Dabpress Rosin Plates

[Hackerman]

I also got into a groove (or a rut, whichever LOL) with my old setup. I was telling my wife the other day that I need to start all over with tweaking everything to get optimum performance from this new setup.

But, playing with toys is what we do, right. LOL

The only problem I am having right now is getting rid of all the rosin I'm making. LOL I am smoking it, vaping it, cooking it, eating it..... LOL

 

[MinnBobber]

OK, time for a report on my first squish with dabpress 35S caged plates and Strongway 10 ton benchtop press---the good, the bad, and the ugly.

dabpress 35 S caged plates are awesome---super easy to just drop into press bed and you are good to go. They are really nice!

Strongway 10 ton was very easy to use---I was expecting that you had to really crank on the pump handle but it was easy action.

I'm in a different league from most of you, that would be "little league"
My stash is small so I'm doing small pucks---this was a 0.70 gram nug in Rosin Tech precut/folded parchment.
Pre-pressed it somewhat, into a more dense piece

First press at 190 F and 2 tons had a nice rosin pattern, for the little rosin I got.

I got some awesome looking rosin which had the most incredible smell ever---like a super concentrated citrusy/ floral smell from the small Blue Dream nug.
Rosin also looked really really nice on the scrapper tool....... until repress of puck More on that below

I broke puck into 5 pieces and tried to stack freehand into "bottle tech" formation which immediately fell apart.
Shoved it all together into irregular shape and upped temp to 220? F and pressure to 3.5 tons which resulted in blowout.
Made the newbie mistake of scrapping that rosin onto first press rosin so that golden goodness became darker and some herbage in it Lesson learned. For repress, fold in half to add thickness and repress? Keep temp and pressure much closer to original. Keep primo rosin away from lesser rosin.

In attempting to load into VapCap, got some on my fingers and that shit is s-t-i-c-k-y. Need some practice to handle it.
From the tiniest little rosin spec in the VC, I was surprised with a huge cloud
VapCap and PortsideMini seem to work great---will dial in time, click plus 2 or 3 seconds seemed to work.

For near future the VapCap will probably be my rosin unit. Guessing that it will work better than miniVAP or Herbalizer due to heat option beyond 450 F ????

So a very interesting first squish.
My stash is several months to year+ old so that prob hurts yield, even though stored with 62% Boveda packs??

Overall, very glad I did the squish. Busy schedule and wife being home a lot in near future = maybe won't be able to do squish #2 for some time???

And for you rosin techies who have so much rosin you don't know what to do with it---- a big F U, just kidding,
I'm jealous

 

[Hackerman]

that shit is s-t-i-c-k-y.

LMAO... perils of rosin.

Congrats on your first press, I thought I heard a cherry pop.

 

[psychonaut]

@MinnBobber Sounds like a good first run with rosin tech. The mistakes we make teach us the right path, so you've already made progress =)

For your buds, the bovedas will keep them moist, but they will continue to cure and decarboxylate. I use some oxy absorbers in my jars to try and slow that down, it seems to help. Most of my rosin is the same color, even months later, from the same flowers. Yields seem to be about the same but I think that is more relative to PSI, resin on flowers, and humidity level of flowers, and duration of press.

Some strains press better at higher RH's, so perhaps some 65's would be worth experimenting with?

It sounds like overall it was pretty easy for a beginner to get their squeeze on!

 

[Hackerman]

I ran a few tests tonight. I pressed identical amounts under identical pressure with identical heat.

So, what was different? One was 6 grams in a 1" x 4" puck and the other press was 3x 2gram pucks, 1" in diameter. This was the standard sized puck I used with my old 4" round plates.

Oddly enough, the 3, 1-inch pucks produced more than the single 1x4. I am going to run the tests over and over but I expected the opposite. Actually, I was HOPING for the opposite.

One nice thing I found out.... this size (3"x7") press is perfect for pressing tiny nugs and small quantity presses as well as large packets .

Anyway, the 1x4 was perfect for the 3x7 plates. The finished puck/chip was evenly spread and about 1/2" from the edge all the way around. I could probably go with 7 or 8 grams but any more would likely squeeze out the sides (with the pressure I use).

The single puck yielded 0.522 grams and the 3x 1-inch pucks yielded 0.618 grams. That doesn't count what bled through the parchment. I am getting tired of that. It makes things that much messier for an already messy job.

Anyway, even though that is only a 1.6 gram difference and doesn't seem like much, one is a 8.7% vs 10.3 yield and that means 25% more yield with the 3 separate pucks over the single puck. That's quite a bit. (If my math is right.)

I'll run more tests and see what levels out. Here's a couple pics just for shits and giggles.

I am still using my temp wooded jig to make the 1x4 pucks until I determine the perfect size. Maybe I can make an adjustable puck maker that makes 1" x 1", 2", 3" and 4" pucks. Hmmm?

 

[invertedisdead]

You should try taking those 3 coins and stacking them on top of each other for a bottle tech squish!

 

[invertedisdead]

I've been using smalls in a cylindrical pre-press for bagless bottle tech

 

[Hackerman]

You should try taking those 3 coins and stacking them on top of each other for a bottle tech squish!

Great idea. I will try that next time.

Thanks

 

[psychonaut]

I've been finding I can jam about 5 grams easily in-between the caged plates using a small 2x2.5" filter bottle tech, but any more than that and really a pre-press mold will come in handy to get it to fit. I agree with @invertedisdead, try and get as much as you can for that footprint, the tonnage from the press will make a nice coin and, all that rosin

Today I hit 3.25 tons of pressure on a puck that was 1.75" diameter roughly, some seriously PSI (2700)! It was a mixed run, 5 different strains. Pretty sure I juiced it for all that it was worth! I'm about to head into the rosin room for a few dabs, pardon me

 

[MonkeyTime]

I ran a few tests tonight. I pressed identical amounts under identical pressure with identical heat.

So, what was different? One was 6 grams in a 1" x 4" puck and the other press was 3x 2gram pucks, 1" in diameter. This was the standard sized puck I used with my old 4" round plates.

Oddly enough, the 3, 1-inch pucks produced more than the single 1x4. I am going to run the tests over and over but I expected the opposite. Actually, I was HOPING for the opposite.

One nice thing I found out.... this size (3"x7") press is perfect for pressing tiny nugs and small quantity presses as well as large packets .

Anyway, the 1x4 was perfect for the 3x7 plates. The finished puck/chip was evenly spread and about 1/2" from the edge all the way around. I could probably go with 7 or 8 grams but any more would likely squeeze out the sides (with the pressure I use).

The single puck yielded 0.522 grams and the 3x 1-inch pucks yielded 0.618 grams. That doesn't count what bled through the parchment. I am getting tired of that. It makes things that much messier for an already messy job.

Anyway, even though that is only a 1.6 gram difference and doesn't seem like much, one is a 8.7% vs 10.3 yield and that means 25% more yield with the 3 separate pucks over the single puck. That's quite a bit. (If my math is right.)

I'll run more tests and see what levels out. Here's a couple pics just for shits and giggles.

I am still using my temp wooded jig to make the 1x4 pucks until I determine the perfect size. Maybe I can make an adjustable puck maker that makes 1" x 1", 2", 3" and 4" pucks. Hmmm?

You mentioned "with the pressure I use", can I ask what that is?

I've only got about 6 presses with my starter press, everything else is just from reading, but..... I've found in multiple places that when you get over 1600-1900 psi, you start getting into lipids and waxes being extracted, and bigger yields.

Did you guys find that to be true?

 

[Hackerman]

I am only using a 12 ton but as I have said before.... I think it's way overkill.

I really lean on the pump. I crank it down with all my weight..... sometimes. LOL

And, when I do, the parchment bleeds, the press is under max stress... and I don't think it yields any more than if I lightly tighten it. The pucks can only get so flat. They come out damn near paper thin as it is. LOL

So, when I said, "with the pressure I use", I meant, cranked all the way down.

There is a point where the puck is not pressed enough. Then, there is just perfect. Then, anything past that is pretty much wasted. I had that 'feel' with my old setup. I'll have to get used to this one. I considered a press with a gauge but are they really accurate? And, actually, more than accurate... are they consistent?

As for yields, I don't really see more yield with more pressure. A couple tons is enough for a small package like we are doing. You want to press ounces at a time, you might need more but for small packages like 5g and under, a 12 ton is probably way overkill, IMO.

Where I see more yield is with higher temps. Yield at 240F can be way way more than yield at 190F.

I took a couple videos tonight. I need to edit out the boring part and splice the good stuff all together. Then, I'll post something.

 

[invertedisdead]

I've only got about 6 presses with my starter press, everything else is just from reading, but..... I've found in multiple places that when you get over 1600-1900 psi, you start getting into lipids and waxes being extracted, and bigger yields.

All rosin has lipids and waxes, you have to melt the wax membrane of the trichome to get to the cannabinoids and terpenes.

 

[psychonaut]

All this rosin I am squishing is very strong, I havent had any hydrocarbon extracts in a bit other than some distillate a few weeks back during an injury. I dunno if the increased yields I am seeing at higher pressure is anything other than more of the same of what I'm getting. Would have to send it in for potency tests to know for sure.

I think I have maxed out the pressure for these filters though, I had a blowout while achieving 2700 PSI, no harm done, just one stigma.

I'll have to bring my calipers in from the barn but these pucks I am pressing have some thickness to them yet. And a bit moist around the edges, but also pressing in the middle range temps. One of my recent presses at 190F yielded 27% @ 2300 PSI.

As far as gauges go, they help you do what I'm doing, you can go by feel but I think the gauges are pretty accurate. You can feel the rosin melting as the gauge drops. You can predict when the flow will begin as you see the gauge hit right around 1000 PSI, then it just starts to juice out as you go higher, and even continue to flow 90 seconds in when you start reaching up around 2500 PSI.

I'm still experimenting with the lower temps for now, but really curious what happens when I do 220F with the same filters and PSI.

 

[elmomuzz]

I still don’t understand the need for a filter when pressing flower. I don’t get even one speck of green in my rosin without one. And no worry’s about using to much pressure and blowing out.

 

[invertedisdead]

I still don’t understand the need for a filter when pressing flower. I don’t get even one speck of green in my rosin without one. And no worry’s about using to much pressure and blowing out.

Do you pre-press your flowers? I've been squishing bagless but still get a little bit on contaminant at times. I tend to just use a toothpick to pick specks out.

 

[psychonaut]

For me the filters are mostly to keep the puck size contained. I have a pre-press mold but it's a lil larger than what fits in my filters so I just need to do some calculations so I have my PSI needed for the larger pucks. It's also a lil bit of a crutch while doing tests. I'd rather not use them at all if it makes my squishing easier, just working my way there as I get more experience.

 

[MinnBobber]

For me the filters are mostly to keep the puck size contained

..................................................
I have not yet used a filter but don't they help you attain your "bottle-tech" style pucks (tall with narrow surface area)? That's the one element that seems like a big positive.
I probably should also try @invertedisdead method of bagless with small cylinder pre-press.

Do heads shops sell as a hash/kief press or where is best source?

I used a Rosin Tech pre-press (square) with nug placed on one side--press holds 10X what I pressed.

 

[invertedisdead]

@MinnBobber I believe Dabpress has a cylindrical pre press coming out soon!

 

[Hackerman]

I am going to press some Lemon OG tomorrow so I'll try some experiments. Any suggestions? Requests?

I'll try the 3 pucks stacked that was suggested earlier. Although, I'll probably have to use some kind of filter to stop it from squishing out the sides. I could also just pre-press a 6 gram single puck, 1" in diameter. I think my pre-press will handle 6 grams.

Also, I don't remember which rosin thread it was mentioned at but we were talking about how flat is flat and how much pressure is too much.

Well, I put the micrometer on some chips today and I was amazed. Every single one is exactly 0.030". Edge to edge and chip to chip. Within a hundredth across the board. LOL That is some pretty square plates. I am more and more impressed with this press every day.

So, anyone else put a mic or calipers on their chips? I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one with OCD around here. LOL I was amazed at the consistency.

 

[MinnBobber]

@Hackerman , if I had a micrometer I'd try it too. Very interesting.

I'd like to see a yield comparison of : with all pucks close to same weight/ record each grouping/ figure % yield for each
- two small pre-pressed pucks stacked on top of each other vs
- two pre-pressed pucks side by side
- if room, also same weight without pre-press
To help decide if tall pucks (bottle tech) are worth the effort. To see if pre-presses are worth it for yield or just to keep rosin clean.

Another possible: compare a press at 190 F vs 220 F for yield

 

[psychonaut]

I think for smaller amounts something like this would be good, 3/4" ID. Can probably fit 2 grams in here and press into a semi-dense puck w/o filter and press it.

https://smile.amazon.com/Handle-Pol...F8&qid=1526261636&sr=8-12&keywords=kief+press

 

[Hackerman]

@Hackerman , if I had a micrometer I'd try it too. Very interesting.

I'd like to see a yield comparison of : with all pucks close to same weight/ record each grouping/ figure % yield for each
- two small pre-pressed pucks stacked on top of each other vs
- two pre-pressed pucks side by side
- if room, also same weight without pre-press
To help decide if tall pucks (bottle tech) are worth the effort. To see if pre-presses are worth it for yield or just to keep rosin clean.

Another possible: compare a press at 190 F vs 220 F for yield

I can tell you already about pre-pressing. The rest I'll try tomorrow and let you know.

I pre-press because a pressed puck will spread WAYYYY less than the same weight of buds that are not pressed. That's the only reason I went to pre-pressing.

Yeah, I think it keeps the rosin a little more clean to but..... I can pick the tiny specs out and I am good with how clean the rest is. LOL I seldom use filters unless I'm experimenting.

Again, I don't use filters so using a filter without pre-pressing would also contain the spread (I assume).

I do have some filters. They are just crumby 'tea bag' filters and I don't even know what micron they are. However, I do have silkscreen cloth and I do know the micron rating on those. And, I have tested them and they make great filters. And, you can buy it by the square yard real cheap.

So, I'll try some 'bottle tek' stuff tomorrow. I have a couple ounces I can press. My DabPress roson tool kit containers are filling up quick. LOL

 

[Hackerman]

I think for smaller amounts something like this would be good, 3/4" ID. Can probably fit 2 grams in here and press into a semi-dense puck w/o filter and press it.

https://smile.amazon.com/Handle-Pol...F8&qid=1526261636&sr=8-12&keywords=kief+press

That is what I used for a while. Works great.

I had a friend mill this setup for me. 1" in diameter and I just lightly press it in my 1 ton arbor press that sits next to my rosin press....

 

[Hackerman]

OK, ran those tests today. I have a long video but I need to edit it and upload it somewhere. Then, I'll post a link. The video will explain a lot of things but I took a few pics as well so, in short......

Pic 1: My parchment. I use a shear to cut the roll in half right out of the box. Then, I just use a board with a smooth edge as the cutter. The pieces are 7.5" wide so they are perfect for this size press. You may want to cut your roll in thirds if you have smaller plates. Then, I just pull off as much as I need and use the edge of the board to tear it off. Also, if you pull up as you roll, it takes that horrible CURL out of the parchment. LOL

Pic 2:

Here are the pucks. All are 1" in diameter. Smaller ones are 2 grams each and bigger ones are 4 grams each.

Pic 3:

First press. 2 each of the 2 gram pucks placed side by side. As you can see, there was a small amount of squeeze through where the puck protruded out from the plates. That just kills the yield.

The next shot is another 2 each of the 2 gram pucks, only this time stacked on top of each other instead of placed side by side. I knew this one was going to overflow. Again, definitely the wrong size and shape for these plates.

Next, I tried 2 pucks at 4 grams each for a total of 8 grams in a single press.

Even though they were side by side, they still squeezed out the back and ruined the run.

Next, was the 2 each 4 gram pucks stacked. I knew this one was going to be too large so I put it in a paper filter I had. The video will show more on that. Short story, the filter blew out and everything went everywhere. I picked up the mess and put it in my 1x4 prepress and then pressed it again. Not great. The one on the left is the first press. The right shot is the 1x4 second press.

Here is one last press where I took 8 grams of bud and pre pressed it in my 1x4 temporary jig. Then, I wrapped it in the silk screen cloth. This is the best yield and the cleanest run. I don't usually do a second press but I did this time because I could still see shiny rosin on the filter. That's why I never used filters. Seemed to loose more in the filter than it was worth just to avoid those few tiny pieces of flower that sneak through. Still, this silk screen seems to return real real well. Again, the video will show more detail on this.

And, finally..... the results. Overall, considering the filter blowout and the oversqueezes the end yield was about 10%. That's about my average anyway so we didn't loose too much.

Do the math. The 8 gram, 1x4 puck was, by far the best yield. I'll run some more tests after I consume all this rosin. LMAO

I'll get the video up asap.

Enjoy.

Anyone want to stop by for dabs? LOL

 

[invertedisdead]

Even though they were side by side, they still squeezed out the back and ruined the run.

What do you mean by this when you say "ruined the run" ?
I figure if it squeezes out the back it got away from the degradation of the hot plates?


Despite the blowout which likely was responsible for your bad yield with the bottle tech press, that looks like the one that did the best at getting the rosin to run, as there is almost no rosin in the crease of the paper, whereas it looks like the rosin from your 1x4" pre-press stayed on the plates trapped at the crease?