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Poormans Rosin Press

Santa did not bring me a rosin press this year, so I decided to make my own. Since I already owned a Harbor Freight 12 ton bottle jack for my truck, no sense buying another one just for this. So, I designed my press so I can easily remove the jack and put it back in the truck after a pressing session.

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All the parts were sourced at my local hardware store for about $35, except the aluminum stock. This, I already had from another project, but cheap to buy at any of the online metal suppliers for around $25. I used three 8" sections of 3" wide, 3/16" thick channel.

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The threaded rod is 5/8" course thread cut 15" to accommodate my jack height but still allow for adjustment, later on. The four springs are necessary to retract the piston when you release the pressure. Otherwise, it will just sit there cooking your bud.

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I scrounged the heating plates from a hair straighter I bought from Goodwill for $3. They are 2 x 2.25 inches. Each is epoxied to a 3/16" thick piece of phenolic to isolate them from the aluminum press plates. This way their energy is mainly confined to a small area and not working to heat up the whole press.

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I use a digital cooking thermometer to measure the temperature and regulate that manually using a variac (variable AC transformer).

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The consensus seems to be you press at under 200 degrees. For now I have it set up for around 180 degrees F. I can get them up to 225 to 235 with the current plates, if need be. The process starts by pressing the plates together and letting them heat up for a good 10 to 15 minutes. Then, I crack them apart and push in the thermometer to check the temperature.

So, the proof is in the pudding, as they say. Today, I harvested a fresh AK-47 after twelve weeks. I plan to try pressing some of this in about five days, or so. I will also compare the results with some AK-47 that has been curing since October.

I'm curious to see the difference between pressing recently dried to pressing cured flower.

Will post those results in a bit.
 
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Mikell

Dipshit Know-Nothing
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Ah that's pretty bitchin'.

Particularly the label maker work.
 

Ringodoggie

Well-known member
Premium user
Very nicely done. Ditto on the label. LOL

My guess is the epoxy will break. I couldn't get anything to stick and not break on any of my early prototypes. Ended up going with mechanical fasteners.
 
...My guess is the epoxy will break. I couldn't get anything to stick and not break on any of my early prototypes. Ended up going with mechanical fasteners.

Thanks.

Packaging says this marine epoxy is good for up to 300 degrees F. I'm at around 200. I let it set up under pressure for 48 hours. Will see. Room to tap and bolt them on if need be.
 

Ringodoggie

Well-known member
Premium user
It wasn't the heat, in my case. It was the pressure. It always broke/cracked.

It also happened on the first few presses so you'll know in a hurry. LOL Hopefully, it will hold up.

I actually use springs to hold mine together, now. A little odd but it works great.

Let us know how it works out. Sure looks like you did a nice job. :)
 
Switched from using the bleached white parchment paper to the natural unbleached version. Apparently, the chemical dioxin is use in the bleaching process and can leach into what you are heating.

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This paper is a bit thinner than the white Reynolds I had but it is slicker.
 
Did quite a bit of pressing yesterday using my small supply of AK-47 that has been curing for about 2.5 months.

I started out with four grams of flower.

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My process is to take a bud and hand press it first using a block of wood. That gets me a puck about the size of a nickel.

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Then, wrap this in a piece of parchment paper and insert it into my press. I have the heat up to around 200 degrees F this time. I pump until I hear a hissing sound as the oil is squeezed out, then I give it one more pump. The hissing grows louder. As soon as it stops hissing I release the pressure and remove the paper. All this happens in less than 30 seconds.

Here is my first press.

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I then fold the flattened puck in half twice and put this into a new piece of paper. Into the press and repeat the process listening for the hissing.

My second pressing.

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I also gave it a third try, folding the pancake twice. The results are a bit darker, but still usable.

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So, after I pressed the four grams I weighed the collected material while still on the tool. Then, I removed the material and weighed again with the tool clean.

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My scale will not show less than a gram. I probably ended up with something a bit less than one full gram of material on my first try. Conservatively, I'd say maybe 20% return from the four grams I started with. Not too shabby.

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My goal next is to come up with a way to make this candy like material into something I can use in my medical vape pen.

Will report back.
 
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Ringodoggie

Well-known member
Premium user
Not bad for your first run.

If you want to dilute it and use it in an e-cig type device, there are products and methods for that. I use Vapeur Extract. There are others.

Or, if you're going to smoke it as is, you'll need a nail or wax/oil type vape.

You might also want to try pressing it with a coffee filter. A lot of people are doing that to get a super clean result. I seem to loose more in the filter than it's worth.

Personally, I use almost all my rosin in edibles so I don't have a problem with a little contaminates in it. I see some of the pepole pressing beautiful clear/amber rosin. Just beautiful.

Again, nice job.
 
If you want to dilute it and use it in an e-cig type device, there are products and methods for that. I use Vapeur Extract.

Thanks for the tip. I actually made some last night using vegetable glycerine and propolene glycol. It worked quite well, got me high anyway, but was quite harsh on my throat. Assume that is the PG ?

The missing link for me (used in their formula) is PEG 400 (polyethylene glycol 400) that keeps the product from breaking down once mixed. Mine was so thick that was not likely to happen. On their site they suggest diluting way more than I did, however.

They also talk about letting the mixture sit for many hours then straining it using a filter attached to the syringe. Worth a try. It's supposed to remove the fats and lipids. Again, I'd need to be way more diluted for this to work.

You might also want to try pressing it with a coffee filter. A lot of people are doing that to get a super clean result. I seem to loose more in the filter than it's worth.

Some are using screened mesh to do the same thing. Either silk screen material or better yet mesh made from nylon. They sell small bags made from this mesh. My issue with them is they only allow one pressing. You cannot fold the pancake over and over as I do for that second and third pressing.

I see some of the people pressing beautiful clear/amber rosin.

Yes, some are getting great looking product. After the second pressing, I do notice the color shifting from a golden color to more green. Probably the plant material/chlorophyll now getting squeezed out. Might be that two pressings is the limit if you want the clearest product.

All this is trial and error at this point, for me, at least but very cool to be involved with it all. Such a new and exciting field that offers much hope and promise, medically speaking, for those who suffer needlessly every day. The sad part is, for most of us we have to do this work in the shadows.

Someday, maybe someday.
 
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Ringodoggie

Well-known member
Premium user
Thanks for the tip. I actually made some last night using vegetable glycerine and propolene glycol. It worked quite well, got me high anyway, but was quite harsh on my throat. Assume that is the PG ?

Turn down the temp on your battery. That made a big diff on my e-juice. I had it set full high for using with my coil vape. I turned it to about half way for e-juice and it stopped burning my throat.
 
Turn down the temp on your battery. That made a big diff on my e-juice. I had it set full high for using with my coil vape. I turned it to about half way for e-juice and it stopped burning my throat.

My battery is fixed power, no adjustment. It's the one I got from the medical dispensary for use with their products. I think you may be right, though. Using it again last night it seems to be heating my home brew concoction too fast. I need to press it in short bursts, then take an easy puff. Still some throat burning, but I do have a cold, so that's not helping.

If you can suggest a better pen, please do. I just ordered some of these empty 510 style "disposable" cartridges on Ebay, so it needs to work with these.
 

Ringodoggie

Well-known member
Premium user
Some batteries have a little knob to adjust the power output. Any one of those would probably do the trick.

Keep using yours until the battery starts getting weak. If the hits get smoother, that's an indicator.
 
I needed to add a muffin fan to the top plate to cool it down. I noticed some slight warping probably from the combination of the heat and pressure. With the fan running it now stays as cool as if the heat blocks were off.

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Mikell

Dipshit Know-Nothing
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Hehe sorry for the offtopic. I am mentally about 13.


Perhaps a steel plate for backing? Would act as a better heatsink.

You seem pretty handy, so maybe not that valuable as to those of us with ten thumbs, but if you google High Simple Diy Rosin Press it will bring up a walkthrough that may give a few ideas for the future.
 
...if you google High Simple Diy Rosin Press it will bring up a walkthrough that may give a few ideas for the future.

Based on my calculations, this arbor press version you site can only provide, at best, under 100 pounds/square inch of pressure. My little table top press can supply up to 4300 pounds/square inch, and with little effort on the operators part.

Also, with the arbor press, since the plate drops down it must be raised back up manually and presumably held there with one hand. With mine you simply release the pressure screw and the four springs retract the piston/plate.

Mine is way cheaper and probably much easier to make. The 12 ton bottle jack, at $32 from Harbor Freight, is less than half the cost of the arbor press for $70, also from HF. Way less machining, too.

To each his own... but I'll stay with mine :)
 
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