Rosin press suggestions?

When I get home I’ll disassemble and take pics as I’m putting it together

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Right on, dude. Yeah, I’m definitely interested in this. Do you freeze your weed and then tumble? Or do you just throw it in there? Feel free to tag me when you start the thread. I ain’t the best with internet stuff haha!

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Weed is chopped and frozen then I put it and a few lbs of broken up dry ice in it and turn it on. Let it run a bit then reverse the direction and let it run. When the fog and the sounds of the dry ice hitting the wood stop it’s done

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I’m surprised more people don’t recommend the dabpress brand. Got my complete kit for about $350, ready to squish. I use this little 4 ton beast to squeeze 15g each run.

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Goddamnit… Where were you two days ago? Haha. Coulda saved me 400 bucks…

Man, I really like the way yours looks. You think it’s too late to cancel my order and get that one? I don’t think anything I bought has shipped yet. Lemme take a look.

Edit: Never mind, the stuff from Dulytek’s on the way. Oh well… I’m sure I’ll dig the stuff I bought.

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in an vein of Buy once, Cry once -

did anyone come to one Best answer ?

I have been looking and the answers are hard to match up with the question…

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I ended up buying the Dulytek plates and a 20 ton press. The plates got here yesterday, the press won’t get here until Friday or Saturday. I’m excited to use it, but I’m gonna have to put together the press in my garage. Considering the fact that it’s been like 107 degrees here every day with no end in sight, I’m not sure how soon that’ll be. I may just wake up at like 4am one morning and do it then, when it’s only 90 degrees.

I think I’ll be happy with the press/plates combo, but I kinda wish I had just gotten what @schmarmpit suggested, if for no other reason than it doesn’t require putting it together. Plus, it’s like $400 cheaper than what I spent, although $100 of what I spent was on shipping for the press. And I had to get the $250 press, as that was the only one available for shipping. Harbor Freight had an H-frame (A-frame?) press that was cheaper, but it was only available in-store. I’m still quarantining, so… Fucking coronavirus… I’d really like to know just how much money I’ve spent on shipping/delivery fees since this shit has started. Or maybe I don’t wanna know haha. For instance, I needed a 50 pound bag of rock dust a few months back. Rock dust cost $20, shipping cost $60. Aaarrgghhh…

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Well you paid your dues and got your gear, heavenly dabs are a comin.

Shipping’s a real bastard, my e-bike cost me a few extra hundred in shipping, getting bits n pieces off ebay and amazon.
When its time, will be the DIP controlled plates wit collar for me, jack from local store and make a wooden frame. Those A and H frames, so bulky.
2 by 4s with a thick threaded rod going thru em shud do just fine, hold a few tons, I hope :-D.
Easier to tuck away.

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I’m sure you’ll enjoy putting together the new press, and having your first squish will all be worth it!

But yes, the Dabpress units are a great price and ready to roll. I think with DIY you assume you can build it cheaper but that’s a hard price to beat for smaller runs. They also are framed in such a way that you can lean the press over while in use and the resin drips away from the plates. “Drip tech” is what they call it. I’ve never bothered with it.

I actually bought an earlier model than this 4 ton 3x5 starter kit. Mine was only a 3 ton jack and 3x3 plates. But I still crush through 14g per press no prob with that little guy. The crucial part with small bottle jack presses is to use “bottle tech” when packing your herb. I use this 40mm cylinder mold press with 160 micron 2.5 x 4.5" bags, at around 210F.

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Yeah, I saw one press for sale that had that “drip tech” option for like another fifty bucks, can’t remember which one it was offhand. Probably the one you’re referencing.

How come you use that cylindrical mold? Or rather, what’s the advantage of “bottle tech”? Is that only possible to do with the cylindrical mold? I got a mold with the plates, it’s 2” x 4”, rectangle shaped, along with 2.5” x 4.5” 160 micron bags. At first, I didn’t understand why those molds were so fucking expensive, but once it arrived and weighed like ten pounds, I was like,”Oh, okay.” haha.

Also, when you press, what size parchment do you use? And do you use two sheets or do you fold one in half? Sorry for all the questions, there’s just a bunch of conflicting info I’ve read online (big surprise. Conflicting info on the internet?!? Gasp!).

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Yeah, I was worried about the size of the press, but I just looked again yesterday and it’s only like 32” x 22”. The problem is it presses low. Like where I’ll be putting the plates is not real far off the ground. I don’t wanna have to be getting on my hands and knees every time I press, plus I’m worried about contaminates like dust getting into the rosin or whatever. I also don’t wanna have to sweep before I press haha. I’m considering some kind of table to set it on, but what table could handle 20 tons of pressure? Or any kind of significant pressure? Doubt I’ll be using all 20 tons to press.

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I use the cylinder mold because I have such a small press that I need to be very efficient with my application of force. Bottle tech fits the bill because the highest area of force is directly under the plates where the bottle jack shaft meets the plates. The force of the shaft is directly transferred when you pack the bud in the same shape. I’ve tried other ways and bottle tech always gets me the highest returns. If I had a 20 ton jack then maybe I wouldn’t have to bother with it.

I use 1 strip of parchment cut to length of the press opening, and then folded in half.

And FYI, you will not be applying 20 tons of force to your bench with your arms (unless you’re Hulk). Don’t worry about the bench. I press on top of my washing machine, LOL. The 20 tons of force is being accomplished with hydraulics in your jack. Your arm will only be applying roughly 50 lbs of force to the press via the bench.

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You will not be using all 20 tons. These article might help you:

The Physics Behind Rosin: Heat & Pressure.

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Duuuuude, that’s so funny about the washing machine. My press is gonna go next to our washing machine and I was thinking,”Maybe I can just set the press on top of that…” but then thought,”If I crush the washing machine, my girl will kill me.” haha. She’s real chill, but she would not be happy about me destroying our washing machine. Good to know yours works fine.

As far as the size of the parchment (sorry, man), your plates are 3 x 5, right? So how big is the piece of paper before you fold it in half?

And this is just for curiosity’s sake, but what kind of returns are you getting? I realize it’s strain-dependent (along with a lot of other factors), I was just wondering. I’ve got like maybe eight grams left of this one Silver Mountain that I harvested last grow, mid-April, that turned out smelling and tasting EXACTLY like bubblegum. More bubblegum-y than any actual Bubblegum strain or hybrid I’ve ever blazed. Totally different than the other two Silver Mountains I ran. Super-curious to see how that turns out pressed. But eight grams? Maybe, at best, I’d get a gram and a half?

Also got about a half-ounce of some really tangerine-y Smart Move that I think would taste delicious pressed.

Shit, one more question. Should I invest in an e-nail/rig? I figured I could just put a little rosin on top of a bit of flower in a bong, like I’ve done with hash, and call it a day. You think that would be kind of a waste? Is a rig the only way to appreciate the finer aspect of rosin?

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Haha, yeah, dude, I kind of know I won’t be using all 20 tons of pressure. But I know me, sometimes I get all enthusiastic and do shit that I know I shouldn’t do, but I do it anyway…

Thanks for the article, I’ll read it right now.

If you have never had rosin and are trying to save $ while getting started, I suggest getting a torch ($10-$20) and a nail that fits your bong ($30-$80). That is all you need to start with. However, you will probably find yourself adding some good dabbing tools and a carb cap. Or, you could pick up a torch and a cheap Nectar Collector clone for about the same amount.

Assuming you like it, you will probably end up with too much gear. I started making rosin about four or five years ago or so. Like you, the first rosin I tried was homemade. Only I used a hair straightener for awhile before buying a press.

I have an e-nail, a few dab rigs, various bong attachments/adapters, and a Puffco Peak. I’ve owned a Nectar Collector and Dr. Dabber Boost, but both broke. (I’m deadly around anything made of glass.) The e-nail is my favorite, but the Peak gets a lot of use because it is small, easy to use, and it does not look scary sitting on in the living room on the coffee table (unlike the e-nail). The Boost and most pen devices I’ve tried, have a bad taste after a few uses. The Nectar Collector was pretty nice, but the glass tube rolled off a shelf. Also, it tended to leak drops of water unless I was very careful.

You will not get the full flavor of your rosin by putting it on top of flower; although that is nice to do when you want an extra boost.

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The key here is to experiment and learn. So give it a try. Maybe it will work well for you. For me, at higher pressures, the rosin leaks thru the parchment and gets on the plates.

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Ive spent far more on rigs and pens than I have on my press… currently the Puffco Peak gets the most use with my Huni Badger getting a close second. My e-nail is packed away while I finish the workshop.

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