How can I easily, cheaply and quickly press a small amount of hash?

The focus of this page is on simple, cheap, and small batch hash production.

This method is geared towards simple, cheap and common materials. Although this method uses some heat, an appliance such as a blender or mixer is not needed, nor is any freezing or straining required. There is no wait for the product to dry out either. You can basically smoke it right away.

I use my $35 Crystal Catcher sifter box from whiskeyfalls.com and my ?SweatLeaf? grinder to separate the gland heads (KIF) from the vegetable matter. I work a batch of bud vigorously across the screen with a credit card (instead of sifting). I discarded the vegetable matter once done, but it surely has some potency left in it. Very dry, fluffy bud is my preference.

The real secret to my method is Parchment paper. Parchment paper is wonder-stuff for baking. It?s very strong and durable, heat resistant and the fibers of the paper are very dense, and have a good ?non-stick? quality. The Parchment paper I have is silicone coated for even better release.

Items needed:

• Pile of KIF, separated by your favorite screening method (dry)
  
• Parchment paper (look near wax paper, aluminum foil etc. in grocery stores)
  
• Water (enough to finger dip)
  
• Heat source (Heat softens/bursts the gland heads so they will congeal better) Any safe heat source will do (it?s better to have a flat surface for the hand pressing). I used an iron for heat in this example.
  
• Garlic press (Optional, for larger batches)

Hand pressed method:

Cut a piece of parchment paper approximately 6? square. Place your dry KIF in the center of the paper and carefully fold the paper around the KIF, creating as small of a compartment as possible for the KIF within the folded paper.

Place the folded KIF/paper on a heat source, with the most folded side facing up towards you.

Using your fingers or thumb (if you can handle the heat) or another object, press the folded KIF/paper firmly against the heat source. Hold the KIF against the heat source for a half of a minute to a minute, or when the heat transfers through to your fingers through the folded paper. You do not want to over heat the KIF, you just want to soften it and gel it a little – you may feel the KIF ?give way? or otherwise move a little as the heat and pressure work on it.

Remove the KIF/paper from the heat, unfold carefully and carefully remove the flattened KIF from the paper. Cut the ?KIF wafer? (I use a razor blade) and stack the pieces on top of one another. Re-fold the paper and apply to the heat source again very briefly, just to warm it up a little and make it softer and more pliable.

Remove the KIF (now already becoming hash) and begin rolling carefully it between your fingers, trying not to loosen or separate any KIF powder from the pressed product (you?ll see what I mean). Moisten your fingers with water to assist in the rolling/balling of the clump. You can press the clump onto any loose pieces left in the paper (like chewing gum picking up dust) and continue to wet your fingers a little to blend those bits in.

Once you have the ball of hash rolled to your liking, you can either let it set for a bit to evaporate any surface water remaining, or slice off a chunk and start smoking!

Garlic pressed hash:

Prepare your KIF as mentioned previously, but you will need quite a bit more to make this worthwhile.

Cut a piece of parchment paper (use your judgment and practice this a few times before trying it with your KIF) and carefully form it to the inside of the garlic press. You have to form it with your finger the best you can and then use the upper part of the press to finish forming the shape prior to adding the KIF. Slowly close the press together, allowing the paper to be gently pulled in with the plunger part of the press.

The trick here is to be patient and avoid any tearing. The first time I tried it, I got it the first time; the next time I tried it, it took 3 tries to get it right.

Basically you are trying to form a paper cup!

Once you form a nice cup ready for the pressing, drop a few small drops of water in the cup and place your KIF in the paper lined garlic press (I use a business card to kind of funnel it in).

Put a few more small drops of water on top of the KIF as well. You should add another layer of paper on top of the KIF to avoid having the KIF stick to the metal part of the plunger.

Slowly press the plunger into the press dragging the upper paper layer slowly in with it. Do all of this very slowly to allow the paper to slip where it wants to slip and avoid tears.

Once you have compressed the KIF with moderate squeeze pressure, place the garlic press with KIF in it against a heat source. Hold to the heat source until it is hot enough that you cannot not hold it with your bare hand (this takes longer to heat than hand pressing described earlier). Remove the press from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Carefully open the press and remove the paper/hash chunk. Carefully open paper and dislodge the hash wafer from it, being careful in case it didn?t press perfectly. You can use a little water on your fingers to ?dress up? the wafer.

This method can also utilize multiple layers (pressing, adding more and pressing again) similar to OT?s press instructions to create a thicker chunk. The parchment paper is an excellent ?release material? to use when pressing multiple layer hash.

As you can see, an almost full garlic press cup of KIF can be pressed into a wafer a little bigger than a quarter. The wafer shown is about a gram of hash.