This is a detailed tutorial on a very easy way to make honey oil. You don’t need to do multiple filtrations. You don’t need to do multiple evaporations. The final product is almost 100% pure THC, with a very smooth taste, unlike the harshness of hash oil made in the traditional way with ethanol. And, if you’re in a hurry, the entire process can be completed in under an hour.
If you’ve made hash oil in the past using ethanol, the basic process is the same, and this will be quite easy for you. The only major change is that hexane is used as the solvent rather than ethanol, giving a tremendously purer product. (If you do not have hexane on hand, this same tutorial can be used to extract with ethanol. Just substitute “95% ethanol” wherever you see the word “hexane.”)
When I was preparing this tutorial I made hash oil (with ethanol) at the same time as I was making honey oil (with hexane), so that the two could be compared.
In my opinion the honey oil was 100 times better. I personally will never again use ethanol to make hash.
Before we begin, a little background knowledge, so that you know what you are doing, and why you are doing it.
One of the basic principles of chemistry is that LIKE DISSOLVES LIKE. That is, a polar solvent will dissolve polar molecules, and a nonpolar solvent will dissolve nonpolar molecules. Here’s how this fits in:
THE COMPOUNDS
—————-
THC (and other cannibinoids)……………….nonpolar
chlorophyll (and other waste)………………polar
THE SOLVENTS
—————
Ethanol……………………………………………moderately polar
acetone…………………………………………..moderately polar
water………………………………………………polar
butane……………………………………………nonpolar
hexane……………………………………………nonpolar
Thus, hexane, being nonpolar, will not dissolve the chlorophyll, but it will dissolve the THC. Ethanol, being moderately polar, will dissolve both.
There are many other nonpolar solvents that could be used to make honey oil with the same purity, but hexane is the solvent of choice because it is the cheapest and safest to use.
This brings us to the next and most important point: safety. Whenever a safety issue arises throughout this tutorial, I will be sure to point it out. But there are also a couple general points.
(1) Hexane, like ethanol, is a flammable solvent. Never use it near an open flame. The vapors, when mixed in the proper amount with oxygen, can explode, so hexane (like any flammable solvent) should never be evaporated in an enclosed space.
(2) Hexane is a mild irritant. This is not really a big issue. It will not hurt you to get it on your hands or clothes, but you should avoid contact with eyes and mouth (duh).
As far as solvents go, hexane is considered pretty safe. Just use basic common sense.
Items you need:
- Marijuana (use all your stems and leaves)
- A heat source (a hotplate or stove – no open flames!)
- A coffee filter (or other filter paper)
- A funnel
- 2 Pyrex dishes
- Food Processor or blender (optional)
- A wooden stick
- Hexane
I picked up 2 gallons of at Sherwin-Williams paint a few weeks ago. It is very inexpensive. Hexane is probably the most common nonpolar solvent around, and painters as well as many other artists use it all the time. You can find it at store that specializes in paint supply. Home Depot and most hardware store do not have it.
Begin with your clippings. You can use any stems and leaves – basically anything you don’t want to smoke. It makes no difference if the clippings are from a male or female plant. They should be very dry – crispy enough that the leaves crumble between your fingers, and the stems crack in half when bent. You don’t want any excess water in there.
- I began with 25 grams of dried material.
- Into the food processor it goes!
- Grind the material to a powder consistency in a food processor or blender. If you do not have a food processor or blender, you can crumble it between your fingers. The finer the particles are, the more efficient the extractions will be.
- Add the ground-up trimmings to your glass Pyrex dish, and pour in enough hexane to cover it.
Now you have a couple of options:
- You can set it on the shelf for a day to allow the cannabinoids to dissolve in the hexane. After a day you will need to filter the hexane out (save it!) and add new hexane. This should be repeated 3 or 4 times. This process takes several days. If you choose to use this method, you can follow steps 8-11 to filter your crude product. Then continue to step 12 to purify it.
- Or you can gently heat it. I recommend this process, and this is the one I detail in the tutorial. This second process will give a higher yield and is much quicker, but it also requires a few safety precautions. I always wear goggles when doing chemistry. I would recommend that anyone else also wear goggles. Although you are not evaporating the hexane yet, you are heating it, which creates more vapors. It’s not crucial at this point, but if possible, do this in an open area.
When you heat the trimmings and hexane, put your wooden stick in the container. This stick will prevent the mixture from bumping. Bumping occurs when the vapor bubbles “pop” all at once, and can splash solvent out. The boiling stick provides a surface for the vapor bubbles to form on, preventing bumping. Another method used to prevent bumping is stirring. Stir the solution a few times while heating.
Hexane boils around 70 C, but it will vary. What you have is probably “hexanes,” a mixture of different isomers of hexane (a six-carbon saturated hydrocarbon). They can be manufactured to boil at different temperatures depending on the exact ratio of isomers. In any case, the bpt is not really important.
Step 8: Now take your filter paper and fold in it half. Fold it again. And again. One more time. Unfold it, and cut the outer edge down so that it fits nicely in your funnel. Pour the liquid out of your Pyrex container and into the filter paper in the funnel. Collect this liquid in Pyrex dish #2 and SAVE IT.
Note that this liquid will be above 70 degrees C. It will be HOT. Use gloves or a holder is necessary.
step 9: If you pour slowly, all the trimmings will remain in the bottom of Pyrex dish #1. If you poured the solids into the filter paper, return them to the Pyrex dish #1 before continuing to the next step.
Repeat this process 3 or 4 times, using fresh hexane with each step.
Look at all the worthless nasties that you no longer have to subject your lungs to. Throw them away.
Step 12: Now you are ready to finish the process. Pyrex dish #2 should be filled with a clear, yellowish liquid. All you need to do to get honey oil is remove the solvent from it. You can either let it sit for a few days and evaporate at room temperature, or you can speed up the process by heating it. We are doing the latter of the two.
Step 13: Return the container to your heat source and add the boiling stick. This will create some vapor fumes, so do it in an open, well-ventilated area.
Add a boiling stick and gently boil the liquid. A gentle airflow over the surface of the container will greatly speed up the evaporation process.
Continue boiling until you have a thick, gooey, dark yellow liquid. Do not scald it. Let it cool to room temperature.
CONGRATULATIONS! You now have honey oil. The oil, now that you have cooked it down, will be a dark, golden color with a pungent piney/skunky aroma (depending on the genetics from which it was made). What you do with it is up to you. You can cook with it (do I hear brownies?) or smoke it directly (i.e. freebase), or mix it with some shake to make it more manageable. This last one is probably the most popular option
