Reddit reviews Oil Slick Pad Platinum Cured Medical Grade Silicone Pad 12x8.5"

Intro

Hey guys! I decided to write this guide because someone suggested I do it. Plus I see a lot of people asking how this stuff is produced and asking for tips and tricks, so I decided to write out all the knowledge I have that I can think of. This should be considered a guide on how to start from scratch, so if you have your own setup that works well you probably won't really learn anything new from this.

Secondly, remember that this is as much an art as it is a science, just like cooking. There are certain scientific principles we apply to get a better product, but in the end a good end result can come in multiple ways and is also all relative. Don't be discouraged by your mistakes and don't think your way or even this way is the only right one.

So without further ado, here's my guide for how to make BHO sap or shatter, mostly focusing on how to do it without a vacuum pump and desiccator.

What you will need

The great part is that a lot of this stuff can be got at bed bath and beyond. That would be my first stop.

1. Butane creme brule torch, a heat gun, or a CLEAN hair dryer (advice against this as it blows dust and doesn't get very hot). Alternatively you can use a sharp dabbing tool. These all work for popping bubbles.
   
   
2. Oblong pyrex.
   
   
3. A second, larger oblong pyrex to suspend the first one in, or a deep electric skillet. This will be your heat source.
   
   
4. A stainless steel turkey baster. Depending on how much you're willing to spend, a glass tube works well instead. Go for the smaller size ones if you are looking to do micro runs.
   
   
5. 50u mesh screen and a coffee filter. Two coffee filters have worked for me with no blowouts but they do increase your risk of blowouts. Unbleached coffee filters fyi.
   
   
6. Zip ties or steel clamps. Zip ties and a rubber band for glass (don't reuse), steel clamp for stainless steel.
   
   
7. a. Razor blades and a moderate sized paint scraper. If you're like me and prefer the inert pyrex route finding a good paint scraper to go with your constant cycle of razor blades is going to be key. Look around and experiment.*
   
   
8. An oven or toaster oven with a warm setting. The hot water bath will not be enough to get the residual solvent out when going vacless, at least if you don't want to be waiting for a day or more. If you have the patience, go that route by all means because low and slow is better, but many do not.
   
   
9. Butane. Discussed below.
   
   
10. Materials. Discussed below.
    
    
11. A roll of parchment paper.
    
    
12. Paper towels. Fold it into a rectangle and wrap it around your tube while you're extracting. Oven mits are a little clumsy to work with.
    
    *Out of interest of presenting all the facts, some people swear by concentrate pads. They're unnecessary though. Parchment is better in my opinion and you should get used to using it because it's much better for heat transfer in a vac. That's my opinion though, people vac with slick pads and slick sheets all the time.
    
    The reason I put this as an addition to the razor blade/paint scraper section is that it's actually an alternative to using those, because you can blast right onto it. But again, heat transfer. you're going to get more temp variation here because you'll have to go a little higher than you would normally because the pad absorbs heat.
    
    General concerns
    
    I think overwhelmingly the biggest things people are worried about when it comes to butane is its explosion risk, which is considerable. This is why you should NEVER blast butane indoors. It only takes a presence of 2% butane in the air for it to be a considerable explosion risk, and it will pool on the floor being lighter than air. So beware of lighters, running motors, electronic anything, some people even say cotton.
    
    Generally though we do not purge butane because of health risk. We purge for a different reason entirely: taste and quality. Butane is not very toxic at all, so there is no reason to fear the very minor amount of it found in even poorly purged hash oil. The vast majority of our process is not spent taking out large amounts of solvent, but residual amounts.
    
    Process
    
    
13. Pack the tube tight. Use two coffee filters or a coffee filter and a 50u mesh screen. Break down your bud into popcorn nugs but don’t grind. Leave no air pockets whatsoever. For sugar leaf make sure it’s fresh and don’t pack stems or fan leaves. After you pack it, cut off the extra part of the filter without cutting too close to the zip tie and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
    
    
14. Go outside with your clean (don’t be lazy) collection dish and put it on a level surface.
    
    
15. Take the proper fitting (may need to experiment) for your specific injection point and pass butane through your column, in 7 second bursts, laying off for 15-25 second intervals. This allows for maximum yield, and since butane is non-polar you will not have to worry about the soak times.
    
    
16. When it starts to get to the filter, hold it about ½ in to an inch over the collection dish. Tips for step 3: do not put your head/clothes over the dish, and do not release pressure off the column over the dish. This will contaminate the bho with particulates.
    
    
17. Let the liquid butane evaporate at room temperature until it forms large bubbles that do not produce movement. It is safe to take indoors for the rest of the purge.
    
    
18. Suspend it on the electric skillet filled with vegetable oil or water on the warm setting. This is what I would suggest as it will be a consistent heat source for people that are not using a vacuum. Alternatively you can fill a large pyrex with the hottest water your sink can produce, and suspend your collection dish in that hot water. However I have used the electric skillet method and it works well. You can also skip to step 8.
    
    
19. Pop bubbles with the butane torch on the lowest setting. Also effective: heat gun, dabber.
    
    
20. Once there is no more movement, put it in the oven at the lowest setting possible (perfect temperature is 120 but 130-160 works). If it only goes down to 200F, or even 180F, I would not suggest going this method. Instead, use a toaster oven. Only expose it for 10 minutes.
    
    
21. Pull the dish out and pop the bubbles with torch/heat gun/dabber. Go back to step 8 if needed. Repeat until there are no more bubbles after step 8.
    
    
22. After this you should be done. Take the dish and put it on the heat bath. Take your razor blade or paint scraper and scrape it up onto parchment paper.
    
    
23. Dab it up to see if it’s ready. Make sure there are no hoppers, sparks, loud crackles and sizzles.
    
    Vacuum
    
    Many people believe that it is absolutely necessary to have a vacuum pump. This is not necessarily true; it simply expedites the process of purging. Think of the purging process as “revealing” the flavor of your oil rather than explicitly improving it somehow. There are a set amount of molecules inside the resin. When you degas it, you are degassing butane and terpenes both.
    
    You can test this is two ways. Weigh out the patty before you put it in the desiccator or degassing chamber. At the end of your purging you will notice about a 5-8% reduction in the weight of your oil. Second, when you open up your desiccator after degassing, you will be met with the stink of evaporated terpenes (since it smells like the bud that you ran). I cannot be sure, but I believe this proves that you are evaporating out terps at a steady rate in the vac.
    
    This is all speculation, and seems like an obtuse way to look at the vac part of purging, but you can’t discount the fact that there is a set amount of cannaboids in your oil, and only a set amount of terpenes, so if they are evaporating at a higher rate, then you should want to expose your oil to less vaccing rather than making it the primary part of your process.
    
    What I advocate is using your desiccator to purge out the residual solvent, not to take a shortcut with your oil. If that’s what you’re looking for, you can use it like that, but it will lead to more auto-buddering, less flavorful oil, and most importantly your process and philosophy will always be the number one factor in quality. Meaning if you want to take shortcuts all the time, you’re going to end up with poor or lesser quality oil and probably not know why.
    
    What you want out of a vac is simple. As close to 50 micron rating or lower, two stage pump. CFM is not necessarily important, because of the tubing that tends to be used for most vac pump-desiccator setups. A desiccator may be glass, plastic, or stainless steel, however make sure you get it from a reputable source. No mason jar desiccators, that’s one way to get an implosion. Another is if you apply heat to the outside of your desiccator, especially when using plastic or glass (although steel still has a significant implosion risk).
    
    The way I apply heat is by using preheated ceramic tiles underneath my oil, and heating it up with the heat gun on the lowest setting right before I turn on the vacuum. If you do not apply heat you are not purging!
    

Silicone mats are heat resistant up to 500 degrees F, not celcius, meaning that nail/straw is definitely too hot for dabbing off of silicone, at least according to the manufacturers.

*I am truly sorry for linking this to the mobile site, was on my phone at the time and didn't think about it :)

EDIT: Here's a desktop link http://www.amazon.com/Oil-Slick-Concentrate-Pad/dp/B0080S1JWW

http://www.amazon.com/Oil-Slick-Concentrate-Pad/dp/B0080S1JWW/ref=pd_bxgy_misc_img_y