Butane: Columns vs Baths

Hey guys,

By far the most common way to make BHO is to blast the butane through a column with a coffee filter on the bottom.

Not sure where, but I found a video of somebody making it using an inverted technique: they pre-cooled butane and mason jars, and poked tiny holes in the lid. Then they blasted butane into the empty mason jar and it turned into a liquid inside. Once they had a few inches of butane liquid, they added plant matter and swirled around.


To me this seems far easier and possibly lets you soak for FAR longer. The only downside I can think of is that you are evaporating and wasting Butane the entire time you are dumping it into the mason jar..... but it seems these losses could be managed with cold temps.


Can somebody more science-minded give me the pros and cons of doing the extraction using a bath instead of a column?

Consider using a prefrozen thermos, instead of a mason jar.

Check Absolute Amber thread by Jump 117 in the sticky section of this concentrates forum.

reefsauce said:

Hey guys,

By far the most common way to make BHO is to blast the butane through a column with a coffee filter on the bottom.

Not sure where, but I found a video of somebody making it using an inverted technique: they pre-cooled butane and mason jars, and poked tiny holes in the lid. Then they blasted butane into the empty mason jar and it turned into a liquid inside. Once they had a few inches of butane liquid, they added plant matter and swirled around.


To me this seems far easier and possibly lets you soak for FAR longer. The only downside I can think of is that you are evaporating and wasting Butane the entire time you are dumping it into the mason jar..... but it seems these losses could be managed with cold temps.

Can somebody more science-minded give me the pros and cons of doing the extraction using a bath instead of a column?

Click to expand...

I haven't found a good reason to switch from using a Mason jar for extraction with butane.

The video you're most likely referring to is found at YouTube by searching with the words, new method bho. The full title of the video is, "New Method for making BHO" by Jamus Herbeau. A link to the video, http://youtu.be/VTVRYk0Zdg4

On the left is depicted how I squirt canned butane into a Mason jar and and on the right how I filter (only one jar is actually used.) NEVER seal up butane in a Mason jar, way too close to the pressure limits of the jar and sealing ring...Notice there is NO SEALING RING USED in the left side picture, that's so pressure is released from the edges of the lid while the liquid butane pools at the bottom of the jar. When I use a Mason jar for extraction, after the first quick soak and filter, I unscrew the sealing ring, push the filter paper down into the jar and squirt more butane for a second soak and filter...about a can of Vector is enough for two quick soak and filters of an ounce of finely screened nugg. Placing the Mason jar and can(s) of butane in the freezer for an hour or so before extracting really helps keep the temperature down so less butane is wasted.

I just swirl for a minute or two each soak, putting the filter paper and sealing ring in place first to absorb any splash. The Mason jar setup does have a few advantages over a thermos, I can use the volume markings on the sides to measure how much liquid butane I have, and the large diameter of a wide mouth quart jar allows me to get a good swirl going that immerses the contents including the crumpled filter paper from the first soak, and finally the ability to use a large diameter, analytical (2.5 micron) lab filter paper. I suppose you could machine something out of stainless that gets near the simplicity and effectiveness of the Mason jar/filter paper/sealing ring setup where the gas pressure from the butane is also gently blowing the liquid butane/oil mixture out, and the filter paper is supported well enough you can shake the jar upside down to get everything you can out without tearing the filter paper. I've never had particulate pass (filter blow out, etc...) got a gnat once in my evaporating dish, but got it out before the oil thickened.....
(Second picture is White Lotus sap made as described)