If you are going to attempt the Oxone synthesis the way Chromic recommends, then the only two variations that I would suggest are as follows:
Do one or the other NOT both.
1.) After the epoxidation reaction is over, add undiluted muriatic (pool) acid (31-32% concentration) to the solution so that you can skip the solid filtration step and go directly to extracting the goods. (The HCl allows the solid to dissolve into the solution). Oh, yes: 125 mL of acid solution for every 25 g of starting alkene (this ratio is for epoxidation; for glycolization, one can use less).
OR
2.)When the epoxidation reaction is completed, vac distill the methanol or ethanol (both work just fine. You should be left with a biphsic aqueous solution of your epoxide which will therefore be quite easy to extract. I suspect that the precipitation of solids at the start of the reaction is caused by the addition of the methanol. Following this logic, all solids should redissolve once the methanol is gone. This is also a good way of recycling one's methanol.
As for the explosion factor, going the epoxidation route, I don't think it even exists. Here are my reasons:
By the end of the epoxidation reaction, ALL of the oxone--that is according to the 1991 ref--is used up. That means that all that is left in solution is your epoxide, water, potassium bisulfate, mabe some sodium bicarbonate, and your alcohol. I can see no reason why distilling off the alcohol, even at atmospheric pressure, would cause any danger.
Let's say, however, for the sake of arguement, that there is still some oxone left in solution. SO WHAT. The alcohol is still in excess over the oxone and once you start distilling, it is going to react with it to form either acetaldehyde or acetic acid which will both be carried over with the alcohol (or it will stay in the distilling flask dissolved in the water).
For those that are concerned about the notion of heating aqueous oxone solutions with organic substances and the rumored explosive danger in doing so, refer to the original oxone JOC article wherein the authors synthesize MANY organic compounds by reacting oxone with various substances under much more rigorous conditions than those used in the oxone epoxidation synthesis.
Rhodium, that article is a real treasure! In it are experimental details to synthesizing ethyl acetate and other goodies from oxone and various other OTC items.
Anyway, if anyone has questions, feel free to ask.