Hey folks,
I just got into this new dry sifting hobby and it's a lot of fun so far - I've been at it for 2 weeks now and I'm starting to see some results finally!
I've been using the 140u screen, and the 73u screen mostly. These translate out to about 200 LPI and 100 LPI. After heads fall down through the 140u screen I wrap a new piece of parchment paper around my iTunes card and begin carding to collect the resin. Before I go any further I've gotta give it up for D420K because he's been of big help on YouTube by sharing all the tips and tricks he's learned over the year in separating these heads from contaminants. He went through a bunch of different static-attracting materials and finally found out that the PVC in the iTunes card plastic (and other plastic cards) has the most static charge out of everything, so I use those and wrap parchment around it to increase it even further. I think DK wraps parchment around a CD case, but I didn't like how bulky that was so I use smaller cards personally.
One side has a negative charge while the other a positive, which is what separates the contaminant from the gland heads. I forget the science behind it but it was pretty damn interesting on Hash Church a few weeks back. I shouldn't smoke so much dry sift when I'm trying to learn things
Things I've learned so far:
1) Don't use both sides of the card to swipe material back and forth, because that mixes the contaminant with the headies (duh)
2) Investing in a $7 currency scope is highly helpful in learning how to sift - how will we know what we're doing right or wrong if we can't see the purity of our last sift?
3) The yield difference between sifting in 65F conditions and sifting in <32F conditions is ten fold. I freeze my material for 24 hours beforehand now, and open the window that's next to my sifting table to keep stalks and heads brittle for easier extracting
4) Don't handle your resin when you're too high on resin. The other day I spilled a ton of headies all over my pants... I almost cried but I was far too baked to do so lol
5) Don't expect massive yields. 5% - 10% is normal, and you'll never make enough. I smoke mine as fast as I make it, and at most I'll have enough to save some for the morning to smoke before I begin sifting again. I guess that goes for any hash of high quality though... there's often not a lot of it around at one time unless a lot of material is used
The hash station - I found these screens for under $20 ea. at www.poconoscreens.com. I also have a silicone nonstick brush that I use for brushing off the heads onto that glass plate there... I tried just using a card but I found that it breaks off contaminant easier than the delicate bristles on a brush. Plus, a brush is far faster for some reason. I've never understood all the little tools hash makers have in their tool box but after a few weeks of sifting and making my very first hash, I'm starting to get a glimpse of what it's like to be a hash maker.. and I've gained a new found respect for others who put so much of what they've got into this art. It is an art...
I just got into this new dry sifting hobby and it's a lot of fun so far - I've been at it for 2 weeks now and I'm starting to see some results finally!
I've been using the 140u screen, and the 73u screen mostly. These translate out to about 200 LPI and 100 LPI. After heads fall down through the 140u screen I wrap a new piece of parchment paper around my iTunes card and begin carding to collect the resin. Before I go any further I've gotta give it up for D420K because he's been of big help on YouTube by sharing all the tips and tricks he's learned over the year in separating these heads from contaminants. He went through a bunch of different static-attracting materials and finally found out that the PVC in the iTunes card plastic (and other plastic cards) has the most static charge out of everything, so I use those and wrap parchment around it to increase it even further. I think DK wraps parchment around a CD case, but I didn't like how bulky that was so I use smaller cards personally.
One side has a negative charge while the other a positive, which is what separates the contaminant from the gland heads. I forget the science behind it but it was pretty damn interesting on Hash Church a few weeks back. I shouldn't smoke so much dry sift when I'm trying to learn things
Things I've learned so far:
1) Don't use both sides of the card to swipe material back and forth, because that mixes the contaminant with the headies (duh)
2) Investing in a $7 currency scope is highly helpful in learning how to sift - how will we know what we're doing right or wrong if we can't see the purity of our last sift?
3) The yield difference between sifting in 65F conditions and sifting in <32F conditions is ten fold. I freeze my material for 24 hours beforehand now, and open the window that's next to my sifting table to keep stalks and heads brittle for easier extracting
4) Don't handle your resin when you're too high on resin. The other day I spilled a ton of headies all over my pants... I almost cried but I was far too baked to do so lol
5) Don't expect massive yields. 5% - 10% is normal, and you'll never make enough. I smoke mine as fast as I make it, and at most I'll have enough to save some for the morning to smoke before I begin sifting again. I guess that goes for any hash of high quality though... there's often not a lot of it around at one time unless a lot of material is used
The hash station - I found these screens for under $20 ea. at www.poconoscreens.com. I also have a silicone nonstick brush that I use for brushing off the heads onto that glass plate there... I tried just using a card but I found that it breaks off contaminant easier than the delicate bristles on a brush. Plus, a brush is far faster for some reason. I've never understood all the little tools hash makers have in their tool box but after a few weeks of sifting and making my very first hash, I'm starting to get a glimpse of what it's like to be a hash maker.. and I've gained a new found respect for others who put so much of what they've got into this art. It is an art...