Cobbing adventues

[highgrower]

I have been looking at various options re keeping a constant 40-50C for the sweat - i am looking for something small which wont take up much room in a small place.

 

So far I have found a yoghurt maker which looks like it may be a good easy to use option at about £30 quid - will do temp range of 25-65C and has a timer plus i think draws about 25W.

 

A sous vide machine is quite pricey so think the yoghurt maker is better value and the take up a similar amount of storage space.

 

Custom made box think with inkbird temp controller and a heat mat - similar problem to the food dehydrator amount of space it uses up when not in use.

 

Aquarium heater - been looking at them as a small one would be able to keep a big pot of water at a steady temp but all i am finding are ones which will do 25-35C so are perfect for storage and also quite cheap <30 quid - maybe useful for keeping the ferment at a constant 30C as they only pull 15W (i actually have one now i think about it).

 

Any other ideas - low storage, low cost, low watts ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 17, 2022 by highgrower

[botanics]

@highgrower

 

I think you could rig up your own box mate no probs given your grow drobe construction skills. 

 

If it was me then I'd probably be looking at lining a tote (or something similar) with some insulation (expanded foam board or suchlike) and then put in some heating cables,  switch the circuit via a thermostat and reckon it'd do fine.  

 

Doesn't have to be fancy like, just so long as it does the job without having to use much leccy.

[highgrower]

@botanics cheers for bigging up my diy skills - just the hassle of where do i put it when not in use.

 

Annoyingly about a month ago someone left a food dehydrator out on their wall for anyone to take.  Also spotted one of those polystyrene keep cold/hot boxes being chucked out by a shop the a few weeks ago and i did think to myself that could be useful but same with the dehydrator where would store it.

[Gaijin]

18 hours ago, Hombre del Monte said:

@Exhale, no trouble with drones myself but it is something that worries me. I think from the air my plants are quite hard to see as they're only about 0.75m high grown to a screen and surrounded by many shrubs. 

 

 

 

My missus just politely pointed out, "They're fucking arrows, not flowers", solving the mystery of the 3 red flowers 

 

[Hombre del Monte]

10 hours ago, highgrower said:

I have been looking at various options re keeping a constant 40-50C for the sweat - i am looking for something small which wont take up much room in a small place.

 

So far I have found a yoghurt maker which looks like it may be a good easy to use option at about £30 quid - will do temp range of 25-65C and has a timer plus i think draws about 25W.

 

A sous vide machine is quite pricey so think the yoghurt maker is better value and the take up a similar amount of storage space.

 

Custom made box think with inkbird temp controller and a heat mat - similar problem to the food dehydrator amount of space it uses up when not in use.

 

Aquarium heater - been looking at them as a small one would be able to keep a big pot of water at a steady temp but all i am finding are ones which will do 25-35C so are perfect for storage and also quite cheap <30 quid - maybe useful for keeping the ferment at a constant 30C as they only pull 15W (i actually have one now i think about it).

 

Any other ideas - low storage, low cost, low watts ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

The yoghurt maker sounds ideal at £30 ,seems to ticks all the boxes ie low wattage, good temp range and has a timer. Is it big enough to fit several large cola cobs at the same time?. I use a dehydrator that I had to modify slightly but cost £50. it does give me the option of drying a bud overnight if needs must.

[highgrower]

31 minutes ago, Hombre del Monte said:

The yoghurt maker sounds ideal at £30 ,seems to ticks all the boxes ie low wattage, good temp range and has a timer. Is it big enough to fit several large cola cobs at the same time?. I use a dehydrator that I had to modify slightly but cost £50. it does give me the option of drying a bud overnight if needs must.

 

I am leaning towards that as the best option - i like the fact it can do 60C as well for a fast high sweat perhaps - not keen on trying to get a heat mat and some polystyrene thing up to 60C without it being a fire risk

Edited April 18, 2022 by highgrower

[Cajafiesta]

@highgrower  How long do you need to maintain the sweat temp for? 
 

Have you considered heating bricks to the desired temp and then placing the bricks and the dope in a cooler to hold the temp?  I realize this is a hassle, but it would be a (likely) free way to experiment without any cost involved. I’m sure you can find a small cooler and a couple bricks laying around.   You could either vac seal the bricks and heat them with water, or heat them in an oven, depending on desired temp. 
 

 

the water method will probably be easier to attain low temps. 
 

Basically broke-ass sous vide as a stop-gap for equipment until you get the method down?

 

 

 

alternately, still using a cooler—

 

set an inexpensive seedling heat mat into a cooler.  Place a dish of water on the heat mat. Set controller to desired temp and place temp probe in water dish. Set weed in cooler. 
 

seems like this would also be a logical, inexpensive solution. I’m assuming you probably have a heat mat laying around.

Edited April 18, 2022 by Cajafiesta
Spelling

[highgrower]

@Cajafiesta - nice idea - i used the heat mat with a blanket for my first try and the temps were quite varied throughout the 24hr.

 

I think for a short sweat the heat bricks in a heat/cool bags would be a good idea but you dont have the long term control - if your just trying this curing method out it should work.

 

The temp range i think you want is from about 35-60C and need to keep it at that temp from between 10-50 hrs depending how you want it to turn out - i believe the hotter and longer the more narcotic/stonney and at the other end for the cooler shorter sweats its more trippy/high.

Edited April 18, 2022 by highgrower

[highgrower]

Being 4/20 it was hard not to open up the cobs and have a sniff - sweet smell is there plus some spiceyness - not overpowering when i opened it but starting to ferment - i think as rehydrated may need at least another week before smells get to where i am guessing/expecting them to be.

 

 

 

Cheese one with flash

 

 

 

Sweet tooth with flash

 

 

 

Without flash

 

 

 

The shininess isnt wet its more like leather if that make sense - slightly tacky to the touch but not wet - i think is ok to carry on fermenting without drying out as no sign of mould so back in the bag they have gone.

[Hombre del Monte]

They look awesome. The shinny texture will get more as time goes on and they will start to sparkle.

I believe that the drying out between opening and resealing is not to prevent mold but to slow the rate of fermentation down. The fact that we vacuum the cobs stops mold forming. 

On fairly dry cobs it is ok just to seal them up initially and just leave them sealed until they are done. 

 

You'll know when they're done. The smell will have you drooling! 

Edited April 20, 2022 by Hombre del Monte

[highgrower]

Good to know about the slowing of fermentation by reducing the moisture level - at the moment i think its better to leave them as they are or the ferment is going to take ages.

 

No doubt i wont be able to stop myself checking again over the weekend but suspect its going to take until the end of the month before they are ready to be allowed to dry a bit and then cured/aged.

[Newcouch]

On 17/04/2022 at 11:34 PM, highgrower said:

 

Any other ideas - low storage, low cost, low watts ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

you could get a hot tub. Mine sits at 38.5 deg c. think of it as a free fringe benefit, rather than an expensive cob fermenter.

[Hombre del Monte]

Keep checking every week until you get the smell you instinctively feel is right. Have you checked out Tangwena thread on Ic-ag? lots of good info and lots and lots of pictures of cobs. Today I'm vaping Panama cob that was made mid November last year, so is about ready (you can smoke them at any point of the process though) but will continue to improve as it ages; This one won't 'cos it'll be all gone in a couple more days.lol

[highgrower]

15 minutes ago, Newcouch said:

you could get a hot tub. Mine sits at 38.5 deg c. think of it as a free fringe benefit, rather than an expensive cob fermenter.

 

Im on the top floor so not sure the roof could take the extra weight - would be lovely though having a spliff in it with the view.

[highgrower]

14 minutes ago, Hombre del Monte said:

Keep checking every week until you get the smell you instinctively feel is right. Have you checked out Tangwena thread on Ic-ag? lots of good info and lots and lots of pictures of cobs. Today I'm vaping Panama cob that was made mid November last year, so is about ready (you can smoke them at any point of the process though) but will continue to improve as it ages; This one won't 'cos it'll be all gone in a couple more days.lol

 

That thread and the other one have had me drooling and a lot of the pics have confirmed some of the scores I have had in the past have been cured in some form of cob fashion - hence me being so keen on giving it a go.

 

When its ready im expecting the smell to just leap out of the bag and make me want to climb inside as soon as you release the vacuum?  At the moment i need to stick my nose in and give it a good smell rather than it being like a jar of nicely cured bud which just stinks when you open it.