Don't know if my weed is weak, not happy w/QWET returns, need vape oil help

[Puglover1]

I'm trying again. Took a photo in case everything gets buried, it's getting deep here. I have read several blogs, forums, watched videos for ... a year. My best oil was using Nebula's QWET method with uncured, dried & frozen trim/popcorn. Last weekend I tried using the natural 'dry ice' outside, kept it colder while infusing, timed it per the website I was reading again, used better quality bud, disappointing return. I can't afford the Source and ETOH recoverer. I could afford a machine to do extracts and a still on Amazon. How hard is a still to operate, to save on EC? I also need a link/suggestion for a heating mat, please? TY.

On another note, I cancelled a vet appt this morning due to weather, started a decarb early. I almost decarbed catnip Too many Ziploc bags of greenery in the freezer, the smell told me to not start weighing out the 'nip.

[gbauto]

Can you describe the method you used this last time?

[Floopydoop]

Are you using PG? You need a carrier that vaporizes in the coils and absorbs the THC well. I don't know that green dragon would necessarily make a good vape. You'd have to infuse the PG, it vaporizes at really low temps. VG as well I suppose if you choose that way. I find VG gums up and kills my atomizers quicker than PG.

[Puglover1]

Floopydoop After pulling up my oil in a syringe I let it 'chill', when I have the oven on I put the oil in a small Pyrex jar to check for bubbles, to decarb and remove any remaining etoh, I'm using pyur thinner during oven time. They use a form of hemp oil - no vg, pg, vpeg, mct, etc. - it's thick, doesn't take much so it doesn't dilute the %/potency as much. I sometimes add terps, depends on what I'm working with (maybe OP or dispo concentrate/extract in a pinch). I have a bottle of sample terps coming my way. I made it the way Nebula shows a QWET on the main site tutorials, it was golden (no green) after draining, I pulled up a decent syringe of thick oil, my first try, not using my best material. After evap, decarb & thinning there's really no etoh left in the oil so it's not really green dragon anymore - not a tincture but rather cannabis oil. But I lose the natural terps. It doesn't sugar up in a cart, it doesn't 'dirty up' the magnet area fast - I just use a Palm vape. I've re-used this one cartridge several times, this brand was always good for me.

gbauto - I used Nebula's QWET method on the main site - my first time and this weekend. Only difference was the first time I froze the decarbed weed in my freezer overnight, this time I had it outside in zero temp plus lots of wind and snow. The bottles of EC and two jars of decarbed weed were buried in snow shortly after I put them out this morning, until I dug them out before the sun disappeared in late afternoon/early evening. Last weekend I tried experimenting after reading an analysis from ichibancrafter, I didn't have much EC left, I used what should have been better bud than when I used Nebula's method. With her method I used material from the same bag, the same harvested, dried and frozen batch of mostly trim/popcorn, both times. I usually put butter in the pan to capture any remaining oil when I'm done, then save it in a small jar. I use that for a box mix of brownies or something that doesn't need a bunch of added oil/butter. I'm not finished so I ran a sugary gummy bear ring around the pan, both sides. I made two, ate them about 6 hours ago, I'm feeling it nice and when I take a vape hit I get higher. I still have a jar of greener-looking wash to evap tmrw, it was made using frozen dried trim from my first dry trim session, from the upper, fat colas, very few leaves in it. It's not very green, more tinged, I'll see what happens tmrw when I evap it. I want to get some oil made up so I can get two more of my med strains starting to grow. I'm keeping all my plant materials for future batches of cannabutter and coconutcannaoil, etc but I have to only use edibles when I'm going to be home. Vaping doesn't last long, if I have to drive somewhere, not that toking & driving matters after 45 years. I am getting higher and higher as I type. I want to hook up with a friend's friend with a press to see what I get from my best buds (and from a jar of nice light tan kief) so I can figure how far what I have from my first harvest will get me with each method and proceed from there. The sooner I realize savings from my grow (no dispensary unless it's a steal or dire need) I of course would benefit from a better light, and then have another closet usable for other stages of growth. Wow, I'm buzzed. I want to grow a few autos to try to 'get ahead' on inventory because my most-needed pain strain is a sativa photo. My eyelids need toothpicks right now. In a perfect world the Source Turbo but I'm not there financially and I'm weighing that over better lighting, that I could operate correctly. I would try this, but the EC is cutting into my assumed savings which is why I wondered about the complexity of using a still to recapture the etoh. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q3SYQ45...v_ov_lig_dp_it

[gbauto]

Pug, ultimately all the source or EtOH does IS recover alcohol.
The process you use BEFORE determines the quality of your meds.
Anytime you have 'green' in your tincture, it was allowed to get too warm during extraction.
That's not an issue for edibles, but it definitely will cause issues when using a vape pen.
I've tried making vape cartridges with my shatter, and I always ran into issues with separation/crystalization.
I use a Huni-Badger now for mobile dabbing...a bump or two does the job.

[Puglover1]

The quality has been good this weekend, put on top of gummies. I guess it's largely the yield that's got me wanting to find my best use of this first harvest, until I get more going. I honestly have no problem vaping dispo shatter or my homemade oil if it's done how I've researched, for a year. My nephew picked me up some wax last month, it took a while to get it decarbed but it vaped beautifully, stayed clear, nice color. Pressing bud & khif would be ideal. Yeah, regarding the source I worded that wrong. Great machine but I just can't afford it yet. Using the machine I linked to would give me more time for growing, and a still could recover alcohol but I'm not familiar with stills, 0/10. My nephew uses a stick and torches it hotter first to dab, I've only used a Yucan quad-coil for dabs and I don't really like it. I can't bend the fingers on my R hand, I have many reasons for how I use things but I don't always think about it. Like, I need a bowl with a carb hole on the end, not the right side. The green looks more darker gold today, in daylight. It was done basically simultaneously as the other jar, maybe 2-5 minutes apart. I had everything ready to strain the matters x2, had the jars ready with filters to drain x2 - they drained together, side by side. The darker-looking wash: the jar still had snow on it while I started adding EC to the plant matter. It's more about yield than potency, I guess. Do you have a heating mat? I don't know a good size/brand/model, tired of buying cheap and upgrading things. Thanks!