It's easier than ever to build your own rosin press, so many do-it-yourselfers have decided to build their own rosin press at home rather than buy a plug-and-press model that’s ready to go right out of the box. Making your own rosin press can save you a ton of cash, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to fabricate your own rosin plates or modify a shop press, which requires the tools and skills necessary to drill into thick pieces of aluminum or stainless steel and gather up hard-to-find parts from sources all over town.

You can still save a lot of money by building your own homemade rosin press from pre-fabricated plates that include the heating elements and controller needed to achieve the necessary temperatures to make the best rosin you can get from your quality plant material.

But before we get into the specifics of how to build a DIY rosin press, let’s talk about the basics of rosin presses and DIY rosin press plates so you can make the most educated decision for you and your needs.

Although creating rosin using a rosin press is somewhat new to the concentrate world, it has become incredibly popular at an astonishing rate, and along with that popularity the need for higher and higher quality rosin has increased as well. It wasn’t that long ago that people were using hair straighteners and tortilla presses to create their own homemade rosin presses, but commercially produced rosin created using a precisely manufactured rosin press has raised the bar for rosin production and product quality.

If you’re unfamiliar with rosin presses, at its most basic, the process used to make rosin is essentially any method used to extract trichomes from plant material through heat and pressure. A rosin press uses two heated plates that press down onto each other, with flower placed between them, to create enough force to create a concentrate (sometimes referred to as an "extraction"). As you can imagine, there’s much more that goes into a quality rosin press, and with innovations in rosin press engineering, the quality of rosin presses has never been more important.

No one knows for sure where rosin presses first originated, but a popular theory says that Jamaicans in the 70s used nylon pantyhose (as a filter), with heat and pressure to make a rosin-like product that they used along with their flower.

Some have recently been led to ask, "Can I make rosin without a press?" In the past, hair straighteners were used and became a popular next step in DIY rosin press evolution - this method remains popular, but because there’s no way to control the temperature or pressure, consistent results are extremely difficult so you don't end up with the best rosin compared to the flower or other material you put into it and the amount of product you can press at one time is very limited to say the least.

The current demand for consistent, quality rosin production with reasonable yields led to the first manufactured presses created specifically to press rosin, but the cost of these can be out of reach for some growers, which led to the rise of a hybrid method – using manufactured DIY rosin press plates, an air compressor, heating elements and controllers along with a repurposed hydraulic press or shop press and other components to create an affordable press with effective yields.

Can you build your own rosin press? You definitely can. Many growers choose to build their own DIY rosin press at home rather than buying a new, complete unit, because it’s a more affordable option. But keep in mind that this requires some mechanical skill and we recommend using the hybrid approach, using quality, precision manufactured rosin press plates to avoid the risk of faulty engineering or dangerous equipment failures due to cheap parts.

Many DIY rosin presses have failed and put the operator at risk because of cheaply made, low quality parts. Without the right parts, or with low quality parts, your press could end up with a bent frame, leaking hydraulics, and potentially dangerous conditions. Because safety should always be a top priority, we recommend you invest in more reliable, stable, and precision crafted components for your homemade rosin press.

To make your own DIY rosin press you really only need two things - a set of heated plates and a shop press.

The first step to creating your own rosin press typically starts with a humble shop press. But beware - these presses were meant for jobs like bearing pressing, not the precision extraction duties that are required when making quality craft products such as when pressing rosin! The most common complaint we've heard from DIY rosin extraction enthusiasts is that although the equipment needed to build your own rosin press is inexpensive and easy to find, they're often made with low-quality steel that can't withstand frequent use.

If you want something more durable or just higher in general quality, there's always another option available at your local hardware store waiting for you: an industrial grade hydraulic press designed specifically for high volume production due to its superior design and materials used in construction.

When purchasing a shop press, it's important to consider the capacity of the machine. The most commonly used ones are the 6 ton, 10 ton, 12 ton, and 20 ton press. So before you make your purchase decision keep in mind how much material you intend on pressing as well as what size rosin plates will be best for that amount of materials being pressed.

Unless you are an experienced metal fabricator and have access to the proper tools to make precision cuts and drill stainless steel, we do not recommend making your own plates. Instead, we recommend that you just simply purchase a set of DIY rosin press plates that are pre-fabricated and have the correct heating elements and controller that are necessary to heat the plates to the precise temperature. Aside from saving you the time and resources required to make the components yourself, you will also save money in the long run because a well-made press will last much longer and will be much safer for the operator.

Even though you only need a few components to build your own press, you still have some decisions to make depending on what type of press you want, how powerful you want it to be, how much material you want to press at one time, and how much control you want over the temperature and pressure. To make it easier for you to make an informed decision, we’ve listed most common plate sets available below along with the details you need to know to build your own DIY rosin press.

• Two plates
  
• Heating elements for the plates (the number varies, depending on the size)
  
• Digital controller for the heating elements
  
• Wires from heating elements to the controller
  
• Power cord for the controller
  
• Adapter plate to connect plates to press

The rosin plate sets listed below will mount to just about any standard press. For commercial production, a pneumatic press is recommended. Because they operate using an air compressor, you will have to take into consideration the noise as well as the added expense of purchasing the compressor. With the commercial press, however, you will be able to operate faster and more accurately.

It’s important to also note that your press will last much longer if it’s not used at its full capacity. In other words, if you use a 20 ton press at 10 tons maximum, it will increase its lifespan exponentially over its lifetime as opposed to using it at the full 20 tons. That’s why we recommend building your press to operate at a higher maximum pressure than you will need, but never running it at that maximum pressure.

3 x 4 inch plate set

• Max Capacity: 14 grams per press
  
• Max Pressure: 15 tons
  
• Ideal Pressure: 4-5 tons
  
• Ideal Use: home/personal

3 x 6 inch plate set

• Max Capacity: 30 grams per press
  
• Max Pressure: 20 tons
  
• Ideal Pressure: 6-7 tons
  
• Ideal Use: personal or small commercial

3 x 8 inch plate set

• Max Capacity: 50 grams per press
  
• Max Pressure: 30 tons
  
• Ideal Pressure: 8-9 tons
  
• Ideal Use: large personal or commercial

Our recommendations for pressing power

• 3 x 4 plates: 3 to 15 tons
  
• 3 x 6 plates: 10 to 20 tons
  
• 3 x 8 plates: 15 to 30 tons

For the best quality product, we recommend using the smallest plates that are practical for your operation. Bigger is only better if you are trying to press a lot of product at one time. When you press small amounts of product with oversized plates the rosin will spend more time sitting on the hot plates before it’s done, resulting in overheating the rosin and degrading the quality of your final product. For most small operation and home users, smaller plates would be a better choice.

Round plates also work well for pressing “bottle tech style”, because they allow the rosin to flow out from the sides and back of the plates, rather than just from the front. This makes the 4″ round plates a great choice for a personal DIY rosin press.

Although aluminum will heat up more quickly and more evenly, stainless steel is a more durable choice that’s also resistant to pitting and warping. Keep in mind that anodized plates are typically aluminum with an extra coating to increase durability.

In most situations, the bottom rosin press plate sits on the pressing deck, while the top plate attaches to the ram of the press. It’s important for the plates to be precisely lined up before you press, and the top plate has to be secured tightly to the end of the ram or you’ll risk an equipment failure, such as something literally breaking under the intense pressure generated by these machines.

The quality of the heating elements you choose and the quality of the electronic controller they are paired with, as well as the number of heating elements per plate are all very important factors when building your own homemade rosin press. Heat must be evenly distributed, so the shape of the heating elements and how many you have are key considerations.

You will also want a high-quality, well-made controller built from high quality components that is built to last. Avoid the temptation to buy cheaply made controllers and electronics to try to keep the price down, you’ll regret the decision because of the decreased reliability and reduced quality of your product.

A DIY rosin press kit is a great way to get into pressing your own oil. You can make high quality, solvent-less extracts with less equipment and lower cost than other methods of extraction. And if you're just getting started in the world of rosin pressing, these kits are an excellent place to start! If you need help finding all the pieces for your new project or have questions about any part of this process, contact our expert team today.

We hope this guide helps you in your quest to choose the right DIY rosin plate set and build the perfect DIY Rosin press for you and your growing operation! We’ll be happy to answer any question you might have and walk you through how it works step by step. DIY kits are available here on our website so come check them out today!