Did you know there’s more you can do with a rosin press than just pressing solventless rosin?
A Rosin Tech press is the backbone of any solventless rosin setup, and while you may think it’s only useful for heating and squeezing out gooey concentrate, your press actually has a few more tricks up its sleeve. From simple rosin life hacks to performing processes normally reserved for specialist equipment, there’s a lot more you can do with a rosin press than just make rosin. Here’s a few examples of some alternative uses for your rosin press.
Decarbing Rosin
Decarbing rosin is an important step in making solventless edibles and involves using heat to convert all the THC in your rosin into a form that’s easily metabolized when you ingest it. There are, of course, specialized decarbing machines available, but many edible makers simply pop their rosin in the oven instead.
However, most of us only have one oven that resides in the kitchen, which means using it to decarb rosin runs the risk of permanently stinking up your home’s cooking area. This leads many edible makers to purchase a small toaster oven dedicated to the job, but alternatively, you can use your rosin press to perform the same task.
To decarb rosin, first make sure you jar tech your rosin into a heat proof container. Then, set your press to 230 to 250 degrees F. Finally, place the container on your press’s bottom plate for about 45 minutes. And voila! Now you can decarb rosin and keep your kitchen from smelling like a weed farm, all without having to buy extra appliances.
Solventless Separation
Ever heard of THC diamonds? These are almost 100 percent pure THC crystals that are typically produced with incredibly expensive solvent-based gas chromatography machines, and unfortunately, that kind of lab equipment is financially out of reach for the average rosin maker.
However, believe it or not, solventless THC diamonds can be produced by using your rosin press’s mechanical might instead. If you’re interested in learning more about the subject then check out our How to Make Your Own THC Diamonds Using Solventless Separation guide for the complete how-to.
Rosin Heating for Dabbing
When fresh rosin cools down it can sometimes become hard and difficult to handle. That’s why many dabbers make use of a heating mat which gently warms rosin into a malleable and easy to handle state. But if you don’t have a dedicated heating mat, you can make use of your rosin plates once more.
Simply turn your press on and set it to its lowest temperature setting and then place your cold and hard rosin onto the plates. You can do this a few ways, by using the inside of a heat proof container, on top of a silicone mat, or with parchment paper. Soon, your hard to handle rosin will soon heat up into a more pliant form that’s easy to scoop up and drop into your waiting dab rig.
Pre-Pressing Flower or Hash
When pressing flower or hash, it’s prudent to employ pre-pressing practices in order to avoid filter bag blowouts. It’s a relatively simple task that’s made even easier with the use of pre-press molds. However, if you have a deft touch with your press and its pressure controls, you can perform a quick pre-press with the plates themselves.
Your rosin press will need to be cold in order to do this, but simply place your starting material inside a filter bag, and then give it a gentle squeeze with your press’s plates. Obviously this does require a degree of skill in order to be successful, so if you lack confidence in that department then sticking to pre-press molds is the safest option.
Drying Starting Material
The relative humidity of your starting material is an incredibly important factor in making quality rosin, especially when pressing flower. But what do you do if your bud is a little on the wet side? Air drying it could take days and if you’re ready to press now, did you know you could put your rosin press’s heating functions to another good use?
To do so, place your starting material inside a small cardboard box or paper bag, then place this on or near to your plates set to their lowest temperature. It can be just a matter of minutes before your starting material dries out sufficiently, meaning you won’t need to put a stop to proceedings or compromise the quality of your end results by pressing wet bud.
These are just a few ideas for alternative uses for your rosin press. But we’re sure you guys have found plenty more inventive ways to use your gear, so if you have any rosin press hacks to add to our list, then be sure to let us know!
