ISO-3 Quartermaster Out of the Box - Part 2 Full Extract Cannabis Oil (RSO) Here's the second part of the process "out of the box" and it covers the processing of the alcohol extract into FECO/RSO. It also addresses a workaround I had to make due to a missing component that wasn't shipped. I think I had an ingenious idea to cover it and it worked really well. My yield was 6 grams from 1 ounce of flowers and I'm sure that was due to the "full extract" part of the process. The more compounds to extract the higher the resulting volume but that doesn't mean that the cannabinioid content is higher. In fact there would be a higher cannabinioid content if the time in the soxhlet was shortened but you'd also have a lower yield.
Knowing when to stop is the key for a good RSO. Practice, practice, practice helps,helps,helps. The heat level is important and it's not fast. Due to the other compounds it can scorch easily if you don't watch it. The first 20oz or more of alcohol may evaporate in an hour at a good boil but that last ounce will take hours. It's a lot of work and can be exhausting. If you have enough oil to make it worthwhile you can place your RSO in a 225°F oven for a few minutes at the end. The ISO-3 makes that so much easier. I'm normally pooped after making the stuff but this was actually enjoyable because it doesn't take constant monitoring. The yield on this batch was much more than usual due to the extra compounds and the next steps will be adjusting the soxhlet time for maximum efficiency.
ISO-3 Quartermaster Full Extract Cannabis Oil / RSO Out of the Box Lab Results Since this is a full extract the cannabinoid content isn't as high as it would be if the other less desirable compounds were eliminated. Those compounds limit the percentage of therapeutic compounds in the total extraction and often have little health benefit. If the extraction of those are limited by the time of extraction then a higher percentage of the final concentrate will be cannabinoids although the yield will be smaller. I got a high yield from this initial batch because of the full extraction of all compounds but the overall cannabinoid count was 49.800% which I'm going to round off to 50%, and the THC content was 43.425%. These are low at first glance but that is mainly due to that "full extract". When you actually look at the make up of those cannabinoids we start to see a bigger picture. For FECO/RSO we want to utilize the full entourage effects of all the cannabinoids and not just THC. It's everything together that gives it such healing power and we have a couple of cannabinoids that have benefited from the soxhlet extraction and it's due to isomerization where the process actually changes the molecules bonds to create a different cannabinoid. I went to my lab yesterday and met with the science director to get an idea of how the tests are run and read and what it means in order to give me a better understanding of the science. I had noticed a very high level of CBG and CBC, much higher than anything I had seen before and asked about that. It turns out that they are inflated due to isomerization. He showed me a really cool chart of all the cannabinoids and the variety of different cannabinoids they can be changed into, naturally or otherwise. Decarbing is an example everyone is familiar with. Both CBG and CBC have fantastic medical benefits and I've linked an article on each to check out. Please note the benefits of each. Any increase in these cannabinoids is a good thing. What Is CBG and What Are the Benefits of This Cannabinoid? | Leafly 5 Amazing Medical Benefits of Cannabichromene (CBC) As I've said, this is just the starting point. I will now be dialing it in by adjusting the time of extraction with more testing. My goal is about 60% THC & 65+% total cannabinoids. We did not see any noticeable increase in CBN production that might indicate extra degradation but there also appeared to be no CBD isomers detectable, either. I didn't get to test the raw flower so I don't know if that is due to the strain profile or not. I can say that I have been using this for the past week and am impressed with the effects. I've used RSO a lot and while this may not have as much THC as others I've done, it definitely works as good if not better than them. That's it for this one, out of the box. More to come so stay tuned. Canna Lab Test Research Fund
For the last few days I've been refining some 80 proof vodka into 190 proof. This is one of the stated uses if needed for the QM for those with no access to higher proof alcohol for tinctures and other extractions. Most folks can get 151 and the process gets simpler refining that since there is less water to work around. When I'm finished I'll have a video and commentary and some ISO-3 tips. I've got about a day to go because I screwed up this morning and added my refined last batch back to the lesser refined bottle. So, I have to do that one all over again. It takes about 8 hours to process 250ml. Slow going but you don't have to stand over it.
Great idea for the new thread Sam... no doubt the folks at Dgold will be keeping track of it. Got mine all washed and set up ready to go only to realize I didn't have as much everclear as I thought I did. Picking up a bottle today and hope to start my first run this evening. Please tell me what you feel the difference between natural decarb methods.... is there an advantage to starting with product that is a couple years old and should be naturally decarbed as opposed to using fresh product and making the oil and letting it sit in a dark cupboard for 4 or 5 months? edit: now that I have read through the manual there is also the decarb of the oil after extraction to consider as well
Since it's older trim, Stiggy, and if you have enough I would suggest 2 ounces. That will give you a decent volume to work with and learn how to pack the basket. The first time will be mainly about how to use it.
Most of your alcohol is going to be in the material and drip through. For an ounce I used about 250ml total. Follow the directions for first use although the first one seems a little strange but I suppose there's a reason for it. They tell you that when you initially add the alcohol to the material you should start with just 0.5ml per gram and pour it slowly over the material. For me, that was just 15ml and didn't moisten the material much at all. Then after that you add 100ml increments slowly, pouring over the material just until it starts to drip through the bottom of the basket. Then you'll add enough alcohol to the bottom container to fill it 0.5-1 inch, no more. I think you may be surprised at the amount of alcohol you use. Well, one thing I do know is that material that is 2 years old still needs to be decarbed according to several lab tests I've done but much of it will already be converted. I have a suspicion that something may be happening during the extraction since there was absolutely no THCA left in my fresh bud and there usually is a tiny bit left. Only more tests will tell if there's anything going on there. I think that if you want the natural decarb you should make your extraction then let it sit for 2 months before making it into oil. Because it's already 2 years old about 60% of the THCA has already converted and it won't need as long to finish up. I don't believe the oil will decarb on it's own that well without oxidation that will diminish it as the THC degrades to CBN. Decarbing RSO after extraction concerns me a little because of the other compounds and I'd like to put it to the test a little before I consider it safe. I'm not sure that 240°F is the best for it, unlike other concentrates, because those other compounds have a tendency to bake on. They mention that some folks place the final oil in a 225°F oven for an hour but I don't know if they mean for a decarb or to get the last of the alcohol out. There's still a lot to learn and for some things the manual isn't real clear but with interesting implications. Unfortunately, it appears that I'm not going to have the access to material that I had hoped so finding the answers is going to take a while from my end. C'est la vie.
I was just checking my supplies and see most of what I have was saved finely chopped trim and leaves I thought I had more sugar trim left I either missed placed it or make cookies LOL I have to keep looking , I know I had more stock to make eddies If not I have an older batch I would like to run of flowers
I was just looking at the bulb to determine the wattage so that I could try to find some spares since they don't sell household incandescent bulbs any longer. When I unscrewed it to look at I had a hard time reading it because the print was smudged on it. I think is says 72W but it also looks like 22 or even 12. I've never seen a 72W before and a 22 or 12 seems more like an oven or refrigerator light. I can tell that it's "soft white" Has anyone else taken a look at the bulb yet to see the wattage? In some of the descriptions of the QM other places a 60W bulb was mentioned. I couldn't find a reference in the manual so I suppose I'll have to ask.
I'll ask and find out for sure. I'd also like to get the size of the screws and other fittings in case they rust or get bent or worn out. Those nuts and bolts don't give it a sleek look like a pin or stud might but they can be replaced whereas a stud could break off or bend. I've discovered that distilled water should be used in the heat sink. Tap water, even with a faucet filter, will cause mineral buildup and eventual corrosion of the condenser tube. I used filtered water with my first extraction and by the time it was finished there was already some buildup. Since then I've just used distilled, a lot of it, without the same results. Because it's so hard to reach, the only way to clean it otherwise is to take it apart. It costs too much money not to keep it in good condition.
I just checked mine and it is clearly a 72 watt bulb. I'm not sure I've seen that wattage before - 60 seems a bit more common
Okay, that means that's what mine is, too. That might take some googling to find but BerkLab may have a source for those we can tap for replacements. I also want to find out the details on those large filters since they come in a variety of microns and compositions. At least the unbleached recycled paper towels are easy to find.
Ebay has these 5.99 shipped for 2 New Satco S2408 72-watt Halogen Excel Light Bulb, Soft White, 2-Pack
Not halogen from what I can tell. Halogen is hot and usually marked. These have 1270 lumens, or something like that. Something else to ask about. It seems, though, that 72W is only offered in halogen.
I was reading through the manual and found the bulb size in the FAQ on page 29. A 75 watt incandescent bulb.
I've been having a heck of a time getting consistent results with the proofing refinement and it's causing it to take a lot longer than expected. Sometimes it will go for 8 hours and get a good return and other times I'll open it up and have a ml or less in the jar but the basket bottom has pockets of collected alcohol surrounding the jar. It started with the 80 proof a time or two but I eventually got it set right and it went a lot better. However, now that I am trying to get it to 190 it's not cooperating. I've gone two cycles without collecting more than a dampening in the jar. I keep thinking it's the temperature and that since there's little water in the mix now, the temperature should be closer to the boiling point of alcohol to give enough condensation to flow into the jar instead of just collect on the surfaces. I've decided that as soon as I get this alcohol finished I'm going to make a spreadsheet for temperatures in relation to the height of the bulb to the various chambers. I'll measure the distance from the top of the base down to the bulb and do that for half inch increments. I'll do the same for the depth of the container from the o-ring. I then want to get surface temperature, air temperature and the temperature of the liquid at each level. The temperatures are going to be important if the terpenes want to be preserved and it will also help pin down the best settings for the proof refining and alcohol reclamation from the material. If I can get a handle on these then we'll all have a bit of a head start. It will help if I read all of the manual first, though.