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Page 16
medmanmike
Sep 14 2014
QWET/No Heat update. Did another batch with (⅛ GSC, ⅛ Jilly Bean) and ET. I followed your method as best I could, but am disappointed in the results. Pics attached show HQ on the left - milky/watery; LQ on the right - oily, but with a bit of sentiment (even though I wire meshed and coffee paper filtered both before purging. The HS is about 2 Tbsp, (note the second pic showing very little oil/extract.) LQ is about 1 Tbsp.
The only thing I can think that I might have done differently was not getting the bud dry enough. It was jarred with a Boveda 62% RH oak. In preparation, I ground up the bud (using a twist hand grinder) and let it air dry for a while. Humidity in the house is about 50%, so I"m thinking that's probably where the bud was.
QUESTON: What do you use to grind your bud? I've used a coffee grinder (too much resin left on the bowl) and a high quality hand grinder (leaves the bud really fluffy, but not finely ground like in the coffee grinder).
I'm thinking that maybe I don't have enough surface area with the latter grind, or the moisture content is to high. Your thoughts?
I've made RSO twice and it worked (got oil anyway, not sure of the potency yet.) and hope that the QWET method would be easier, not to mention less dangerous, but so far (2 attempts) I'm a little disappointed.
Any thoughts or suggestions you would have will be appreciated!
 
Sep 14 2014
I am curious what your disappointment is. Is it the quantity or the color?
I do not grind my bud before doing an extraction. I use nice manicured top buds. I have to fire up my wood burner to get them crispy. Just the dry air from the wood burners sucks the moisture right out. I put the whole buds in a canning jar. After I put the freezer cold alcohol into the jar of the frozen buds I just shake the jar and they fall apart.
I am not sure if I am satisfied with using the QWET or not. Keep in mind my first batch of ND Sap was QWISO (99% iso extraction) that was winterized with 192 proof grain alcohol.
Using only grain alcohol has proven to be more difficult. It has also proven more difficult to get the oil to come out more clean looking.
My second batch of the QWET ND Sap, which is not ready yet was really beautiful oil. After it has been sitting a month now it has a greenish tint to it which I am not really happy about.
My first batch, which is about 45 days old, was a browish color and that was done with a strain that typically gives me the most clean looking oil. Now it has changed from brown to greenish like in your picture.
In the past when I made QWET I may have used a coffee mug warmer, it was in the winter, but it seemed like it went a lot smoother, more normal results. I no longer posses the strain I made it with though.
I am not making the ND Sap for looks or taste. My only focus is all of the medicinal values I can recover without being lost with heat and evaporation.
I can't fairly judge the QWET method until it has been a good 90 days. Then I can properly cast judgement.
The original ND Sap picture, (winterized QWISO), I am sure some of the medicinal values are being lost during the winterization process, but, it is by far the best oil I have ever had.
I am pretty much going to compare the QWET sap to the winterized QWISO sap. Whichever one I like better is the method I will stick with.
If you do another run, try the QWISO (99% iso) and winterize with 190 proof or higher grain alcohol. That will give you some nice looking oil.
Also, I did sample my first QWET batch (45 days), it does seem to be partially decarbed. I am thinking another 45 days and it will be done and just as good as my first discovery batch.
The reason I am trying to switch to grain alcohol is when I did a flame test with the 99% iso, it burned dirty and left residue. Long term use of an iso oil is starting to concern me.
I would not judge the oil until it has naturally decarbed. I am guessing 90 to 120 days.
Three tablespoons of oil to me is 3 ounces of premium bud.
medmanmike
Sep 21 2014
Hi GG, sorry for not getting back sooner....
I guess my disappointment is in the quantity of oil produced. This last batch I ended up with about 1 dram of high quality and only a dried coating of the low quality. Meaning, once the alcohol evaporated, there was only a dried coating on the bottom of the bottle.
Your last sentence is telling: 3 tbsp = 3 oz of bud. I used ¼ oz and ended up with about 1 tsp. So, following that logic, ¼ oz times 12 = 3 oz of bud; 1 tsp times 12 = 12 tsps/3 (# of tsp in 1 tbsp) = 4 tbsp. So, our numbers are similar.
As I mentioned before, I processed smaller quantities because I didn't want to waste the bud and the associated cost of it. I just harvested yesterday (see below) and am thinking I will try one more "test" of QWET (cold). That will give me three batches: 1) trim and misc (QWISO), 2) bud (first grow, not the best quality-QWET cold) and 3) premium bud (second grow/higher quality bud - QWET cold).
Part of my angst is having enough bud for vaping while experimenting make extractions. Don't want to short myself!
Ok, the good news! Harvested 7 plants yesterday - Cattatonic, Jilly Bean and 1 Girl Scout Cookie. Much better harvest the second time. Bigger colas, tighter buds, better color, etc. Here are some pics. First two are Cattatonic, second two Jill Bean one one overall shot.
   
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