True DIY Rosin.

Edgedamage

Edgedamage

Well-Known Member
I understand people / companys need to make money. I want to create a thread that is pure DIY, from things you can get from a thrift store or hardware store. Here is my little press, $2.50 hair straightener with ajustable heat. And a $32 Irwin 600lb clamp. The plates are small but I micro dose with rosin, so for now it's prefect for me.
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The dial says 250 but the real temp is 220F and I can squash a bud paper flat. From a 0.5g bud that was almost too dry to press I got a 12% return. The plates are attached with gorilla super glue gel, the controller is held in place with hot glue. Let's see your DIY presses no matter how they are put together!
 
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Pressisbest

Member
Edgedamage said:
I got it used from a goodwill store.
Click to expand...

Goodwill Store is my favorite place to shop. You can find so much there and get great ideas for new projects. I hit two or three of them most every week.

You mention a 12% return in concentrate from your hand press. That's not bad at all. You'd likely increase that if you make a press like mine. I usually get about 20% from dry flower and about 25% from fresh. Having the extra piston pressure to press every last drop out helps.
 
Edgedamage

Edgedamage

Well-Known Member
Well today I had a good pressing started with 0.51G, I was unable to get a final weight from the pressed bud as second press piece fell between the stove and counter. I feel I got a good return, this was a freebie from my brother in law it stinks like blue cheese.
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And now for the press... Like I said this thread is about using things you can find. Last night at work passing the steel scrap bin I found these two plates. They are solid steel and really heavy for their weight. I cleaned them up with dish soap and ISO. Placed them in the oven at 400F it took them almost 40 mins to reach 227F. I pressed with a paint stir stick and oven gloves tricky but doable. They have threaded holes already, I am thinking of using thremal epoxy. Which I will glue heater plates to the top of them and go the arbour press route. Or make a mini press with a little bottle jack.
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Edgedamage

Edgedamage

Well-Known Member
Ok cool little update I was using my hair straightener clamp to heat the plates and removing them once heated, quicker than using the oven. And then I seen it....stable LOCKED temperatures from a hair straightener! Bare hair straightener plates when heating to a set temp will shoot past it, like this:
200.0F to 219F this is because the plates are so thin and the heaters heat quickly. And when they cool down they will drop past their set temp before cycling the heaters only to shoot past the set temp again. Trying to press with temps all over the place makes for mixed results. With the steel plates in use the I found the heat soaks slowly into the plates, when the heaters cycle the increase in temp is now in the 201.2F to 201.7F. I also noticed the heaters cycle a lot shorter 5sec down from 8sec. I used two seprate temp probes and got the same result. I left them on for two hours and it stayed stable. The plates are JB welded to my press now.
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Now for a idea my hair straightener uses PTC heaters @ 110Vac. A quick google search shows PTC heaters with great mounting options. Why not use the electronics from a cheap hair straightener and get mountable
PTC heaters to heat steel or aluminum plates. link to heaters https://www.aliexpress.com/item/con...40f9-4a26-8a2f-e1b4830b038d&priceBeautifyAB=0
 
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Pressisbest

Member
For my press, 180-200 degrees F is the perfect temperature for pressing.

I have found no need to invest in an automatic regulator. I set the temperature using a simple AC variac and a $15 hand held infrared probe from Harbor Freight. Once set, it stays there all afternoon.
 
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