[c03rcion]

Originally Posted by WaterFarmFan

It definitely sounds dry then if it crumbles. You really just might be going too cold. Start it out of -86C and then place outside the freezer and let the temps rise some to around -50C using a thermocouple to measure.

I have done quite a few ethanol extractions using nothing but trichomes collected from dry ice hash. Most of the trichome matter remains after the ethanol wash, as ethanol only interacts with some of the organic matter that composes the trichome head and stalks.

Ahhhh ok. When I viewed the bud under the microscope, I definitely saw trichome matter--stalks and some heads--but it seemed most heads were gone but some still definitely there
maybe 70% were gone.

Also, I also have a -30 C freezer as well. Maybe I should just keep my ethanol, filters, and tools and bud in the -86C freezer and once I begin the wash process, move the bucket (with ethanol and bud) to the -30 C freezer for the duration of the process. What do you think?

Is there a limit, temperature wise, on the solvent's ability to encapsulate solutes? I think I the -86 C could very well be too cold. I usually see folks perform this method from -50C to 0C. I imagine if the solvent is too cold, there isn't enough kinetic energy in the solvent molecules to effectively solvate compounds.

Thanks for all the feedback!

[Gray Wolf]

Originally Posted by c03rcion

Ahhhh ok. When I viewed the bud under the microscope, I definitely saw trichome matter--stalks and some heads--but it seemed most heads were gone but some still definitely there
maybe 70% were gone.

Also, I also have a -30 C freezer as well. Maybe I should just keep my ethanol, filters, and tools and bud in the -86C freezer and once I begin the wash process, move the bucket (with ethanol and bud) to the -30 C freezer for the duration of the process. What do you think?

Is there a limit, temperature wise, on the solvent's ability to encapsulate solutes? I think I the -86 C could very well be too cold. I usually see folks perform this method from -50C to 0C. I imagine if the solvent is too cold, there isn't enough kinetic energy in the solvent molecules to effectively solvate compounds.

Thanks for all the feedback!

Good job resorting to looking with a microscope!

70% head removal is about the equivalent of the first QWET soak at -18C/0F, at which point you would do a second extraction to glean the balance.

I've never extracted that cold (-86C) before so shooting in the dark somewhat, and have some questions about what components you are extracting at that temperature.

What color and how dark is your low yield concentrate?

[c03rcion]

Originally Posted by Gray Wolf

Good job resorting to looking with a microscope!

70% head removal is about the equivalent of the first QWET soak at -18C/0F, at which point you would do a second extraction to glean the balance.

I've never extracted that cold (-86C) before so shooting in the dark somewhat, and have some questions about what components you are extracting at that temperature.

What color and how dark is your low yield concentrate?

Thanks for the response Gray Wolf. My color and clarity with the low yielding stuff is excellent. Photos attached of my wash solution and final product shatter. I am becoming more convinced that -86C is too cold to do an effective wash as the solvating power of the solvent seems to diminish the colder it gets. I am going to try washing at -30C and see if it helps.

[c03rcion]

I have done a few more small test washes and I am still finding trichome heads after washing the bud for about 1 hour in the -30 C freezer. I have tried laying the bud on a paper towel to dry them and rewash, but about 5 minutes into the wash i start pulling some green. I then filter the bud and look at it under the microscope but still find remaining heads.

Any suggestion for the best way to rewash the bud if the desired end product is shatter? How important is it to get the buds dry before rewashing?

Assuming I have 1000 grams of bud @ 20% THC, what would a reasonable expectation for % yield be if the end product is shatter?

[Gray Wolf]

Originally Posted by c03rcion

Thanks for the response Gray Wolf. My color and clarity with the low yielding stuff is excellent. Photos attached of my wash solution and final product shatter. I am becoming more convinced that -86C is too cold to do an effective wash as the solvating power of the solvent seems to diminish the colder it gets. I am going to try washing at -30C and see if it helps.

I would try at -50C. The polarity of ethanol also drops with temperature, so its not as prone to pick chlorophy, and tolerates long soaks.

[c03rcion]

Originally Posted by Gray Wolf

I would try at -50C. The polarity of ethanol also drops with temperature, so its not as prone to pick chlorophy, and tolerates long soaks.

Today I tried two small tests and got around 19% on bud that is in the low 20% for THC-a. I started by staging the bud and ethanol in the -86 C freezer and transferred to the -30 C freezer for the soak, agitating every 10 minutes.

After an hour and a half, the solution looked light yellow but not quite saturated so I tried the -18 C freezer. Maybe 20 minutes later I found the yellow got more intense, almost gold. I started to noticed some green and stopped.

I checked the trichomes after air drying the bud by laying on a paper towel. Some loss of API can be assumed. I washed the bud until most of the stalks appeared furry and minimal trichome heads could be observed.

I anticipate that the remaining trichome heads could be extracted at the expense of some added green pigment to the solution.

Bud was broken apart by hand to sizes not greater than a nickel.


Test 1: 2.6 grams of bud, 19.25% yield
Test 2: 1.6 grams of bud, 17.86% yield

I took a small test bud, along with some ethanol, and put a 50 ml test tube and placed in the -86 C. Even after 4 hours I didn't see green pigment in the solution.

[Gray Wolf]

Originally Posted by c03rcion

Today I tried two small tests and got around 19% on bud that is in the low 20% for THC-a. I started by staging the bud and ethanol in the -86 C freezer and transferred to the -30 C freezer for the soak, agitating every 10 minutes.

After an hour and a half, the solution looked light yellow but not quite saturated so I tried the -18 C freezer. Maybe 20 minutes later I found the yellow got more intense, almost gold. I started to noticed some green and stopped.

I checked the trichomes after air drying the bud by laying on a paper towel. Some loss of API can be assumed. I washed the bud until most of the stalks appeared furry and minimal trichome heads could be observed.

I anticipate that the remaining trichome heads could be extracted at the expense of some added green pigment to the solution.

Bud was broken apart by hand to sizes not greater than a nickel.


Test 1: 2.6 grams of bud, 19.25% yield
Test 2: 1.6 grams of bud, 17.86% yield

I took a small test bud, along with some ethanol, and put a 50 ml test tube and placed in the -86 C. Even after 4 hours I didn't see green pigment in the solution.

Mo betta! The gold you were starting to pull was probably C-40 b-Carotene, and the green clearly C-55 chlorophyll. A good time to stop.

[1labs]

May i ask what is the highest yeild of extraction that anyone has seen.
Also what sort of machine and equiptment was used in this process.
Thanks

[Gray Wolf]

~25%. Custom built.

[1labs]

Hello gray wolf
Im assuming you use flower instead of trim to get those figures correct.