Whether you’re a seasoned stoner or a newbie with the doobie, there’s one thing you need to know about — and its name is rosin. Impressively high in THC, there are many benefits and reasons why you’d want to produce rosin at home.
But how do you go about doing this?
One way is a DIY rosin press. This article will tell you all you need to know about building your own rosin press, why it’s far superior to the humble shop press, and how much material you’ll need to reach that sweet maximum pressure.
That might not make sense now, but trust us — it will. Read on to find out how to be a rosin expert.
What Is a DIY Rosin Press?
A DIY rosin press is a homemade press designed to extract rosin from a range of cannabis products. As professional standard presses can be extremely expensive, amateur weed growers or users will want an alternative to create a rosin product from home.
There is a range of different press types out there, from hair straightener designs to ones that closely resemble a professional setup. Before you dive headfirst into your next DIY project, you should take the time to figure out if building your own rosin press is a project you should take on.
Benefits of Building Your Own Rosin Press
People wouldn’t build their own rosin press if it didn’t come with a range of benefits. Here are just a few of the benefits you can expect if you take the time to create your own rosin press to a decent standard.
Save a Lot of Money
Professional presses can be extremely expensive, we are talking around $3,500 for a decent quality shop press. If you aren’t running a large-scale dispensary or you just want to produce rosin on a small scale, this can be a really big investment.
Luckily, most DIY alternatives are affordable and can be built with fairly cheap materials. This will, of course, have an impact on the quality of your rosin. But if you’re looking for a cheaper way to make your own rosin, then a DIY system may be the best call for you.
Helps You Get to Know Rosin Products
Although we wouldn’t recommend you build your own press if you are new to the world of rosin, a great benefit in doing so is that you will learn the ins and outs of the process. This can be great if you are planning on running an independent dispensary or you just want to know more about rosin.
There are few better ways for getting to know something than doing it yourself. If you want to get the best knowledge regarding rosin products, then you may want to consider building DIY rosin plates at home.
You Have Full Control Over the Final Product
If you have been smoking cannabis and hash for years and you consider yourself an enthusiast, then you probably know exactly what you like in an end product. By choosing to make your own rosin press, you will have full control over every element of your rosin product.
From the hash you choose to the temperature of your DIY rosin press plates, having total control over the extraction process is perfect for experienced cannabis users.
What Sets Professional-Standard Rosin Presses Apart?
You might have already guessed, but there are some fairly large differences between DIY rosin press plates and a professional-standard shop press. From in-built safety mechanisms to how much product you can expect to get, check out the main differences below!
Purpose-built
Perhaps the biggest advantage a professional-standard press will have over any DIY rosin presses is that they are built with one purpose in mind — to extract rosin from hash products and plant material.
Your typical DIY setup will rely on a hair flat iron and most flat irons aren’t designed with weed in mind. So, although they can be extremely useful for rosin extraction, they just won’t be able to compete with specialist gear.
You do have to consider the price differences between a professional standard press and making your own rosin press. As most DIY systems are far cheaper, it’s only expected that they will perform slightly worse than your average professional press.
If you take your time to build a mid-grade system, and you don’t mind spending a little more money, then it is possible to construct a high-performance DIY press.
High Yield
Although it is more than possible to create your own DIY rosin press to get the job done, it just won’t be able to compete with a professional standard press in terms of yield. Using the right pressure and temperature are vital to creating a decent end product, and this is far easier with a professional press.
As the settings are easy to adjust depending on the form of hash you are using and what type of rosin you want, you will be able to generate a higher yield. A higher yield means more product — which is something that every dispensary or weed user can appreciate.
However, it is possible to create a homemade rosin press that can get the most out of your chosen hash product. Just ensure that you do your research before setting your own shop press up, this way you can ensure you have covered all bases.
Good Safety Mechanisms
When using high temperatures and working with incredible amounts of pressure, it is vital that you are taking safety precautions. Although you have full control over each mechanism when it comes to DIY rosin press plates, you just don’t have the protection of using one built to a professional standard.
Most professional plates will feature security mechanisms that can quickly be activated to avoid potential issues. This means you can generally use your rosin press more often without the worry of burning your fingers or trapping your hand.
On the other hand, using your own press can be dangerous if you’re not sure exactly what you are doing. If you do plan on setting up a DIY rosin press, then be sure to implement safety protocols where possible — you don’t want to press your hand when you could be pressing rosin!
Guarantees/Warranties
This may not be important if you consider yourself to be an excellent DIY builder, but for some, a long warranty can truly make a difference. If anything goes wrong with your rosin press, you will either want a quick replacement or repairs, but this isn’t possible if you made it yourself.
Most professional standard rosin extraction presses will come with some form of guarantee or warranty. Whereas, any repairs or replacements on a DIY press will be 100% down to you or the person who made your press for you.
On the flip side, with a homemade rosin press, you will be able to make customizations without the risk of breaking your warranty. This truly depends on how skilled you are at construction projects and whether or not you know how to diagnose and fix issues in DIY rosin presses.
Warning: Safety Should Always Be Your Number One Priority
Before you even consider making your own press or messing around with a professional option, you need to consider a range of security options. When it comes to high-pressure machines, the plates and other heating elements, safety should always be your number one priority.
The first risk that comes to mind is the extreme levels of heat produced by your standard rosin press. Temperatures frequently jump up to 250 to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, which can cause a lot of damage to both you and your property.
Pressure is also a constant risk when using a press of any kind. A typical press can reach pressure levels of around 500 to 1,000 pounds per-square-inch (PSI). (If you’re not familiar with PSI, then just know this is a lot of pressure!)
You also have to consider that DIY rosin presses use a range of electronic tech to extract rosin from your cannabis products. This means you risk being electrocuted unless you are safe and take your time to learn the risks of a rosin press.
When it comes to DIY projects, it is always better to be safe than sorry. But as long as you know what you are doing and implement a range of safety precautions, such as temperature-resistant gloves and goggles, then pressing hash and plant material doesn’t need to be a dangerous task.
Building a DIY Rosin Press – Method 1: Budget
Perhaps the most popular DIY rosin method that is incredibly easy to replicate at home is the flat iron method. As you might expect, all you need for this is a cheap set of straighteners that offer a decent range of temperatures.
Main Method:
Once you have acquired your flat iron, making rosin at home is incredibly cheap and easy to do. We would suggest a set of straighteners that offers fairly low temperatures, as really hot rosin plates can ruin your end product.
You may also want to get parchment paper to protect your straighteners from damage. Any straighteners used for making rosin probably won’t last too long, but it’s always a decent idea to protect your heated plates as much as possible to avoid accidents.
Once you have got the tools you need, all you need to do is place your hash or plant product onto the parchment paper. Place this onto your heated plates and apply constant pressure. With enough pressure, you will soon be able to extract rosin.
Alternative Method:
An alternative method that still relies on hair straighteners is to dismantle them. All you have to do for this budget method is to remove the plastic covering from your flat iron, so you are left with the heating plates and any heating elements, wires and electronics needed to power them.
Next, you will want to place them into a vice or similar holding tool such as a clamp. Switch them on carefully and slowly turn your chosen clamp to apply pressure to the hash or plant product. Try not to go too overboard as too much pressure can ruin your rosin.
You will also want to ensure you are wearing gloves and goggles and that you have someone with you that you trust. Placing hot plates into a clamp can be dangerous so be extremely careful when trying this method.
Building a DIY Rosin Press – Method 2: Mid-range
An alternative but perhaps better method to get a rosin product is by using a quick clamp and a rosin plate set. This is slightly more expensive than just using a set of hair straighteners, but it may be worth it if you are wanting to create a decent end product.
For this method, you will need to check out rosin plate sets available to you, as they need to be placed into a quick press clamp. However, once you have found an affordable set, the rest of this mid-range method is pretty straightforward.
Simply place your rosin plate set into the quick clamp. Coat your plant or hash product with parchment paper and place this in-between the two plates. Then gently apply pressure incrementing it frequently to keep the pressure on your product high.
This should create decent rosin, but it still can’t quite compete with some professional rosin presses out there. But if you are on a budget, it is an excellent way to quickly get a decent hash or plant rosin.
Building a DIY Rosin Press – Method 3: High-end
Okay, so this method might be a little more expensive than the previous two, but it’s as close as you’re going to get to a professional DIY setup. Before you start making high-end rosin using this method you will need to get your hands on two things:
- A decent set of rosin plates with a heating controller
- An affordable hydraulic shop press
There are a range of shop press and rosin plate sets out there, so it can be hard to know which one is right for your setup. Typically, the larger the plates and the stronger the press, the more product you will be able to create; however, this will cost you more money.
When it comes to the rosin plates you choose, we would recommend aluminum options. As they aren’t as good as stainless steel at insulating, they release the heat faster than steel options. This is perfect for rosin extraction as you don’t want to burn your products due to constant high heat.
Try to balance cost and performance to ensure you are still within budget but you have the tools needed to create a decent rosin product. Once you have got your hands on these two products, making rosin at home is pretty straightforward.
This method is just a slightly more advanced version of the previous two. First, wrap your hash or plant material in bags to prevent leakage. Place parchment paper onto your rosin plates and position these securely into your shop press.
Once it’s all set up, gently apply pressure and increase the pressure slowly to get the most rosin out of your cannabis as you can.
FAQs
How Much Yield Can I Expect from a Homemade Rosin Press?
The yield you get from a rosin press depends on two main things: how large the press is and the size of the plates you are using. Generally, a larger press and plates will produce more rosin — depending on how much plant or hash material you use.
If you know what you are doing and your press is fairly high quality, you should be able to get a fairly high rosin yield.
Is It Worth Buying a Dedicated Rosin Press?
This will depend on how much rosin you are wanting and how often you are planning on rosin pressing. If you are only pressing rosin to smoke yourself, and you don’t expect to do it very often, then you may want to stick with a DIY rosin plate set.
On the other hand, if you expect to press rosin often, and you want the highest yield possible, a dedicated shop press may be a better option.
What Are the Best Heated Plates for Homemade Rosin Presses?
The material of your rosin plates is extremely important if you are expecting to get the best end product. There are two main choices of press plates out there, stainless steel and aluminum and it can be tricky to know which is the best choice.
We would recommend aluminum over stainless steel as it heats up faster than steel and doesn’t hold heat as long so you won’t burn your hash.
Final Thoughts
Saving money through DIY projects is not only extremely fulfilling, but it can also help enhance your cannabis experience. With just a few tools you can get a decent rosin product, which can save you from a lengthy trip to your trusted dispensary.
By using our tips above, you should be able to quickly set up your own DIY rosin press without spending a fortune. As always, stay safe and happy smoking!