Can You Really Cure Rosin With An Ultrasonic Cleaner?
Cannabis enthusiast and student of the art of solventless extraction
Ultrasonic cleaning is the process of using sound waves to agitate and clean a variety of items. As high-frequency sound waves (ranging from 20-40 kilohertz) pass through a fluid, they create vibrations that form micro-bubbles inside the fluid. The constant vibration of these tiny bubbles causes contaminants to separate out and rise to the surface, where they are destroyed.
Ultrasonic cleaners can clean many different types of objects, like industrial parts, jewelry, scientific samples, firearm components, electronic equipment and many more. Submerging these items inside the tank of an ultrasonic cleaner exposes them to micro-bubbles created by high-frequency sound waves, stripping them of unwanted contamination.
But did you know that solventless extractors can also use these devices to cure rosin?
Although ultrasonic cleaners are designed to clean items, we can repurpose these devices to cure rosin that’s sealed inside of a glass jar. The purpose is strictly curing, not cleaning. And while the rosin will technically be submerged in a fluid, it’s protected within a sealed glass jar.
The same high-frequency sound waves that create micro-bubbles for cleaning items also produce micro-bubbles inside rosin. The creation and implosion of these bubbles within the rosin causes it to nucleate, allowing extractors to speed up the process of curing.
While traditional cold curing methods take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, ultrasonic cleaners can achieve the full nucleation process that allows your rosin to fully cure in just a couple of hours.
Curing rosin with an ultrasonic cleaner not only speeds up the curing process, but it preserves terpenes within the rosin. Curing in just a couple hours reduces the terpene degradation and loss that takes place over the days and weeks with the traditional method of cold curing rosin.
Ultrasonic cleaners are available for under $500 online, making them accessible to both commercial processors and home hobbyists.
Supplies You Need To Cure Rosin with an Ultrasonic Cleaner
Ultrasonic Cleaner
Rosin Jar
Water (Doesn't have to be RO, plain tap water will do)
Ice or a Water Chiller (water chiller is a better option for commercial producers)
Digital Water Thermometer
Whipping Tool
How To Cure Rosin with an Ultrasonic Cleaner
1) Prepare the jar of rosin. Fill a glass jar with rosin and seal the lid tightly. A jar and lid that seals perfectly is a critical requirement, since the environment inside the jar needs to be airtight. This also ensures no water can get inside.
2) Prepare the ultrasonic cleaner. Place the sealed jar of rosin inside the stainless steel basket which fits inside the cleaning tank. Fill the tank with water up to the level of the lid. Covering the rosin with water ensures that the ultrasonic sound waves will penetrate the rosin and complete the nucleation process.
3) Activate the ultrasonic cleaner. Turn on the power but be sure to leave the heat function OFF. All we need are the high-frequency sound waves, no heat. Adding heat to this process will defeat the purpose of the cold cure, which preserves terpenes.
4) Control the temperature throughout the cleaning process. Aim to keep the water around 70 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the curing cycle. This temperature allows for an efficient cold curing process while preserving terpenes inside the rosin.
Adding ice to the water is the simplest way to do this, but that involves closely monitoring the temperature while the machine is on.
A water chiller automates this process of keeping the water at the desired temperature throughout. The water chiller recirculates cold water throughout the tank while the rosin is curing, turning this into a fully hand-off process. This approach allows operators to focus on other tasks in the lab while the rosin is curing, and ensures the water stays at the proper temperature.
5) Observe nucleation. You’ll notice the terpenes begin to separate out from the rosin, giving it that wet look. THC will crash out. This all takes place on an accelerated timeline thanks to the physics of high-frequency sound waves interacting with the rosin. Visual cues will tell you when the rosin is ready to remove.
6) Once all the phases of nucleation are complete, remove the rosin from the tank.
7) Whip the rosin. This process recombines the elements of the rosin that naturally separated out during the curing and nucleation process. Whipping rosin homogenizes the extract, enhancing texture and increasing shelf stability.
Conclusion
Innovation is constantly prodding the solventless extraction sector forward. Savvy extractors using ultrasonic cleaners to cold cure rosin is a perfect example of the type of ingenuity that pushes the limits of what is possible. And curing with an ultrasonic cleaner is not only possible, but it’s easily accessible to commercial producers and home hobbyists alike. Cold curing with an ultrasonic cleaner allows for a super efficient and standardized approach to further refining rosin.
Have you cured rosin with an ultrasonic cleaner?
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