My First Adventure in Tinctures and Hash Oil

[BR2K]

I am in the midst of preparing my first tincture/hash oil. I will be harnessing the Sun to evaporate a significant amount for hash oil.

In the tutorial, they illustrate using the "double boiler method". Using a solar oven will be MUCH safer, as there is NO ignition source...but solar cooking presents its own challenges too. 1. Gotta have sun, preferably full sun! While you can cook, as long as there's a shadow, it may take a long while. Having full sun will allow you the flexibility to adjust the temperature (by moving the oven/reflectors or cracking the lid open). 2. Condensation may get in the way. I've been solar cooking for well over a decade. One truism I've learned is that if you keep the lid tightly closed, your top glass will become fogged up. This will cap out your temperature, probably staying at around 300 degrees F. For this event, I'll be cracking the lid open. This will not only prevent condensation but any wind will aid in evaporation. 3. Wind may RUIN your day!!! I've lost count of the meals ruined or partially ruined, when the wind tipped my solar oven These days, I weigh down the leg with weight. Even so, I'm keeping a close eye out.

I expect my temperature to max out at 250 degrees F. It's 2:30 p.m. here and I just set my solar oven up and put in a pint jar with a bit of tincture in it...

Building a solar oven is easy and fun. There are some examples out there on the interwebz. You can go as simple or as complex as your heart desires. If you want something prefab, I use a Sun Oven. They're pricey but well worth the investment: https://www.sunoven.com/

[SoOrbudgal]

Very interesting BR2K we were boondock camping with some folks who have one of these.

[BR2K]

That's one of the things Sun Ovens excel at - Conserving propane/firewood and keeping the heat from cooking out of the RV...

[Willyd]

my dad used to spend hours in the driveway with his solar ovens nothing in them just playing with temps. he did manage to cook a turkey in it which after a 16 hour wait was awesome! Reading your post just made me laugh i wonder if he'll give me one of his to give this a shot lol

[BR2K]

Here's a little primer video. It's includes my first tincture which currently sits in my refrigerator. I look forward to refining my process:

https://youtu.be/FX-HE17sOE8

[Train]

Wow cool I've never seen those before! I have some tincture I'm considering reducing... is it possible to simply leave it out in the sun for a few days to get the same result? Would the uv light damage the tincture?

[BR2K]

Wow cool I've never seen those before! I have some tincture I'm considering reducing... is it possible to simply leave it out in the sun for a few days to get the same result? Would the uv light damage the tincture?

While it is certainly possible to leave tincture out in the Sun for reduction, there is a caveat:

Whatever container you have the tincture in must be left open, to allow for evaporation. Wind will also likely aid to reduce the product. HOWEVER, an open container may allow contaminants into your elixer. Of course, it will take much longer for you to achieve your desired results.

I am uncertain if UV light will degrade the tincture. The GWE tutorial recommends storing your tinctures in colored bottles, to prevent this from occuring. I'm guessing leaving the tincture out in the Sun for days could reduce its effectiveness. A few hours under the Sun, in a solar oven, probably won't.

If you're curious and have a cardboard box, some aluminum foil and tape lying around, try making a solar oven. Give yourself a time limit, maybe an hour, to fashion it. You'll have a little fun, learn along the way and be able to reduce your tincture safely.

[BR2K]

Alas, I realized that I left out one HUGE factor - cracking the lid! Regardless of the solar oven you end up with, you want to prevent condensation. You also want to promote convection, to further speed up the process. Finally, it should also mitigate the possibility that heat will break down the THC.

I'm working on the edit now...

[BR2K]

Here's the updated video. I neglected to mention propping the lid open, on my Sun Oven. It makes evaporation much quicker, in that the moisture has somewhere to go...


https://youtu.be/2ukeBA-_o5A