I’ve done really a lot of batches (that amount of time with preparation, process and cleaning it absurd )
At the start I’ve probably always tried second run just to see the results. From that experience I came to opinion that amount of kief is highly dependent on variety. When 1st run is done properly, 2nd has only about say average 10-20% yield. I’ve never got anything sensible from 3rd run (probably 1-2% of 1st).
As you said sometimes you can be surprised by the amount even on the second run (these are probably those very frosty varieties), but in general it is time consuming and I resigned on re-mixing used stuff. But sometimes if I don’t have enough material for the run I add some already used just to top it off.
“Yield” can be increased by prolonging the time and mixing “harder”, but it will be greener stuff.
I’ll add a point about the pail, since LemonadeJoe brings it up.
My first effort at bubble I used a three gallon somewhat flexible plastic pail with the product, ice, and water together. I decided to use one of those paint stirring devices you attach to your hand drill to mix everything. It’s basically 2 feet long, one end fits into your hand drill the other end flares into 4 nylon plastic “paddles.” It looks kind of like a flower on it’s stem.
I set up in the living room on our large central rug. I decided to not use any bubble bags at this point figuring I could pour my mixed contents into the bubble bag stack afterword. I didn’t want to accidentally have my mixer attachment grab and tear up my new bags.
After a few minutes of mixing from my perspective things seemed to go well. In reality, the cold was making my plastic bucket hard and brittle. All of a sudden the mixer broke off a piece of the side of the pail near the bottom about the size of my fist, with water, ice, and product all gushing out onto my living room floor.
My wife didn’t take this situation with the calmness and grace to which I had become accustomed.
Long story short, use the big hard plastic buckets from Lowes, Home Depot, or Canadian Tire I guess in Canada. And a good outer mixing bowl or something to contain things if the pail fails. Plus I 'm ditching my paint mixer attachment.
Sorry guys didn’t mean to not reply to your comments…been on the east coast visiting and trying to lessen my dependence on technology but I cannot stay off OG. I was a member in my mid teens years which I am very thankful for the wealth of knowledge obtained. I am flying back to Denver early tomorrow. Talk to you guys soon!
YES, I want to revive this topic–it’s almost harvest time!
I’m seeing Frenchy using up to 12oz of material in his 5 gallon washer… fwiw re: ratio of mat’l/water. That’s explains my miniscule yields from a couple ounces.
One component I haven’t seen much if any discussion of is water qualities; i.e pure/distilled/RO/tap water, pH’s, combining small amount of isopropyl(!?)… just some thoughts. I am wearing out my kitchen water filters too fast using only Brita water but my tap water is potentially bad(hexavalent chromium, mmm).
And another question. Can material that still retains resin after some washing be re-purposed for cooking oil/butter? Dehydrate in freezer?
Finally, what are your preferred micronic grades of sieves & hash? Do you prefer the full spectrum?
And furthermore, what about re-hydrating resin & blending different batches after the fact, i.e. post-production? Can it be done/anyone try?
I usually just use RO water or buy distilled water. I have used tap before and dont see a whole lot of difference, but I have very hard water and prefer not to add the extra mineral deposits.
Yes, you can dry out the material and extract it with coconut oil or alcohol later. I just spread it out in a thin layer on parchment paper, but I live in the desert.
Different grades vary from cultivar to cultivar. Generally I just turn the 120-45 micron bags into rosin anyway. But sometimes I will smoke it. I dont press my hash like Frenchy though. I prefer it loose.
You can easily mix up a few varieties when it loose. Once you press, I’m not so sure.
I’m interested in hearing more info about the stalks. I recently began adding the higher number bags back into the final mix and combining the 25, 45 and 73, basically making one hash. I began looking at the higher bags under a lighted loop and was impressed seeing the stalks and a few tricomes. Everything combined has the best smell (before burning) that I’ve ever noticed with the bubble. My theory is there are other cannabinoids and goodies in those other bags, i dont have testing results, besides smoke reports, but I’m interested in hearing opinions or first hand knowledge.
Rob Starke, who literally wrote the book on hash, says trichome stalks are the primarily constituent of hash that stimulates coughing, its a throat irritant. So its best to eliminate stalks that have separated from the heads.
I use 25, 73, and 120 micron bags under the 220 bag. I throw out the 220 and 120 stuff and dry the other two. The 120 catches a lot of stalks and pulverized leaf matter with almost no potency. Yields on recent runs of mixed rough leaf trim (Sweet Tooth, C99, Generals Daughter) averaged about 10 grams per dry pound. This was with very rough trim, everything from the plants except branches and trimmed bud.
In my experience after 20 minutes of strong agitation and sieving, there is another 10-15% of yield left in the material for another run. Simply a matter of time and economics whether it is worth retrieving. Third run yields are typically nominal.
Thanks for this. I just got a new set with 8 and did a couple with the micron-sizes that frenchy cannoli demonstrated 180, 160, 45(toss180); Yield was good but quality suffered. I see your sieves make a lot more sense and appreciate you aren’t a beginner.
Hash is extremely strain dependent. You are sieving trichome heads so trichome head size is important among other things. Strains selected and bred with hash in mind do a lot better than ones that are not. If hash is just a byproduct of your flower run it’s not that big of a deal but if your running a lot of hash or sacrificing whole plants you want to be able to yield. Just because strains are potent does not mean they will wash either. One of my friend just washed a full plant of Forbidden Shoes (forbidden fruit x Cement Shoes) and got almost nothing back even though the plants were coated in thc and were squishing 20% yields on rosin. So get you a cultivar that will dump hash it really makes all the difference in the world. Another often overlooked thing is ambient room temp. Cold temps might not help on your first or second wash but does seem to keep later washed doing a little better. Washed material can be repurposed and will contain small amounts of thc and other cannibinoids. One option is to dry it out and get it distilled. Return will be low so stack it up and keep it stored until you can do a big distillate run. I’m not a fan of distillate “hot dog water” is what it’s known as in my neck of the woods but waste not want not. And finally full spectrum is great but people are lying to you if they say they prefer that over some 90u heads:+1:
When do you consider material to be depleted of resin? How do you determine that?
I’m curious to hear because I have some mat’l that is still yielding after 10 washes. It is stored refrigerated & immersed in water. In the past experience 12 was the most I’ve gotten but this stuff is kinda crazy. It seems that quality doesn’t really deteriorate very much either as the input mat’l just get’s cleaner but eventually the plant fibers disintegrate and it’s a slippery slide downhill then.
And, fwiw, Mr Frenchy claimed 40 was the most rinses he’d gotten but that was a freak.
Man I haven’t had bubble hash in years, we used to make it all the time. Back in the day it was all about long mixing times, which seems to be bad info now. We’d run the paint stirrer for like an hour, my buddy even made a rig with a drill press so he didn’t have to hold it lol
I met a guy in Quebec who would chuck a few pounds of outdoor into a fucking full sized washing machine and then run the drain into garbage pails with huge bags…crazy stuff
Very interesting to read about the new science and techniques here, I’ve learned alot from this thread!
@ReikoX …but what made you stop at 6 then? was it a poor yield quantity i.e not worthwhile? or did you keep the batches separate & detect low quality?
@Badfishy1 Yeah, like feeding one’s self & family! …makes a big difference if you’re just doin’ it for fun. And he probably had a freaky-ass record-setting hash-plant & had to keep going for the sake of science
@beacher yeah it’s looking to me like it’s been pretty refined now & i try and learn from frenchy cannoli & bubbleman but the practice-makes-perfect saying is holding true for me. i’m still all-manual & low-tech so it’s a pain doing all-day runs & dream of a commercial-sized washer. apparently frenchy had a custom agitator/washer made (shown in a youtube video) and i’m surprised there isn’t something else/better. considering & all that.
a friend described his idea of a “hash machine” using a recirculating waterfall that would have trays or racks of sieves…whereas my pipedream idea is more of a centrifugal rotating drum with varied micron sieves of metal…both ideas using a powered refrigeration system & connected to standard/household water supply. the user would be able to simply load a huge batch & calibrate/adjust/select options, timing etc. a seriously cool method would be to use optical sensors & have electronics do the work of determining when the aqueaus mixture needs fresh water/purging or is no longer detecting trichomes/resin.
)
Can material that still retains resin after some washing be re-purposed for cooking oil/butter? Dehydrate in freezer?
gotta go stir, quick!
missing dry-sieved 
And finally full spectrum is great but people are lying to you if they say they prefer that over some 90u heads:+1:
It seems that quality doesn’t really deteriorate very much either as the input mat’l just get’s cleaner but eventually the plant fibers disintegrate and it’s a slippery slide downhill then.
& all that.
