It’s pretty hard for a dyed-in-the-wool stoner to get tired of smoking bud. But sometimes you want to expand your horizons and try something new. That’s where butane extraction comes in.
Butane hash oil, also known as BHO, is a form of concentrated marijuana with super-potent THC levels. It’s made via a process called “BHO extraction.” But what is this, and how could you use it to make BHO?
First, you should know that BHO wax is made by stripping resin from marijuana bud. This resin, rich in THC, is smoked using a dab rig or dabbed on a joint or smouldering bowl.
THC extraction is a relatively simple process, but it needs to be said that it can also be very dangerous. The process involves butane, a highly explosive gas. News stories about potheads exploding their homes while making BHO have grown increasingly common in recent years.
BHO extraction: step-by-step guide
- First, gather your supplies: at least a quarter ounce of pot, a grinder, at least two canisters of liquid butane, a Pyrex glass dish, a double boiler, razor blades, parchment paper, and a BHO extractor or BHO extraction tube (a length of PVC piping, capped at both ends, with a single hole at the top and several holes at the bottom). A paper filter is placed inside the bottom cap.
- Grind up the desired amount of weed. Use a fine grind, but don’t turn your pot into powder. If you’ve never done a BHO extraction, you might want to start with a quarter ounce.
- Next, put the weed inside your butane extraction tube. Shake the extractor lightly to settle the pot but don’t pack it. You want the butane to saturate every bit of marijuana, so it needs to be fairly loose inside the tube.
- Now insert the nozzle of a butane canister into the single hole at the top of the BHO extractor. Spray butane into the canister. A greenish-brown resin will ooze through the filter at the bottom of the extractor. Let this drop into the glass dish.
- Fill the bottom of the double boiler with water and bring it to a boil. Then place the Pyrex dish on the top part of the boiler. Leave the water at a boil for at least an hour until all the liquid butane has boiled off. You’ll know this part of the BHO extraction process is done when there are no more bubbles in the remaining resin.
- Next, scrape the sticky resin from the dish using razor blades. Transfer the oil to small pieces of parchment paper, then fold those pieces with the oil inside. This is your final product, butane hash oil.
- Lastly, let the oil cool and then, when it’s hard, move it to a non-stick storage container.
And there you have it: Those are the steps to THC extraction. Done right, you can produce hash oil that delivers a powerful, long-lasting high.
How to maximize BHO yield
Everyone who uses butane as a solvent is already a leg-up over other solvents, which can produce smaller and lower-quality yields. Butane is one of the highest-yielding solvents, but there are some factors to consider when trying to maximize your yield.
Homemade BHO extracts won’t be nearly as refined as commercially-available products that have been rigorously tested for purity and potency. However, despite the limitations, home-based BHO extraction can produce a decent yield.
The size and quality of your BHO tools (Pyrex glass dish, butane canister, double boiler, PVC piping) will determine how much and how fast you produce your concentrates. Small-batch production, however, is ideal for home projects, as it allows you to reduce the amount of explosive gas used.
While more BHO is certainly better, you want to start off using the best quality cannabis flower or trim, where the majority of the cannabis resin is concentrated. Some extractors tout the benefits of using flowers frozen at their peak ripeness to reap more of its aroma and flavor.
Lastly, experience is crucial in producing dank and sticky extracts. Lab-grade equipment is built with safety in mind. Amateur extraction requires focus and precision to avoid a deadly consequence.
Extractors must be knowledgeable about purging the residual solvent from the BHO extract. Managing temperatures throughout the process can ensure you hold onto as many cannabinoids and terpenes as you can while removing all of the harmful butane.
Butane extraction tips
Tip #1: Grind your weed wisely.
You don’t want your weed too finely ground to the point that you can taste a harsh, bitter and grassy flavor in the end product. Master extractors recommend grinding your weed the same consistency you would grind it for a joint to take the right amount of space in your pipe.
Tip #2: Don’t overpack your bud
Cramming your weed into your column or packing it too loosely can lead to an uneven soak of the product. Instead, pack your pipe until you feel a bit of resistance and the material springs back up at you.
Tip #3: Check for leaks
Leaks are bad. Real bad. An easy way to check for leaks inside your column is by using a solution of water and soap instead of butane. Spray the water directly into your column and check for bubbles where they’re not supposed to be. It could save your life.
Tip #4: Color is everything
Cannabis resin can run through the end filter as a translucent yellow color in the beginning. When the material passing through has a clear hue, it’s time to stop pumping the solvent into the column.
Tip #5: Use cold temperatures to your advantage
Trap the bud’s moisture by freezing it to prevent the water acting as a solvent for water-soluble substances, which can pull out more of the undesirable chlorophyll compounds that can make your extract taste bad.
Vacuum purging your BHO
Extract manufacturers and home concentrate enthusiasts work tirelessly to make the perfect batch of BHO. The BHO method is fraught with flammable materials and hazardous processes, but the single most dangerous part about crafting pure BHO has to be the BHO vacuum purging process.
Once the raw cannabis material has been blasted with butane, extractors do as much as they can to evaporate off the butane gas still trapped in the BHO extract. Excessive butane can ruin a batch’s flavor and potency, not to mention the harm is can cause to your lungs.
What is a vacuum purge?
Ancient and solventless extraction methods of removing trichomes from the cannabis plant don’t require an extensive vacuum purge. Hashish often contained some leftover organic plant matter because trichomes were manually shaken off the plant without the need for chemical solvents.
Modern extraction systems blast chemical solvents through fresh cannabis buds. A vacuum purge removes impurities and solvents from the extract. BHO vacuum purging requires a vacuum purge chamber and a vacuum to heat the extract at less than atmospheric pressure. Under these conditions, butane gas trapped in the product is released into the air.
When atmospheric pressure is lowered, compounds can boil at a lower temperature. Lower temp vacuum purges are crucial when you need to boil off butane without degrading the cannabinoids and terpenes.
What are the benefits of vacuum purging?
We’ve all heard about the dangers of home butane extraction, but one hidden danger that isn’t discussed as sensationally is the impurities left behind by butane solvents. Butane can leave behind olfactory agents like mercaptans or sulfur dioxide used for the detection of gas leaks.
Each BHO manufacturer employs its own process and workflow. Not all extracts undergo proper vacuum purging, however. While it’s nearly impossible to completely remove a solvent from a concentrate, exhaustive vacuum purging can produce a pure and flavorful BHO extract.
What equipment is needed for a vacuum purge?
In order to perform a vacuum purge, some hobbyists purge BHO using a water method that combines the extracted BHO into a dish with hot water. The heat from the water purges the butane and a vacuum pump is used to complete the process.
Depending on the size of your batch and type of extract you’re creating, you’ll need different equipment. The type of equipment you choose will determine how long the vacuum purging process will take and the temperatures needed to purge.
A vacuum purge can be accomplished with a vacuum, a vacuum purge chamber, and a hose attachment. You can make your own vacuum purge set-up if you have the mechanical wherewithal or you can also buy pre-made vacuum purging kits.
Many entry-level vacuum purging chambers can achieve low pressures, around -27inHG, which can be ideal for small batches, but may be a time-intensive process. Vacuum purging pressures should be as close to -29.92inHG as possible to create a complete vacuum.
How to perform a vacuum purge
State-of-the-art vacuum purging technology produces just the right amount of pressure to safely remove butane without damaging the therapeutic compounds in the concentrate. Vacuum purges will need to be performed multiple times until you’re left with a great-looking BHO that has a thick and viscous consistency.
Vacuum purges can be a dangerous affair. It’s important to perform a purge by a window or in an open area to reduce the chance of an explosion. One spark or a wrong piece of clothing can set the operation on fire. Extraction facilities use closed-loop systems, gas detection systems, and ventilation systems to protect its workers and extract BHO efficiently.
Despite the controversy surrounding BHO and the BHO method, the resulting dabs and shatter can make a full-spectrum concentrate full of cannabinoids and terpenes. Vacuum purging is essential to producing safe, pure, and tasty BHO shatter, dabs, wax, budder, and more every time.
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Do you vacuum purge your BHO concentrate? What type of vacuum purge equipment do you use? Leave a comment below.
Small vacuum pump, Harbor Freight & pressure cooker, Goodwill. Be sure rubber ring on cooker is in tact. Use thick plexiglass to make lid with vacuum connection to hose connection. Vented space & lever to control process. Vacuum several times until batch doesn’t bubble. Let dry in open silicone container until crumbles. Enjoy!
im new to extraction can you send a picture of that to me i been looking for a way to vacume purge. urs sounds the best. [email protected]
Hi, I have been making BHO for 9 years now & produce a product that is tastier than most extracts made every way possible. My BHO is top shelf!! I have compared it to diamonds, rosin, live resin, budder, distillate, CO2, alcohol & propane Extracts. My product has been higher quality than all of those other methods & products. It is full spectrum BHO, very smooth, powerful, so tasty & the aroma is intoxicating! Anybody that tries my BHO is amazed by the quality . I use a little $800 system with the open process & have gotten 48 grams of extract from 96 grams of flower. Even low quality flower I get 20-24 grams from 112 grams of flower. It truly is MEDICINE! Yours truly, DABANATOR.
How do you do it please
Read the article lol
I’m all on board with high quality BHO can sometimes be better than pretty much everything else that you can make, I’ve been doing this for about seven years and it would take a lot more than a short read in order to accomplish producing high quality, BHO, For instance, the fact that you would use two cans of liquid butane for 7 g of materials is way beyond overkill, and pretty much everything that I have read on the Internet is complete. Crap, I produce super high quality BHO and I accomplished that by years of experience Scientific research and making sure that I don’t listen to any bullshit that people post on these forums, I’m not sure why people would post such erroneous information, here is the answer to all of your questions when it comes to BHO, find actual scientific information That is backed up by an accredited source, take that information and apply common sense along with time and patience, and you can become a master extractor just as well as anyone else, sometimes I wonder whether it’s malice or low IQ that encourages people to post incorrect information, you need to know The right temperatures, never let BHO exceed 100°F, otherwise you’ll end up with something that you can’t handle because it’s too sticky, however, clarity, color and stability are primarily strain dependent, Vacuuming, should not go above 29.9 and below 100°F but above 80°F, low temperatures equals slow purging and high temperatures result in unstable product, I usually purge at around 28.9 to 29, here is where the art comes in is if you take good notes and pay close attention, you will continue to improve, the information that I am posting right now in regards to numbers is next to impossible to find and verify in post about BHO, it’s not something you learn overnight and I wish that someone would’ve posted the small amount of information that I just did when I started out doing this because it would’ve given me a starting point that would have saved me at least a year in R&D. if you’re going to use butane cans, I have found that whippet brand appears to me to be the best, however, make sure that you buy their highest quality that advertises virtually, no impurities, because they have other offerings and you can forget about the companies that say 5X, 14 X, Because if you do the research you’ll find out that it does not mean what you think it does, the whole thing started out counterculture which makes it hard to verify a lot of information, I’ve even heard stories of people purposely posting miss information because they have some warped sense of humor and think it’s funny, there’s nothing funny about making BHO it’s a very serious process, it’s not something to be taken lightly, what I just posted is the truth and accurate, now it’s up to you to verify it, good luck and stay safe
Ok awesome. Ty all for sharing with newbs like myself. The 1 thing im finding confusing in this article is the fact that when the article starts you come down a few paragraphs to a list format that lays out step by step of the extraction process. The 2nd to last step is warming a double boiler where u then set your extracted materials in liquid form to heat fuse off any liquid butane. The very next step you state to scrape with a razor and set out to air dry in open.
Then u read on down the page to find the same process but with a vacumm purge chamber and vacumm, which is crucial and necessary. So im just a bit confused on the last step. I have researched this a good amount and find almost everyone with any experience worth noting says vacuum! But i guess was hopeing that it might not be necessary when making a certain state of product or mayne some other factor that changes the conclusion when altered in….beings i do not have a vacuum purge nor the extra cash lol. 😫
Thanks!
While it used to be common practice to finish the process by evaporating off butane on a double boiler, we do not recommend performing BHO extraction without a full vacuum purge. This is a costly setup which is best performed by professionals. The rosin technique may be more suitable for those with less experience and budget.
You can easily make your own vacuum chamber for around $20, less if you already have the stuff laying around your house or garage like I did. Just Google “homemade ball jar vacuum purge chamber” and you’ll see a few good one’s. Watch a few and get some ideas and create your own.
Diy amazing love my products
I have had a lilttle succec with extraction techniques similar to what you talk of here, some of the terminology is new im about to head to the kilos level ahhhhh pls help
I leave my concentrates in purge vac avg temp 80-85o F at -28ish for over a month (burping every few days) and yes I do notice a difference. The crap you get in the stores at 96 to 144 hours just doesnt cut it.
I have been growing cannabis for 20 years and started doing bho for about 7 years and I have found out that if you run a batch into hot water it is way safer than not and is so much easier to collect from the water after letting it sit for about 10 to 15 minutes because it sits on top of the water use a dab tool or butter knife go across the top of the water and collect it i then put it on parchment paper and then take take the water and butane and dump it down the drain after getting rid of a potential bomb then I take a heat gun and don’t get to close to the product and I hold the parchment paper upon the the air and with the heat gun hold it about a foot away and heat the wax so that it kind of starts to level out and the water and impurities evaporates this only takes a few minutes once the bubbles are gone stop and then let it cool go about ten minutes then fold the parchment paper in half were the dab is smashing it together and just keep doing that until it is all smashed together in a couple of inch square because you can watch it all collect together and then you can enjoy but that’s how I was taught but I think I will try the vacuum process and see if that works out better