill effects have reared their head yet.

If you use a non-polar solvent like heptane, and evaporate it off at low temperature (fan blowing on a thin film in a Pyrex casserole dish sitting on a seedling heat mat, etc.,) you'll get a product close to BHO. It will take a long time to purge the solvent to acceptable levels without vacuum, or raising the temperature.

From my Solvents and polarity list linked to below,

n-heptane C7H16 142-82-5 98.38C/209.08F 0.012
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heptane
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=7929096&postcount=153
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=7941481&postcount=165
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=8004478&postcount=218
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=8137955&postcount=260

Nothing against Consolidated Chemical's heptane, except it's more expensive.

PDX Dopesmoker · Dec 18, 2017

SkyHighLer said:
If you use a non-polar solvent like heptane, and evaporate it off at low temperature (fan blowing on a thin film in a Pyrex casserole dish sitting on a seedling heat mat, etc.,) you'll get a product close to BHO. It will take a long time to purge the solvent to acceptable levels without vacuum, or raising the temperature.

From my Solvents and polarity list linked to below,

n-heptane C7H16 142-82-5 98.38C/209.08F 0.012
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heptane
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=7929096&postcount=153
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=7941481&postcount=165
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=8004478&postcount=218
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=8137955&postcount=260

Nothing against Consolidated Chemical's heptane, except it's more expensive.

Thin film evaporation and avoiding water contamination seem like key factors in making potent extracts with nice handling qualities. Mellowyellow25 is making something to fill carts with though, I'm not sure if shattery extracts work in those things.

Mellowyellow25 · Dec 18, 2017

Gray Wolf said:
Here is a link with a print for the plates:
https://thealchemistresource.thealchemistresource.com/p/blog-page_15.html

Thanks. I took apart the hair straightener I have to remove the two aluminum plates. While small, they are large enough to accommodate a single nugget after hand pressing to flatten a bit.

I plan to afix these to some larger blocks after a bit of milling to provide even pressure where these plates have their indentations. At least it will let me test this process before investing in a whole system with controller.

Questions:

These 12 - 20 ton presses. Just how much pressure is really required to make this work? Can this be done with a smaller bench top 6 ton?

Heat? How much is required? These two plates are putting out around 220 degrees right off the AC outlet. I can regulate with a reostat, if needed.

herbgreen · Dec 19, 2017

I think some of the first good DIY rosin presses were based on T-shirt heat presses

http://www.howtorosintech.com/t-shirt-press/

herbgreen · Dec 19, 2017

This right here is what to get...or make

"the Rosinator !!! Massive yields !!!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxUUGN4k6HQ

Advice for trying the RSO technique

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