Which Oil To Choose

[grobag]

I'll start this thread with two posts straight after each other so I can get all the pictures and links added in.

So, with this thread I wanted to discuss the various merits and pitfalls of different oiling techniques and the end results. The overall aim is to help people decide what kind of oil they want to make, point them in the right direction for making it and to do everything safely. You can use all different solvents (what you dissolve it in) for extracting oil eg. hexane, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, butane, naphtha, etc. But two main solvents have become the most popular, both due mainly to the ease of being able to get hold of the solvent as many are restricted and monitored, ethanol for example as it can be drunk, methyl ethyl ketone as it's dangerous etc. Plus they are among the least dangerous. These two are Butane (for BHO - Butane Honey Oil) and Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA or Iso Oil). When using butane, go for a near zero impurities brand (like Newport, London Gas Refills, Colibri etc) to avoid residues and contaminants in your oil. When using IPA then go for 99% pure (by it's nature it's not possible to bottle 100% purity as it absorbs moisture), lesser percentages are only made up of water instead of a contaminant but the more water in it, the longer it takes to evaporate off afterwards by a considerable difference.

With this first post I'll mainly cover BHO and in the second I'll cover IPA Oil (I've too many pictures and links for one post).

It seems that many people have mentioned in threads that they are put off the butane method and instead opt for IPA for safety reasons and that they see it as easier. This isn't necessarily the case on both counts. With both methods you're basically soaking the trim in the solvent, filtering the trim out then evaporating off the solvent again. Both are just as easy as the other, either with a coffee pot or Honey Bee for the BHO or a jam jar for the IPA then paper coffee filters for both. When evaporating off the solvent again, butane is much easier and quicker as it has a lower boiling point and is a gas at room temperatures, IPA takes a lot longer when dust and other contaminates can fall in the open dish. Safety wise, if you follow the correct precautions then both will be safe; but equally if you are not sensible then both can be dangerous. If you just remember to do both outside to avoid the build up of fumes and don't smoke whilst doing it so you don't ignite it and you'll be alright. Do it outside and the fumes dissipate so as to not cause a problem at all.

Baring the above in mind, your only choice then becomes what type of oil you want to make and that comes down to personal preference. My favourite has to be BHO and has been for years now after some lengthy experiments and trials all over the world, subsequent experiments and samples have only reinforced this preference. One aspect which many users may want to take into account (but which doesn't apply to me), is the medical angle. Where butane is highly selective with what it strips from the plant (hence it's high purity) it seems to only extract the THC, leaving behind other cannabinoids which may be what you require from a medical angle (Sativex for example is 50/50 - THC/CBD). IPA oil, however, extracts many other things aswell; both contaminants such as chlorophyll, waxes and tars, but also a wide range of all the cannabinoids in the plant. I personally smoke cannabis for the effects, buzz, etc - for pure enjoyment. Therefore I prefer the purer BHO and the clear high you get from it being such a high concentration of THC. Along the same vein I prefer sativas to indicas generally for the same reasoning - I prefer the buzz. That said though I do like to have a varied stash so I can have whatever type I fancy at that time, although I never make IPA oil for my personal consumption as I generally don't like the taste.

As I've touched on above, IPA strips out more from the plant aswell as the cannabinoids unlike butane which is much more selective and only extracts the THC. All alcohol solvents do this, as do stronger solvents like ether and ketones. Hexane is one of the only solvents that acts like butane but is much harder to get hold of and there is no point really as butane does the job and is widely available with no trouble. IPA obviously being an alcohol also extracts contaminants but these can be radically reduced with the method of extraction used, but I'll go into that in the next post on IPA oil; here I'll now concentrate on my preferred oil, BHO.

To see how I make my BHO, follow this link: BHO, Coffee Pot Method. Assuming you've got your technique down now with making BHO and your batches come out the same each time, then the strain used to make the oil makes a huge difference. Check out this picture of a few oils I made for Christmas on the same day using exactly the same method just with different strains of weed.

Various BHO's: Larger Image

Whether you are using 'virgin' trim or already bubbled/dry sifted trim also makes a big difference. These next two pictures show oil made straight from trim compared to oil made from bubbled trim that had been dried out again.

Two different BHO's: Larger Image

BHO balls: Larger Image

Many people talk about 'budda' being the best type of BHO. It is basically BHO which has been whipped up to remove the last traces of solvent and replace it with bubbles of air in the oil so it is whipped up. Personally I prefer my method and the resulting oil so that's what these pictures are of. I prefer to use both time to cure the oil and repeated freezing and returning to room temperature whilst tacking it about to purge it of any last traces of solvent, which naturally gets replaced by air gaps and THC volatiles. You can also leave the oil without scraping it up, thinly spread in the evaporation dish for a few days to totally purge, maybe even freezing the whole dish and returning to room temps. Then when you do scrape it up, without it getting too warm where it will melt back together again, you get BHO crystals which you can sprinkle into a joint. As in this picture.

BHO Crystals: Larger Image

Also, only BHO makes the finest quality jellies. IPA oil gives them both a nasty twang in the taste and a darker colour making it look like black hash. Here are a couple of pictures of high quality jellies I made before and after the Expo in Telford last year. Some of you got to try one of them and can vouch for the quality, as you can with the clearest oil in the pictures lower down of the Lot#5 oil.

BHO & bubble jelly: Larger Image

BHO & dry sift jelly: Larger Image

Like I have mentioned, different strains make different oils which really do vary in colour, flavour, high etc just like other hashes and weeds do themselves. This picture is of a lovely tasting BHO, but as you can see it is a lot darker in colour to the oils in the next pictures.

BHO: Larger Image

Whereas, as you can see, this Lot#5 oil is much clearer, was exceptionally strong with a lovely clear buzz, yet it didn't really have much of a taste. I have personally found that all of the strains I've grown that OldTimer1 developed have naturally produced the best oils I have ever made. They're easy to spot as they look like my avatar and these badboys:

High quality BHO: Larger Image

Clear BHO: Larger Image

Another Shot: Larger Image

And another: Larger Image

Yet another: Larger Image

Last one: Larger Image

Lastly, here's a picture of BHO on a knife, the way I skin-up with it by spreading it into a joint after heating it up (check out This Link so see me skinning up with BHO, plus more pictures). You can see a comparison shot with the IPA oil in the next post so that you can see the difference. Notice the amounts of oil I'm using in both sets of pictures; you only need far less BHO as it is much stronger than IPA every time, but to varying degrees depending on how well the IPA oil is made and from what plants/trim/buds, also whether it has been further purified to bring it closer in line with the BHO. Here are the pics and I'll move onto the next post to discuss IPA oil and the QWISO (Quick Wash Iso) method.

BHO on knife: Larger Image

Then Melted: Larger Image

At the very end of this post, here's a few extra pictures of differing BHO's to show the difference and use up attachment space for a complete post.

Edited March 5, 2008 by grobag
grammar

[grobag]

Ok, so moving onto IPA Oil, here's a quick little picture to show you what I'm talking about. It's stolen from FD because like I say, I don't make much of it as I make my preferred BHO with the limited trim I have available to make it (that's also why this is the only picture without a larger version, because it is not one of my own, all the others are.

FD's Moroccan IPA oil:

As I've mentioned, alcohols such as IPA also strip out contaminates along with the cannabinoids in the extraction process. These include, among other things, waxes, tars, chlorophyll, turpines etc. Some people find these desirable as they like the taste, especially from the turpines, and don't consider them as contaminates, and thus prefer Iso Oil. As they are not cannabinoids which I personally am after, I consider them as undesirables. But like I have also mentioned, IPA strips out a wide range of cannabinoids including the most abundant CBD and CBN along with the THC unlike butane which only takes the THC so there are pros and cons with both methods. Just weigh up which you most desire and try out them both before making up your mind.

The best way with which to avoid high levels of contaminates whilst maximising all the cannabinoids when making Iso Oil that I have found is the QWISO method which stands for Quick Wash ISO. To give credit where due, this is not a method I invented, I got the idea from Ninja on Over Grow years ago when it was still about, a Canadian oil maker. Here is a Link to when I explain the process basically back in 2004 before I had even bought a digital camera, I'll make some soon and post up a tutorial with pictures added to my main hash thread Here, and in my signature link, but for now this is the best I can do I'm afraid. Basically the idea behind it is that most of the cannabinoids get extracted very quickly whereas it takes longer to extract the contaminates. If you break up the dried trim/bud finely and put it in a jar half full, top up the jar 2/3 full then with IPA, replace the lid (preferably metal - IPA leaches from plastics) and shake it vigorously for 30 seconds then pour the entire contents through a paper coffee filter into an evaporation dish to remove all the plant matter. This final paper filter you may want to repeat before evaporation to make sure that nothing has got through from the first filter with all the trim in. With this very short exposure time (hence the name) not many contams make it through. The resulting oil, when evaporated and scraped up is also much stiffer than both oil made with a longer exposure time and BHO. Therefore it is much easier to work with and easy to make a 50/50 hash with by mixing in the resin (bubble or dry sift). Save the trim in the first filter to go back in the jar for a second, longer wash to make sure that you get all of the cannabinoids to be had and evaporate separately from the first batch. Wash this second batch for 5 mins, shaking occasionally before filtering and see the difference between the two oils when they've evaporated and you'll see why the QWISO method is desirable for a first grade oil.

Here are a couple of pictures of the last Iso Oil that I had. It was made from Moroccan plants and had a long soak in the IPA and as a result is not the highest quality oil. That said though it is still very strong and will knock down many a seasoned toker, it's just not as super strong as it's BHO counterpart. Check out the second picture of how I received the stuff before I redissolved it in IPA, cleaned it up and re evaporated it and putting it safely and neatly in a camera film case from which it could actually be used. Here are the pics.

Camera film case of IPA oil: Larger Image

How I first got this oil : Larger Image

Then as I mention in the last post, here's a picture of the above oil on a knife before and after warming it up so that you can compare it with the BHO on the same knife in the above post. To give credit where it's due, it did clean up into a nice oil as you can see from the hue in the close up of the warmed oil picture. It just could have been a great oil if a bit more care and attention to detail had been taken when making it in the first place. Plus, IMHO, BHO would have been much better again. Here it is:

IPA oil on knife: Larger Image

Then melted: Larger Image

As I've said before in previous threads, it is possible to further clean up or change the Iso Oil after it has been initially made by the QWISO process above. I basically touch on the techniques I'll now mention in my main hash thread linked in my signature, but to date I haven't done a tutorial with pictures that is up to date with my current way of doing things. The first, and easiest, thing that you can do though makes the 'cherry oil' many may have tried on their travels or in the past (The Brotherhood of Eternal Love used to make loads in Afghanistan and export it). I describe the basic process with pics in my hash thread Here, but that is with butane not IPA, the wrong kind of activated carbon (too dirty) and a bit of early experimentation. It made this, which is contaminated with carbon dust as I used the wrong kind of activated carbon for use in aquarium filters.

BHO which has been filtered through ‘dirty’ carbon: Larger Image

I have since discovered though that the activated carbon inside water filter cartridges for 'Britta style' water filters (I find Tescos filters the best and cheapest) is perfect for the job and clean - obviously it has to be for the water. It was one of those 'Eureka' moments for me when I thought of using them. So you basically make the oil by the QWISO method as per normal and filter it through a paper coffee filter to get rid of the plant matter. But then before evaporating off the IPA, you pour the lot through a second paper coffee filter containing the carbon from the inside of a water filter cartridge. The carbon will extract many of the contaminates including colouration and undesirable tastes, cleaning up the oil a bit more and giving it the cherry colour. Pour a little bit of clean IPA through the carbon before evaporating the lot in the dish, so as to wash out any cannabinoids that may be caught up in the carbon in the filter. Waste not, want not eh.

The second thing that you can do to clean up the IPA oil is slightly more complicated and again you need to be careful. Basically, by using a stronger solvent of a different type you can do an extraction on the Iso Oil itself. Without going into the science too in depth, it is to do with polarity. IPA is non-polar and by doing a further extraction on IPA oil with a polar solvent it will separate out into two distinct layers which can be separated and a purer oil thus produced. Like I say, hopefully I'll get the chance soon to produce some pictorial tutorials to show exactly what I mean, but for now that's as far as I'll go into it because I'd have to describe the whole process in detail if I were to start, otherwise it could be very dangerous.

The last thing you could do that I'll mention here is to change the chemical composition of the cannabinoids to make the oil stronger and vary its effects through a process called isomerisation. I have mentioned the process before, including Here answering a question posed by a member on isomerisation and decarboxilation where I give a detailed answer, so I'll not repeat myself again here, just click the link to read about the process. Basically though you use a strong acid to isomerise the oil then an equally strong alkaline to neutralise it again, which makes the whole thing a bit more dangerous for the obvious reasons connected with spills and precise amounts etc. Isomerising it doesn't purify it as such by taking out any undesirables but it does change the composition of the cannabinoids to make more of them into higher rotating THC molecules from both THC and CBD, CBN etc alike, thus making for a stronger oil with a preferable buzz for many. Again though I'll point out that this may not be what you want if coming from a medicinal use angle as it may be the 'lesser' cannabinoids that you are after like in Sativex.

Just as a final point before posting this thread and opening it all up for debate, if you want to make yourself some 'Sativex' for medicinal use for an under the tongue spray instead of smoking or eating the oil, you'll need to acquire some ethanol and make some QWISO oil. QWISO oil as it also has the CBD and CBN content (although not as high as Sativex itself at 50% CBD!) and ethanol as it is ingestible by humans without being poisonous (to a dangerous level). That is what Sativex is - cannabinoids dissolved in ethanol so it can be sprayed under the tongue as a delivery system. This snippet of information might be of value to somebody in need.

Happy oiling everyone, Onwards & Upwards.

What are peoples' preferred oils and for what reasons? Is there anything anyone would like to add, change, correct, want explaining further? Anything really, just to get chatting about the nuances.

[Perfect Haze]

Excellent thread grobag...

[Happy Hippy]

Hi grobag.

I just gotta say that is a top post,thank you very much.

Last time i did bho thru a honeybee i had the colour i wanted and everything,but when spread on a skin and lit it was like it was missing something(dunno what)not just flavour but something else,even the effect wasnt what i thought it would be.

Yet ive made iso oil many times and defo prefer the extra complexities of this, over just the pure buzz of bho.

Thanks again for a great topic

peace

[Stealth67]

I'm reading through it, not finished yet, but many thanks. Have got some untouched trim ready for action.

[twenny]

nice one gro

top info there mate

[Scribb|e]

Wonderful, interesting and informative (& drool-making ) thread, GB.

[vince noir rock n roll star]

grobag you have indeed earned the title of the willy wonka of the hash world ...if you want to view paradiiiiiiise ,

awesome info sir muchly aprreciated

[leroy]

fuckin poser

good thread again m8, very informative

[Topo]

top post GB...

(Edit to say) i was one of the lucky ones to try some at the expo and boyoboy was it nice

Edited March 5, 2008 by Topo

[j-swiz]

im kinda jealous

[Bish]

You've robbed Si's oil knife!!!

[grobag]

You've robbed Si's oil knife!!!

Or is it that Si always used my oil and knife. These are old pictures, he's knicked that knife, I use a butter spreadinng knife again now after I found it in his wardrobe!

He's cropping as I type ATM, so last time I was down there I left him with the coffee pot, vap dishes and all the other necessaries. I even had to phone up for him the other day to order him in some near zero impurity butane to his local shop because they know me already and he reckons it makes things easier. He's such a pussy. I'm still ordering him his 'dried flowers' bi-weekly to keep him going though he's decided to finally quit aswell now. Which I am really thankfull for as he needs to get it done on his own terms.

Things are generally looking up for him again now though, we've got the big family wedding in May, give him a bell Bish mate. He'd like that. :wink:

Take it easy fella.

[grobag]

Cheers for all the other positive comments guys, I appreciate it. This is all nothing new though, they are all pictures taken from my other threads and my gallery, then collected together in these two posts in a different way. Plus I had a little help from FD on the Moroccan IPA Oil picture front , as like I say it's not my preferred type of oil and I haven't made any from scratch for years now, only played around with purifying IPA oils that other people have already made a few times (for the last few years that is).

I'll try to get some new tutorials up in my hash thread within the next month as like I say, my bro is cropping (Silas on here, with 2 or 3 posts ) the grow that I left behind in Cornwall since the weekend before last and will be finally done with all of this batch come the weekend after next. There's the trim from at least eight different strains to play with (including three original strains developed by OT1 (ESB, Lot#5 & another) , one by Vic High (Grape Crush), Dubi's Purple Paki, original UK Cheese and one by Shantibaba (Critical Mass)) so I should be making up some interesting things as soon as I hook up with my Bro. He's only cropped three strains so far though. It is looking as though I might be able to get hold of some interesting chemicals from a couple of sources aswell so I will be making some special tinctures that I've wanted to make for a while, plus purifying and changing the already amazing BHO to demonstrate a near pure THC product. I don't see why not as I'm settled in again now after moving, internet is sorted as is my camera, chemicals are available and the trim will be coming shortly.

I'll bump my hash thread when I do, it's not been posted in for a while now I don't think.

[stanky]

nice thread making me drool on me key board stank