Messed up drying bubble hash..again..left on strainer..have ‘1/2 melt’ stuck.

Well, messed up my 3rd try at bubble hash. This is getting frustrating! My husband is ready for me to go back to making ISO hash. I was having to make it every 4 days though, and it was getting tiresome. Can only make a small amount at a time. Anyway, bubble hash is easier to work with- not as sticky, by far! He also doesn’t use it, so any help he gives is all ’help’, and no reward , which is sweet of him, but I can only expect so much.

The first two times, I either did something wrong in the drying or my cannabis is too old (last year’s crop). I followed instructions from many videos, as well as help on another forum. I know it wasn’t mold. I pressed it with a hot, almost boiling water-filled rolling pin both times. It all seemed fine until I smoked it, and it tasted and smelled foul! My husband has to hide his nose . Thank goodness I only smoke it once, when I go to bed. I use it for sleep, and smoke .3 -.4gms Right before bed. Usually it’s .3but due to medication changes, i need extra due to not sleeping while I’m changing. Thank goodness for the hash! I have a LOT of pain.

SO, onward, This time, I used fresh frozen from my new crop. It looks good; nice and blonde. I used a different method to dry (from a video), and put it in the freezer for a couple of days, and tried to grate it on a micro plane. it seemed to be sticking too bad, even when I kept putting it back in the freezer (both he hash and the micro plane), so while it was in there, I watched another video (BIG mistake!), and watched a guy use a screen strainer with a spoon and it looked so easy, so I let the hash thaw and tried it….well, it was SO sticky. I had no idea it was going to be more ‘wet’ than before I put it in the freezer. I muddled through the 25 micron batch, but most of the 73 micron stuck to the screen. I left it on there for about 30 minutes while I figured the best way to get it off and it really stuck on there! It’s almost transparent; nearly looks melted (see photo).

Needless to say, I’m embarrassed, but I need some advice….what’s the best way to get this off and not mess it up?

My husband suggested
1. alcohol (I’m not sure how, but I know it would get it off) & turn it into ISO hash. I’d lose that nice flavor I know it could have. It smells really nice!

2. Smoke it right off the screen : thought about that, too, but I’m afraid it would all light up being flammable.

Any suggestions would be appreciated as always. If I could ever get this right, I’d be so happy. I have just enough for one more batch of fresh frozen. I don’t have a deep freeze and I’m through with harvest. It’s all dried and put away. So, I have one more try with it. But, would like to save this first.

thanks!

Toss the strainer in a ziplock, and freeze it for a few hours. Then you can take it out.. leaving it in the bag & beat it on a counter top or something ya don't love to knock it off the strainer. May not get it all 100%... but should get most of it.

HydroKid239 said:

Toss the strainer in a ziplock, and freeze it for a few hours. Then you can take it out.. leaving it in the bag & beat it on a counter top or something ya don't love to knock it off the strainer. May not get it all 100%... but should get most of it.

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Sounds like that’ll work! I’ll let you know.

I believe I already commented on your other thread. Try the dry ice method. You talk about easy cheesy. You'll never go back to the water and ice method.

Guitar Man said:

I believe I already commented on your other thread. Try the dry ice method. You talk about easy cheesy. You'll never go back to the water and ice method.

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Yes, thanks. I may get there. I have to find some place that has it around here. Who knows; it may be easier to find than I think it will.

Susanne said:

Yes, thanks. I may get there. I have to find some place that has it around here. Who knows; it may be easier to find than I think it will.

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Not sure where you live, but we have a Winco here that carries it. And any place that makes ice will sell it. Super easy to get and not expensive.

Guitar Man said:

Not sure where you live, but we have a Winco here that carries it. And any place that makes ice will sell it. Super easy to get and not expensive.

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Well, we don’t have Winco’s in Texas, but I’m sure they have it in more places than last time I tried, which was in 197something , when my brother was trying to fly some Blue Bell ice cream back to Colorado. Back when they didn’t make it anywhere except Texas….a Lonnnnng time ago ….I don’t get out much due to illness and I bet a few things have changed.

I’ll read up on the dry ice and have my husband (who does all the shopping for us) look around for some.

thanks

Here's what I've done to dry it without using a fridge/freezer just room temperature.

Before you lift the resin off the bag sit it on a tissue 1st to draw out excess water.
Then put it on your screen or drying surface and break it up roughly and leave at room temperature for 2-4hrs whatever then give it a rake again then a few hours more and repeat as required, once you have a dry reasonably fine dust pour it into a roasting bag and gently break any small lumps with your fingers tips, maybe I've bakers hands lol but it doesn't stick to the bag when I'm crushing/breaking it up.

Working clockwise...

The hash

Star Dog said:

Here's what I've done to dry it without using a fridge/freezer just room temperature.

Before you lift the resin off the bag sit it on a tissue 1st to draw out excess water.
Then put it on your screen or drying surface and break it up roughly and leave at room temperature for 2-4hrs whatever then give it a rake again then a few hours more and repeat as required, once you have a dry reasonably fine dust pour it into a roasting bag and gently break any small lumps with your fingers tips, maybe I've bakers hands lol but it doesn't stick to the bag when I'm crushing/breaking it up.
View attachment 5046557
Working clockwise...

The hash
View attachment 5046561

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Sounds like a good way to do it without getting it all over yourself .

What do you do to get it from the powdered/crushed up form to the solid? Do you melt it somehow? Looks really great.

And, while I’m asking, how do you store it after you finish?

thanks for your time.

Susanne said:

Sounds like a good way to do it without getting it all over yourself .

What do you do to get it from the powdered/crushed up form to the solid? Do you melt it somehow? Looks really great.

And, while I’m asking, how do you store it after you finish?

thanks for your time.

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I keep it in the oven bag and place the bag on the hot water tank for a couple minutes or so just enough to soften it, once soft enough I hand press it using the the bag itself, if it gets too sticky I put it in the fridge and it peels off cleanly after a minute or so.

I only heated it enough to press it but I did learn that you can go too far with heat and it turns to a sticky lump lol..

You'll see light specs on that piece left of the coin?
I put them on it so I could touch it without it sticking to me, for the meantime I want to be able to handle it I can always apply more heat at a later date.

I'm only finding my way, I'm not sure about long term storage but the freezer is likely to be the best place?
That's where I've got mine.

Cheers!

Star Dog said:

I keep it in the oven bag and place the bag on the hot water tank for a couple minutes or so just enough to soften it, once soft enough I hand press it using the the bag itself, if it gets too sticky I put it in the fridge and it peels off cleanly after a minute or so.

I only heated it enough to press it but I did learn that you can go too far with heat and it turns to a sticky lump lol..

You'll see light specs on that piece left of the coin?
I put them on it so I could touch it without it sticking to me, for the meantime I want to be able to handle it I can always apply more heat at a later date.

I'm only finding my way, I'm not sure about long term storage but the freezer is likely to be the best place?
That's where I've got mine.

Cheers!

Click to expand...

Good information. Thanks again.

I agree that you can’t go wring with the freezer. If i had enough room, I’d keep all my raw weed in foodsaver bags in the freezer to avoid the awful taste I had when I used the year-old stuff I’ve had to use…and will continue to for a long time. I’m growing it faster than I can use it. In 2019, I didn’t grow enough and it barely lasted until the 2020 crop came in, so I made sure I had enough last year ……and, thank goodness I did because there was a very odd problem this year with really early flowering when they were 8-12 inches tall..(not auto flowering). They grew really strangely/lost 5 plants & only 3 grew to any size close to what they should have been. My yield was awful. If I had gotten the normal amount, I probably could have skipped a year and maybe we could have gone on vacation next October! but, will have to plant about 10-15 plants. ..sorry for the ramble. I do that.

thanks again! Good luck with finding your way. I’ll be learning as I go.