When making ice water hash, the mixture must be agitated in order to break trichomes off plant material, a labor-intensive process; a washing machine automates the agitation process. Hash washing machines are specifically designed to be used with micron bags to separate trichomes, and can range in size from 5-20 gallons to accommodate different sized batches of hash. Some hashmakers use actual laundry washing machines, but that is not recommended.
“My hash washing machine cuts the process time in half.”
“Do not use a standard washing machine to make hash.”
What is a hash washing machine?
The ice water hash process began in the late 1980s with David Watson and was popularized with Marcus “Bubbleman” Richardson with Bubble Bags. Cannabis plant material is placed in ice water to freeze trichomes, and then agitated to break them off. The ice water hash mixture is then placed through a series of finer mesh bags to filter out plant material. Agitation is a labor-intensive process, so hash washing machines were created to speed it up.
Hash washing machines are much smaller and portable than a regular washing machine for clothes, typically holding between 5 and 20 gallons. The smaller size and shorter cycles allows for greater control of movement and ease when switching mesh bags, although the fixed nature of the machine’s cycles doesn’t always allow for precise technique and quality can suffer as a result.
Manual vs. washing machine hash
The manual bucket-and-bag method of making ice water hash gives extraction artists the greatest degree of monitoring and control, which can lead to a higher quality product, but it is also time consuming and labor intensive. Hash washing machines have set cycles, making fine-tuning difficult, and they also require electricity and may have a learning curve. However, washing machines make the hashmaking process much quicker and efficient if an individual or brand is making a large amount of hash.