Extraction EQ's Journey to Press and Dab!

[bakEQuatorial]

I have at least 2 more months of non growing to go. I have seen myself get too lazy these past 2 months.

Work aside, I need some recreational aka personal projects to keep me sane and healthy.

Now that I've grown some and pretty confident that I can keep it going, its finally time to venture into the next step. I've been delaying my venture into rosin pressing and dabbing for a while now. Mainly due to fear of my ever growing tolerance. Cost is also another factor.

Come to think of it, my only other planned purchase for the year will be seeds. Even that can be delayed till next year as I got more than enough. So why not start this project now and share my process with my dear AFNers?!!

First off, the PRESS!
Buying a fully auto top of the line model with 20 ton pressure and ability to increase force while in operation, is actually not that expensive, if you get them direct. But such a unit is close to 100 kilograms! Shipping it will cost more than buying it from China. Also, such a 100kg pre built unit is too heavy to move a floor or two, or anywhere! What if shit breaks etc?

So I went the DIY route. The cheapest 20 ton shop press with pressure gauge I can find is around $325 shipped to my door. Although 90++kgs, it comes in parts that I can individually move to my desired location, for assembly. Pretty happy with the price. Cheaply made in china, just the way I like it!

Next, I'll need the plates (Will get 4×7 and 3×5 plates), controller, heating rods, screws, filter bags and pre press mold that I can get from China, all from ONE supplier which is great! Cost will be below $300 (everything!) shipped but you gotta get them direct from factory. I have 2pcs of 22cm ish rigs that are perfect. Not to mention parchment paper and I'll be all good for pressing.

The 20 ton press can give up to 40k pounds of pressure. Most plates will do just fine and have more than enough psi. I chose the popular 4×7 for bigger runs and the classic 3×5 for smaller presses. Mainly to see which one i like better? The other one will be backup plates.

So around $600 for a 20 ton hydraulic manual press with both 4×7 and 3×5 plates and rods. All complete with PID controller! Best part is, everything can be replaced with ease. A similar press can sell up to more than 10x this price, in the US!

Next, will be DABBING!
For this, I will be going two routes. First is a portable enail by the name of TC Port. It has stellar reviews and comes with 4 types of chambers (Carbide, Ti, Quartz, Ceramic). Has removable battery and attached rig. Getting them direct costs less than $50 per full kit. They retail easily at $150. I had to get two kits to enjoy this price but heck yeah! I even added two extra rigs to the purchase, just in case.

I also wanted to see what the fuss is all about with those PID controlled desktop enail kits. One that would utilize the two male rigs I have. I went with the Tick Enail kit, as I was also able to get them for less than $50 but at 2 sets. Similarly, they also easily retail at $150. This kit is exactly the same as any other enail kit with PID. Only difference is a smaller controller that is oval shaped and auto shut off feature.

The Tick enail kit comes with a Hybrid Ti nail with Quartz dish. Claims to be best of both worlds. The replacement dish is hard to find and retails at almost $30 per piece at some places. I found a 10 pack at less than $15 so why not? Also grabbed a pair of universal Quartz nails or bangers as some like to call it. Might get a pair of pure Ti nails just to complete the collection. Quartz or Ti, they cost less than $10 each!

So for less than $300 shipped, I get 2 sets each of TC Port (Portable enail) and Tick Enail (PID Controlled Desktop Enail). Not to mention extra pair of TC Port 510 rigs, extra pair of Quartz and Titanium nails along with 10pcs of replacement quartz dish for Hybrid Ti/ Quartz nail.

In total, I'm looking at less than USD900 for a top of the line 20 ton hydraulic rosin press with plate options + multiple portable/ desktop enail kits with various addons and backup parts.

By selling the extra kits and nails/dishes I have, I can easily get half of my investment back. However, that is not a feasible option for me due to security. I'll just hang on to them.

Just tells you how much profits these retailers are making!

I have all these purchases planned out but bought nothing yet. Any advice is much appreciated.

Will update when I got more....

 

[Dudeski]

This good? Someone else moved it

 

[bakEQuatorial]

This good? Someone else moved it

I think it was good all along. I thought there was an Extraction and Processing section, and another one for vendors. I thought I was in the vendor's section. Turns out there is only one section so its all good.

 

[bakEQuatorial]

Are Caged press plates what I should get? Or the normal cageless ones?

Any recommendations for bags? Sizes?

Still reading....

 

[lunarman]

Are Caged press plates what I should get? Or the normal cageless ones?

Any recommendations for bags? Sizes?

Still reading....

Have you checked out newvape? They have machined in the US plates. Very nice ones from entry level basic 3x5 to pretty high end ones. And all the other stuff too. Good controllers (sourced from Dabpress). Heaters. Etc. Good support too. Better than you'll get from a Chinese buy.

Caged are not necessary for an entry level setup. Caged doesn't really give you much. I have the basic open plates and pressed a lot and had no case where I wish I had caged plates.

What I would look for over caged plates is a 4 port controller and 4 heater cartridges and thermcouplers that has the feedback loop so the plates have better heat. If you get that its easy to set temp and forget about it. If you go for a basic setup you'll set the temp on the controllers to about 100 degrees F higher than the plate temp you want. Then you have to use a thermometer and measure plate temp (which is about 100F less than the controller setting) and adjust until you have your temp you want.

 

[lunarman]

are you using a glass piece with water with an enail for a desktop home dabbing rig? I've used a few portable units and have one but I find its harsh. I like using a glass water pipe with an enail and SI dish and a drop down. Easier on the throat/lungs. And you can use your press controller as your source for the dabbing rig. Saves you some cost. But sounds like you already have all our stuff now.

 

[bakEQuatorial]

Thanks so much for chiming in bro! I thought no one was interested and forgot bout this thread.

The enail setup has remained the same. Pretty much got myself both portable and desktop setups with lotsa accessories and different material nails. Definitely overbought.

The pressing setup has changed from what I originally wanted. I originally thought of getting a shop press locally with the plates and PID controller separate from China. However, I did not like how much space a 20 ton shop press would take. There aren't any desktop or bench version more than 4 tons available locally. Most factories have a long lead time for what I want as they just returned from the Chinese New Year holidays.

I just said screw it and purchased a ready made unit that has all I wanted except for plate size. Important part is that it is ready stock. I did not have to wait like 20 days or so for my customized DIY parts. Price is about the same. I decided to get that ready made unit to save space and ease of use.

The only downside for me is the 4.7×4.7 plate size. Would be better if it was more rectangular. Not a biggie as the price is great at $300++ shipped! According to the factory, its a 15ton capacity hydraulic manual rosin press with pressure gauge.

PID box can be moved as you please which is pretty cool as I can try tipping the press a little to see if its possible to help with directional flow.

Simple video but looks solid.

Should be receiving everything i bought plus lights etc in a few days! Can't wait!