Course for Making Dabs Part 2: Making BHO Hash Oil (Shatter / Crumble)

You’ll recognise them for sure. From the films where people smoke large green spliffs. That is usually shatter or crumble. What most people don’t know is that butane hash oil (BHO) is the basis for these cannabis concentrates. It’s really not difficult to make BHO or hash oil. You just need to have the right things and be aware of the dangers of the production process. Fancy having a go? We will explain it all for you in minute detail.

In this 4-part course we’ll teach you how you can make high-quality dabs in a professional manner. You’ll find everything here: the equipment, a step-by-step plan, handy photos and clear instructions. Furthermore, in each part we will point out the advantages and disadvantages of each weed concentrate. All so that you can enjoy them in a responsible manner.

Are you looking for items with which you can make dabs? Rosin press, oil extractor or something else? Check out what’s on offer in "Make Concentrates and Weed Dabs". You’ll find everything you need here!

What is BHO (Butane Hash Oil)?

BHO or butane hash oil is a weed concentrate. It’s made by extracting from weed or plant remnants using propellant and an oil extractor. It is an extremely pure concentrate with a THC percentage of around 80%. Butane gas is often used for the production process but it can also be done with dimethylether. 

For making hash you allow the propellant to flow through weed or plant remnants in an oil extractor. The latter is a plastic or metal tube fitted with filters. As the gas passes through the tube, it absorbs all theTHC-rich resin glands (trichomes) and leaves behind the plant remnants. A mixture of butane (or dimethylether) and THC flows out of the bottom of the oil extractor. Extract the butane from the mixture and you’re left with a BHO extract or hash oil. You can make Crumble or Shatter out of this, or you can simply use it for dabbing as is!

Please note: Making BHO or hash oil can be extremely dangerous. Read more about it in this blog or consult the product information for the various oil extractors.

Pure BHO in the form of Crumble

Advantages and disadvantages of BHO dabs

All weed concentrates have their advantages and disadvantages Some of them are purer than others or are easier to make. Here is a summary of the plus and minus points for BHO:

High-quality, pure and cheap

BHO has a relatively high THC percentage compared to other dabs: 80%. For dabs like wax or rosin the percentage can vary considerably but with BHO it’s usually around the 80% mark. The purchase costs for all the required materials are also low in comparison to cannabis oil or ice-o-lator, for example. And that’s without getting into the price/quality ratio. Because when you make it properly, BHO is among the purest of weed concentrates. And a nice added bonus: you can make various types of dabs with BHO. It doesn’t just stop with the hash oil.

Health risks

BHO doesn’t have many disadvantages. But you have to take very seriously those that there are. If BHO is not produced properly, it can contain impurities that are associated with health risks. In addition, making hash oil can be dangerous.

Is Making Hash Oil Unsafe?

Provided you read the instructions properly before you get started and you work in the correct manner, then it’s perfectly safe to make hash oil. If you ignore the rules then it can be extremely dangerous. That is because you are working with butane, a highly flammable gas. If it comes into contact with fire, then it can explode. Things can also go wrong if you use different propellants in an extractor that isn’t suitable for them. So please pay attention to the following warnings:

  • Never extract indoors in a room that isn’t well ventilated. Butane gas can fill an enclosed space and a single spark can cause a substantial explosion.
  • Never smoke during the extraction process.
  • Never extract close to an open fire or sparks. So not in the vicinity of a boiler, oven or furnace.
  • Don’t remove the butane gas tube from the extractor until 30 seconds after the tube has become empty.
  • Never directly inhale propellant.
  • Don’t wear loose woollen sweaters or wide clothing when extracting.

The key materials needed for making BHO: an oil extractor, propellant and cannabis

Materials Required for Making Hash Oil

For making BHO, shatter or crumble you need the following things:

*Not every tube of butane gas is suitable for making BHO. Always check carefully whether any impurities have been included. You can find this out from the packaging or the product information.

Making BHO Dabs in a Couple of Steps

Time to roll up your sleeves and make a pure and THC-rich concentrate. If you have all the required materials at home then there’s nothing stopping you. Read through the safety warnings once more before you get started and then follow these steps:

  1. Find a well-ventilated place without heat sources, or get everything ready outside.

  2. Crumble all the weed or plant remnants. For the best end results, use the most potent weed. Everything can go in the extractor apart from big branches. But do you just want to make the very best concentrate? If so, use buds!

  3. Open the oil extractor on one side and insert the filter. Then fill the extractor with your stash. Around 20 grammes will fit in an extractor. When it’s almost full do up the extractor tightly. 

  4. Take a container (e.g. a bucket) and fill this with hot water. Also take a silicon oven dish. Make sure that everything is upright. You are going to let the oil extractor leak out into this.

  5. When everything is ready, take hold of the oil extractor with gloves. You hold it with the end downwards, making sure it’s hanging over the silicon drip tray. Now you take the tube of butane gas and insert the spout into the top of the extractor. Don’t be alarmed! The hissing noise is to be expected. The oil extractor fills with gas and gets very cold. It’s almost impossible to hold it without gloves.

  6. In due course all the butane mixture will leave the extractor completely. Once the tube is empty, wait for 30 seconds or so before you take it out of the oil extractor. Everything is now in the container. If you’re not bothered what structure the concentrate is to have, you lay the silicon dish on top of the bucket of hot water. 

  7. The hot water evaporates all the butane. You’ll notice it evaporating once the substance begins to bubble. This is very important. All the butane and any other impurities must be evaporated off because otherwise this will end up in your lungs when smoking the BHO. Allow the dish to stand for as long as possible. The oil will get thicker and thicker. Once it’s stopped bubbling for 15 minutes, you know that everything has been evaporated off. 

  8. Leave the hash oil overnight to make sure that everything really has evaporated away. After that, you can get on with enjoying your home-made BHO. Or you can keep tinkering with it by making crumble or shatter. Read on to learn how you do that.

You will make approximately 5 grammes of pure BHO From 20 grammes of weed. Watch the video clip at the bottom of the page to get an idea about the BHO production process.

BHO / Hash Oil

Making Hash Oil with Dimethylether

In place of butane gas you can also use dimethylether (also known as Dexso gas) to make hash oil. The end product is even more pure than when you make it with butane gas. What’s more you need very little dimethylether to make BHO. And you can also achieve an even higher percentage of THC. 

However, it isn’t a case of just advantages with dimethylether. You need more equipment. You cannot extract using Dexso gas in a plastic extractor. You need a metal one to prevent accidents. Additionally, you cannot drip onto silicon. Only Teflon Foil is proof against this form of propellant. So cover the silicon dish with that foil or else you will end up with silicon particles in your concentrate.

Making Shatter or Crumble

BHO, shatter, crumble or budder. They’re really all the same. The difference lies in the structure of the concentrate. This is determined by the temperature at which you evaporate the butane (or other propellant) from the concentrate. Professional shatter and crumble is made in a vacuum oven. Here the BHO is heated at low temperature – somewhere between 33 and 43 degrees Celsius. This can take days. Now we understand that not everyone has a vacuum oven (you can make these yourself). But we do want to give you an indication of the temperatures you should use in this kind of oven.

  • Hash oil: do you allow the butane to evaporate without heating? Then you keep the BHO in its most liquid form. This is what is referred to as hash oil.

  • Shatter (glass-like, solid): if you allow the butane to evaporate from 39 degrees Celsius then your concentrate will look more like shatter.

  • Crumble / Budder (buttery): if you allow the butane to evaporate at 43 degrees Celsius then your concentrate will look more like crumble or budder.

Unfortunately there are several factors that influence the structure of your concentrate if you heat it without a vacuum oven. Therefore you should experiment yourself with different temperatures to make the perfect dab for you, but don’t forget the safety rules! Tip: the higher the temperature, the faster your dabs will resemble Crumble. But be aware: at higher temperatures the terpenes in your concentrate will start to evaporate. This will have a negative effect on the taste!