Tek Home Rosin Presses under $750 - School Me

[Dangus]

I have found that I am able to press dry sift and hashes at lower temps and pressures, 160-200 degrees instead of 180-220 and 2000-4000psi instead of 3000-6000. If you think there is a chance you will star pressing flower I would defiantly upgrade, don't think I've seen that company so thanks!

Agreed. I originally started pressing at around 185, and have since been bumping it down...now pressing at 165 for sift.

Edit: do the manual presses need to be fixed to a bench to get the leveraged on the arm?

Yup, mine is bolted down. A solid bench/surface is a must

 

[herbivore21]

Agreed. I originally started pressing at around 185, and have since been bumping it down...now pressing at 165 for sift.





Yup, mine is bolted down. A solid bench/surface is a must

100% you guys are all on the money with lower temp and less pressure being ideal for hash. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that you should reduce the pressure more than what you guys are using!

With this being said, I don't press hash into rosin since my hash is already dabbable (and the very best rosin doesn't come close to the quality of a decent full melt, hash rosin loses a large part of the flavor vs the original hash IME!) and of course, I have my own superior (in taste and effect) reconstituted full melt tek to make a non-dabbable hash dabbable

You are also 200% on the money for explaining the need for bolting down you press lol

To answer your question, Yes under those requirements the High5 is good to go, though I would say that is still a little low on PSI and large on plate size.....

Bro, you are calculating PSI using the surface area of the plates again here. The plate size is not a problem or even a relevant variable unless you want to squish larger (of course you already know that larger squishes would need more pressure as well as larger plates) because the PSI for our purposes is best calculated using the surface area of your nug/puck/hash being squished - not the surface area of the plates! I have plates with similar surface area and no problems whatsoever. @turk owns a high five press IIRC and has no problem getting similar results to what I am used to.

Please remember that @OldOyler currently only runs VERY small amounts of flower! .5g at a time would still allow him to do his usual sized runs in up to an hour depending on how many squishes he does per puck once his press is warmed up! It is important not to confuse things by using plate sizes.

Remember in the mathematics I provided in my earlier post; a 2 ton press can easily achieve 2500psi with a .5g nug, once we realize to calculate using the surface area of what is being squished rather than the plate surface area.

Hello mate,

Yep if I'm still able to function after Crimbo celebrations I might see if I can get a visit in to @VapeFiend.com. If they are up for it I'll take a few snaps and report back.

@herbivore21

I'm going to definitely play with Rosin tek first as it seems like a fairly straight forward process, you and @Caelar900 have convinced me to give that a go first.

I have my own grow so I will hopefully have plenty of material to play with 'dry sifting' during the summer, I have an AC maintained room so I'll be able to control the temp and humidity which should help.

I may move on to bubble later, lets see how I get on with the other two.

I'm mostly doing these tek's for fun and experience rather than need so high return isn't crucial but I'll be wanting to improve as much as possible just because the point is to get good at these teks.

Again many thanks to @OldOyler for starting this thread as well as @herbivore21 and @Caelar900 for your advice so far.

I'm going to leave the 'dry sift' and bubble talk for other threads as this is an 'Off the Shelf Rosin Tek' thread and I feel I've somewhat hijacked it. Sorry about that @OldOyler

Glad to have helped you sir, please feel free to put any bubble-related questions in my bubble thread btw, I love to talk bubble! Super glad to see you looking to do extraction for the enjoyment of it too. It is profoundly therapeutic for my medical needs and also my favorite way to pass the time - you won't be disappointed!

A/C will definitely help you for heat in the summer, but if you cannot get your RH down super low (often A/C just can't get this done alone) you will still have some difficulty with dry sifting. Never hurts to give it a try though, and it sounds like you are prepared to deal with low yields and lesser results at first which is exactly how we should manage our expectations when we learn extraction for the first time.

 

[turk]

...said it before...I'm very pleased with my purchase ...for my needs...I really enjoy the whole ritual...

 

[Caelar900]

Bro, you are calculating PSI using the surface area of the plates again here. The plate size is not a problem or even a relevant variable unless you want to squish larger (of course you already know that larger squishes would need more pressure as well as larger plates) because the PSI for our purposes is best calculated using the surface area of your nug/puck/hash being squished - not the surface area of the plates! I have plates with similar surface area and no problems whatsoever. @turk owns a high five press IIRC and has no problem getting similar results to what I am used to.

Please remember that @OldOyler currently only runs VERY small amounts of flower! .5g at a time would still allow him to do his usual sized runs in up to an hour depending on how many squishes he does per puck once his press is warmed up! It is important not to confuse things by using plate sizes.

Remember in the mathematics I provided in my earlier post; a 2 ton press can easily achieve 2500psi with a .5g nug, once we realize to calculate using the surface area of what is being squished rather than the plate surface area.

Hey agree to disagree I guess... My point isn't that the larger plate size creates less psi, its that if you are only going to be squishing that amount you should get smaller plates as to avoid having your rosin have to travel across that hot surface for any longer than absolutely necessary.

As to the question of psi in general I still believe 2500 is on the low end. If you are going to spend 300+ dollars why not throw in a little more and get something that may require a bit of assembly, but will leave you with much more flexibility and without question will make you happier at the end of the day. Just my

 

[herbivore21]

Hey agree to disagree I guess... My point isn't that the larger plate size creates less psi, its that if you are only going to be squishing that amount you should get smaller plates as to avoid having your rosin have to travel across that hot surface for any longer than absolutely necessary.

As to the question of psi in general I still believe 2500 is on the low end. If you are going to spend 300+ dollars why not throw in a little more and get something that may require a bit of assembly, but will leave you with much more flexibility and without question will make you happier at the end of the day. Just my

Ideally, smaller plates that allowed this for the purposes of .5g squishes would be great, but man they dont exist in retail presses/plates ime nor anything ive seen without using a hair straightener. This kind of plate would need to be 1-1.5" and round or something thereabouts! Ime 2 inch round plates aren't small enough to achieve this!

 

[OldOyler]

Hey agree to disagree I guess...

but will leave you with much more flexibility and without question will make you happier at the end of the day

Peace caelar!

Exactly the kind of stuff I was hoping for. FYI, I absolutely let everything you said roll around with everything else equally.

At the end of the day, I think I am going to pull the trigger on the High5 next week - heck, I will try to do some reviewing as well for everyone.

This has to do with my 100% lack of technical ability, so PLEASE don't keep from throwing out "rosin pressing under $750" solutions, bud. This isn't to find a solution for just myself, and I think the kind of setup you are talking about absolutely belongs here. Because I understood the components - over on the main diy rosin thread, it could go pretty far into handyman world.

But at the end of the day, PTSD rules my world. And I know @turk used his, and he is one absolutely solid dude. HB has checked my stuff multiple times, so the trust there comes from experience. You stuff is straightforward and knowledgeable, and I am already in awe of your in depth knowledge just like our other gurus.

As long as I can get similar efficacy to turk, it's a great solution for me because of the built-in enail controller and flat coil, that lets me just buy any slim series stuff from DNail (in my case starting with a SIC HALO - stardust dish I call it...). Saved me a few hundred dollars on a controller and heater from DNail.

But rosin is the future, and you're all over it caelar. I think a lot of folks are going to like your solutions.



Peace all!

EDIT: Ha, sorry hb we must have been typing at the same time, didn't mean to clobber your post!

 

[herbivore21]

Peace caelar!

Exactly the kind of stuff I was hoping for. FYI, I absolutely let everything you said roll around with everything else equally.

At the end of the day, I think I am going to pull the trigger on the High5 next week - heck, I will try to do some reviewing as well for everyone.

This has to do with my 100% lack of technical ability, so PLEASE don't keep from throwing out "rosin pressing under $750" solutions, bud. This isn't to find a solution for just myself, and I think the kind of setup you are talking about absolutely belongs here. Because I understood the components - over on the main diy rosin thread, it could go pretty far into handyman world.

But at the end of the day, PTSD rules my world. And I know @turk used his, and he is one absolutely solid dude. HB has checked my stuff multiple times, so the trust there comes from experience. You stuff is straightforward and knowledgeable, and I am already in awe of your in depth knowledge just like our other gurus.

As long as I can get similar efficacy to turk, it's a great solution for me because of the built-in enail controller and flat coil, that lets me just buy any slim series stuff from DNail (in my case starting with a SIC HALO - stardust dish I call it...). Saved me a few hundred dollars on a controller and heater from DNail.

But rosin is the future, and you're all over it caelar. I think a lot of folks are going to like your solutions.



Peace all!

EDIT: Ha, sorry hb we must have been typing at the same time, didn't mean to clobber your post!

All good bro, my post was really just to qualify Caelar900's point re: plates that get the rosin away from the heat - which is true broadly, but becomes impractical when we get to smaller squishes/presses.

What Caelar900 says is 100% relevant otherwise and obviously going to be helpful for others

It is still very important for all to recognize that calculations of PSI using plate surface area are unhelpful! The relationship between puck size and efficiency of extraction at the same pressure is illustrative of my point. Bigger puck = less yield with one squish at the same temp/pressure than a smaller puck.

 

[OldOyler]

Peace all!

Any chance I can get schooled on "pressing prep"? I know some folks "puck", others don't, some use parchment, I have heard of (and tried when doing curling irons) folks using ss mesh.

It was suggested I get a kief press with a handle for ease of use to make pucks. I did. And some slick sheet rolls.

Yet I can find more info when folks are doing larger presses than I can on small ones (.5g - 1.5g).

Can I get sort of a "here's what to do with your bud to prep it" through/until "pull down on the manual press handle"?

Trying to sort through those pieces - have been so busy looking for the press itself, I never approached the other key parts. (And please throw more in that I haven't thought of).

Peace and my gratitude.

 

[Caelar900]

Any chance I can get schooled on "pressing prep"?

So, when I am pressing less than 1.5 grams at a time I would tend not to pre press. I usually find it unnecessary, and it is pretty wasteful in all honesty... Instead just kind of compress the bud with your fingers first so it fits between the plates and you should be good to go. When I was first starting out this could often cause me to misalign the puck and I would end up having to readjust but with the high5 I don't really see that being as much of a problem due to plate size and shape. (Remember though! You might end up with little bits of plant matter in your rosin when not using a bag, just scrape around them!)

If you are going to try pushing hash though your are definitely going to need a screen. I have tried both stainless and bags and I use the bags I linked on the first page just because they are cheap

More important is to hydrate your bud, make sure that you have a jar and some 62% boveda packs, or other source of hydration, so you can get those buds nice and plump before you squish!

Other than that I'm not sure I have a lot more suggestions. I would recommend a ball tipped dabber for collection after the fact and freezer pack or something of the like to set your parchment on after the squish to preserve terps and help with collection.

Im sure I'm forgetting something so I'll update if I remember or feel free to ask anything more specific and I'll probably have some sort of answer for you

P.S. Make sure you are using good quality parchment paper made with PTFE and not quilon!

 

[OldOyler]

If you are going to try pushing hash though your are definitely going to need a screen.

Would this apply to kief as well? I won't be running any hash, just nugs. But I have never found a good use for kief beyond making it into medibles or using as an "icing" on some boring flower. So I wouldn't mind if that fit the bill, and if so then ss mesh? Any particular grade, etc.? (May be the wrong lingo, sorry).

So, when I am pressing less than 1.5 grams at a time I would tend not to pre press.

That's what I am hearing from all the experts. I must have gotten it in my head (pre-pressing) that it was a requirement of some sort rather than optional, thanks for that.

More important is to hydrate your bud, make sure that you have a jar and some 62% boveda packs, or other source of hydration, so you can get those buds nice and plump before you squish!

My stuff would be...um, painfully fresh , but is there another prep having to do with moisture? Or is this just a warning against using too dried material? Like, I will never have anything old, obtained that is old, etc.

Make sure you are using good quality parchment paper made with PTFE and not quilon!

I had Oil Slick brand Slick Sheet recommended - any thoughts?

Peace everyone!

 

[Caelar900]

@OldOyler I don't press Leif myself but my buddy LOVES it, comes over to my place all the time to press his lol. You should definitely use a screen though, I would recommend some 25u.

The whole pre press thing was just one of those misconceptions people heard in the begging in there I feel like, great if your pressing a lot, but pretty unnecessary otherwise.

Sounds good! Make sure its not too fresh, I tried pressing something after only snipping it the day prior and I got a nice puddle of liquid shit Yeah its more just not use to dried stuff. In rosin water is basically used as a propellent and solvent of sorts so if there is not enough present things just aren't going to work right.

Slick sheet is probably some of the best stuff you can get, you do pay a bit of a premium though I just use no name high grade PTFE sheet that I bought a ridiculous amount of lol But whatever works for you

 

[killick]

@OldOyler Great thread - same Qs I had/have. I also have the High5, although my results are strangely not as bad as anticipated. Because I'm barely pressing on it while trying to maintain stability by holding the handle as well. Plus I've only pressed some of the stuff from the the screen box. That will change soon... But not all that soon, as I'm just now remembering that I was in the local MegaHardCoMart place and got some ready rod and other wotzits for a project, and completely forgot to get some lag bolts to get said press mated to a 3/4" plywood work surface.

When my press came the handle was at an awkward angle. You can remove a couple of allen bolts from the front and move the handle gears around until you find an angle that works for you. A buddy suggested angling it downwards, and hook a bungie on to maintain pressure. Experimentation to follow...

 

[OldOyler]

Because I'm barely pressing on it while trying to maintain stability by holding the handle as well.

Hey k - wow yeah I wanted to know terribly if that would work, since having a built-in enail gets a lot less "helpful" if it's bolted somewhere. So...

forgot to get some lag bolts to get said press mated to a 3/4" plywood work surface.

Had exactly this in mind. Have it mounted to something that still makes it "moveable". I don't need portability all the time, just the ability to let my beloved wife move me about from room to room in the house...she watches lots of HGTV...

A buddy suggested angling it downwards, and hook a bungie on to maintain pressure. Experimentation to follow...

Killick you're freakin' killing me with feelings of gratitude this morning... (That's pretty hard to do - I am quite the naturally selfish s.o.b.). I am disabled with chronic pain, per. neur. down entire left side of body, BUT I can seem to manage applying force to something, as long as it is like stomach level or lower and the force needed is pushing. (Moving anything "UP" effing sucks and doomed to pain and failure). Please let me know how this works for you, ie - using a "helper" piece?

If you wouldn't mind - I have SO no mechanical ability, but I *can* have the wife pick up a piece of wood to mount this to and some bolts (I'm pretty much homebound). If you spec'ed me what I needed that would be awesome. Sigh. Yeah, like to the point of "two 3/4" long blah blah blah". I will NOT know the simplest things.

EDIT: I am thinking, since the press itself is only $330 shipped, should I spend $75 for the mounting to be more useable - especially in the context of this thread? As in, maybe a $50 workbench type rolling table (See? I don't know what's it's called) to bolt the plywood to (if needed) so maybe $25 for the plywood piece and bolts (?), with locking wheels. That way I can move the whole thing, when needed, from room to room. You can see me exhausting my handyman knowledge. I have a hammer and a few screwdrivers, maybe some home use pliers and wrenches. That's it. So if I need extra tools please let me know. Peace!

Something like this for $70: https://www.amazon.com/Keter-17182239-Folding-Compact-Workbench/dp/B001CWX26Y/

For $85: https://www.amazon.com/BOSSMATE-MIGHTYMATE-Multi-Purpose-Portable-1-01-0018/dp/B001EV9CUS/

One more, called a jawstand for $73: https://www.amazon.com/Rockwell-RK9034-JawStand-Support-Stand/dp/B007VMKI6G/

although my results are strangely not as bad as anticipated

Wouldn't mind hearing about this if/when you are up for it. Like returns, how you press, etc.

Peace and my thanks everyone.

 

[killick]

Really quick response - just back from the garage screwing things up (to the wall... and interspersing that with the odd test of the titanium nail and torch thingie.

My shoulders are wonky as well. I couldn't exert any real force until it gets to waist height. I adjusted the arm so that when the press is open the end of the lever rests on the wall, and when closed it's above belt height.

I'd be careful of installing it on a lightweight wheeled cart as pressing down might make the wheels scoot out from underneath.

Of those three benches the first looks about the best. You want to be cautious on your first few presses to make sure your downward pressure on the level doesn't want to topple the table towards you. It might require a little extra bracing to ensure it doesn't want to tip, like the IKEA shelf bracing kits. Mine is getting mounted on a 3'x8' workbench, alongside a bandsaw and a drillpress. Neither of which get much use, but I remember when I could use that stuff quite well.

I've been meaning to check the press, but the controller looks like it could easily come off for portability, so that might not be an issue - will check...

 

[OldOyler]

Really quick response

Peace killick - always take your time you're always dynamite.

I am waiting to order it for 3 more weeks - being a medical stoner, I had an opportunity for some banging price on flower, but had to up my game. I was disappointed, but no prob, and then...

And THEN somebody let me know...drum roll...the High5 is showing out of stock if you try to add it to your shopping cart. Yup, I never actually tried to move it into a cart, I thought it would show out of stock.

So I will be calling then this week to see what their situation with stock is anyway. Could be the website I suppose.

So okay Universe let's go on a different ride first. I am now *very* interested in nailing down (pun intended) a solution for mounting it in some "moveable but not necessarily portable" way, that is safe, etc.



Peace all!

 

[killick]

info@highfivevape.com. His name is John

 

[OldOyler]

info@highfivevape.com. His name is John

Perfect killick!

I was going to email this morning, but in our group interest, how about I email him tomorrow (Tuesday 12/13) morning instead.

Does *anybody* have any questions while I am asking my own from the High5 folks? I want to check on inventory, but had considered throwing a few additional questions at the same time to help things gel in my mind.

Anyway, just let us all know with a quick post.

(And yeeeeeeees, I know everyone already knows how to send their *own* emails if they want to... )

Peace!

 

[turk]

...I'm good...and so will you be...once you start squishing with this wonderful unit.

 

[OldOyler]

info@highfivevape.com

...I'm good...and so will you be...once you start squishing with this wonderful unit.

Peace all!

Okay email to John at High5 sent about availability, I told him I wanted to pull the trigger during the week of 12/26.

I am TOTALLY psyched, and will let everyone know what the deal is with availability (if I can get that nailed down).

Squishy squishy!

 

[OldOyler]

Peace all!

Okay heard back from John at High5 almost immediately, had me reset my cookies and now I actually have NEW questions for our group, since some new options have now appeared on the drop-down menu for configuring the High5.

I now have 3 plates to choose from for the High5:

Stainless Steel Square 2x4x1 - $25
Stainless Steel Square 2.5x2.5x1
Stainless Steel Circular 3

I didn't know there was a circular, etc. And that $25 was the only option that cost extra of the three.

As I realized quickly and sadly - I would *still* get locked up on indecision on which one to get. Heck, circular sounds like something..."right" for some reason, but the plate size seemed larger than the others...I would try to force the decision out of my old busted brain and thus have a 1 n 3 chance of getting it right I suppose...

John at High5 said they definitely have them in stock, and if I or anyone has any problems to please email or call them. I told him I was asking all this for a group of people, and that I was just mule-ing the info and questions back and forth, although I would be purchasing for myself in less than 2 weeks. Just felt like the man (John) should have full disclosure. I wouldn't want somebody asking me questions in an individual email that were actually for a group of people.

Peace!

 

[herbivore21]

Peace all!

Okay heard back from John at High5 almost immediately, had me reset my cookies and now I actually have NEW questions for our group, since some new options have now appeared on the drop-down menu for configuring the High5.

I now have 3 plates to choose from for the High5:

Stainless Steel Square 2x4x1 - $25
Stainless Steel Square 2.5x2.5x1
Stainless Steel Circular 3

I didn't know there was a circular, etc. And that $25 was the only option that cost extra of the three.

As I realized quickly and sadly - I would *still* get locked up on indecision on which one to get. Heck, circular sounds like something..."right" for some reason, but the plate size seemed larger than the others...I would try to force the decision out of my old busted brain and thus have a 1 n 3 chance of getting it right I suppose...

John at High5 said they definitely have them in stock, and if I or anyone has any problems to please email or call them. I told him I was asking all this for a group of people, and that I was just mule-ing the info and questions back and forth, although I would be purchasing for myself in less than 2 weeks. Just felt like the man (John) should have full disclosure. I wouldn't want somebody asking me questions in an individual email that were actually for a group of people.

Peace!

I'd go for the round one if I were you man, the 2 x 4 plate won't get enough pressure to really provide additional benefit and you may not be able to get the rosin away from the heat since the plates are so large. Circular plates can be good for this IME

 

[OldOyler]

I'd go for the round one if I were you man, the 2 x 4 plate won't get enough pressure to really provide additional benefit and you may not be able to get the rosin away from the heat since the plates are so large. Circular plates can be good for this IME

Yeah see I thought we had talked about that for some reason.

I can go circular - does that change anything in how I will puck? I am getting the hand-press to make pucks, but first wanted to try hand-pressing/molding the material. For some reason that seems..."right". I am a tricycle farmer, and I was just taught the trichomes are fragile, and you didn't go busting them open until you QWET them.

Peace!

I am seriously excited. Rosin on my horizon...any time...in my own house...

 

[herbivore21]

Yeah see I thought we had talked about that for some reason.

I can go circular - does that change anything in how I will puck? I am getting the hand-press to make pucks, but first wanted to try hand-pressing/molding the material. For some reason that seems..."right". I am a tricycle farmer, and I was just taught the trichomes are fragile, and you didn't go busting them open until you QWET them.

Peace!

I am seriously excited. Rosin on my horizon...any time...in my own house...

Nope circular plates won't change anything in how you puck Hand pre-pressing is definitely worth trying first too, I'm sure it'll work for you too

 

[killick]

Circular plates were out of stock when I ordered, or thats the way I would have went. But in the end heat and plates win, shape is later. I don't think a 1 tom arbor press is going to give you a huge difference in pressing on any plate shape, but I just kind of assumed that the plates might make their way to something much pressier at a later date...

 

[OldOyler]

Circular plates were out of stock when I ordered, or thats the way I would have went. But in the end heat and plates win, shape is later. I don't think a 1 tom arbor press is going to give you a huge difference in pressing on any plate shape, but I just kind of assumed that the plates might make their way to something much pressier at a later date...

Yeah I told John - if it helped him for planning purposes - that I would be getting mine with the circular plates and the flat coil option.

Slim Series SIC HALO ready to go over at dnail, will be ordering at the same time.

Less than 14 days until I pull the trigger.

14 long, slow days...



Peace!