Thanks Arc, Thanks Sue...that pic looks familiar now that you re-post it, and it's what I had planed. I totally get what your saying Sue, for instance, I'd never try and melt chocolate just over a flame. I was hoping that Sue or Cajun would say they tried without the oil bath and it was too hard to keep from burning once decarb temps were reached.
I'm not trying to be lazy or anything. If your interested, look up spoon theory, spoons replace energy to complete tasks, I only have so many spoons to use each day. So if I can eliminate steps and cleanup, I'm better off.
I'm not worried about loosing material, so maybe I do as Arc suggested and run a small batch...say 50 to 100g of some dried and cured bud to 250ml of coconut oil. How about one run with some added water and one without. I'll document and report back. Bare with me though...can't do it all at once...spoons and all.
I look forward to your eventual reports. If it works without the oil bath we'll all dance a joyful jig.
When you get it done will be just the right time.
And thank you for the introduction to spoon theory.
It was mind-expanding. I'll be posting about the theory in the Study Hall.
While I'm here let me finish my report on the last batch of oil I made. I used 50 grams of low and slo dried CBD Critical Cure buds with 250 ml of EVOO, cooked in the oven for 36 hours. Then I put it on an oil bath to check the decarb, and boy....surprise! It took
three hours to completely decarb.
Hot from the oven, it started decarbing almost immediately.
There's a lot to be said in finding the right tools. I looked for months for something the size and depth of this stainless cup. The other day I found small stainless canisters that I'll be picking up a second one of today. They're the perfect size for this process.
The smaller canning lids give me the spacing from the flame's intense heat while allowing enough open space to avoid any splashing from oil bubbles being captured and then escaping. The cup I found sits securely in the oil. My purchases today will include an ovglove. Picking up with my own fingers is preferable when dealing with hot oil, and that glove makes it possible to make use of the efficiency of the opposable thumb.
The Wilton cake decorator turned out to be the best stirring tool. Oil gets messy with the silicon or rubber spatulas. They're good for cleaning out (I have a couple small ones that fit the cup better), and this stainless blade is much better for the incessant stirring. It sits nicely in there without fear of tipping out too.
Incidentally, we say all the time to watch for the uniformly small decarb bubbles, but in reality you get three different-sized bubbles, small, medium, and large, but unlike the manic bubbles formed by the water boiling off, they remain consistent in their sizes and they gather together in small groupings.
I'm bad about remembering the lecithin, so I've started adding it to the measuring cup before I begin straining.
For the initial drain I prefer a paint strainer or cheesecloth. When I squeeze I first wrap this bundle in a piece of 125 TPI silk. This cuts back on the amount of sludge that makes it through.
5 minutes from being done there's still bubbles rising with every stir.
Then BAM! She's done!
Since I'll be keeping the mash for my own consumption, freeing the oil for my patients, I don't go through a big ordeal to reclaim all of the oil. I'll be getting what's left in my daily dose of mash. I let it drip, vibrating the mash by gently shaking the funnel back and forth.
This was the first time I tried vibrating it, and I pulled out an additional 25 ml from previous runs, after final squeezing.
Into the fridge for 24 hours. I'll be making capsules today.
The mash is mine.
I'll be refining my methods again to something very similar to FHO, just using the low and slo or dehydrated buds. Making the buds and oil into a slurry and processing it over the oil bath appears to be my best method for making the highest-quality oil. Not having to boil the water oot may save an hour or two, but the process remains laborious, so thank goodness I'm so enthralled by it that I can't walk away. Lol!
Pacing myself has become my latest focus, now that I have an understanding of the method and have developed an instinctive feel for the temperature fluctuations that may occur. I find the sweet spot and manage to keep it there for the most part. As long as I can maintain between 230 -240 degrees F in the mash, which translates to something in the neighborhood of 280 degrees for the oil bath, I can enjoy the process without stress, stirring every five minutes or so and watching the bubbling action with enrapt fascination.
But standing over the stove will be difficult for many. Next time I may try the crock pot. I'll be at the stores today and the purchase of a mini crock pot is in my immediate future. I'm searching for a way for someone with limited spoons to create this wonderfully beneficial oil, with the least number of spoons being sacrificed. Then the hope is that the number of available spoons will begin to spontaneously increase.
Wasn't that fun? Lol! I love that pan you have. The thick bottom can only help protect the oil. Thank you for being brave enough to risk part of a harvest. 
