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THE ULTIMATE PERSONAL PROFESSIONAL HASH PRESS FOR UNDER 20 BUCKS !!

sneaky101

Member
I was on a website the other day, can't remember which one. But anyway, they were selling the clay extruder this thread is talking about, and they jacked the price up to almost $30usd. All they did was slap a sticker at the top with their web address. I couldn't believe how much they marked it up!
 

Pipedream

Proudly Growing My Own Since 1969
Veteran
Five years ago when I first started this thread, there were few if any alternatives to the very expensive "PieceMaker" stainless press. Not so anymore. In the past year I was in a couple of "Tobacco" shops in Virginia and one of the items they were selling were nice stainless presses very similar to the original PM, and the cost....just $50 bucks or so. It was close to being a Chinese clone of the original. The only down-side I spotted was that the inside diameter was well over an inch. If it had been smaller, I would have likely purchased one. Always on the lookout for a new toy or a better mousetrap.
 

kmk420kali

Freedom Fighter
Veteran
Five years ago when I first started this thread, there were few if any alternatives to the very expensive "PieceMaker" stainless press. Not so anymore. In the past year I was in a couple of "Tobacco" shops in Virginia and one of the items they were selling were nice stainless presses very similar to the original PM, and the cost....just $50 bucks or so. It was close to being a Chinese clone of the original. The only down-side I spotted was that the inside diameter was well over an inch. If it had been smaller, I would have likely purchased one. Always on the lookout for a new toy or a better mousetrap.

There are a few good examples of cheap DIY presses here--:tiphat:
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=232151
 

izzybud

Member
where in va if u dont mind me asking? lookin to pick one up not sure if michaels or the likes carry it anymore. im in hampton roads
 

Pipedream

Proudly Growing My Own Since 1969
Veteran
Don't mind any questions at all.

The shop is located on Jeff Davis Highway (Route 1) - North bound side in Woodbridge - Just south of Opitz Pkwy.

Sorry it took so long to respond I was away on a small vacation and try not to use the computer when I go.
 

VAtransplant

Active member
Just ordered this off amazon for $17 + one day shipping for like 4 bucks (yeah, i really wanna get pressin!) I have over an oz to press and I've done about 10 grams in a ghetto fashion and hated the process hah. So awesome.
 

jackson233

New member
The thread that just won't die...

Has anyone else found it impossible to fit 2 coins in this thing? Neither a Canadian or US dime will fit in the top (tube) of mine so I am only able to press an impression on one side of the puck. Not the end of the world but I wondered if there is a work around for this?

Otherwise, it works very well and is a great idea, thank you for sharing!
 

HempKat

Just A Simple Old Dirt Farmer
Veteran
The thread that just won't die...

Has anyone else found it impossible to fit 2 coins in this thing? Neither a Canadian or US dime will fit in the top (tube) of mine so I am only able to press an impression on one side of the puck. Not the end of the world but I wondered if there is a work around for this?

Otherwise, it works very well and is a great idea, thank you for sharing!

I'm able to get US dimes in the stainless steel version they sell online although it's more expensive and the dimes just barely fit. It sounds like yours almost fits so maybe you could try grinding down the edge of the dime with something like a dremel?

http://www.quill.com/makins-professional-clay-machines/cbs/321482.html?cm_mmc=SEM_PLA_OS_321482

and interesting note though is while looking for a link for this version I discovered that the aluminum one is now available at Walmart online for under $18

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Makin-s-Professional-Ultimate-Clay-Extruder/15408126
 

Hermanthegerman

Well-known member
Veteran
Of course no highradehash but quick made with things you find at home.

A clamp, an old filmbox, a pillglas, 2 coins, baking paper

picture.php


cut the baking paper in the size of the filmbox, put once on the ground, fill in the shaked stuff, than put in the other backing paper, than the pillglas, you put one coin under the filmbox and one on the top of the pillbox

picture.php


push but not to strong and the result is simple made hash

picture.php


picture.php


As I wrote not highgrade but it works :biggrin:
 

PTDTTLHS

Member
Vices, clamps, extruders or heavy weights all do a great job of forming solids. ..but some hashmakers have said that needing to use heat and or pressure to form your dry sift into a solid form is nature's way of telling you that there's way too much contaminant in there. If you can't press your dry sift into hash within 10 seconds of strong twisting thumb pressure into your palm then you are sifting for too long, too aggressively, using the wrong technique and or working with poor quality material.
 

PTDTTLHS

Member
but on the other hand if you dry sift plant material aggressively for a long enough duration to remove a vast majority of the resin you can still, with enough pressure and heat. form the sift into a solid form which is better than most commercial hashes. Seriously though, it's not that hard to make better than 99% of commercial hashes out there, more often than not a joint made out of fan leaves is stronger than most hash for sale!

There's full melt, there's hash that will bubble and further down the scale of purity there's hash that will leave lots of ash..but there's another type of hash that not many people are into that is a sort of a cross between bud and hash. You can make it lots of ways, one way is by dry sifting or tumbling ground bud long enough so almost all of the resin is removed and then pressing it long enough with enough heat to form it into a solid. It won't melt and bubble, but it will still be 2, 3 or more times stronger than the bud it came from (depending on how far you push it)...and like with all hashes, you will be inhaling way less tar to get a more intense high.

In my opinion, from purely a health perspective, bud smoking should be widely discouraged and the use and making of hash in it's various forms should be encouraged.

One point to keep in mind when doing this is to not try and separate the sift into different grades before pressing or the less purer grades won't form a solid, but if you keep the sift in one pile with not excessive amounts of contaminant, it will press together and get you higher and healthier. If the result is crumbly and won't form into a hash, then you need to press longer, use more heat and or allow less contaminant it in...it's all a matter of monitoring your progress by press testing small amounts at a time to know when to stop from going too far, after a few times with the same material, you will know when to stop from experience.
 

ExoticsRus

Active member
I can't find anything that does oz+ size pucks like I used to get a few years ago . I don't wanna make tons of pucks out of so many grams ... 400 bucks for a press? I wished 150-200 at max :(

Suggestions ?
 

eLsydro

New member
Good pure kief shouldn't need any heat. if you find having to add heat it means there's a fair amount of stalks and contaminents. The puck in my avatar was made with a "space case like" press which is actually better then space case. I had a space case press and i hated it. I always had problems getting the pucks out and it was hard to get a good hold on it to get some torc. I used a small plastic star like the glow in the dark ones you put on the ceiling to make the impression. I'm gonna have to make a run to Michaels and try this thing out...great idea.
Yes, agreed, I can attest to this, straight up Kief doesn’t need any heat, I typically press the Kief leaving in for anywhere from hours to days and works with bubble hash and dry sieve excellent; and a good way to store kif pollen, no heat with certain strains is the way to go, although I do love applying heat to some to get the nice black like the wonderful first example or the wonderful blonde hash everyone loves so much, leaving to cure can lead to nice aged patina ranging based on strain from blonde, amber, dark, to red! At least my experience it’s strain dependent for the most part!
 
but on the other hand if you dry sift plant material aggressively for a long enough duration to remove a vast majority of the resin you can still, with enough pressure and heat. form the sift into a solid form which is better than most commercial hashes. Seriously though, it's not that hard to make better than 99% of commercial hashes out there, more often than not a joint made out of fan leaves is stronger than most hash for sale!

There's full melt, there's hash that will bubble and further down the scale of purity there's hash that will leave lots of ash..but there's another type of hash that not many people are into that is a sort of a cross between bud and hash. You can make it lots of ways, one way is by dry sifting or tumbling ground bud long enough so almost all of the resin is removed and then pressing it long enough with enough heat to form it into a solid. It won't melt and bubble, but it will still be 2, 3 or more times stronger than the bud it came from (depending on how far you push it)...and like with all hashes, you will be inhaling way less tar to get a more intense high.

In my opinion, from purely a health perspective, bud smoking should be widely discouraged and the use and making of hash in it's various forms should be encouraged.

One point to keep in mind when doing this is to not try and separate the sift into different grades before pressing or the less purer grades won't form a solid, but if you keep the sift in one pile with not excessive amounts of contaminant, it will press together and get you higher and healthier. If the result is crumbly and won't form into a hash, then you need to press longer, use more heat and or allow less contaminant it in...it's all a matter of monitoring your progress by press testing small amounts at a time to know when to stop from going too far, after a few times with the same material, you will know when to stop from experience.
unless its really really dry, then it wont clump much either but yes pressing it with your thumb and finger should be enough in theres no green in there

but hash should be 30-70% get a better source :tiphat:
 

Nickelbag

Member
Those that know me, realize that I seldom start threads. I’m not one for throwing stuff out there just for a reaction. If you have something of value to contribute to a thread you should post it, but if you don’t, just browse, read, and learn. As such, this is only the third thread that I’ve started on IC. The other two, my personal-grow thread (see link in signature), and the 150wHPS Club, have both become active “Stickys”. It’s my hope that this new thread will offer valuable information as well, and potentially save readers a big chunk of change and a lot of aggravation.

As a medical user, I’ve found that processing my herb into pieces of hash has many advantages. It will store for very long periods of time (years), consistent dosing is easier, there is no degradation of the quality as a result of long-term storage, it burns very evenly, is very easy to transport, and various other factors as well.

The issue is, the equipment available for pressing herb or its resin into hash can be expensive, large and cumbersome, work poorly, or is so small that it is difficult to operate for someone with reduced hand-strength. There are also numerous DIY units that can be made from plumbing items, but the quality just isn’t there and not everyone is up to the challenge. Up to now, the best compromise has been a press known as the Piecemaker®.

THEIRS-$300 vs. MINE-$20

Theirs is a true quality item, however, you must be willing to hand over almost $300 U.S. and share your personal info on-line to order one.

Alternatively, here is a simple solution that easily makes perfect hash, is readily available, easy to operate, requires no assembly, looks very professional, and can be had on sale for under 20 bucks U.S. The item I am suggesting is a Makin’s® Professional Ultimate Clay Extruder. That’s right, available at most larger craft stores, and designed to work with fimo-clay, this item makes the perfect personal hash press. In fact, it looks almost identical to the $300 Piecemaker® just a bit smaller and less than 1/10th the price!

So, instead of me writing more about the unit itself, why don’t I just show you how it can make perfect Black Tar Hash, or any other type that you may fancy………

My unit came packaged like this with 20 different extruding disks.

Unless you are planning on making beads and decorations, dump everything except the Press and the two disks with the smallest round holes.

As you can see from this disassembled shot, this is a quality item that will be easy to clean and even has an “O-Ring” around the brass ram.

The actual process goes like this. Place both disks in the end-cap. The one with the smaller hole should be on top so to be closest to the hash being made.

If you are going to use un-sifted plant matter, make sure it is fully covered with glands, and ground as fine as possible.

For this demo, I’ll use my favorite measure, which is 1.1 grams of the finest material I have.

Now unscrew the plunger and fill the tube with the desired amount of product you want to use.

Also, another step I take which is totally not necessary is to insert 2 US dimes. One in the cap and one against the plunger.

This will make a perfect impression on the surface of my finished hash, much like a trademark.

Now screw on the end-cap and turn the plunger down until its nice and snug. DON”T OVER-TIGHTEN IT!

Now we'll continue to tightenit in steps. It will work much better and remember that this is an aluminium unit we don’t want to destroy it. Once it nice and snug, wait 30 seconds and give it another 1/8th turn. Now repeat the "30 second wait and 1/8th turn" process about six times.

This final step will put a shinny sealed surface on your hash that will protect it from falling apart or loss of potency for years to come. Using a hair-dryer, small space-heater, or other safe heat source, warm up the end of your press.

Slowly keep rotating the unit as a whole. This will assure that the heat is evenly distributed. It should get very, very warm, but not so hot that you can’t touch it. While keeping it warmed, repeat the "1/8th turn and 30 second wait" process about five more times.

The hotter you get it, the darker and denser your end product will be.

To remove your hash, allow the unit to cool to room temperature. Then back off the ram a turn or two. Unscrew the end-cap, and turn the ram all the way down pushing the hash out.


After each days use, fully disassemble & clean the unit with ISO alcohol and allow to air-dry.

Here’s a sample piece that I made with the impression of the dime.


Keep this in mind, the better the quality of your starting material, and the finer its ground, the less heat and pressure it will require to hold together. If you choose to use pure sifted glands, virtually no heat will be required. And, if your material is not as good as you wish it was, adding one drop of ISO or Olive Oil per gram of material inside the press will help it hold together better.

That’s about it. Good luck & get pressing. If you have any questions or comments I’d love to hear them so post away or send me a PM.

Grow Smart & Grow Safe
Pipedream
Old thread but that has to taste like shit
 

HempKat

Just A Simple Old Dirt Farmer
Veteran
Old thread but that has to taste like shit
I'm not sure wether you're just talking about the very first post which you quoted or any of the others that followed in the posts making up the 19 pages that followed but the quality of any hash one might make with a hand press is entirely depenent on the quality of what you put into the press. An old acronyme from the early days of computer programing was GIGO (Garbage In Garbage Out) which simply meant that the quality of your result was entirely dependent on the quality of your input. The same is true for any handmade hash.

Now if you were going by just the first post then yeah it probably did taste pretty rough because he put in basically just ground up bud. Which meant there was lots of plant material in there along with whatever resin was in the bud or trim he used. Anyone who truly appreciates good hash will do their best to make sure that whatever goes into the press is as close to pure resin as possible whether they get it thru a dry sift process using a silk screen or from the result of using bubble bags. if done right your end result can pe as good if not better then hash you might find on the black market. I know I've made some really good hash using a silk screen that would bubble up as it burned just like good wax/shatter/Iso Hash Oil and leave a very small amount of grey/whitish ash in the bowl when it was done.

I rember reading somewhere that in the old days, hash was made by beating the dried plants against the bodies of mostly naked women and then the resin that would inevitable stick to their skin would be scraped free and pressed into hash. Dependent on the hygiene of those women I would imagine hash made using the cleanest results of dry sifting or buble bags was/is as good if not superior to hash made in that old traditional way I read about.
 
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