How to make Hash
from growing Cannabis
HASH IS A COMPRESSED FORM OF CANNABIS, but it isn't just compressed
bud. In fact, contrary to what many people think, compressed bud has nothing
to do with how to make hash.
Earlier in this book, we discussed capitates trichomes and how these tiny
stalked resin glands contain cannabinoids — the major compounds
produced by the cannabis plant, which include the THC. THC is found in
the male marijuana leaf, but the female produces THC in her leaves, trichomes and
calyx. THC is rarely extracted from the male marijuana leaf because it is contained
inside the cannabis leaf but since the resin glands can be wiped from the female
plant it is much easier to perform THC extraction from a female. The gland
heads, or rounded tips of the trichomes, secrete the major cannabinoids
in an oil-like substance, often referred to as resin, in order to gather
fallen pollen from the male plant. This resin can be removed by rubbing
your fingers over the bud.
The stalks that support the gland heads are second to the gland heads
in the amount of cannabinoids produced. Under certain conditions, the
glands and stalks can burst. In the case of a strain like Afghani that
is thick with resin, this explosive action of the gland is automatic.
Strains that are prone to bursting their trichomes form ball-shaped pistil
clusters rather than the usual straight or curled pistil shapes. These
ball-shaped clusters are a good indication that a strain is a suitable
candidate for resin extraction.
GATHERING THE STALKED CAPITATE TRICHOMES
Hash is made primarily from the collection of the stalked capitates trichomes.
When the collected trichomes are compressed, they form the blocky mass
that is referred to as hashish. There are many ways to do this, ranging
from bulk hash production to rolling small finger-size quantities. Each
method produces a different quality or grade of hashish. Some methods
gather only the trichomes, while other methods gather trichomes and other
subsidiary elements like cannabis leaf particles and branch shavings.
Water extraction is the best way to achieve trichomes-only extraction.
We won't discuss older methods used for mass production, as these are
somewhat substandard to the home methods mentioned below. The quality
of your hashish is determined to a large degree by the genetics you started
with in the first place. If you used plants that weren't very potent,
don't expect to produce very potent hash.
SKUFF
When you harvest your bud you will have trimmed the leaves away from the
bud. This trim is referred to as skuff. Skuff should be sticky; so whether
it's on the stem, branch, cannabis leaf or bud; if it feels sticky then you can
use it to extract the resin. If you really want to be a connoisseur, then
you should examine your skuff for trichomes with a microscope. If none
of the skuff parts have trichomes, discard them. You must take the remaining
skuff and store this for 3 to 6 weeks, in much the same way as you would
canned bud, before using the basic and advanced extraction methods detailed
below.
SCREENING
BASIC METHODS Flat Silk Screening
Screening is a process much like grating cheese, but on a far finer level.
A silk screen is stretched across a square wooden frame and nailed tightly
to it. The screen typically has a pore size of between 120 and 180 microns.
The smaller the microns, the higher the quality, but the less you will
produce. Larger micron pores will result in larger sieved amounts but
will allow some marijuana leaf matter and branch trim to drop through, degrading
the quality of hash you smoke. Typical street hash is not nearly as fine
or high in quality as the large pore screening method.
Here's how it's done: The bud is placed over the screen and can either
be dragged across the screen manually or using a roller. Manual screening
is much easier if you're using smaller quantities of bud, but for large
quantities you should consider another method, like automatic tumbling
in a drum machine. A sheet of glass placed under the screen is the best
way to catch the matter that falls through. After the screening process
is complete, the screen can be patted down to shake off any powder that
sticks in the pores.
Flat Metal Screening
This is done much like the flat silk screening method but before the flat
silk is used, the bud is subjected to a grating process. The grate is
usually made from tough nylon or stainless steel and is of equal proportion
in pore size to the silk screen. By first using the metal grate, you can
remove more matter from the bud than the single silk screen would. The
bud matter that passes through the metal screen can then be sieved through
the silk screen by shaking the screen back and forth over a glass surface.
You end up with two grades of sieved bud residue this way.
Multiple Screening Method
This is a refined version of the above two methods. Any number of screens
can be used in this method but the average is four or five. Each screen
running from start to finish should have a different micron measurement
starting from the largest and running down to the smallest silk screen.
The bud matter is sieved through the first screen, then down onto the
second screen. The process is repeated with each new screen until most
of the matter has passed through. You should end up with several screens
that contain bud matter running down to the finer trichomes on the last
screen. This is an excellent way to achieve the best results. You end
up with several screens each containing different qualities of cannabis
residue.
Advanced Screening
Now that you have an idea of what screening is about, we can look at it
in closer detail. The following advanced technique can be applied to all
of the above screening methods.
We stated that a metal or nylon screen could be used first, followed by
a silk screen. Nowadays steel fabrics can be bought in sizes that have
much smaller pores than even the finest silk screen. You should typically
look for a metal or nylon screen that ranges somewhere between 100 to
140 lines per inch. The screen most commonly used by home hash makers
has 120 lines per inch. A wooden frame is constructed to hold the screen
in place and can be glued or nailed into position.
Take four small wooden blocks and place them over a sheet of glass or
a mirror.
Place the screen over the blocks, leaving a gap of an inch between the
mirror and the screen. Place a small amount of skuff on the screen and
gently role it back and forth across the screen using a credit card or
similar object. Do this very gently, over and back, over and back and
over and back with very little pressure. You may have to push the skuff
as many as a hundred times before you can see the tiny resin glands gather
on the mirror below.
Once you have collected as many resin glands as possible, use the card
to sweep them off the mirror and onto another surface. Take the used skuff
and, this time; apply a bit more pressure as you roll it back and forth
across the screen. With this little bit of extra force you'll be able
to remove any resin glands that didn't fall through the first time, but
you may also push through some material, such as branch shavings and cannabis leaf
particles. This second round of pressing will result in a lower quality
grade of skuff.
Skuff is skuff; from the time you cure your trim to the point where you
sieve it through, it is still skuff. Your objective is to try and collect
as much resin from the skuff as possible. You won't end up with hash,
but you will end up with different grades of skuff that can be used to
make hash later.
You can smoke the different grades of skuff there and then, but you may
notice that it's hard to do so. Since this powder is so fine, it will
easily fall from a joint or pass through the pores of a pipe screen. In
order to solve this problem you must compress the skuff into hashish.
This is covered later in the Chapter, after we've outlined three other
advanced extraction techniques.
Drum Machines
A drum machine is an automatic screening device. You will probably have
to build one yourself, but this is easy enough to do with the right materials.
The size of the unit depends on how much cannabis you wish to sieve at
a time. Most drum machines have a 1.5- to 2-foot diameter.
The screen is placed in between the two wooden cylinders and the cannabis
trim is placed inside this screen. A small motor attached to the side
rotates the drum. As it slowly rotates (at a rate of about two rotations
per minute), the trichomes drop through the sieve onto the surface stand
between the legs of the drum. A simple mirror or sheet of glass is used
to catch the skuff. You can keep the tumbler rotating for up to one hour
to get the most from your skuff without applying any pressure.
If you want to apply more pressure, simply place a small wooden ball
(or anything that is slightly heavy with a smooth, rounded surface) inside
the barrel of the drum. As the drum rotates, the object inside will add
a little more pressure to the skuff as it comes in contact with the screen.
Different sized screens can be used to extract different qualities of
skuff.
BASIC WATER EXTRACTION
Resin glands can be removed from the cannabis plant by agitating the trim
in cold water — typically ice cold water or water that has been
chilled in a fridge overnight. The trim is placed in a bucket, which is
then filled with cold water. The water and trim are swirled and mixed
with a wooden spoon or an electric whisk. Let the mixture sit for a few
minutes before scooping out the skuff floating on the surface. The remaining
liquid is strained through a coffee sieve to collect most of the trichomes,
as they won't pass through with the water. Let the coffee sieve dry and
you've got excellent grade trichomes extract to use to make hash (how to make hash the right way). The
basic idea behind this is that cold water breaks the glands away from
the marijuana leaf matter. The glands eventually sink to the bottom of the bucket
because they are heavier than water. The bulk cannabis leaf matter should stay
afloat and can be easily scooped away.
ADVANCED WATER EXTRACTION
Developed by Bubble Bags, www.bubblebag.com, in Vancouver this is an excellent
kit that results in some of the best quality hash. The kits come in four
variations: one gallon - seven bag kit, five gallon - seven bag kit, twenty
gallon -seven bag kits and five gallon - three bag kit. Whichever one
you buy it will certainly be one of your best investments.
SUPERCRITICAL FLUID EXTRACTION
The ultimate way of making high quality hash oil with butane.
Solvents can also be used to extract raw cannabis oil from harvested cannabis
flowers. Raw cannabis oil contains:
• Psychoactive cannabinoids in high percentages
• Plant tissue in low percentages
• Chlorophyll in low percentages
• Trace elements in low percentages (non-psychoactive water soluble
matter)
Raw cannabis oil is best extracted from highly resinous strains like the
Afghani cannabis plant. Strains that have a semi-dry or dry floral trait
should not be considered candidates for cannabis oil extraction because
the amount of oil extracted does not necessarily justify the procedure,
although the end material is a very high-grade form of hash oil. With
these dry strains you may have to perform the extraction process several
times before a substantial amount of psychoactive oil is produced. Like
any other cannabinoid extraction process, you are better off using a resinous
strain to rationalize the end results.
Isopropyl, ethanol and acetone used to be popular solvents for hash oil
extraction but the process for each one is time consuming, costly and
material-intensive. They often result in smaller amounts of lower grade
than you hoped for. There is a much easier and more affordable way to
enjoy a purer form of cannabis oil. The process known as butane extraction
produces better results in a much shorter time frame.
Butane extraction is the most popular form of raw hash oil extraction
because it is based on an industrial process known as SFE (supercritical
fluid extraction) and is very easy to perform. You should only use butane
fuels that are recommended for flameless lighters (jet torch will also
do). These types of butane are much cleaner and extract raw hash oil better
than other butane fuel types that you commonly find at the drugstore or
fuel depot. A good tobacconist shop should stock flameless lighter butane.
Butane is a very good solvent for hash oil extraction because it separates
cannabis oils from most other useless plant/bud matter. This type of filtered
oil is sometimes nicknamed ^Hash Honey Oil' because the results are like
an amber honey. SFE can produce very fine and pure cannabis oil from resinous
strains. It simply separates cannabis oils from plant tissue, chlorophyll
and the other trace elements that we find in most raw hash oils. You can
imagine the final weight of the butane extracted oil to be the equivalent
of the total weight of anything sticky or oily on the plant separated
from the rest of it.
Once you have obtained the butane, you need a pipe that measures 1.5
to 2.0 inches in diameter, is 16 to 24 inch long and is made from either
polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE). Basically, the bigger the pipe,
the more bud it can hold. Do not use PVC piping because it can be a health
hazard. Either PP or PE piping works best and can be found in any good
DIY store. Each end of the pipe will need a cap. You should be able to
get some PP or PE caps at a home improvement store or someone can make
them for you. If you cannot find any suitable caps, you can try using
large bottle caps and 'blue tack’ to hold them in place.
You need a stand to hold this pipe. A lab stand is perfect for the job
but anything that will hold the pipe up off the ground is fine. You also
need a filter. An extremely fine cloth filter, like a bandage wrap with
pores or fine pipe gauze, will work well. Any filter that will allow oil
to drop through but leave the plant matter in the pipe is ideal. Coffee
filters will not work very well unless they have a large pore size. You
also need a clear plastic measuring cup, a clean wooden stick (like a
medical tongue depressor) and some nicely manicured bud. You should be
able to use 1 oz or more of bud in the above pipe design.
In the diagram below you can see the parts in alignment without the stand.
The parts are as follows: 1) Butane canister, 2) Top cap with hole for
canister, 3) Tube for holding the bud, 4) Filter, 5) Bottom cap with perforations,
6) Cup to catch the oil and butane.
The whole unit should snap into place as follows.
NOTE: Butane is a fuel and will combust when ignited by anything like
a spark. If you do not have a professional SFE unit with the proper ventilation,
then use butane SFE extraction carefully, outdoors, away from any buildings
and other people. Avoid inhaling butane or the exhaust from butane extraction
by wearing a facemask.
PROCEDURE:
1. Drill a hole in the end of the first cap that allows the nozzle of
the butane canister to fit neatly into it.
2. Drill six small holes near the center of the second cap.
3. Place the filter in this second cap.
4. Attach the second cap to the pipe.
HOW TO MAKE HASH
5. Fill up the pipe extremely loosely (never cram it in) with finely ground
bud.
6. Attach the first, or top, cap to the pipe.
7. Mount your pipe on your stand and place it over your clean measuring
cup.
8. Open the butane can and turn it upside down placing the nozzle in the
top cap. Fill the pipe up slowly, allowing the butane to draw the oils
down through the tube.
Butane Filter
9. Remove the butane canister when its weight stops decreasing (meaning
it is empty) and move a safe distance away.
10. Wait fifteen to twenty minutes before approaching the apparatus even
if the top cap has given up any viable signs of fume release. The butane
should have evaporated away, leaving an oil/butane mixture in the cup.
11. Open the top cap to allow all fumes to escape. Butane will still be
active in the cup and bud in the pipe so leave these two alone for another
twenty minutes. The remaining oil in the cup is raw hash oil with some
butane.
12. Any remaining butane can be evaporated by placing the cup into a dish
of hot water.
13. You now have made raw hash oil. It should be ready to smoke in a few
hours.
Tips for butane extraction
I have heard of numerous SFE accidents caused with butane. All of them
happened the same way. Most SFE butane extraction accidents occur when
the pipe is full of bud and butane is dripping down into the cup below.
Any flame, spark or ignition will cause that butane to become unstable.
Almost all of the accidents I have heard about occurred because a flame
or spark ignited the butane. In most cases it was a smoker who caused
this. Do not smoke when you are performing SFE with butane, period. If
you can do that then butane extraction is actually one of safest methods
of hash oil extraction available to the home grower.
During the SFE process the butane must be left alone to drain down into
the plastic cup along with the raw hash oils that it collects on the way
down. Vapor and fumes will come out through the top of the cap and the
cup.
After about fifteen minutes, most of the butane will have passed through.
There may be some remaining butane/oil extract near the filter and end
cap but forcing this through (by blowing, tapping or pushing) into the
tube may add unwanted matter to your extract. A brief shake is all that
is needed to help the remainder into the cup. Use the wooden stick to
wipe away any oil/butane mixture from the base of the filter. This butane/oil
extract in the pipe and cup is still part of the SFE process and the butane
will continue to evaporate.
Butane has a low boiling point (even evaporates at room temperature)
and if you need to boil off any excess butane in the cup simply place
the cup into a bowl of hot water (not boiling!) and watch the butane evaporate.
This is why butane extraction is best done outdoors. Butane will eventually
evaporate into the atmosphere instead of into your home where it can become
a fire hazard. You should eventually be left with an amber-colored substance
in the cup. This is your high-grade hash oil!
The butane should be completely evaporated by heating the cup of raw
hash oil/butane in hot water. Your high-grade hash oil is sticky to touch
and best smoked in small quantities because of its quality. Oil is best
enjoyed by placing a small glob of oil on some foil and heating the foil
lightly from beneath, causing the oil to boil and vaporize. This vapor
should be then consumed using a Pyrex straw (plastic straws burn and inhaling
burning plastic is not good). As a note: Cannabis oil is an excellent
format for medicinal use because it is very pure. By vaporizing cannabis
oil, the user can enjoy a pure form of cannabis without carbon monoxide.
Here are some other tips for butane extraction:
• After you remove the hash oil from the cup you can use some isopropyl
(90 percent minimum content) to collect any residual oil that may by still
in the cup. Add a small amount of isopropyl to your cup and swirl it around.
Heat the cup at a very low heat (less than 200 degrees to avoid THC evaporation)
to evaporate the isopropyl, leaving the remaining hash oil collected from
the rim of the cup.
• You can perform a second extraction using the same procedure with
the used bud to remove any excess oil that is still left in the bud. The
bud should be mostly devoid of any cannabinoid compounds and should be
disposed of.
• A slow release of butane into the pipe allows sufficient time
for the SFE to take place, improving the quality of the process and the
final amount. Try not to force all your butane in too quickly.
• The butane you use must be as pure as possible. Bottled butane
is usually mixed with chemicals so that when it leaks you smell it. These
chemicals can interfere with the butane/cannabis SFE process.
• Use a bud grinder to make sure that your bud is powered down as
much as possible. The finer the mix the better the extraction results.
• You should be able to get between 5 and 10 grams of hash oil for
every 1 oz of good quality resinous bud that you use.
• You can also process leaf or trim using butane SFE. You can expect
about 0.5 to 2 grams of hash oil for every 1 oz of trim used. This depends
on the quality of the trim.
PRESSING RESIN INTO HASH
Again, the quality of the resin glands will determine the quality of hash
that you will smoke. In the first chapter we talked about Zero. Recall
that hashish can be graded, based on quality, from high (00) to low (3).
This is calculated based on a simple ratio of cannabinoids to vegetable
material. Good quality hashish has a high ratio of cannabinoids to vegetable
material. In Morocco, 00 is used to describe hash that has the highest
level of cannabinoids to vegetable material achieved by the extraction
process. You can well imagine that this is the finest resin available
compressed into hashish. You may be pleased to know that compressing hashish
is simple.
Take your extracted resin glands and put it into a cellophane bag. Fold
it into a flat block shape and tape the ends of the cellophane to create
the package. Try to create the best flat block you can by pressing it
with your hands to make it more even. Using a pin, make a few holes on
both sides of the bag. One hole per square inch is a good measurement
to go by.
Get two or three newspaper pages and dampen them down with a clean cloth
that has just been rinsed. Don't saturate or break the paper, just dampen
it. Set an iron to low heat and place the newspaper over the cellophane
bag. Hold the iron over the paper and press it down with medium pressure
for about fifteen seconds. Turn the bag over and place the newspaper on
top again. Dampen the paper again, as needed. Repeal the pressure for
the same amount of lime. You should only have to do this once or twice
per side.
Let the bag cool for five minutes and remove the cellophane. You should
have a nice block of hash. In addition, your hash will be of a much better
quality than the street hash you find on the market. Street hash tends
to be made from the less fine skuff material in order to make more blocks
of hash. If you smoke homemade hash then you'll probably understand why
90 percent of street hash is sold at rip-off prices. Those big ounce chunks
probably only contain 10 percent of the good stuff, if any at all!
This technique of screening and pressing is used to make hash in many
countries. As you can imagine, in order to produce bulk amounts you would
need to use a lot of skuff in conjunction with numerous drum machines
working around the clock. If you harvest more than ten plants then it
is worth using one of two to make a nice chunk of hash or some oil for
yourself. Since good homemade hash is devoid of marijuana leaf matter and other
foreign elements it is a very pure smoke which guarantees a hit every
time. Cannabis connoisseurs regard homemade hash as one of the best ways
of getting the 'best' from the plant. Treat yourself to a little homemade
hash at harvest time if you can. It is well worth the experience and who
knows, you may just decide to produce a load of homemade hash instead
of bud! Give it a whirl — you should be pleased with the results.
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