24 replies to this topic

[checkmate]

Ok so I thought I'd give all you American readers a good laugh just so you know how good you have it over there. I decided two weeks ago to try make this cannabis oil and started to try get my hands on the essentials. Today I got the news that the supplier had plenty of ethanol to sell and sent me the price. I was delighted to read in the first paragraph that it would set me back only €63. Well my delight was short lived. In paragraph two was the tax and duty which was €34 per LITRE. Haha I nearly sh*t my pants. €913 for 25 litres of ethanol and that's not adding €30 delivery. So the only supplier in Ireland and he wants an arm and half me leg lol. Back to the drawing board I go... Checkmate

[GreenWeaver]

this is your best alternate route: http://sales-toys.co...CFbBDMgodGUcAdQ

[checkmate]

Would something like this do http://item.mobilewe...Id=390426777495

Edited by checkmate, 22 August 2013 - 10:30 AM.

[herman]

Would something like this do


http://item.mobilewe...Id=390426777495

There are various versions of this pot still.
I have got the adjustable one, called SmartStill Mark II over here.
To test it I poured cheap 37% Vodka in, it produced 85% ethanol.
That is as high as you can get using a pot still.
I use it just to reclaim the alcohol.

If you were on the European mainland you could buy your ethanol here.
Or even in a Belgian supermarket

[checkmate]

I asked the person selling it could I use 100 proof in it and they said yes. They said after running it through it it would then be 160-180 proof and if I ran it through again it would be 190+ proof. Is there no truth to this? Checkmate

[herman]

What I know is that I ran two bottles of cheap 37% vodka through it.
The distilled result was distilled again.
The end product was 85%.
I don't know what would happen if one starts with 50%

Perhaps this page provides some more clarity. It states a.o. "If you prefer to triple distill first, you can get the strength into the 80% region which is about as pure as a pot still can get."
This 80% figure corresponds to my experience.

[plant boy]

government sure put up a lot of road blocks

[checkmate]

What I know is that I ran two bottles of cheap 37% vodka through it.
The distilled result was distilled again.
The end product was 85%.
I don't know what would happen if one starts with 50%

Perhaps this page provides some more clarity. It states a.o. "If you prefer to triple distill first, you can get the strength into the 80% region which is about as pure as a pot still can get."
This 80% figure corresponds to my experience.

Hi herman. So do you use the 80% alcohol to make your oil? What are the results like? Did you order the mark 2 from that link you provided above and is it made by the same company who makes the original.

Checkmate

Edited by checkmate, 23 August 2013 - 09:31 AM.

[herman]

So do you use the 80% alcohol to make your oil?

I did not say that.....
I tested the distiller, found that I can make 85% in a triple distill (the first one done in the vodka factory).
Buying 95% from the German link I posted is in the end cheaper and better (for me, on the European mainland).
I said I use the still to reclaim the alcohol (the 95% that is).

Did you order the mark 2 from that link you provided above and is it made by the same company who makes the original.

As far as I can tell it is a modified version of the original.
I don't know who modifies the device, maybe you can google for that.
It has less power (Wattage in the heater) and continuous control of the power and fan speed plus some minor other mods. Google is your friend .
The original is a water distiller, the modified version is better suited for essential oils and alcohol.

[edit]Perhaps the StillSmart site has answers to your questions. They have a FAQ as well.
Mind you, the MarkII is a version with continuous control of the power. This version is not mentioned in the FAQ, so maybe some aftermarket electronic wizzards improved the still.
[/edit]

Edited by herman, 23 August 2013 - 10:46 AM.

[krush]

Ok so I thought I'd give all you American readers a good laugh just so you know how good you have it over there. I decided two weeks ago to try make this cannabis oil and started to try get my hands on the essentials. Today I got the news that the supplier had plenty of ethanol to sell and sent me the price. I was delighted to read in the first paragraph that it would set me back only €63. Well my delight was short lived. In paragraph two was the tax and duty which was €34 per LITRE. Haha I nearly sh*t my pants. €913 for 25 litres of ethanol and that's not adding €30 delivery. So the only supplier in Ireland and he wants an arm and half me leg lol. Back to the drawing board I go...

Checkmate

My dear Irish darling - Here in Canada we face the same costs - but I've been using Isopropyl (rubbing alcohol) w/zero probs - simply follow the RSO instructions, or use the "freezing" alternative - All you need for safety is: high ventilation & no sparks, flames, smoking or drunken helpers! Trust your karma - this works well ()

[herman]

If you want to proceed with a lower-grade ethanol: there is a small thread under the QWET article on the Skunk Pharm Research blog about raising the proof of ethanol by salting-out the water.
It seems to require some chemistry, I don't know how easy that will be.
Maybe this helps...?

[Brer Rabbit]

Ye can use isopropyl or acetone . Iso gets used in the medical device industry , paid 35 or summit for five litres . Best Brer .

[checkmate]

But I can't get 99% iso here. At best it would be 97%, would that still work as well? It's actually 99.7%, even better. .

Edited by checkmate, 25 August 2013 - 03:08 PM.

[checkmate]

I can get a 25l drum of iso for €72 which is a massive massive saving lol why am I so afraid of using this. Please, am I putting my body in danger using the iso over a long period of time (years). Checkmate

[Brer Rabbit]

No you are evaporating it all off . Hence the 99.5 or 7 . Have you read up on this procedure checkmate ?

[krush]

But I can't get 99% iso here. At best it would be 97%, would that still work as well?

It's actually 99.7%, even better. .

Absolutleyeswhynotofcourse

[checkmate]

No you are evaporating it all off . Hence the 99.5 or 7 . Have you read up on this procedure checkmate ?

Yes I've read up on it of course. It's comments people post about how toxic iso is that's why I was considering pure alcohol as a healthier solvent.

Checkmate

[Brer Rabbit]

It is toxic and poisonous however remember we are evaporating it off . I hail from Ireland also and have tried this and several other methods of extraction . Iso is as clean as we will get for producing oil , butane is very hard to find in a pure form over here . There is also butter or many other types of cooking oil that we can use .. Olive/coconut etc . In my career I have worked elbow deep in 99.5% Iso and acetone alongside lad's that had been doing the same for forty years . A little rusty on fact's but think it is ISO that GW pharma use for sativex and that is prescribed by doctors .. Hope this reassures you a little .

[herman]

Where ethanol is fit for consumption, ISO is not. Nobody knows what will happen when there remains a trace of ISO in the oil and you would consume the oil with the trace for the coming 20 years. Nobody even knows what will happen when you remove all traces of ethanol from the oil and consume the pristine oil for the coming 20 years. In this phase we are all guinea-pigs. If ethanol is available you have to make the choice yourself. Is your health worth the price difference? Nobody can decide that for you.

[Brer Rabbit]

I hear you herman , maybe citing the Doctor and greedy Pharma company was a bad reference ! With regard of consumption we are not consuming it as such ? It all evaporates off ! It is also used in a hand sanitizer so the guinea pig count is in the millions .

It is within the public domain that Sativex is an whole plant extract manufactured by blending two strains of herbal cannabis and using a CO2 extraction process to produce a tincture which also contains ethanol, propylene glycol and peppermint oil. Sativex is cannabis and contains all the cannabinoids, terpines and flavonoids present in the plants from which it is made.

Ethanol is not available here .

[herman]

I hear you too Brer
When I understand JP correctly he is going to use the oil orally, not topically.

We all think, believe, that the alcohol is fully evaporated.
We only know when there is a strictly controlled process supported by chemical analysis of the resulting oil.

A lot of people thought it was OK to use pure naphtha as solvent, it would fully evaporate as was said and demonstrated in "Run from the cure".
It may be safe to use pure naphtha, many people just use naphtha such as Coleman fuel.
Have you seen this report?
It shows, among a lot of other things, the toxic and carcinogenic residuals in a naphtha-prepared oil.

I understood from chekmate's opening post that he can buy ethanol, although at a very high price.
If he can buy ethanol he has a choice between ethanol and isopropanol..
If it is isopropanol or nothing I would suggest to have a serious look at No Nonsense oil as an alternative.

[checkmate]

Guys thanks so much for all the input much appreciated. Ethanol at this moment in time is completely out of the question. There is no way I can hand out €1000 for 25l. I know most can be reclaimed during distilling and reusedbut I just don't have that kind of money. I feel this is what I should be aiming for and saving for lol and aim to have ethanol as my number one solvent as soon as possible. ISO can be ordered from 1 to 25 litres and delivered to my door and at a reasonable price. As this will be my first attempt at making this oil it's best to start at the bottom and work my way up. ISO I feel is a good place to start and get some experience under my belt and mainly keeping the cost down. I have about 4oz drying at the moment so ill try using the iso and see how it works out for me. Again guys, thank you all so so much. Checkmate

[teddys head]

our folks have you sorted checkmate

i use both iso and ims i get them from a place that supplies power washers

and cleaning stuff ,as long as your not buying a shed load there's never any bother


Health and happiness

[checkmate]

our folks have you sorted checkmate :welldone:/>

i use both iso and ims i get them from a place that supplies power washers

and cleaning stuff ,as long as your not buying a shed load there's never any bother :juggle:/>


Health and happiness

Are you located in Ireland teddy?

[teddys head]

yip the top half


Health and happiness