Tek optimal mesh/micron size for CO2 dry sifting

[2clicker]

so i am putting together a homemade CO2 dry sifter box and was wondering what those of you with experience would recommend regarding the mesh/micron size of the mesh. im going with SS mesh. after looking a bit i see that around 140-160 micron seems to be normal for kits being sold online.

what i am looking to do is sift as much pollen as possible. even if that means some plant matter getting through. i will be doing a qwet run on the sift return and can remove any unwanted stuff that make it through the sift later if needed.

my goal is to extract as close to the same amount as you would with a traditional qwet wash, but this would allow for MUCH less solvent being used. less solvent to purge and way shorter evap times.

or does anyone think that i would be leaving some goodies behind from the dry sift? i can always run whats left in a traditional wash if needed i suppose.

thoughts?

 

[farscaper]

have you concidered just making a mechanical tumbler and dry sifting the resin glands?....

pure thought out loud here... but a mechanical tumbler with some type of co2 fogger would be the tits!

just attach a cheap foam cooler ti the tumbler and have a small inline fan connecting the two. blow the dry ice vapors into the tumbler and leave it to go.

maximum extraction with little effort.

then solvent extract the remainder.

I really wish I had better access to dry ice!

 

[2clicker]

have you concidered just making a mechanical tumbler and dry sifting the resin glands?....

pure thought out loud here... but a mechanical tumbler with some type of co2 fogger would be the tits!

just attach a cheap foam cooler ti the tumbler and have a small inline fan connecting the two. blow the dry ice vapors into the tumbler and leave it to go.

maximum extraction with little effort.

then solvent extract the remainder.

I really wish I had better access to dry ice!

i like this tumbler idea! but wouldnt you be concerned with tumbling for too long and letting plant matter start to get into the return? i know i said as much return as possible, but i meant within reason. i do want to try to keep the plant matter out if possible. my thoughts behind shaking were that i could closely monitor the color of the return and know when to stop. i would think that this would be harder to do with a tumbling device of some sort.

regarding using dry ice with a tumbler... couldnt you just throw chunks in with the flowers and tumble away...?

 

[farscaper]

i like this tumbler idea! but wouldnt you be concerned with tumbling for too long and letting plant matter start to get into the return? i know i said as much return as possible, but i meant within reason. i do want to try to keep the plant matter out if possible. my thoughts behind shaking were that i could closely monitor the color of the return and know when to stop. i would think that this would be harder to do with a tumbling device of some sort.

regarding using dry ice with a tumbler... couldnt you just throw chunks in with the flowers and tumble away...?

shit.... your right... cause a tumbler typically uses something like ball bearings or something to bounce the screen...

so ... the tumbler would need to be build inside a cooler (instead of the typical wood or plastic tub) then dry ice is used as an agitator... which will dissappear when finished... leaving progressively less agitation from external sources.

my thoughts on why a machine although more technical would improve results are:
slower more controlled agitation as opposed to the violent shaking of the bucket method...
it will be easier to create "grades" of quality... with the tumbler you can just put a curved piece of posterboard under the tumbler above the coolers bottom...

as time progresses quality will diminish. so you could theoretically chance the "catch plate" periodically and really see the diffrence.... plus less loss from the crazy shaking and air drafts... have you ever seen hash dust? makes you wanna snort the air or something...
I would think the tumbler would minimize this...

but again im just speculating and hypothesizing here..

 

[2clicker]

good stuff @farscaper.

maybe i should just keep washing like normal. i have never done the shake method, but i would not be using a bag and bucket method. my idea was to keep the shaking internal. so id be building a sealed box for the collection chamber, screen layer, and flower/dry ice chamber. i would think this would eliminate this dust you are talking about...? i have seen people shake above a mirror and i can see how that shit would get everywhere and i def dont want to do that. maybe if i was growing and had access to quantities, but i dont so i need to be as efficient as possible. which makes me think i may be better off just washing like normal...?

i sorta want to try this tho as i could be VERY easy to make high quality shatter quickly.

 

[farscaper]

@2clicker I have wanted to do it for some time.... hmmm I have 2 more thoughts...

1... they sell all kinds of (keif, kief, pollen, sifter, exc) boxes on ebay... I even saw a can that had a screen and cap... like the cap poped over the screen... it was plastic, but ironically the static helped hold the trichome heads to the lid...
ive seen all kinds of sifter boxes if your less inclined to build one...

but another thought was the old coin in the sifting grinder...

now this I have tried and will attest it works like wow!

clean your grinder screen real nice so no clogged area are seen, then place a coin in the plant chamber and freeze it...

then grind and let grinds freeze in chamber.... then shake.

fast small wash keif.

then just add enough ethanol to winterize... or at least dissolve and filter.

I might try this with a butane run... wish I had a bigger ss 25micron screen... only have 3" ers.

 

[2clicker]

yep ive been looking at just about every box available, but im going to use some quick clamps to hold mine together. or maybe some thumb screws or wing nut type of closure for quick opening. thinking about doing a 12" x 12" box. a slim design so the flowers arent bouncing around vertically very much. more like sliding around.

even tho i have some doubts its only a matter of time... heh

 

[farscaper]

yep ive been looking at just about every box available, but im going to use some quick clamps to hold mine together. or maybe some thumb screws or wing nut type of closure for quick opening. thinking about doing a 12" x 12" box. a slim design so the flowers arent bouncing around vertically very much. more like sliding around.

even tho i have some doubts its only a matter of time... heh

I agree... larger surface area of screen should encourage the fastest extraction with minimal loss and waste. what kinda weight would go in a 12x12? that would process quite a bit!... at least a oz or two with space for dry ice and motion.

hmmm... I like this idea!

I see this as a great option for dabs creation.

 

[2clicker]

I agree... larger surface area of screen should encourage the fastest extraction with minimal loss and waste. what kinda weight would go in a 12x12? that would process quite a bit!... at least a oz or two with space for dry ice and motion.

hmmm... I like this idea!

I see this as a great option for dabs creation.

yes i was thinking of starting with an oz and see how that works. ill put it this way... if i can "shake n wash" an oz of flowers and get 5+ g of oil i would be very happy.