Hey guys. Glad to have finally found my way in here! I've only done 1 run of BHO from the trim of my last grow, and it turned out meh. It turned out to be a buddery/wax product, which is sub par. I'll explain more later.
Before I ran the first time, I probably spend upwards of 24 hours watching youtube videos, documenting techniques, making notes, and forming my own conclusions. Then I ran my BHO and smoked it. I only ran about 11g of trim and only got back like half a gram. It was ok, but the taste wasn't there and the product was hard to use because it was budder and didn't stick to my dabber or anything.
So now after having done my first one, I had a good idea of what I did and what I should have done. Then I hit the forums, and a lot of reading (still am) on tokecity.com. Those guys know their shit on BHO!!! I begin doing more research and comparing, and I've come up with a lot of solid information that I've verified by finding more info and reinforcing the research I had already done. With the tools available, I think I have a pretty good idea this time, and I can't wait to try another batch at the end of the my current grow!
Ok with that being said, I wanted to touch on a couple other things in here for you guys that have no idea or have not tried it yourself yet. BHO is just like growing, you literately have to do it several times before you get a good handle on what it is that you are doing. Which means I still have a lot of learning to do as well!
Next, keep in mind that there's more than one way to skin a cat. So, although someone might post what their process is, that doesn't mean that you have to follow it exactly, as there are many different ways to get the desired outcome. However, there are certain things that will most certainly make your BHO a fail, and other things that will help in your success.
Now, Bandit, I know you asked specifically about the different types: oil, wax, budder, shatter, glass, etc etc. There are many names for the different types of product that you get when you run BHO. And yes as already answered, the different types of end product will be determined by the starting material and the process and techniques used.
For instance, you can get a budder/wax consistency by simply purging too quickly. Another almost certain way of getting budder is by whipping up your product during the purge. And if you purge on too high of heat and for too long, you will certainly end up with budder. Budder, wax, crumble, etc is this product, all referring to the same basic type, and is an unstable product. It doesn't stick together and it's harder to dab with. It also degrades very very quickly, not to mention who knows how much BHO is remaining. That I can say based on experience. It depends on who you ask, as well as your personal preference, but a general consensus is that this type of product is what you should avoid.
Many people want a properly purged product (meaning it has been ridded of all remaining butane) that is stable. Those would be Oil, shatter, glass, and other names. They can be a oily runny substance or a nice hard glass like substance. These types of products are more stable, will more commonly be fully and properly purged, will stick to itself and your dabber, and will not degrade nearly as quick as the sub par products. Basically, if you are going to do BHO, you want a stable properly purged product, and that product is not a budder/wax/crumble.
One thing I will say, is do not whip/stir your oil during your purge. This will almost always lead to budder/crumble, as it allows air and other things to mix up with it, the consistency changes and the product is crap when it's done.
So the best way to purge is LOW and SLOW, and the purging process is what will essentially determined the type of end product you get. Purging on low heat in a double boiler or kettle setup on low temps around 100-120*F will help ensure a good quality purge and product. Also, it is recommended to purge for 10 min per gram of oil. If you have 5 grams of oil, purge on low heat for about 50 min.
Now, you can vacuum purge, and I understand that this process helps speed up the process without getting a crappy product. However, in much of the content I've read through, it seems to be very debatable about weather you actually need to vac purge. Many people have had awesome results without a vacuum at all. The process is just slower and more involved. I've also read some people saying that a vac purge is completely unnecessary, and even some saying that it's worse to do a vac purge. Those that say not to vac purge are saying that the vac is removing terpes and not tane. You want to keep as many terpes as possible, that's what makes the product's taste and flavors and smells. The idea behind BHO is to purge only the butane and leave the terpes in. The idea is to find the happy medium, where as purging to long or too much or too fast can remove all of those good things, even vacuum purges. So whatever way you decide to go, you will need to learn and adapt to get that perfect balance between eliminating tane and keeping the terpes.
I find that I'd rather take the low slow route without a vac so that I can more closely monitor the consistency of the product as it is purging.
Here's some info from a purging thread over on tokecity that I took note of:
Also, you should start with absolutely dry material! You do not want moisture in your end product at all, and the dry starting material needs to be really dry so that it easily falls off when the butane is running through to help maximize your run.
Unless it's strictly forbidden, I can post a copy of the HMK method in a new thread. The HMK method is essentially the go-to guide for many people wanting to know a process of making BHO. I've learned a bunch o' stuff from it, and also reading what people are posting and saying and changing from this method.
WHEW that's a lot of info. I've tried to remain to factual or experience based information here, but some of the BHO making process is up for debate, and not everyone sees everything the same when it comes to BHO and the process and techniques around it. The most important thing is to be safe and heed all the warnings! From there just start learning and making your own and learning more and modifying your technique to get better - just like growing!
I'll try and chip in more as I find more and start bettering my technique and processes as well.
