Ot1’s Homebuilt Hash Press
Know what to do with all of that skuff you made with your bags or tumbler? Press it like the pros to keep it fresh!
by Oldtimer1 - March 3, 2001
The press: instructions and parts list
There should be no problems getting all the parts from any good metal workshop. If you make a plan with a cutting list they will cut all the bits to size and drill the holes for you. Then it only takes a couple of minutes to put the press frame together.
Main Parts for the press in metric:
1 hydraulic car jack (bottle jack)
Top bar 1 x 80mm x 45mm u/formed girder cut 230mm long.
Bottom bar 1 x 120mm x 55mm u/formed girder cut 230mm long.
Both the above need 2 x 25mm clearance holes drilled approx 165mm apart centre to centre. Centred to the girder top both length and width ways.
Side struts 2 x 25mm studding cut to 340mm long.
Nuts 8 x nuts thread to suit studding
Side struts are made from 25mm diameter high tensile studding
Parts for the hash former in metric:
Former 1 x 110mm x 70mm box girder cut 30mm long.
Pressing plates 3 x 62mm x 10mm steel bar cut 102mm long
Main Parts for the press in inches:
Top bar 1 x 3.25 x 1.75 inch u/formed girder cut 9 inches long.
Bottom bar 1 x 4.75 x 2.25 inch u/formed girder cut 9 inches long.
Both the above need 2 x 1 inch clearance holes drilled approx 6 3/8 inch apart centre to centre. Centred to the girder top both length and width ways.
Sides 2 x 1 inch studding cut to 340mm long.
Nuts 8 x nuts thread to suit studding
Side struts are made from 1 inch diameter high tensile studding
Parts for the hash former in inches:
Former 1 x 4.25 x 2.5/8 inch box girder cut 1.5 inch long.
Pressing plates 3 x 2.375 x 0.5 inch steel bar cut 4 inches long.
The exact length of the studding will depend on the size of the bottle jack, so get your jack and build the press to suit.
Sizing and assembly
The u/girder and box girder sizes are only for a rough guide. Just use the nearest sizes your metal work shop has. Putting the press together is pretty self explanatory, but the former and pressing plates will need a little work.
Firstly, make sure the shop cut the box girder nice and square.
You will need to file the internal weld seam flat and remove any burrs from the box section. With a file or bench grinder, carefully round off the corners of the pressing plates to match the curved corners on the inside of the box section until the pressing plates will just slide through the box.
Clean the inside of the box section and the plates, then lightly coat with cooking oil and rub off the excess with a tissue. This will protect against rust and work as a release agent when the hash is pressed.
Pressing method
Put the box on a piece of tin foil or paper and slid pressing plate one into the bottom of the box.
Cover the plate with a piece of foil cut the same size and start filling the box with skuff.
Tamp it down with another plate (plate two).
Keep filling until the box is full to the rim and you cant press any more in with the plate. The metric former will hold about 2 1/4 ounces/64 grams and the imperial inches 2.5 ounces/70 grams.
You are now ready to do the first press.
Using the paper/foil, lift the hash former to the centre of the press, place the second pressing plate on top of the skuff so that it is lined up and clears the box edges.
Put the jack on top and slowly pump until the plate is flush with the box edges.
Release the jack and put the third plate on top of the second, taking the same care to line it up.
Put the jack back in and pump it until it wont go any more (usually about 1/3 of the third plate goes in).
Leave under pressure for an hour or so. When the pressure is released, the hash block expands a little so you get a slab 10 mm or 1/2 an inch thick.
Almost complete
To remove the hash from the box, lift the box from the foil/paper and the bottom plate. Plate one will drop out. Take plate three from the top. This leaves the the hash block with plate two on top of it in the box. Prop the box edges up on plates one and three under the centre of the press, making room for the hash block to come out between them. Place a piece of wood 2 x 2 x 4 inches long on top of plate two and use the jack to gently press the hash and plate two out. As soon as the foil side of the hash is touching the bottom bar, remove the jack and lift the box. The hash and the plate will drop out. Peel off the foil, then a gentle pull should separate the hash from the plate two.
You are done with hash in hand.
What are you waiting for?
The above may sound complicated, but it really only takes a few minutes to do and always works in practice. Things like adding a piece of foil on the bottom plate have come from hours of trying to get the hash out of the former box. Don’t try using cling film wrapper. It can get embedded in the hash, and it’s not too good to smoke. Using foil or paper under the box and plate to lift it comes from a stoned evening where I lifted the box and the bottom plate dropped out, closely followed by the skuff as I crossed the room. You just don’t want to know how far 2 1/4 ounces of skuff can spread when you drop it! Ever hear of smoking the carpet? So now I try and do all the work on one table.
If your skuff has a very high sativa content in its makeup, it will be a lot less oily than if collected from indica varieties and may need a little warming to help it stick and press up nicely. If this is the case, after the first press the packed box former should be put into a very low oven. It will need about 45 mins so that it can warm right through. The oven temperature should only be as hot as you can just bare to touch. Don’t over heat or you will ruin it! Once warmed right through do the final pressing as above.
How to store your final product
Finally, pressed hash keeps really well long term as long as you keep it cold and don’t expose it to light or moisture. So best keep it in an airtight container close to freezing and it will be there for your pleasure whenever you need it. Remember, it doesn’t matter how you extract your skuff. Using a tumbler or water extraction is just fine. The quality of the product you make will only be as good as the potency of the plants you grow. So if you grow killer Thai, you will be in for a trip. On the other hand, if you grow couch lock you will be glued to your seat. I can see you sitting there, thinking of food and not making it to the refrigerator, hehe.
Written by Oldtimer1.
Related article - DIY - Skuff Tumbler by SCW
(I claim no credit for the content. Shamelessly ripped from the OG OverGrow in 2012)