Are you an indoor cannabis grower? Do you want to enjoy THC whenever you wish? Would you like to learn the DIY process for making THC distillate?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, then it’s your lucky day. With the help of this guide, you will learn everything you need to know about how to make THC distillate in the comfort of your own home.
What is THC Distillate?
So what is THC distillate, you might wonder? Let us break it down for you. It is cannabis concentrate, distilled, and converted into cannabis oil. This form of cannabis extract is gaining popularity as it gives you the maximum amount of THC content that could be extracted from the flower. The higher the THC content, the more effective the product is.
THC distillate is the most versatile form of consumable cannabis extract as you can use the oily consistency in various ways:
- Smoking – spread some of the product on rolling paper, roll it, and light it up.
- Vaping – fill up the cartridge of the vape pen with the distillate oil and smoke as usual.
- Dabbing – vaporize the oils on a hot surface and inhale.
- Oral ingestion – ingest it directly by putting a few drops under your tongue or incorporate it into your food by adding it to cooking oil or butter.
Discover How THC Distillates are Made
Not like other cannabis concentrates, THC distillates are processed without using any solvent. Instead, this is processed using one of 2 ways that are also identical to each other.
This is called the Short Path Distillation or Short Path Wiped Film process.
This distillation method benefits from the fact that the evaporation of THC is much more speedier than any other substance like waxes, sugars or even chlorophyll. The process is a bit complex, but by theory is as follows:
This is then heated to the point where the flavonoids and especially the terpenes are turned into vapor. This will then steam out and be cooled as condensate in a cooling tune which drips into a collection tank.
Then, the temperature will be increased to force the cannabinoids to evaporate, which will turn into gas and pass through the cooling tube to condensate, this is when the cannabinoid extraction happens.
These 2 distillates are either used separately or mixed to recombine the odor and smell in the cannabinoids to enhance the full marijuana essence into the THC distillate.
This is coined as the short path method because, in this setup, the vessel in the evaporation chamber makes the vapor path travel in a shorter distance.
How to Make THC Distillates at Home
If you are planning on making your THC distillates at the comfort of your own home, then you need to acquire below materials:
Materials to make THC distillates:
- Grinder
- Flasks
- Bunsen burner
- Thermometer
- Tubing
- Collection flasks
- Ethanol
- Vacuum
Which Simple Short Path THC Distillation System to Use
To start, a simple set up will cost you around $3000, but you can always create your rig at home with parts you have readily available. But, understand that the results will vary from each batch. A specifically designed pre-made set up will be much simpler to deal with and you will encounter fewer frustrations along the way.
If you are certain to push through and would want to produce your own a higher quality THC Distillate then make sure to search out for the short path distillation type that uses a wiper blade, that is used to spread the Cannabis extract and smear them on the walls of the evaporator allowing more contact with heat and allowing faster evaporation of cannabinoids hence resulting to the lesser processing time to be extracted from the raw material. Make sure to read more and check out some distillate cannabis how to make guides to ensure you don’t waste any of your resources.
How to Make THC Distillates at Home
If you’re looking to make THC distillates at home, you will first have to buy some equipment to get going.
Supplies Needed to Make THC Distillates:
- Flasks
- Bunsen burner
- Thermometer
- Tubing
- Vacuum to help the steam move through the condensation tube
- Collection flasks
- Ethanol
- A cannabis grinder to make your initial extraction
How to Use the Simple Short Path Distillation System
First off, a simple short path distillation system will set you back around $3000. That’s if you’re buying from a reputable lab supplier. You can rig some of the equipment yourself with parts you have lying around at home. But the results you achieve will vary greatly from batch to batch. Also, a pre-made system will be much easier to use. Not only that, you might find it much less frustrating to set up.
If you’re looking to produce a higher quality THC distillate, consider the alternative to the simple short path distillation system, which is the short path wiped film distillation process.
The main difference between the two methods is that in the wiped film distillation process, the evaporator vessel has a rotating wiper blade that smears the extract on the evaporator walls. This allows for the extract to come into contact with the heat, allowing the cannabinoids to evaporate.
While the short path wiped film distillation system is more efficient than the short path system, it also costs considerably more. Depending on the setup, a comprehensive system will start at around $5000. Conceivably, it costs could go into the tens of thousands of dollars as you move to higher throughput systems.