The Directional Flow Method Tutorial
Todde Philips
🇺🇸 Retired veteran, father, rock-climbing expert & rosin connoisseur
✅ Updated 2/14/22
The Directional Flow Method is a way of folding parchment paper used during pressing in such a way to guide flowing rosin away from the heated plates and onto a cooler surface (the outer edges of the parchment). The more quickly you move rosin away from the heat source, the more you’ll optimize terpene and cannabinoid preservation.
Another benefit of the Directional Flow Method is that it allows you to watch the flow during a press. You can see when the flow starts and when it stops, which lets you really dial in the variables specific to your starting material.
The Directional Flow Method is ideal for runs that generate a high volume of rosin, as a steady stream of rosin allows for this method to be most effective. Therefore, we recommend trying this out with dry sift or bubble hash runs, which will generally produce high enough returns as to benefit from this method.
With flower, the yields normally aren’t high enough to create the river of flowing rosin that you need to make this method work, so it’s best to stick with the basic method of simply folding the parchment paper in half between the plates. Of course, you can still achieve stellar results with the original method.
Step 1: Start with a high quality parchment paper that’s heat resistant, terpene resistant, plus food grade and FDA approved. The Press Club parchment paper is the industry’s standard.
Step 2: Fold the parchment in half (along the width of the paper if you’re using a rectangular piece)
Step 3: Place your rosin bag onto the paper about an eighth of an inch above the fold
Step 4: Fold the two edges upward up to an eight inch away from the edges of the rosin bag
Step 5: Place the bag inside the main fold of the parchment paper and then fold the edges around it
Step 6: You can cut the top layer of the paper away so that only the bottom of the parchment will be hanging down beneath the plates (this gives you better visibility into the flow of rosin as well)
Conclusion
The Directional Flow Method is an elegant solution to minimizing the time your rosin spends sitting on the heated plates, vaporizing away the beautiful terpenes and cannabinoids that we love. Folding the paper to quickly direct rosin away from the bag, off of the plates, and dripping down the cool surface of parchment is a great way to help preserve your final product.
Who would have thought a few simple folds could improve your game!
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do you do directional flow method with parchment paper?
Directional Flow is a method of folding parchment paper in a way that efficiently directs flowing rosin away from the heated plates during extraction. Directional flow method is great for bubble hash where high volumes of flowing rosin are created. Fold the parchment around the rosin bag to direct rosin to the front and down onto the parchment paper.
Why is my parchment paper tearing?
Excessive pressure used during extraction, rotating or drifting rosin plates in misalignment, and subpar quality materials used in paper construction are all reasons that parchment paper can tear during extraction. Purchase the strongest and most reliable parchment paper made specifically for rosin here.
Is parchment paper the same as wax paper?
No, parchment paper is not the same as wax paper. Wax paper is coated with wax that will ruin your rosin. Parchment paper is covered in silicone which will not stick to your rosin. Purchase premium parchment paper for rosin here.
Which side of the parchment paper do I use?
When using parchment paper for rosin extraction, make sure the side that's coated with silicone is the side that will be touching the rosin. The silicone coating provides the anti-stick properties that's best for rosin extraction.
What size parchment do I need to press rosin?
The size of parchment paper you need depends on the size of rosin plates you're using. The parchment should be big enough to fully contain the rosin filter bag and capture the outflow of rosin during extraction. 5x5inch sheets of parchment are a good option for smaller plates.
3 comments
I love you guys but this article is no help without at bare minimum, pictures. The folding description is impossible to understand as written.
These instructions really need better pictures. I have no idea what most of the steps mean.
“Step 2: Fold the parchment in half (along the width of the paper if you’re using a rectangular piece)”
Does “along the width” mean to fold the long sides together or the short ends together?
“Step 3: Place your rosin bag onto the paper about an eighth of an inch above the fold”
I assume this means that the open end of the paper should be away from you and the fold towards you, with the bag on top of the folded paper, and the long side of the bag oriented parallel to the fold?
“Step 4: Fold the two edges upward up to an eight inch away from the edges of the rosin bag”
So, with the fold towards you, crease the left and right sides so there is 1/8" on either end of the bag from these new folds?
“Step 5: Place the bag inside the main fold of the parchment paper and then fold the edges around it "
Huh? I thought we just folded the bag into the parchment paper in step 4. So, take the bag out of the parchment paper and slide it into the open end that is facing away from me?
“Step 6: You can cut the top layer of the paper away so that only the bottom of the parchment will be hanging down beneath the plates (this gives you better visibility into the flow of rosin as well)”
Isn’t there a step missing here? Don’t I have to turn the parchment paper around so the open end is facing toward me? And what is the “top layer”? It looks like there is a single layer under the bag and 3 layers on top of it. Do I cut all 3 top layers?
And how does the parchment paper catch the rosin in this setup, or do I have to hold a jar under it while I press?
I’ve been pressing flower for a year now, and these instructions are really much more confusing than most of the stuff on the site.
Thanks for any help!
I bought the press club parchment paper but it’s so slick I’m having issues keeping the puck inbetween the plates because it keeps sliding out when I apply more pressure. I’ve looked everywhere online and it seems like I’m the only one having this issue. Any help would be greatly appreciated