[Mellowyellow25]

Originally Posted by JVonChron

there are lipids in cannabis.... the solution is derived from coconut oil, meaning they could take these lipids out through their proprietary process

Did they remove the fats/lipids from their coconut oil?

Where does it state that on their site? Can they supply third-party lab documention that shows that? Seems a fair request given there are serious negative issues with using coconut oil for vaping.

Please report back when you have something concrete from them to show us.

Until I can confirm their product is safe, I'll stay away.

[Mellowyellow25]

My first real attempt at mixing up some vaping concentrate is ready for testing. I made up another four pucks of my AK-47, albeit a bit thinner this time. These are about 3/8" thick. My crummy scale says four grams but I have a feeling that's wrong. Maybe around three. All were pressed twice, at 180 degrees F.



For this initial try I took the candy from these four pucks and added in what I made the other day from the one 1/2" puck.



Placed that in a small candle jar and first added three drops of the Vapeur Extract "flavorless" mixture. Into the microwave for ten seconds. Still a bit hard so added another three drops of Extract. Another ten seconds and this time it was a liquid. Mixed with the syringe and then drew it all up. Into the cartridge while still warm and liquidy.



These are .5 gram cartridges so, apparently, I ended up with about .25 grams of concentrate.

Tonight I'll give it a try. May have too much in the cartridge for a good heat. Really should just put in enough to cover the wick is what I was told at my dispensary. If that's the case I will draw some out.

[Mellowyellow25]

So, I had some issues I need to resolve.

First, these cartridges do not fit my battery properly. If I fully tighten the cartridge it shorts out the battery. Apparently, these generic "510" type carts have slightly different center contacts than what my battery from the medical dispensary require. The threads are also a bit longer.

I was able to get it to work somewhat by not fully tightening it down. I did not get the slight "crackle" sound I'm use to hearing but I was able to vape. Very calming, fully body buzz but short lived. So, I'm not there yet folks.

I do remember taking my pen to a vape store in town last year and the guys there said these dispensary pens require special cartridges for the thicker oils. They did not sell those. It may be the carts I got off Ebay are made for thinner product.

I'll need to research further.

[acdc]

hello Mellowyellow25 trial and error is the way forward you will win in the end as youre doing a great job now to

[Mellowyellow25]

I decided to remove some of the oil from the cartridge by adding a tiny bit more of the Extract. I was then able to draw some the mix out with the syringe. That seemed to help quite a bit. I was able to get very smooth puffs with out sucking hard. I also had better luck with the fit between the cartridge and the battery. Might be this one cart is a bit off.

I've also learned there are, in fact, special cartridges made for using the thicker oils like what pressing will produce. One that keeps coming up as highly recommended is the Liberty V9. Sells for around $6 on Ebay. Less in quantity. I have one on order from China to try out.

In the mean time, I'm doing fine, but if this V9 will work with less dilution, all the better.

[Capt.Ahab]

I've been using CCell carts from Apex labs. Check them out. They work great. Depending on the viscosity of your extract, they require none to very little dilution.

[Mellowyellow25]

Originally Posted by Capt.Ahab

I've been using CCell carts from Apex labs. Check them out. They work great. Depending on the viscosity of your extract, they require none to very little dilution.

Thanks for the tip. Will see about getting one to check out.

I am finding the more I use up what is in my first test cartridge the more potent the result. It seems to work best, with the thick oil, when very little is covering the wick.

My concern now are the fats and lipids in the oil. Cannabis itself has lipids and they should not be inhaled with any frequency. Very bad for the lungs. High-end extraction techniques, that use some form of winterization, remove these compounds. Simple pressing does not.

The firm that I purchased my extract from offers their "clear" version. A modified version that will, they claim, remove the fats and lipids through heat, separation over time and a final filtering. I have some on order and will use this for my next cartridge.

[Mellowyellow25]

I've been doing quite a bit of research on using coconut oil for producing vape concentrate. You can read some discussion about this subject earlier in this thread. What, at first glance, appeared to be an organic, natural solution to extracting canabis oil now is something, I feel, should be avoided at all cost.

This is what raw coconut oil looks like:



At room temperature it is a solid substance similar to lard or Crisco. When heated above 75 degrees F it will liquify and turn clear. Let it sit and cool and it will return to a solid in short order.

There are versions called fractionated coconut oil that remain liquid at room temperature. They take the solid and heat it to a point in excess of 350 degrees F until it becomes a steam and distill it. This leaves behind certain heavier mid-chain triglycerides (fats) extracting a thinner, clear liquid.

The problem here is only some fats have been eliminated. The saturated fats still remain and cannot be removed by any means. This is because coconut oil is a fat. To remove all the fats would leave nothing behind.

Most folks would agree eating saturated fats is something to be avoided. Why, then, would you want to inhale saturated fats into your lungs day after day? It's like putting your face over a frying pan!

There is a great deal of misinformation out there. Products are being touted as safe and organic without any supporting clinical evidence. People, who are not chemically trained, are buying bulk product and rebottling it for sale at great expense to unsuspecting buyers.

Do the due diligence before you subject yourself to this crap. Ask for third-party lab test results that substantiate the claims made. Stay clear if you do not get it.

[Mellowyellow25]

Really starting to question the efficacy of using these other so-called "safe" extract dilutions that are being sold for vape use. I feel many of these companies are being less than honest about what they claim their concoctions really do in an effort to make a quick buck.

Most are some combination of propolene glycol, vegetable glycerine and polyethylene glycol.

My research into vegetable glycerine proves VG is made from plant oils and still retains many of the lipids (another name for fat). Coconut oil being one of the most common sources of VG! There are already lipids in cannabis. Why would anyone want to add more and then breath in the vapors?

At the medical dispensary I frequent, they offer pure vape extracts. No PG, no VG, no PEG and lipid free. You pay a bit more for it but well worth it for the smooth, unadulterated inhalation effect it offers. These extracts are the result of highly critical CO2 extraction techniques. The final lipids have been removed through a combination of winterization and distillation. Easy enough when you have a lab full of expensive equipment.

This is where I want to be... but how to get there on a Poormans budget?

I have come up with my Winterization Method #1 as my first attempt at creating vape extract with no other chemicals in the end product. Winterization is the process whereby the lipids and residual plant materials are removed from the cannabis.

What I've done is reduce the scope of the procedure to accommodate the small size of the sample I normally obtain from one pressing session. That being a gram or two of "candy".



*the flame test is performed by sticking the end of a paper clip into the extract then lighting the tip of the wire. If it flames out, there is still ethanol in the extract. If it does not, it is free of ethanol and ready for use.

**by sampling the solution after the initial mixing stage (prior to freezing) and comparing to a sample from the final result, it should be obvious visually, by eye, and under microscopic examination whether there is a noticeable difference.

[Mellowyellow25]

Was able to purchase a 375ml bottle of Graves 190 proof grain alcohol for about $8. This will last me a good long while, if this method works.



I did a test to see how long it might take the ethanol to evaporate by itself at the 130 degree temperature. I put 10ml in a candle jar and set it on the coffee warmer. It was completely gone in about an hour.