Quick Wash Ethanol, also know as QWET is one of the techniques commonly employed to extract oil from cannabis.
Here is skunk pharm’s QWET formula to produce an absolute using a 3 minute quick wash.
As most of our extracted oil goes into oral meds, we also decarboxylate ours. This process is based on the 252F curve shown in the attached graph.
The first question is why use a quick wash technique to extract the resins, instead of long soaks to extract as much resin as possible, or just boiling the material in alcohol to get the greatest amount of extracted material?
The answer to that is that because alcohol is a polar solvent that is soluble in water, the latter two techniques also extract the water solubles like chlorophyll and plant alkaloids, as well as the plant waxes and vegetable oil.
Even quick wash does to a lesser degree, but the added steps that we include here minimize pickup even further and we take additional steps to remove the impurities that we do pick up.
The first wash will usually extract 75 to 80%, leaving the balance for the second. The second extraction will be more sedative and less heady. If you use a hand microscope, you can easily see when the trichome heads are gone and the stalks look like wet fur.
You can also use the material for other extraction methods after it has dried. I have subsequently used BHO after the first QWET wash that yielded 16% oil by weight, and got 5% more pristine oil, or about 21.6% total.
A cured material QWET absolute is one of the most aromatic and tasty of the extraction methods and consistently gets high raves from the volunteer test panels, as well as the patients and students. Both from an efficacy, as well as a flavor standpoint.
The first step in the process is to get as much water as possible out of the material.
A fresh material QWET is possible, but this procedure is specifically for material that has been cured to about 15% water content, which is typical of cured material. 15% is a lot of water and the alcohol already has 5% in it, so unless we reduce the water content even further, we will be extracting a lot of water solubles.
We dry our cured material even further by spreading it on a cookie sheet and baking it in a 200F oven until just frangible when rolled between the finger and thumb.
If the material is prime bud, we break it up loosely by hand and extract from trim as is.
We never, ever, use a blender or coffee grinder to reduce material, because it produces a lot of ultra fine powder that makes it through conventional filters.
Next, while it is still warm, we seal the material in a jar, which we place in the freezer to tie up any remaining water as ice. We also put the 190 proof grain alcohol in the freezer.
When they have both stabilized at about 0F, pour the alcohol into the jar of plant material, so that it is at least an inch above the material, and shake it gently a few times to make sure everything is wet. Place back in the freezer.
Remove and gently shake twice more until the material has soaked for 3 minutes, and then dump it through a wire strainer to drain quickly. We set the strainer atop a fine mesh stainless French Chinoise strainer, or a stainless coffee filter can be used. Don’t press on the material to extract more, but just let it drain.
Set the material aside to dry for a second extraction. We usually keep the two extractions separate, as they will have different properties, as does the third extraction using water.
After refreezing, the second extraction is done like the first, but when it is drained this time, the material is returned to the jar, which is then refilled with water and set aside.
Filter the extracted liquid.
We use either a #1 lab filter with a vacuum assist, or a simple coffee filter to further filter the solution, depending on the quantity we are processing.
Place that filtered liquid in a suitable container and set that container in an oil bath heated to 250F. We use bain marie and other stainless ware from a restaurant supply or a still, so as to recover the alcohol.
Make sure that the container is sitting on something that suspends it up off the bottom of the oil pot. I throw four jar lids in the bottom of my electric fondue pot and use it for that purpose.
Never trust the numbers on the dial and use a good thermometer to set temperatures. We use either a mercury lab thermometer, or a digital one. Good temperature control is key to the process.
That means the device that you use to control the oil temperature must have a narrow dead band, so that the temperature control is stable.
We paid about $60 for a Quisinart fondue pot that was designed to heat sensitive sauces like chocolate and has excellent control throughout its temperature range. We also have a couple of Revels, that are slightly larger and work well, plus cost only about $30, though they have a slightly larger dead band.
Some fry cookers have sensitive enough controls, but many deep fryers designed to primarily run at 375F, lack control sensitivity and have large dead bands at 250F.
Either boil or distill off the alcohol until the liquid is reduced to a pool of oil, with no large solvent bubbles.
The oil is useable at this point, but to make an even more pristine extraction out of it, we wash it out of the pot with at least ten volumes of alcohol and using a funnel, pour that liquid into a jar or bottle, seal it, and place that in the freezer.
If you leave it for 48 hours or so at -18C/0F, the liquid will lose its clarity and become slightly cloudy, primarily from plant waxes flocculating out.
Filter that liquid one more time, and you will have a bell clear extract, that is ready to reduce down one more time.
We suck it out of the container using a 60ml syringe, and then filter it to 0.2 microns using a PTFE syringe filter, but a coffee filter or a #1 lab filter may be used..
Place in a suitable container for return to the oil bath and this time cook it until there are not only no large alcohol bubbles, but the production of small CO2 bubbles along the edge dramatically slows down, even when stirred with a bamboo skewer.
Since you have much less material, a smaller one may be used. At this point we put them in small stainless cups with their tare engraved on their sides or a Pyrex beaker. The smaller container reduces the surface area that will be coated with oil when we cook it down the last time and knowing the cups tare weight allows me to take it directly from the oil bath and place it on a scale after simply wiping the exterior.
Since we know the tare, we then know the extracted weight, and exactly how much other ingredients to add. Once adding those ingredients, we place the cup back in the oil bath, where we stir it until well mixed and then decant into its final container.
Since the added ingredients include things that lower the cannabis oils viscosity, very little is left as a film in that container.
If we plan to use the oil as is, without adding any other ingredients, we extract it from the container using the syringe, or a pipette, so as to not leave a streak of material in the vessel. After we have extracted all that I can using a syringe or pipette, we wash the container and pipette out with hot alcohol, and save the wash for the next run. Nothing is wasted or left behind.
In that vein, as a final step, and for a different product, we strain the water from the plant material, the same way we did the alcohol and cook it off exactly the same way. When the water is cooked off, we redissolve the remaining oleoresin in hot alcohol, and place it in the freezer for a couple of days, before filtering it. This time there will also be red waxy globs of insoluble material collected in the bottom of the jar.
Cook off the alcohol, and it produces an oil that is more sedative that either of the first two extractions.
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Posted by P77 on May 18, 2013 at 6:52 PM
I use Absolute Alch.(99.8% pure) for QWET – any differences I should be aware of in technique versus using alch. with more H2O?
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on May 20, 2013 at 7:21 AM
Nope, it works the same!
Posted by Liam Morgan on May 9, 2013 at 3:12 PM
What are some potential drawbacks to having material for qwet extraction freezing for periods of time significantly beyond them being sufficiently frozen? Like say a month or more for instance. How will this kind of procrastination negatively effect my end result if at all?
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on May 10, 2013 at 5:55 AM
Shouldn’t be a problem. Frozen material keeps well.
Posted by Sebastian on May 7, 2013 at 11:26 AM
That’s wats up good sheit mayne!
Posted by Sebastian on May 6, 2013 at 4:20 AM
Hey bros i have questions.i hAve been purgin my qwet past a shatter consistency 2 a budder right,but sometimes it doesn’t budder.now I was thinking this was either cuz I heat it too much sometimes like 170 180 and sum times when it does budder think its proly like 140 160 max or its the quality of the starting product that sometimes makes it budder?also I find when I do this I get better flavor from budder why?shouldn’t more heat after shatter make it less flavor full cuz it’s decarbed more? these are the questions that haunt me at night lol
===~O <—–bong lol appreciate all knowledge bros 
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on May 7, 2013 at 9:32 AM
140/160F is hot enough to decarboxylate the oil and is hotter than we go when we are trying to wax up shatter.
There is no question that the oil loses the lighter terpenes with continued heating and vacuuming, or it wouldn’t stink up the vacuum pump oil, so my best guess is that it is a matter of more surface area exposed to cast off terpenes.
Posted by Sebastian on May 7, 2013 at 9:48 AM
Yea fer sure I then need 2 lower my heat to the 115 u mentioned then.but then I wouldn’t feel comfortable runin more than a quarter oz per pan cus it would take 4 ever to wax up do u think a vac purge would be more efficient for large runs?!?and I do prefer wax ur totally right light terpenes should be fucked but I think it does release more aromas and flavors cuz ur purgin off excess moisture.
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on May 7, 2013 at 10:32 AM
Vacuum purging will help even large runs, but really shines for retaining the lighter terpenes, when you do it in thin films under 1/16″. You are able to quickly remove the solvent, and then stop vacuuming.
Thin films with large runs, just means you need more surface area.
Posted by Sebastian on May 7, 2013 at 10:48 AM
So I would Need a large vacuum chamber.and will a pump be significantly faster to wax with large runs than usin a griddle or hot plate?usin thin films of course
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on May 7, 2013 at 11:10 AM
The size or number of chambers would be driven by how much you needed to process in a thin film at a given time. It is a matter of surface area.
So far none of the griddles or hot plates that we tried would reliably control in the 85F/115F range, where terpene and carboxylic acid retention is best.
We are currently experimenting with reptile cage heating mats, controlled with a light dimmer switch, and it looks promising. More on that once we conclude our experiments,
Posted by Liam Morgan on April 12, 2013 at 10:54 PM
Can a qwet extraction be purged under vacuum in essentially the same way as a bho? I have some super frosty trimmings i have toasted and frozen according to the steps outlined above, awaiting extraction. I intend to use the extracted oil solely for vaporization so Im wondering what is in the middle of the best and most cost effective way to evaporate and purge the ethanol while retaining the highest terpene content and decarbing as little as possible
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on April 13, 2013 at 5:27 AM
Yes you can purge QWET under vacuum and that is how we do it to retain the most terpenes. We purge in thin films at 115F and -29.9″ Hg.
Posted by Liam Morgan on April 13, 2013 at 6:24 PM
Do you know of anywhere solid info on how to build a diy vac chamber might be found for this purpose?
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on April 15, 2013 at 9:02 AM
No, but you can easily make one out of a 22 quart pressure cooker and a 1″ sheet of Lexan for the lid. Use a Viton gasket, which Paramount Supply can cut for you, as can Gaskets Unlimited.
You can drill and tap the Lexan for the plumbing, or better yet, weld a nipple on the pot itself, to preserve the intregity of the Lexan.
Posted by UnblemishedMind on April 10, 2013 at 4:35 AM
Excellent website, thank you so much for this information!
A question regarding QWET, kif, and saturation point for 190 proof alcohol.
“pour the alcohol into the jar of plant material, so that it is at least an inch above the material”
If using kif, does more alcohol need to be added than ‘an inch above the material’? Can you please advise about saturation points for kif so I can make this oil using the least amount of starting alcohol possible?
For cost, and evaporation issues, wondering what is the ratio for the most efficient amount of alcohol. Not to waste any 190 proof, but also not to lose any potency by unknowingly reaching saturation point when using kif. I will do the 2nd and 3rd wash technique to maximise extraction, but for a starting point, and efficiency how much 190 proof to start with would you advise?
(I am not set up yet for re-caputuring the evaporated alcohol at this time, and for heath reasons want to make the oil as soon as possible)
Many thanks, keep up the good work!
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on April 11, 2013 at 10:43 AM
Kif does have a higher resin content, so it would take more alcohol to dissolve it, than it would for the same volume of plant material. I would suggest starting at 5X and experimenting from there.
Posted by sageplant on April 6, 2013 at 11:16 PM
was almost ready to make RSO, but keep hesitating on the naphtha. In Ca, so cant get the light stuff,can get iso. I see the qwet method , but not sure if its over my head . Is this the step you recomend to get a high quaility oil for medicine? Thanks
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on April 7, 2013 at 7:11 AM
QWET can most definitely produce high quality oil for medicine and is one of the methods that I recommend.
Posted by CALumi on April 8, 2013 at 5:13 PM
Hey GF, I have gotten a lot of your help on the BHO forum. I wanted to attempt to make QWET using your technique however, somewhere down the line someone said QWET works best with kief. Not knowing what I know now, I took about 2 fluid ounces of ethanol and I added 2 grams of kief. I then threw it in the freezer and it has been sitting there for some time. I was wondering since I have more kief and I have some frosty flowers. Should I place the flowers in the freezer and then into the container that has the ethanol and the kief in it? Then follow the recipe on your page or should I not worry about messing with the flowers and just use the kief? I place in a double boiler an allow the ethanol to reach boiling point, then cool down? Will I be using a thin film to purge anything or can I just deacrb the kief in the ethanol and then pour onto a large surface area and dry?
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on April 11, 2013 at 7:45 AM
I would run the kif and flowers separately. You can soak kif for a long time in ethanol, but soaking the flowers will pick up excessive chlorophyll. They work better with a quick wash technique.
Boiling off the alcohol at 173F will partially decarboxylate the oil and make it less viscous. Cold boiling the oil away at 115F under vacuum will avoid the decarboxylation and produce shatter.
You can naturally evaporate away the alcohol with a fan at ambient temperatures, but will have to use some heat at the end to do the final purge.
Posted by cheeba_amiba on April 13, 2013 at 8:00 AM
How much heat? I usually just set it on top of an electric stove top on low, but recently got a slick pad and wanna start using my electric pancake griddle and don’t know if it will go low enough.
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on April 15, 2013 at 9:07 AM
We use 115F under -29.9 Hg, or 125/140F at atmosphere to get shatter, or 250F if also decarboxylating,
Posted by poplars on April 3, 2013 at 4:41 PM
is it viable to do the 2nd wash with water to collect everything? (to save ethanol) or would that be inefficient? *starts 3 min wash now.*
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on April 4, 2013 at 6:36 AM
The resin won’t dissolve in water, so you still need the alcohol to dissolve it first, so that the water can convey it with the alcohol.
Posted by poplars on April 4, 2013 at 7:59 AM
ok thank you very much!!
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on April 5, 2013 at 7:08 AM
You’re welcome!
Posted by Nick on April 1, 2013 at 8:50 AM
>> the material is returned to the jar, which is then refilled with water and set aside
Am I understanding correctly that your last wash is with water? Does this actually get any THC?
Would it be possible to pre-wash with water to remove some of the gunk, then dry/decarb, and then do the extraction?
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on April 2, 2013 at 9:46 AM
It is actually amazing what the water pulls on the last extraction, but it is because it absorbs the remaining alcohol, which is holding the oil.
Prewashing with water will remove some water solubles, but also trichomes.
Posted by Iso Extractions by _oakley_ - Page 40 on April 1, 2013 at 5:13 AM
[...] http://skunkpharmresearch.com/qwet-extraction/ Reply With [...]
Posted by kannamed on March 11, 2013 at 6:43 AM
Hi GW,
I made a QWET extraction this weekend using an electric fondue pot for the first time (I’ve always used a rice cooker before). In the process several questions arose which I would like throw at you.
I noticed that no matter how hot the temperature of the oil in the fondue pot was (250°F or above), the filtered ethanol never got above 172.4°F (ethanol’s boiling point).
Does the surface contact temperature between the container that holds the filtered alcohol and the oil in the fondue pot while the ethanol is being boiled off affect the final outcome of the oil in any way?
Since decarboxylation takes place at 250°F and the ethanol never gets above 172.4°, would it be correct to assume that any temperature can be used for boiling off the ethanol (250°F or above), and that the 250°F temperature only becomes of relevance once the large alcohol bubbles have disappeared, and when the smaller CO2 release bubbles are left?
Isn’t it only until we have gotten rid of the solvent and during the final small CO2 release bubbling process that we can reach the 250°F temperature of the final liquid oil for proper decarboxylation to take place?
Is it safe to finish off the oil in the fondue pot, or is it best to move it to a cup warmer for the final stage?
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on March 11, 2013 at 9:15 AM
Hi, all good questions!
You must be relatively close to sea level, because of your alcohols boiling point. Tis true, as long as alcohol is present in any quantity, the boiling temperature won’t exceed the boiling point of alcohol by much at atmospheric pressure.
It will rise slightly toward the end as it evaporates away any azeotropes with the alcohol, and then will again move up to the temperature of the next boiling point constituent. That technique is used in fractional distillation.
We always finish our oil to be used for oral or topicals in the fondue pot, but sometimes process oil in a vacuum chamber when making it specifically for vaporizing, to reduce the heat required, and thus end up with more of the end product in carboxylic acid form (shatter), with more retained terpenes.
If you want the oil decarboxylated, a cup warmer doesn’t get hot enough to optimize THC content. Check out the decarboxylation curves at the attached link, which show that at the lower temperatures, the rate that THC is converted to CBN is close to the rate that THCA is converted to THC.
http://skunkpharmresearch.com/decarboxylation/
Posted by kannamed on February 12, 2013 at 12:08 PM
Great! Thanks for the explanation and the HAO and HS page link. I’ve got my homework cut out for me. It’s always exciting to learn and apply new concepts. Aromatic tasting oil and holy? It can’t get any better than that! I appreciate your answer GW.
Posted by kannamed on February 12, 2013 at 6:40 AM
Hi GW,
Thanks for your ongoing research and for sharing your acquired knowledge with all of us. I’ve learned a lot by surfing up, down and all around your Skunk Pharm Research website. My favorite extraction is the QWET method. Reading through this page, I find a comment that I don’t understand and would like for you to explain: “Since we know the tare, we then know the extracted weight, and exactly how much other ingredients to add.” When you refer to other ingredients to add, which other ingredients are you referring to and why would you add these ingredients?
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on February 12, 2013 at 10:57 AM
I was refering to when we make oral or topical medications out of the oil by adding things like coconut oi, cinnamon, myrrh, Emu Oil, etc.
Check out http://skunkpharmresearch.com/holy-anointing-oil-and-holy-shit/
GW
Posted by Liam on February 7, 2013 at 2:29 PM
when you mention adding additional ingredients to lower the oils viscosity during the final reduction after freezing, Is there any reason you couldn’t skip this step and just reduce it down as is? It would be more difficult to remove everything from the vessel then of course, but is there any reason you must add any of these ingredients?
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on February 9, 2013 at 8:04 PM
No, as long as you can remove the oil, it is usable as is.
GW
Posted by sppete13 on February 7, 2013 at 10:05 AM
Thanx I assumed the same thing except I had the jar in the freezer….
HAIL GRAYWOLF AND THE SKUNKPHARMA TEAM
I also want to come to your class at the end of the month…. Can you possibly send a link to travel info? Hotels and the place to get the Oregon medical card? I want to be able to sample your tasty meds!
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on February 7, 2013 at 11:15 AM
We like the Monarch Hotel at http://www.monarchhotel.cc/ If you mention that you are a Skunk Pharm Research patient or student, they have agreed to give you their low winter rates year around.
For OMMP cards, heres some data:
The question frequently arises, about how to get an OMMP card, and the best solution that we’ve found is to send your medical records to the Portland Alternative Clinic for their doctor’s pre-review, and then set up an appointment for an exam.
If justified, they will sign the required physicians statement and all that remains is filling out the OMMP paperwork, attaching $200, walking across the street to the main post office, and sending it by certified mail to OMMP in Salem.
Once you have the certified mail receipt in your hand, you are legal to use cannabis products in Oregon, and the state will follow up with cards and other paperwork.
Their contact information is:
Portland Alternative Clinic, Inc.
816 NW Hoyt Street
Portland, OR 97209
Phone: (503) 477-5643 Fax: 503-200-1147
Email: staff@portlandalternativeclinic.com
Dr. Camacho Is Available Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
The Medical Marijuana Clinic in Portland Oregon – Se Habla Español
http://portlandalternativeclinic.com/
OMMP Program information at:
http://public.health.oregon.gov/DiseasesConditions/ChronicDisease/medicalmarijuanaprogram/Pages/index.aspx
GW
Posted by Sppete13 on February 6, 2013 at 8:47 PM
Hail Skunkpharm! Thanks for all you do… I learned SOoooooooooo much from this site and want to express my gratitude…
I do have another question though… If I wanted to do the QWET method with an oz of Kief would my soak times be different? is there anything else I should take into consideration when using straight kief?
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on February 7, 2013 at 9:17 AM
Yes, there is no need to freeze anything starting with kif and you can use long soaks. I would mix them in a jar and periodically shake until dissolved.
If it is to be later carboxylated, you can boil the kif in alcohol for thirty minutes and do the same thing.
Don’t be fooled by how much of the kif doesn’t dissolve, as there is actually still cellulose in the stalks and hairs. You can always rewash the filtrate in fresh alcohol, if you suspect you are leaving some behind, and can tell for sure by microscopic examination for intact heads.
Posted by Sppete13 on February 8, 2013 at 6:54 PM
So I did a test run with a smaller amount after putting thru 2 coffee filters and a 37 micron screen… the liquid stayed green. I then Set up a pot with not quite boiling water (175 – 180 on my therm) until I had only oil left, I then made that oil as this as a layer as I could with a scraper, then i put it back on the beat in the thin sheen for about 20 minutes, taking my heat gun quickly over the top to pop bubbles as we went.
Unfortunately the result is an almost black goo that is very hard to work with. It tastes ok and has a good heady buzz, but Im looking for my finished to be less dark,,, any suggestions?
Posted by Sppete13 on February 8, 2013 at 6:56 PM
sorry for the typos
Made that oil as thin as I could
Then back on the Heat
the pyrex was above the water only getting the steam
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on February 9, 2013 at 7:46 PM
Black goo suggest chlorophyll. What temperature was the material and alcohol at and how long a soak?
GW
Posted by Sppete13 on February 10, 2013 at 1:48 AM
So the Soak was overnight at room temp…. then filtered then purged at 175 degrees
Posted by C on March 7, 2013 at 9:40 PM
I do a soak of just plain dry sieve trichromes like this. It usually yields about 1/4 to 1/3 the original and when we had the dreck left over tested it was about 2 percent thc left in it after 3 or 4 everclear washes of adding everclear to the trichrome jar and shaking it until the everclear turns from a purple red/first run to a dirty orange brown/last run. If a person is reclaiming the everclear you could prolly wash it till it came out clear but if you r just evaporating it off the cost /effect of anymore THC is not worth the effort. I just made some using your info on lower temps and it actually turned into a form of shatter even without vac purging the alcohol. Took forever to evaporate the last few bits of alcohol in front of a lam filter system. looking to get a vac chamber going to make the process more efficient. Would either of these cheaper pumps pull enough of a vac using a 22 qt pressure cooker as the vac chamber. I know the robinair is the unit of choice but $ are scarce. http://www.harborfreight.com/two-stage-3-cfm-air-vacuum-pump-66466.html or http://www.harborfreight.com/25-cfm-vacuum-pump-98076.html Any words on the subject as in experiences with these units. I figure someone prolly has already tried em out. In other forums I hear good results except from one guy who couldn’t get it to pressure for him. I figure if I could use a cheaper one at first I could always upgrade if I ever could afford to.
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on March 9, 2013 at 2:33 PM
The Harbor Freight unit has the capacity to do the job, but I have no personal experience with them. I can tell you that I have heard of any number of folks using them on various forums, mostly successfully.
I have heard of failures, but no details of how they were being used, or actual hours run time, or maintenance, etc.
One local one that went through several in a row cold boiling without a cold trap, or changing the diluted oil after an unprotected run, to save the bearings and seals. He ran them almost around the clock to process products for a coop
If I were in a funds challenged position, I would certainly be tempted by one, but would use a cold trap in front of it for boiling off any quantity of alcohol.
Posted by C on March 11, 2013 at 10:37 AM
thanx ! I know it’s only a 70 $ difference but for us that is HUGE right now. I’ll only be using the unit for last end processing for the most part but I remember how you told me to set up the cold trap if I should go for heavy solvent loads. My idea is to slowly evaporate the hexane outside with a fan at 125 F max and then use the vac chamber to handle the rest of it. Then proceed with winterizing and then repurgeing with the chamber for a final finish up. How dangerous is it to use quart mason jars as a cold trap? any better containers readily available you would consider safer as in holding the pressure load without breaking? Thanks again and yes skunk pharm is the best at sharing info in a clear way.!!!
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on March 12, 2013 at 10:56 AM
Quart Mason jars are pushing it, but if you cover the jar and ice bath with a towel and it implodes, not much will be hurt. A better deal would be a vacuum flask from American Scientific or off e-bay.
Posted by Mike Goin on February 2, 2013 at 11:15 AM
I am curious. You say a good portion of your oils are used for oral use. Do you use the oils is cooking/baking? If so what is your process to convert the oils for to be used cooking ie. butter/cooking oils?
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on February 4, 2013 at 7:41 AM
When I say orals and topicals, I am refering to oil concentrates, but we also extract with cooking oils and ghee. See our section on oil extraction at http://skunkpharmresearch.com/extracting-with-oils-and-fats/.
Having said that, cannabis essential oils will mix at any ratio hot, with most vegetable oils and animal fats, so if you have the concentrate, just mix it into the oil you are using for cooking. If the recipe uses 1/2 cup oil and makes six servings, mix 100 mg per serving of oil (600 mg) with 1/2 cup of oil and use that in the recipe.
Posted by Tincture from used ( ran) trim, and using flavored alcohol?? on January 28, 2013 at 3:49 PM
[...] soak, before separating the alcohol and the plant material. Here is a link to our QWET procedure: http://skunkpharmresearch.com/qwet-extraction/ You can use multiple soaks with the same alcohol to concentrate, or you can reduce down the [...]
Posted by Dr teeth on January 16, 2013 at 9:53 PM
I keep reading throughout your site that you freeze your alcohol washes at 0f; what device are you using to achieve such a low temperature?
Posted by Dr teeth on January 16, 2013 at 9:56 PM
Sorry to add on something. Does 151 ethanol work as a wash or is there simply to much water?
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on January 17, 2013 at 7:38 AM
Too much water for a quality extract, without water solubles and chlorophyll.
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on January 17, 2013 at 6:47 AM
The average home freezer should be -4F.
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on January 17, 2013 at 7:37 AM
We use a modern chest freezer, set on max.
Posted by Will on January 15, 2013 at 2:40 PM
It sounds like the panels of judges like QWISO and QWET equally – was/is there a preference between the two? I can imagine both processes should result in almost the same flavor profile and there should be almost no residual solvent if evaporated properly. However, if the solvent wasnt fully evaporated which would be safer? I would assume that ET would be less noticeable flavor wise.
Posted by Will on January 15, 2013 at 2:58 PM
After reading the comments in the QWISO article, I’ve come to the conclusion that ET is the superior solvent as far as safety, water solubility and flavor.
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on January 16, 2013 at 6:01 AM
Both are effective tools in the tool box, but I think it is fair to say that EtOh is safer and more forgiving to extract with. I personally like the taste of its extracts better, but not everyone on our panels shared that opinion, so that is probably a matter of taste.
The biggest problems with EtOh are its costs, after liquor taxes and limited availability in 190 proof some places.
Posted by Nick on April 1, 2013 at 8:45 AM
To save money, I’d like to do the first wash with 90% iso alcohol and then redesolve and freeze in ethel alcohol (Everclear). Will that significantly compromise the end result?
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on April 2, 2013 at 9:44 AM
I would recommend using 99% Iso, instead of the 91%.
You can clean up an Iso some with ethanol, but it doesn’t change the end result substantially, as they are both polar.
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on January 16, 2013 at 5:47 AM
Actually more folks liked the QWET taste better and it is less noticeable from a flavor stand point if under purged, as Isopropyl is a pungent alcohol. Far more pungent that even the Propyl alcohol that it is an isomer of.
The effects are similar, but I personally find the flavors smoother and more subtle with EtOh, when vaporized.
Posted by Evaporating Green Dragon: Everclear Hash - Page 3 on January 13, 2013 at 1:30 PM
[...] hand, and we freeze the material and chill the 190 proof to -18C/0F before using a 3 minute soak. http://skunkpharmresearch.com/qwet-extraction/ When the oil is going into an oral, we do a final purge and decarboxylate in a 250F hot oil bath. [...]
Posted by tommymcgreen on December 29, 2012 at 9:32 AM
Skunkpharm how can I get some of this QWET I told you where I’m @ help a bradah out. You will be rewarded.
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on December 29, 2012 at 1:13 PM
Hi Tommy, I sent you an e-mail to the address you provided, saying that our Oregon OMMP cards only permit us to provide cannabis products to OMMP cardholders here in Oregon and if you can make it here, we will help you get registered and provide you with free meds to try.
As an alternative, I can provide support from here, on how to extract and formulate it yourself.
I’ve been told that http://www.winechateau.com/sku1004371.html will ship 190 proof Everclear anywhere in the US, if you lack local sources.
Posted by tommymcgreen on December 29, 2012 at 8:26 AM
now five or six days in. I could still use qwet. I also had a question about using a bel-art vacuum dessicator. What pump is the most affordable but still has 2 stages and pulls a true vacuum?
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on December 29, 2012 at 8:43 AM
You don’t really need a two stage pump, a single stage will pull under 100 microns, which is low enough.
Not really sure who makes the best two stage pump, but the Robinair works well.
Posted by tommymcgreen on December 27, 2012 at 1:44 PM
I would like to learn how to doa qwet extraction but I am already 3 days into an opiate detox. The plant waxes from this FINE quality vac purged jilly bean oil nor the girl scout cookies is cutting it. I would love to exchange for some rick simpson made this way or some sort of edible hash
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on December 28, 2012 at 5:07 AM
Where are you located Tommy?
Posted by tommymcgreen on December 27, 2012 at 1:42 PM
want to do a qwet extraction for opiate detox. I am already 3 days in but only know hot to do a butane extraction. willing to trade
Posted by bigstevo on November 20, 2012 at 5:27 AM
How do you consumer the finished product, can you drop it under your tongue like a tincture?
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on November 21, 2012 at 5:29 AM
Hi Bigstevo! Is dat chew? I haven’t seen you since the Supreme Court!
Yes, we supply it mostly as a sublingual. The recipes and procedures are as follows:http://skunkpharmresearch.com/holy-anointing-oil-and-holy-shit/
If you are still in the area and want to sample some for effect, give me a call and you can try ours, or we can mix up some of your oil for you to try.
GW
Posted by bigstevo on November 21, 2012 at 7:03 AM
Sorry GW I think you may have confused me with someone else.
Hope you catch up with your friend soon though.
So if I understand you correctly, I could follow the above recipe for QWET and consume it sublingual? would I need to leave some alcohol in it, to keep it a runny consistency so it could be administered via a dropper?
Thanks for your help/
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on November 23, 2012 at 4:48 AM
No problem, our Bigstevo is loved and respected locally, so it starts you off on a good foot!
If you follow the QWET recipe, decarboxylate it, and then turn it into Holy Shit, or Holy Anointing Oil Oral, it will work sublingually through a standard dropper bottle.
http://skunkpharmresearch.com/decarboxylation/
http://skunkpharmresearch.com/holy-anointing-oil-and-holy-shit/
Posted by Tom S on October 16, 2012 at 7:52 PM
God bless you for putting all this great knowlege in a blog!
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on October 17, 2012 at 5:22 AM
Ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
GW
Posted by The new BHO discussion thread - Page 38 - Grasscity.com Forums on August 31, 2012 at 8:49 AM
[...] [...]
Posted by teddyshead on April 23, 2012 at 3:29 AM
lovely jubbly ,,,
Posted by Skunk Pharm Research,LLC on April 23, 2012 at 4:02 AM
Thanks brother TH!
Posted by Isopropyl/Isopropanol Extractions By Oakley1984 - Page 2 - THCfarmer on March 9, 2012 at 4:28 AM
[...] out both of these threads. I added the bho thread, because it goes into more detail about purging. http://skunkpharmresearch.com/qwet-extraction/ http://skunkpharmresearch.com/bho-extraction/ __________________ Posse ad Esse. From [...]