Great THC extraction idea or waste of herb?

My idea:

1) Soak bud in lukewarm, distilled water for a day (or few days--extended time can't really hurt more since THC isn't water soluble) to leach out chlorophyll.

2) Remove bud and dry. (maybe filter the water with a coffee filter to try and obtain any larger crystals that may have broken off in the water--probably not very effective though).

3) Once dry, grind bud and soak in either high proof alcohol or isopropyl alcohol in a dark, warm environment for a long period of time (some people do this for months). Alternative: set up a hot water bath and stir often to do the same process faster (CAUTION--HIGH PROOF ALCOHOL + HOT STOVE = POSSIBLE FIRE IF NOT DONE CORRECTLY)

4) Once your alcohol/weed mixture is where you want it to be, filter it through a cheesecloth to remove all solids. Discard solids and what liquid you have remaining should be mostly alcohol and cannabinoids.

5) Pour alcohol/cannabinoid liquid into an open container (preferably in the dark) and set up a fan blowing onto the liquid to speed up the evaporation of the alcohol. Once all the alcohol has evaporated, you should be left with a fairly pure cannabinoid extract.

This is just a theory as of now. I'm acquiring the materials tomorrow and trying it out. If it all goes to plan, the extract should be great for capsules to swallow, or maybe even smoking!

NOTE: The alcohol/weed mixture formed from step three will probably not be very green, since much/all of the chlorophyll was/should have been removed in step one.

i might do something like this with my ABV. kinda want a tincture mixture so i can get a dropper and put a few drops on a cig and be able to feel it

Good idea with the abv--get every cent worth!

exactly it feels like im recycling bud haha doing good for the world

come back and post results of your experiment, i just got some 151 so ive been thinking about doing something similar myself

Yeah, I'll definitely post results (maybe some pics too). I hate it when people say they'll come back and post results but never do. With abv weed you prob wouldn't have to worry about the water step (seeing as most/all chlorophyll is leeched into the vapor when heated).

yeah itll be decarbed the only thing im worried about is getting it down to the perfect concentration where a few drops is just the right amount to be feeling good

Yeah, that'd be tough to measure--not sure how you'd hone that down. Either way, if you're going to do a tincture, definitely DON'T USE ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL as it is toxic to ingest. Only use isopropyl alcohol or methanol if you plan on completely dehydrating it down to a solid. (smokeygenie, I know you're using 151--this is mainly a disclaimer for anyone else who reads through this)

All that stuff about water....... would make no difference what so ever.

use boiling water to heat the alcohol, as in alcohol in jug, in a bigger jug full of boiling water.

that's a basic chemical technique for heating flamable liquids

edit: just noticed u already know this..

Edited by budkid, 17 May 2011 - 02:47 PM.

HelpDesk: if you were going to smoke it or use it in a way where you would be tasting it, then yes, it would make a difference. If you just did the alcohol step, you're going to get an extract that is full of chlorophyll (which is one of the substances in marijuana that makes it harsh) since alcohol will also leech out chlorophyll. The water step is to avoid that. It's used a lot in marijuana cooking for the same purpose.

budkid: what you explained was a hot water bath. it think you realized this, just clarifying for anyone else that might view it and not know what I was talking about

Meh.. wayy too much effort. just smoke the stuff man

Yeah, I know it's a lot of effort. If it works out, I plan on doing it on a bigger scale and saving it in the fridge--it might be worth it then

All you're doing is water curing the bud and then making qwiso.

Of course it will work. Pretty unnecessary though. Just make regular qwiso.

havin trouble finding the main ingredient now that school's out. may have to wait to try this out

ive done this a number of times and find its quite effective. it will allow you do slightly longer washes since most of the nasties will already be leeched. the only down side (or up side?) is you lose the flavor you usually have in an iso extract. i find water cured iso to have very little taste, making it ideal to cook with but not as pleasurable to smoke.

yoo man did you give this a try yet?? i got my batch sitting in the mason jar under my bed, used a little more than an eighth in the 151 just to see how it works going with the no heat method so its gonna be there a whilleeeeee

ill try and remember to post back up here when its finally ready gonna wait anywhere between 2 weeks and 2 months, well see