Getting the goodness out of zip-lock bags

[OKcomputer]

So I've got about 20 zip-loc bags that once contained herb and now contain tons of kief stuck the inner sides. What's the best way of getting it out and getting it into vaporizable form? Just cutting them up and scraping it off with a razor blade? Easier to drop a little alcohol into each bag, swish it around and pour it out onto a plate to evaporate? Or some other method I'm not thinking of?

 

[OhTheAgony]

Oh man, I think I've got at least a 1000 baggies like that stuffed in a drawer somewhere, and I must have thrown away at least another 1000 or so in the past 2 decades.

When I was younger and poorer I did try scrapping them out with a razor blade like you describe, when I was out of cash and weed at the end of the month. I wouldn't recommend that if you have a lot of them since it took me like 45 minutes or so to scrape a joint together that way, lmao. But if you only have like 20 it shouldn't be to much work. Make sure you put it on a nice flat and hard surface for the actual scrapping. A glass sheet would be perfect.

I'm curious to see if anyone comes up with a less labor intensive method though.

 

[StickyShisha2]

cut them into ribbons and put in the water when making butter for medibles. Same goes for used volcano bags.

 

[weedemon]

i would fill em with alcohol one by one swish em around until you have absorbed your goodies. transfer to the next bag and repeat. drip the bags empty into a bowl or something and then toss the bags out.

Sandwich bags were not designed the same use as the volcano bags were (designed to be safe for food uses under oven like temperatures.) Sandwich bags used under normal everyday uses? Probably totally safe to use. to use in your cooking process to remove the actives? I wonder...

When cheap plastics are heated they will give off tiny bits of plastic into your solution in this case the edibles! I don`t think that is a good idea!

Just beware if you do that.

another safe method would be to take a nice big glass surface and lay it down on a table. then beat the hell out of your bags, I would turn em inside out, and put them on like gloves and then clap rubs etc... then just scrape up your collected powder off the glass you might be surprised with the return

 

[OKcomputer]

Your last idea sounds fun, weedemon, but I'm not sure I have a huge piece of glass that would fit the bill (no uninstalled windows lying around or anything, haha). However, the idea about using one batch of alcohol and transferring it from bag to bag sounds solid. So then, I'd just dump the alcohol into a shallow bowl and put a fan on it or something to speed up evaporation? Would I be better using 91% ISO or something like a high-proof vodka (no access to 100% everclear here)? Finally, best way to consume it in my HI? Wrap it up in the cotton from a q-tip, sandwich it between herb?

I'm guessing that the answer to all of these questions is "it's up to you" but further suggestions are of course welcome.

 

[StickyShisha2]

i would fill em with alcohol one by one swish em around until you have absorbed your goodies. transfer to the next bag and repeat. drip the bags empty into a bowl or something and then toss the bags out.

Sandwich bags were not designed the same use as the volcano bags were (designed to be safe for food uses under oven like temperatures.) Sandwich bags used under normal everyday uses? Probably totally safe to use. to use in your cooking process to remove the actives? I wonder...

When cheap plastics are heated they will give off tiny bits of plastic into your solution in this case the edibles! I don`t think that is a good idea!

Just beware if you do that.

another safe method would be to take a nice big glass surface and lay it down on a table. then beat the hell out of your bags, I would turn em inside out, and put them on like gloves and then clap rubs etc... then just scrape up your collected powder off the glass you might be surprised with the return

i trust hot water on these plastic bags more than i would trust chemical solvents.

 

[weedemon]

Your last idea sounds fun, weedemon, but I'm not sure I have a huge piece of glass that would fit the bill (no uninstalled windows lying around or anything, haha). However, the idea about using one batch of alcohol and transferring it from bag to bag sounds solid. So then, I'd just dump the alcohol into a shallow bowl and put a fan on it or something to speed up evaporation? Would I be better using 91% ISO or something like a high-proof vodka (no access to 100% everclear here)? Finally, best way to consume it in my HI? Wrap it up in the cotton from a q-tip, sandwich it between herb?

I'm guessing that the answer to all of these questions is "it's up to you" but further suggestions are of course welcome.

the iso comes in a plastic bottle, so I would hope it`s safe to use on a bag. but I will bet they are not made of the same plastic (the bottle vs the baggie)

the stronger the iso the better yes.

you don`t have any framed pictures on the wall? that`s where I got my glass to do this i was using a kif box for this run though

for your evap use a hot water bath with a fan if you can, have this going outside or if you can`t do that right by a window with the fan blowing the fumes out the window! It is generally never a good idea to do an evap inside unless you have a kickass ventilation setup. I always do it outside until I have syrup left. then I will bring it in and finish my purging.

I would think vitolo`s cotton with some oil in the middle would be the best way to go in your HI as well

 

[smokum]

I've taken collect baggies with sparkly remnants and pour a stainless steel bowl of ISO (not a lot), then take each baggy and fold inside out over my hand then swish them in the ISO. Rinse -- Repeat till I'm done and throw out the bags. Then take the ISO and jar it into a glass mason to clean my glass and press pieces with until there is a nice 'hue' to it, then use it to do a QWISO run.

Works for me


Edit: my gawd, grammar !

 

[OKcomputer]

Alright, my noobishness is showing, but when the evap is done, am I gonna end up with a dry hash or an oil? I like the idea of just rinsing off the inside-out bags in a bowl of alcohol. Is there any other step I need to take to purify that hash/oil before I vape it?

 

[weedemon]

Alright, my noobishness is showing, but when the evap is done, am I gonna end up with a dry hash or an oil? I like the idea of just rinsing off the inside-out bags in a bowl of alcohol. Is there any other step I need to take to purify that hash/oil before I vape it?

yep, I would filter it once before you begin the evaporation stage. though an unbleached coffee filter will do the trick!

I would expect an oil not a solid. but don't use too much iso. (too much is just a waste though not a huge deal) the less you use, the faster you will be able to evap it.

 

[OKcomputer]

More noobishness:

I'm following you, but would the "good part" then be the stuff that makes it through the coffee filter, or the stuff that collects in the coffee filter? I'm assuming the former, but it seems like you'd lose some of the solids (kief etc.) to the filter that way. My knowledge of concentrates in general is sorely lacking, so I definitely appreciate your patience.

 

[weedemon]

yep throw out the solid you collect you only want the liquid!

the alcohol will dissolve anything that has any goodness in it for your oil

I suppose you could use too little alcohol too, let me explain. the only way this would happen is if you had so much material that the alcohol became a super saturated solution (no more available to dissolve into solution. like salt will reach a point where no more can dissolve in water. if you want to dissolve more salt then you need to add more water.) expect to see solids filtered out though.

hope that helps!

 

[Abysmal Vapor]

If i were you i would use a cotton bud (q tip ) soaked with alcohol .. If i were I would wipe around the baggies,remove the cotton and stick it in the HI stem .

 

[onigiri1692]

If i were you i would use a cotton bud (q tip ) soaked with alcohol .. If i were I would wipe around the baggies,remove the cotton and stick it in the HI stem .

Out of curiosity is cotton safe to put in vaporizer, would it burn or smoke? According to wikipedia the combustion point of cotton is 410F.

 

[StickyShisha2]

i use organic

 

[weedemon]

there is a thread about it here: http://www.fuckcombustion.com/viewtopic.php?id=7113 thanks to vitolo for bringing this idea to us!