Extraction Dry Sifting to Make Hash: How Should Buds Be Dried and Prepared?

[BII]

How should buds be dried and prepared for dry sifting?

Presuming you have the proper screens and use already dried/cured buds, how should the buds be further dried(?), broken up and otherwise prepared for dry sifting? How is proper dryness tested/confirmed? What size pieces should buds be broken down to; and how is this done?

If starting with freshly harvested buds, how should they be dried and prepared for dry sifting? [Note, I seek to make hash for direct consumption, not pressing rosin]

 

[JP1]

If it's dry enough for smoking or storage, you can sift and card it through screens. Around fingertip sized buds down to sugar leaves. If you're talking about a fresh plant, you're gonna need to freeze it and then either use dry ice or water. And then get it dry. Fresh frozen hash is a whole other level of flavor but definitely extra steps and equipment

 

[BII]

So just normal post dry/cure 'dryness' level is good enough.

I presume any/all water is an impurity and undesired in any type of concentrate? I had read instructions for a large commercial sifting unit that recommended 5-10% rH sifting material (likely too low for our cheap hygrometers to measure accurately). Unless needed to retain some desired consistency, texture, etc., such as preventing everything from degrading to powder, is there any reason or need for any water/humidity in the starting material (why not totally dry?).

 

[JP1]

So just normal post dry/cure 'dryness' level is good enough.

I presume any/all water is an impurity and undesired in any type of concentrate? I had read instructions for a large commercial sifting unit that recommended 5-10% rH sifting material (likely too low for our cheap hygrometers to measure accurately). Unless needed to retain some desired consistency, texture, etc., such as preventing everything from degrading to powder, is there any reason or need for any water/humidity in the starting material (why not totally dry?).

If it's super dry tiny pieces of leaves will break off and make it into your hash. You want just the trichome heads as little plant material as possible in there. Too much plant material in the hash will keep it from sticking together and it'll burn harsher

 

[BII]

If it's super dry tiny pieces of leaves will break off and make it into your hash. You want just the trichome heads as little plant material as possible in there. Too much plant material in the hash will keep it from sticking together and it'll burn harsher

For those interested, I just purchased a relatively cheap tumbler-type dry sifting machine, PollenExtractor®, the base model with nylon screens, and all 5 screens. See www.pollenextractor.com/. This unit is nearly all "printed" plastic parts; and small enough, runs off a DC adapter and made such that the tumbling can be done within a standard home freezer.

 

[JP1]

For those interested, I just purchased a relatively cheap tumbler-type dry sifting machine, PollenExtractor®, the base model with nylon screens, and all 5 screens. See www.pollenextractor.com/. This unit is nearly all "printed" plastic parts; and small enough, runs off a DC adapter and made such that the tumbling can be done within a standard home freezer.

That thing looks pretty cool. Let me know how it works

 

[BII]

That thing looks pretty cool. Let me know how it works

The PollenExtractor works well for small quantities. I had problems running it within an older freezer that apparently wasn't frost-free enough, with material getting damp. I didn't like the sifting taking days, generally letting the machine run each batch (screen size) overnight or a full day vs. getting final product more in real time, potentially in one session, if doing manual screening; and didn't like that I wasn't learning any skills, developing any hand-on expertise.

For much the same price, I just bought a set of set of 4 good-sized aluminum-framed silk screen type screens, and plan to learn to use them.