True that. I hate when irons far from the top shelf and hit you in your head for no apparent reason
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The problem with presses and irons is that they only melt and press the outside layer. The mechanical rolling action of the bottle does a far better job of busting up those trichs. If your just trying to make a convenient brick to use right away then the iron or press works fine, but if you are trying press it for ageing or temple balls the bottle method is necessary. There are also a few things you can do to make the bottle method easier. I use piece of granite countertop heated to 140 degrees in the oven to roll on. It makes a huge difference. It takes a fraction of the time and effort when using a hot stone. Heavy food grade cellophane is much tougher than kitchen parchment and releases just as easily without tearing. Plus you can see through it which is cool.
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What you’re saying makes sense. I really love the slate idea with heating it. (Unfortunately I don’t have a sleep)
I’m a little confused in your concept of iron vs bottle as to it’s benefit of the rolling effect when using the bottle.
I don’t see much difference in running the iron back and forth as opposed to a bottle motion of rolling back and forth. It almost seems more beneficial with the iron as the bottle loses temperature quickly and the iron keeps consistent heat during the entire back and forth process.
It’s funny you bring this up because I just recently finished a trim segment and realized how much kief I actually have and I’m very motivated to start. I’ve got plenty of hot water and a wine bottle I just don’t have an iron. I was literally thinking of going to Walmart today and buying one.
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I feel less heat is better. (Just my preference after a lot of hash pressing)I would rather smash than melt because melting will boil a lot of terps. The cylindrical shape of the bottle focuses all the force in a very small area along the bottom of the cylinder that makes contact with the hash. The bottom of the iron is flat and wide which spreads the force in a much wider area resulting in lower psi with an equal amount of force. I don’t even boil the water for my bottle, although I do heat up 2.5 gal at a time so I can keep the bottle warm. I was thinking an oven safe marble rolling pin might be good since stone holds heat so well. If you don’t have a good piece of stone to roll on anything flat that holds heat would work. like the bottom of a large cast iron skillet or dutch oven for example. Once you get heat on both sides and can keep the heat in the keif/hash it easily presses with the bottle and low heat. I suppose if your trying to press second run keif that’s a little dirty you might need a little more heat, but I think 220 is kinda overkill and you might even accidentally decarb some of it if your working with smaller pieces.
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A quick question as I’ve never made hash.
Would it help to put the source material in the freezer first before making the hash so it’s already frosty?
I don’t know but want to make some hash soon.
Thanks
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The wine bottle technique holds the temp for quite a while. I can do an entire run of 3 different grades without reheating it at all. I’ve never used an iron but I have found the wine bottle to work perfect every time.
I go over the hash about 4-5 times folding it multiple times in between each roll. After it’s all good and pressed I roll it in my bare hands. The oil from your hands is needed to properly create the coating so the temple ball ages proper. After about 6 months it is the smoothest, tastiest smoke around.
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It’s crazy because people today are less likely or more than likely to never experience the hash of the 60’s and 70’s
Hash today is incredibly good due to the crazy genetic selections that hybrids are being made from.
In the '70s 99.5% of any hash you put your hands on was made with opium that’s when hash was actually considered next level 
… The surprising thing was the availability. It was everywhere for the most part.
I’ve done the hash with the wine bottle and I’m okay with it. It did the trick. I just had to keep reheating my bottle. And that was a pain in the ass. I still have some 25 micron blonde hash that I made over a year ago still in the refrigerator. And let me tell you it is fire.
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Oh that blonde Lebanese hash…. Makes my eyes red just thinking about it hahaha.
Yeah if you add a little opium to anything it’ll take it to the next level for sure. But I’ve always enjoyed the clean high of just good ol bubble hash. No distillants, no chemicals. Pure good times!!!
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Freezing your material for 8-12 hours before you run it will actually make the stalks of trichomes brittle making them much easier to break off. You get increased yield and reduced contamination as long as you pre soak before agitation.
I beg to differ, you need dihydrogen monoxide for bubble hash 
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Hahahaha you’re not wrong!!!
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I can’t resist a good nerd joke
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What about actually decarbing the flower prior to freezing and then soaking it?
My Ardent converts 97%+ of the THC-A into THC where traditional smoking not decarbed flower is between 70-80% converted. Hence would hold true when smoking the finished hash product as it does for flower I smoke.
Just some thoughts
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Huh, never tried it. I might have to try a small batch and see what the end result is like.
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Well, here we go again, another cool thing to try. I have jars and jars of trim, sugar leaves & small popcorn buds. I am buying this lil machine if good pricing and trying this. I had already been thinking about a use and stumbled across this thread this morning.
Thanks to all who offered insight as to how to do it!!
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Do any of you just mix all your trim together? I have trim from several grows.
Blueberry, GFOG, Acap Gold, DTC etc…does it matter to the end taste? Thought it would be yummy to just mix it all up.
What say you?
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If the machine is too much you can always use ye olde bucket and stir manually. It works just as well with a tiny bit of effort. I do love my washing machine though.
I do it quite often with dregs from jars. It might muddy the flavors a little. Sometimes for the better sometimes not as good, but I’ve never had hash taste bad unless it was chock full of plant matter(WAAAY over-washed). I do find that smaller batches tend to be better because your screens don’t blind so easily. If the product is decently sugary I don’t wash more than 2 oz at a time in 5 gal bags to keep the water flowing. That’s even too much sometimes.
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Thanks to all the good info in this thread, I made my first batch of bubble hash last weekend. I washed it through 3 times and had good yield each time. Photo of the hash is the yield from each filter from the first wash.
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Batch it together if you want
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Rolling out the hash (as Frenchie explains) is the decarboxylation process. This is what allows you to store the pressed product for so long. Temple balls have been smoked 20 years after they have been pressed and rolled.
In my experience using a clear round bottle (I use a growler) with boiling water works perfect. I have found that taking my time in this step creates a wAy better finished product.
One temple ball may take me 8-10mins to heat-up and roll out. I use turkey bags on top of a cutting board. If the bag ends up sticking and I think it might end up tearing I simply put it in the freezer for a few minute and give it a quick rip.
You should take a dive into Frenchy land. You will never turn back and your finished product will only get better.
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This section will give you days or reading about hash and the inside knowledge.
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