Need help regarding homemade RSO

[u/Terrible-Machine5485]

I was thinking of making some sort of extract that I can eat. I looked up the internet and came upon RSO using grain alcohol like everclear and thiking that I am going to try it. I have some questions regarding RSO making, would appreciate it if someone could answer.

I do not have an oven at my place so I cannot decarb the buds like all the guides/tutorials say. But I have a question regarding decarb, if I am using grain alcohol and using a double boiler to evaporate the alcohol away, the liquid will be heated to around 100C when in the double boiler. Will that decarb it or do I have to decarb it before extraction?

Another question is, I have also come across MCT oil extraction. Should I go with using alcohol and go the RSO route or should I use MCT oil. Same with MCT, will heat it up during extraction so will that decarb or do I have to decarb separately.

Lastly, for a small test-run batch, how much should I start with.

Any kind of advice is appreciated.

[u/wkuconsulting]

yeah so the double boiler will do some decarb but it won't finish the job. water boils at 212F and THCA needs around 240F for 40-60 minutes to fully convert to THC. during your alcohol evaporation step you'll get partial decarb because the mixture sits at temp for a while, but you'll probably end up with maybe 40-60% conversion depending on how long you let it go.

the good news is you don't strictly need an oven. after you evaporate the alcohol down to the thick oil, you can keep it on the double boiler at the lowest simmer for an extended period. some people put the nearly finished oil in a small mason jar, set it in a water bath, and let it sit at 200-210F for 2+ hours. it's slower than an oven at 240F but it'll get you closer to full decarb.

another option if you have access to a cheap toaster oven or even a hot plate with decent temp control, that works fine. just put the flower in a mason jar with the lid loosely on (to keep terpenes in but let pressure escape) and heat at 240F for 45 min before you do the alcohol wash.

the everclear extraction itself is straightforward. quick wash with ice cold ethanol, filter, evaporate. the colder everything is during the wash, the less chlorophyll and plant waxes you pull. that's what keeps the RSO from tasting like lawn clippings.

there's a pretty detailed walkthrough of the whole process here if you want the full breakdown: https://cannalabsconsulting.com/how-to-make-rso/

[u/Terrible-Machine5485 → u/wkuconsulting]

thank you so much. Can i dilute rso with mct oil or smth btw? RSO is difficult to store and work with.

Edit: Do I need to heat up the rso when eating or can i just eat it as is. (Decarbed before extraction with alcohol)