This is just the first of many posts in this thread. I received mine last week. A few others at Grasscity also have just gotten one and will also be participating. The thread will be open to anyone with an ISO-3 or has questions about it. It took a couple of days to read everything since I'm having some physical issues that have me a little laid up but I already have some ideas and things lined up. I just don't know what I'm doing yet. I hope we can get a lot of good knowledge here in the upcoming posts. I know this one isn't much but I've discovered over the course of time in the forum that it's the first post of a thread that's the hardest to get started. After that it's easier to add stuff to it so be prepared.
I'm going to start this dedicated thread for the ISO-3 here in the "Concentrate Tools" subforum now that there are a few of us with it or getting it and it's probably best to have everything together. Each of us at this point have gotten a coupon or other promotional offer in exchange for feedback and a dedicated thread would be a way for all of us to fulfill that request. We'll discuss the technical side of things here along with our experiences, maintenance issues, troubleshooting, etc. A dedicated thread will also help us all sort out how best to utilize it. I may be the OP but everyone is asked to post their own experiences independently and I'll just watch mostly since I really don't have the resources to get too active with it. Let's check packing lists, anything missing or if replacements have been needed and all that stuff. This will have our experiences at one spot and the BerkLab folks can get our feedback at one spot and maybe they'll even participate.
You should check your packing list as you unbox it. As the Quartermaster evolves some items on the list may change. At this point just verify everything is there. You'll double check as you go through the owner's manual to verify you have everything needed to perform those functions. I was missing the 1.5 qt stainless steel container and it isn't listed on the packing list so I wasn't aware. Later when I got to the part of the process that needed that piece, I had to adapt a workaround. I have since contacted BerkLab and they are sending out the two 1.5 quart containers. Another person I know had the same omission. The BerkLab folks have very good customer service and have been responding quickly.
I had an ounce of something called White Fire, WiFi Og, that had been donated as my first project. And here I come to a screeching halt. Now what? There's not too much here that I'm familiar with. I use cold and natural activation for use in tinctures and other ingestables. Everything to do with this gadget seems to be contrary to everything that I do Then I started delving deeper, looking into the spaces between the lines. Everything that I'm familiar is also a big part of some of the possibilities with the QM (Quartermaster). This takes what I do to a different level in that it adds a new dimension to my usual way of extracting. I planned on using the soxhlet extraction for the first project since I have never seen this before. However, I was unsure how to proceed. This is going to be a fully activated oil and for that to happen it needs to be decarbed. Later I can use some naturally decarbed material but I have none ready just yet. I have read high and low through the guide about converting the acids to cannabinoids and really found nothing other than vague reference to "alchemests" who like to use heat to change properites of some compounds, like decarboxylation. The "full extract" line doesn't sound quite as ideal if you have to include a heated decarb in the process which loses those terpenes we are trying so hard to retain. I have seen no indication that the ISO-3 performs the activation CBDA or THCA.. I contacted BerkLabs to make sure I wasn't missing something and they verified that the QM does no activate and that decision is left to the individual alchemist. I decarbed this ounce of buds as whole buds with no maceration and at 250°F for 40 minutes, using the 10° extra to allow it deeper into the bud but not hot enough to hurt it. I've never decarbed the whole flowers before and wasn't sure how well this works but I guess there's only one way to find out. Whole bud is better for full extraction according to BerkLab so since it's their machine and I'm supposed to have an open mind, that is how we'll proceed. I still had to do a dry run first.
At this point it's been running for about 14 hours and it's time for me to open it and check it all out as I familiarize myself with the operation. I was just noticing when unboxing how much damn stainless there is to clean on it. I'm doing 30g pre-decarb whole bud without any grinding and that is a bit different for me. With my tincture method I try to detach as many of those trichomes as possible from the material so it all seems kind of strange, especially figuring out the decarb adjustments. So far I've only used 240ml of alcohol for that 30g which is amazing considering I use 22oz for a full ounce extraction for tincture. It hardly seems enough. I agree that it is important to have a game plan for something like this. It's not something that you do willy-nilly on the spur of the moment, usually. My goal is pretty basic right now. I want to see what it gives me for a base and then I can plan around that for future use. Since I'm not a grower or have a job, planning is imperative. I never thought I would feel so confident about extractions but that's what a few years and a little practice will do for you. I still have a lot to learn but if this gadget does what it's supposed to do, that may soon happen. I like the subtle stuff.
This is my first "out of the box" extraction. There's 120ml of solution for 30g of flower. I'm going to take some to the lab on Monday to check it out. My foot is getting better so I hope to have more pictures or video or something. I haven't decided what to do with it yet but I am running the wet material to see how much I can reclaim. There should be about 100ml left in the material although all solubles have been extracted.
I'm becoming a lot like Stiggy, using graphics over words although I love words. It's getting harder to get my body to do what's necessary to write the words I love so much. Because of that, I have a cheap tablet that I use to video a lot of the things I do for my cannabis stuff. I don't do anything else important enough to care. So here's a sneak peek at what I call "Out of the Box". It's a start and it helps me think things out several steps ahead. I shake and there's always some issues with them but they are all me. I keep hoping they get better but I'm still waiting on that one.
I can see some form of decolorization being helpful for some applications as well as less time in the soxhlet. I let mine go the recommended 24 hours and there is not a speck of chlorophyll left in the flowers. They were definitely like straw. I didn't get any excess plant matter or sediment in my solution but when I filtered, it went through very quickly as opposed to the same quantity using my standard tincture method. I'll have test results up soon. I did a few drops the other night and it had quite an effect but the numbers will tell the real story. The vaporizable concentrate with the full spectrum is probably going to take the most work to balance the profile with the unwanted compounds. There's mention of a sub-zero process using dry ice and a freezer/chest as a means to increase the extraction time while inhibiting polar compounds. The equipment to do that was included (vessels) and the process laid out towards the back of the manual but it leaves a lot to user experience. If you want to get a terpene rich oral active application I've found it ideal to let the alcohol extraction sit in a dark cabinet for 4 months. This works with CBD and THC acids. After the four months about 87-88% has converted. That just so happens to be the point where the THC degrades more than the remaining THCA converts to THC. After the curing period it can be used for active tincture, RSO, edibles without worrying about the decarb heat taking out the terpenes. It helps to have enough patience to wait for it but it is definitely worth it. The non-active products should be easy and the full extract is great for topicals. You could use your leftover material from your non active oral products to make your topicals. The QM will make that easy and it teaches you the science of cannabis at the same time. Index/Table of Contents:
Great Job Sam I was busy all day and just seeing this now I agree it was better to have this thread here.
Yeah, since there are so many of us this will give us all a place to compare notes without other distractions.
One thing I've already learned is that "full extract" is just a catch phrase and is seldom used for that purpose. Having read the manual 3-4 times now I'm noticing how that really applies, or doesn't. A winterized "full extract" is no longer 'full extract" because some of the compounds, whether useful or not, have been removed. Many of the processes call for the judgement of the individual alchemist in producing high quality oils by selective extraction or fractional extraction, both of which I currently practice in my normal routine and don't expect any issues with that. The one thing I am interested in is finding the best point for that fractional and selective process. I haven't seen any charts or anything else that lists the compounds and their uses, other than the cannabinoids and terpenes, so right now it's hard to know where to make that separation. I guess I'll get it figured the usual way by doing it myself with the help of others.
This is the lab test results from the full extract before any alcohol was removed. It's in ml per mg and there were approximately 120ml. Notice the full decarb. The CBD isomers were too low to read as is often the case with these strains. You could easily blend in some high-CBD before evaporating to mend that. Canna Lab Test Research Fund
Sam The 1st picture show a lighting fixture holding a spiral bulb next to the ISO3 Did that come with it or is that part of your lab equipment?
Just don't handle it too much. It won't hurt but it absorbs more alcohol and gums up the parts more. Just be sure to wash the containers out with alcohol, before and after use. Those little particles like to stick to everything. The filter in the extraction basket should keep most out.
That actually is one of the lights I used for my closet grow but now it's my extra lighting for my videos. It got "repurposed".