Scroll past the Tek for the FAQ, supplemental procedures, glossary, and equipment notes. Will most likely edit with more helpful information when it is pointed out. Really wish I could do Anchor Links with an Index like they can on the Nexus Wiki. PDF Coming Soon.

THE PICTURES ARE SMALL BUT YOU CAN ZOOM IN WITHOUT THEM SUFFERING QUALITY DEGRADATION.

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Yields:

Extraction 1: 0.629g
Yield: 1.258%
Notes: Used Standard Hot Plate Tek

Extraction 2: 0.647g
Yield: 1.294%
Notes: Introduced 1x Freeze/Thaw (Cell Lysing of 250mL Water and 50g MHRB, once thawed was heated to 70C before the introduction of 50mL vinegar and then heated at 70C for 45 minutes, then proceeded to step 3)
Results: Slight increase in yield.

Extraction 3: 0.665g
Yield: 1.330%
Notes: Introduced 3x Freeze/Thaw
Results: Slight increase in yield.

Extraction 4: 0.731g
Yield: 1.462%
Notes: Introduced 10x Freeze/Thaw
Results: Decent increase in yield.

Extraction 5: 0.823g
Yield: 1.646%
Notes: 10x Freeze/Thaw Acidic Solution (250mL water, 50g MHRB, 50mL vinegar) Stir for 45 min at 70C then proceed to Step 3.
Results: Good increase in yield.

Extraction 6: 0.699g
Yield: 1.394%
Notes: 10x Freeze/Thaw Saline/Acidic Solution (250mL water, 50g MHRB, 50mL vinegar, 150ml water, 45g Salt) Stir for 1 hour at 70C then proceed to Step 4.
Results: Significant decrease in yield. Conclusion is that freezing the additional water and salt along with the acidic solution is not preferable. Adding water and salt after the acidic solution has frozen, thawed, and then cooked for 45 min at 70C is more beneficial. Further runs will go back to only an acidic freeze/thaw.

Extraction 7: TBD
Yield: TBD
Notes: 10x Freeze/Thaw Acidic Solution. Proceed to step 3 for salt stage. New variable will be to NOT filter the MHRB.
Results: TBD

Extraction 8: TBD
Yield: TBD
Notes: 10x Freeze/Thaw Acidic Same as extraction 7 but will use 25g of NaOH instead of 50g of NaOH.
Results: TBD

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My Preferred Equipment List:

Glassware:

1000mL Erlenmeyer Flask
1000mL Beaker
250mL Measuring Cylinder (Not needed anymore)
100mL Beaker
500mL Crystallization Dish
Pyrex Measuring Cup
2oz (118mL) Glass Turkey Baster (Using 50mL professional pipette now)
5mL Eyedropper (Not needed anymore)

Other Equipment

Hot Plate w/ Magnetic Stirrer and Temperature Sensor
Magnetic Mixing Stir Bar (35mm x 9mm)
Magnetic Stirrer Retriever
Stainless Steel Funnel
Cheese Cloth
Cling Wrap
Towel
Fan
PPE (Gloves, Eye Wear, Mask)
Scale

Ingredients:

50g Powdered MHRB
50g NaOH
850mL Distilled H20
50mL Vinegar
45g Non-Iodized Salt
250ml Naphtha

Optional Supplemental Procedure: Cell Lysing - Instructions below TEK.

1) Add 250mL Distilled H20 and 50mL Vinegar to 1000mL Beaker. Add Magnetic Stir Bar, place on Hot Plate and heat to 70C/(158F). Set Magnetic Stirrer to 300RPM



2) Using a funnel, slowly add 50g MHRB into the beaker. The solution should now be 350mL with a pH of 3.5. Set stirrer to 400RPM. Stir for 45 minutes.



3) Again, using a funnel, add 150mL Distilled H20 and 45g of NON-Iodized Salt to the beaker. The solution should now be 500mL. Heat to 70C/(158F) and continue stirring for 15 minutes.



4) Turn OFF hot plate and stirrer and REMOVE THE MAGNETIC STIRRER FROM BEAKER with your Retriever and ADD TO FLASK. Strain, by first putting a Cheese Cloth on the funnel, then place a coffee filter on top of the cheese cloth. Strain the contents of the beaker into the Erlenmeyer Flask by squeezing out as much liquid as you can. This can be done by wrapping the cheese cloth around the MHRB and tightly twisting the cheese cloth. Additional liquid may be squeezed out by hand. Set aside the used MHRB for later use. Place the flask on the hot plate. The solution in the flask should now be 450mL. Turn ON the hot plate and magnetic stirrer to 700RPM.
. Clean the beaker and funnel.



5) Put 450ml COLD Distilled H20 into the measuring cup. Slowly add 50 grams of NaOH. Using a funnel, carefully add the basic solution to the flask. You should see the DMT crash out of the acidic solution and then disappear into the now caustic solution. The total volume should be 900mL with a pH of 13.5. Set stirrer to 1000RPM.



6) Pour 250mL Naphtha into the 1000mL beaker first to prevent unwanted spillage. Now pour 50mL the solvent into the 100mL Beaker, then pour that into the flask. Stir for 1 minute. Let separate for 1 minute. Pipette the solvent from the flask into the 250mL Measuring Cylinder. Repeat four times. Turn off the hot plate & magnetic stirrer.



7) There should be 250mL of solvent in the cylinder. Solution from the flask will have inevitably migrated to the cylinder into the Crystallization Dish. Pipette the solvent from the cylinder into the Crystallization Dish, but not the solution. Pour the leftover solvent and solution mixture from the cylinder into the 100mL beaker and let separate. Use the 5mL eyedropper to collect the rest of the solvent if desired.



Optional Supplemental Procedure: Fast Evap - to concentrate the DMT/solvent solution. Instructions below TEK.

8) Cover the Crystallization Dish with cling wrap then add to freezer for 24 hours at -21C/(-6F). I like to add a towel. After the long wait, take out the dish and decant the used solvent back into it’s original container for future use.



Optional Supplemental Procedure: Slow Freeze - See Below TEK.

9) Place dish against a wall and blow a Fan on it for 30 minutes until all solvent has evaporated completely. Time to scrape those xtals. It can be difficult to get the corners. A guitar pick worked well for me. Store in a sealed amber container in a cold, dark, and dry place. I separate the jungle goo from the nicer crystals. Both end up getting Recrystallized anyways.




Total Estimated Tek Time: 2 Hours Total Cooling Time: 24 Hours

Optional Supplemental Procedure: Re-X!!! - See Below.

Supplemental Procedures:

This section is to provide you with the opportunity to supplement your extraction with optional steps. Though not necessary, they are often encouraged, and it's up to you whether or not you would like to implement them. I personally recommend the standard extraction as it's a great way to learn. Once you are comfortable and confident with the execution, go ahead and start adding in these extra steps. Regardless of final product yield, it can be a rewarding experience. If you truly want to record the differences between procedures, it is recommended that you use the same batch of MHRB, and that every batch is of the same consistency. I.e. Don't do one batch of 50g shredded bark and then 50g of powdered bark. The results of experimentation are only viable if you're changing ONE thing at a time.

Ditch the coffee filters and use Cheese Cloth: The coffee filters often break and can be a pain to retrieve used MHRB, I have since found that cheese cloth works way better for filtration as you can twist it until almost all of the liquid is out. You can find large cheese cloths on Amazon that you can cut to size. I cut them 12inch by 12inch.

Get yourself a professional pipette: This makes things 1000 percent easier. Executing efficient pulls with a glass turkey baster is impossible if you want to obtain all of your yield. A professional pipette allows you to control the intake and outtake of airflow for more precise pulling. Finding a 50mL pipette can be difficult but I was able to procure one on Amazon, buying the bulb separately. I'll never look back.



How to use a professional pipette:



Cell Lysing: - The act of freezing and thawing an aqueous solution of water and plant material in an effort to swollen the cells. When doing so, they burst and then free the alkaloids from within them. Most teks state to lightly heat up the aqueous solution first, afterwards freezing and thawing 3 times. There has been some debate about whether or not this is beneficial, but most signs point to yes.

Fast Evap: - After pulling your hot NPS from your flask into your measuring cylinder and then decanting the solvent into your crystallization dish, you can place it back on your hot plate (no magnetic stirrer needed this time) to further reduce your solvent volume. When Naphtha is hot, it evaporates quickly. It's boiling point is 98C (so don't over do it, keep it at 70C-75C. To aid in evaporating your hot solvent, you can add a small fan to be placed next to the crystallization dish with the fan pointing upwards in order to create a vortex to push hot air out and up. Once your solution is down to about 75ml it's safe to turn off the hotplate, as it will continue to evap as it cools to room temperature. After that, start your slow freeze supplemental procedure.

[PLEASE NOTE THAT QUICKLY EVAPORATING SOLVENTS INDOORS CAN BE DANGEROUS, I TOOK THIS PICTURE FOR THE TEK, BUT REST ASSURED THE HOTPLATE, DISH WITH SOLVENT, AND FAN ARE MOVED TO A WINDOW TO BE SAFELY BLOWN OUTSIDE.]



Slow Freeze: - Instead of adding your final solvent solution to the freezer right away you can slow the crystallization process down by letting it cool and freeze slowly over time. This will produce large crystals. My method is to allow the solvent to cool to room temperature, covering the dish in cling wrap, then wrapping the dish in a towel to then be placed in the fridge for 4 hours. After that, place the towel wrapped dish in the freezer for 20 hours while slowly adjusting the temperature over time to get to -6F. The towel seems silly, but it prevents the solvent from taking a drastic temperature decrease as opposed to just sticking it in the freezer and rapidly cooling it. Try not to disturb the crystallization dish once it's in the freezer so that the crystals can resolve more efficiently.

Sep Funnel and Sodium Carbonate Wash:

1. Instead of transferring your pulls into a cylinder, you can add to a separatory funnel. This will allow you to decant the aqueous layer on the bottom. Adding hot solvent to a sep funnel can be dangerous, but by the time you are done with your 5 pulls, it will be cooled down enough. However, notice that in photo 1, you can see some dark specs on the glass. This is inevitable, and if you continue from here, you may end up with impurities in your crystallization dish. Or, we can get rid of those specks!

2. Take 50mL of distilled water and 10mg of Sodium Carbonate ( You can make Sodium Carbonate by heating baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) in a skillet ) and add it to the sep funnel. Place the stopcock on the sep funnel and swish the contents around. The sodium carbonate and water mixture will grab up the specs of soup and sink to the bottom as it is heavier than the solvent.

3. From here, just decant the bottom aqueous solution before decanting the pure solvent/dmt solution into your crystallization dish.



Credit to Endlessness for teaching me the ways of the Sodium Carb wash. Very helpful.

Re-X: Recrystallization is the process of removing more impurities from your final product by washing it in a very small volume of hot heptane and then decanting the hot heptane and DMT solution into another vessel to be crystallized again, making sure to leave behind the impurities behind which will usually be a brown colored goo or tiny pieces of goo (unwanted plant fats and oils and other potential impurities).

Here is a step by step pictorial on how to do a recrystallization.

1) With product in a small vessel (I recommend a 100mL beaker as it has a spout to make decanting easier), dissolve the impure solid in a minimum volume of hot heptane. 0.5g of crystals should easily absorb in 5mL of, but I do 20mL and then evaporate off another 10mL. Agitate the heptane and dmt solution by mixing until completely dissolved. Allow to cool slightly.



2) Remove any insoluble impurities by slowly Decanting from one 100mL beaker into another 100mL beaker. You should see the impurities left behind. Wait for the heptane to cool completely to room temperate and repeat this step by decanting into another 100mL beaker. Having 3 beakers helps, but you can simply wash the one you just decanted from. You will see more impurities left behind, with the final beaker consisting of heavily saturated DMT.



3) Place in fridge to cool. Then place in freezer to finish the precipitation process. Remember. The slower your solution cools, the cleaner and larger your crystals will be.



Glossary: Click Orange Terms Below For Links

MHRB: Mimosa Hostilis Root Bark - The root bark of a perennial tree or shrub native to the northeastern region of Brazil and found as far north as southern Mexico. The tree's bark is dark brown to gray. It splits lengthwise and the inside is reddish brown. It has become a popular and easily produced cosmetic ingredient in commercial skincare products. The root bark has been recently shown to have a dimethyltryptamine (DMT) content of about 1-1.7%

NaOH Sodium hydroxide - Also known as lye and caustic soda, it is an inorganic compound. It is a white solid ionic compound consisting of sodium cations Na+ and hydroxide anions OH−. In Chemistry, it can be used to basify acidic solutions.

N-Heptane - A non polar solvent that is widely used in laboratories and can be used to extract alkaloids, as well as fats and oils from plant material or plant seeds. Because of it's lower density, the main purpose of solvent extraction is to isolate certain materials from the sediments and sludge or to separate the useful components from debris.

Decant - To gradually pour liquid from one container into another, especially without disturbing the sediment.

Crystallization - The process by which solid forms, where the atoms or molecules are highly organized via evaporation and Brownian motion, into a structure known as a crystal. This can be done by precipitating from a solution and freezing. Attributes of the resulting crystal depend largely on factors such as temperature and time taken for fluid evaporation.

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FAQ:

Q: Why is it called a Lab Tek?

Answer: I wanted to differentiate this Tek from other Teks in hopes it will be on the Nexus Wiki one day. Because I'm using semi fancy glassware and equipment, it felt right to call it a Lab Tek as opposed to let's say, a Lazyman's Tek. No offense to that Tek at all. Maybe one day I will post "Toshido's Ultra Professional Lab Tek V13.0."

Q: Why all the fancy glassware and equipment?

Answer: I thought about extraction a lot before my first attempt, and I wanted to do it as efficiently as possible. However, there are other reasons. The glassware used here is Borosilicate glass and is primarily used because of its durability and resistance to chemical changes and thermal shock. I.e. less worry for mason jars or other vessels to crack or break during extraction. The Hot Plate and Magnetic stirrer w/ Sensor provides a number of benefits. For one, the hot plate in conjunction with the sensor allows you to maintain a perfect temperature throughout the extraction and eliminates the need for using open flames to boil water for heat baths, something I didn't feel comfortable with while working with a flammable solvent in close proximity. Lastly, the magnetic stirrer allows you to eliminate the need for constant mixing of the solution and also the need to shake once the solvent is introduced.

Q:If you're so fancy, then why Vinegar? Shouldn't you be using Hydrochloric Acid(HCl)?

Answer: We're all learning, I simply haven't done the research to make my own HCl solution, and from what I have learned so far, all I really need to do is get the pH down for the acidic solution. Vinegar does that well. I'm sure one day I will post a newer version of the tek, and it may very well use HCl or Citric Acid.

Q: Why the salt stage?

Answer: Cybs Max Ion Tek states that "Adding a highly saturated salt solution to the mix gives a high ionic strength to the solution and is more likely to form ‘clumps’ of molecules and help to push the product out in the first 2-3 pulls."

This had led to much debate in this community as I have heard that "the solubility of DMT in alkaline water, compared to organic solvents, already seems low enough. There should be enough ionic strength and not much room for DMT molecules once you add plenty of sodium hydroxide."

So... I'm just going to add the salt phase regardless. It might not be helping, but I do not think it is hurting. Feel free to discuss this in the comments! That's why I'm posting this!

Q:I ran your math with the H20 and other ingredients and it doesn't add up. What gives?

Answer: Good eye, attention to detail is key. Let me break it down.

TL;DR: MHRB isn't soluble, but Salt and NaOH are.

In step one you add 250mL of water and 50mL of Vinegar. In step 2 you add 50g of MHRB. In step 3 you add 150mL water and 45g salt. The total at this point is 500mL. Why? The 50g of MHRB isn't soluble in water and thus contributes to the volume of the solution w/ 1g=1mL. The 30g of NaOH IS soluble, so it does not contribute (at least noticeably) to the volume of the solution. In step 4 you strain the solution and set aside the damp MHRB, so your solution goes back to 450mL. THEN, in step 5, you add 450mL water and 50g NaOH(which is mostly soluable) bringing your final solution total to 900mL.

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Equipment Notes

Sensor: Whenever you have to remove the sensor in order to remove the beaker or flask, make sure the heating function is turned OFF. If you have your heat set to 55C and you take the sensor out without turning off the heat, it will think your solution is room temperature and continue to heat your solution. So remember, if the sensor needs removed, turn OFF the heat.

Stirrer RPM: In an effort to prevent splashes and unwanted emulsions, you should always begin your stirrer at 300rpm. For instance, if the Tek calls for 700rpm, set the stirrer to 300rpm and allow it to reach that speed. Once that speed is reached, then you may gradually increase the speed in 100rpm increments until the desired rpm is reached. Steady and slow.

Other Notes

Emulsions: Stirring too vigorously for too long or at a high heat can create unwanted emulsion that will be temperamental to alleviate, or impossible to rectify without returning the base solution back to an acid and then back to a base, which wastes time and materials. Let rest until solvent separates, about 10 min. Depending on the size and shape of your magnetic stir bar, and the model of hotplate you have, you may need to adjust RPMs accordingly.

Pulls: It is inevitable that you will get some of the MHRB solution into the 250ml measuring cylinder. Especially on your final pull, which will be your largest pull. When decanting the solvent from the cylinder to your pyrex dish, you will be able to get the majority of it. However, the very last bit can be transferred into the 100mL beaker so that you can use an eye dropper to get the remaining solvent.

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As my other TEK did indeed work, it was filled with redundancies and took far too long as a result. My hopes are for it to fade into the abyss. However, I still think it is a great source for anyone who may be learning extraction, so I will link it here.

Old TEK - Toshido's Lab Tek V1.3

This first version draws loosely from the below TEKS.

Cybs Hybrid ATB Salt Tek

Psilosopher?'s ATB Tek

Cybs Max Ion Tek

Earthwalker's ACRB Tek

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Thanks to....
sauSage,Artificer,TheSofaTraveler,Jacubey,CosmicLion,JungleHeart,endlessness,KingTryptamine,downwardsfromzero,The Traveler,Hailstorm, and benzyme for your kindness, patience, and guidance. Your self discipline throughout my constant barrage of questions is something that will most certainly be paid forward indefinitely and immeasurably.

Looks awesome! Fantastic work and amazing photos! WidderTek 4 lyfe!

Dude. Top Notch illustrations and clarity of steps

The next time I do an extract I'll try to follow your tek and maybe will have more feedback for ya!

Thank you!

Also I would love that. I know there's a way for me to get more out of my bark. I'm going to try cell lysing on the next extraction to see what all the buzz is about breaking these cell walls!

Hi widderic, I just read your Kitchen Lab Tek and think it is incredible. Perfect for a beginner, like me.

I can’t yet post in that area, so I am hoping you see my comment here. I noticed you use naphtha and heptane interchangeably (naphtha in the picture and heptane in the text). I believe they are different and it may be confusing to some. If they can be used interchangeably in your tek, perhaps you can add a comment to that effect.

Hey, Cloudy Days. Thanks so much for the compliment, and thank you even more for pointing out that I have Heptane written in the Tek twice (because of an older version), they've been edited now.

Amazing work. I hope it helps a lot of people.

Thanks Hailstorm. I had quite the dialogue with you on my older Tek and I wouldn't be where I am now without your help. Not in such a short amount of time at least, I had a lot of information to digest!

Some updates:

It's a slow process right now, as I'm only tweaking one thing at a time to record efficient and dependable results. Next up will be the 10x freeze thaw, then I will do the freeze thaw stages again but this time with the vinegar added. After that I will omit straining, play with salt or no salt, increase acid soak times, before finally changing NaOH levels.

I have enough MHRB from the same harvest that I will be able to narrow this down as best I can.

I will say, regardless of my results, I have been having an incredibly good time doing these extractions. I honestly haven't been this passionate about something in a long time.

Other notes....

- I'll be doing a re-x with heptane soon, pictures to come. [EDIT: Pics are up!]

- Introducing a separatory funnel has proven beneficial, as I can pull from the flask and straight into the funnel. I will add pictures of that soon as well as provide detailed cautionary instructions per Hailstorm's advice in my old Tek. But using a sep funnel requires you do to a sodium carbonate wash (credit goes to endlessness for this little trick) to remove extra soup stuck to the walls of the sep funnel.

- I finally have a professional 50mL glass pipette with a new bulb for controlling pulls which has proven to be a thousand times better. I may replace the pictures for that, or simply add it to the equipment section.

- General information in the glossary and equipment sections to be updated.

Cool shot from a Re-X last night.

Some consistent progress with experimentation.

Notes:

1) Doing a 10x freeze thaw significantly increased the yield as opposed to not freezing and thawing at all. Cell Lysis is indeed the bees knees.

2) Further more, freezing the solution in it's acidic form significantly increased the yield yet again, and I received my best yield yet of 1.646 percent.

Next I will do a 10x Freeze Thaw with the vinegar AND the salt to see if it has any effect on yield, and after that I will NOT strain the MHRB as I believe that will most certainly increase yield. Finally, towards the end of my experimentation I will mess with NaOH amounts as I believe 50g is overkill.

More to come!

Some Xtals from the first extraction with some Photoshop tinkering.

Reminds me of furry caterpillars Nice work (and now I need to get used to your new name...)

Thanks for the useful data on freeze/thaw cycles. Is ten really better than, say, nine or even five though?

If you look at my data up top in the beginning of my post you'll see that there were oddly, minimal changes from 0 to 1 freeze/thaw and 1 to 3 freeze thaw. When I switched to 10x I noticed a pretty decent yield increase. And freezing with vinegar 10x yielded even more. I'll copy and paste here.

Yields:

Extraction 1: 0.629g
Yield: 1.258%
Notes: Used Standard Hot Plate Tek

Extraction 2: 0.647g
Yield: 1.294%
Notes: Introduced 1x Freeze/Thaw (Cell Lysing of 250mL Water and 50g MHRB, once thawed was heated to 70C before the introduction of 50mL vinegar and then heated at 70C for 45 minutes, then proceeded to step 3)
Results: Slight increase in yield.

Extraction 3: 0.665g
Yield: 1.330%
Notes: Introduced 3x Freeze/Thaw
Results: Slight increase in yield.

Extraction 4: 0.731g
Yield: 1.462%
Notes: Introduced 10x Freeze/Thaw
Results: Decent increase in yield.

Extraction 5: 0.823g
Yield: 1.646%
Notes: Introduced 10x Freeze/Thaw Acidic Solution (250mL water, 50g MHRB, 50mL vinegar) Stir for 45 min at 70C then proceed to Step 3.
Results: Good increase in yield.

Cool shot from a Re-X last night.

Looks like landscape art, like flying over an ice field.

OK, so it could be five or nine. Getting the lowest optimal figure would help with swiftness and to a lesser extent energy efficiency. Both are desirable (even if I'm a fan of slow chemistry).

Yeah I think once I fine tune a few other variable I'll go back to the freeze/thaw and try the 5-9 and figure out what's optimal.

But I basically just put it in the freezer, took it out midday, put it back in at night, took it out in the morning, so basically doing the freeze/thaw during the weekdays and bringing it out on friday night for weekend extraction time.

I also have another 1000mL beaker ready for use if I'm feeling impatient and just wanna extract for fun.

UPDATE: TEK is updated with procedures for re-x, a sep funnel and sodium carbonate wash step, and instructions on how to use a professional bulb pipette.

Results from extraction 6 and upcoming plans for extraction 7:

Extraction 6: 0.699g
Yield: 1.394%
Notes: 10x Freeze/Thaw Saline/Acidic Solution (250mL water, 50g MHRB, 50mL vinegar, 150ml water, 45g Salt) Stir for 1 hour at 70C then proceed to Step 4.
Results: Significant decrease in yield. Conclusion is that freezing the additional water and salt along with the acidic solution is not preferable. Adding water and salt after the acidic solution has frozen, thawed, and then cooked for 45 min at 70C is more beneficial. Further runs will go back to only an acidic freeze/thaw.

Extraction 7: TBD
Yield: TBD
Notes: 10x Freeze/Thaw Acidic Solution. Proceed to step 3 for salt stage. New variable will be to NOT filter the MHRB.
Results: TBD

I'm guessing the salt water being frozen along side the acidic solution in order to lyse the cells had a negative impact in terms of protonation and ionic strength. Maybe some of the chemical experts can speak to that. Endlessness? DF0? Loveall? Benzyme? Hailstorm?

I cant see any pictures? But I thought you made some cool ones. Is it only for me? I just see text ...

For some reason all of the pictures have been removed and I don't know why. That took a really long time to do. How disappointing. Perhaps it's the forum code and I should have this on the Wiki instead. Help anyone? EDIT: Changing image hosting websites seems to have ameliorated the problem.

Other embedded pictures are visible on other threads and, peeking behind the scenes a little, I'm wondering if hotlinking to imgur has been specifically blocked. Toshido's pics are still up on imgur but maybe transfering them to an alternative hosting site would bring them back - minus any incriminating information, of course.
Here's a test pic:


[Edit: well, that appears to work. I think the issue may be with imgur.]
[Edit2: I've looked through all the tek pictures and I don't think the blurry shot of Toshido's chin is particularly incriminating.]

DFO you would be correct, I tested it again and it seems to be imgur. I've been having a difficult time finding a solid image hosting site. Until then, I won't be updating this TEK's trials.

Rest assured, I took great care to strip metadata from every image, as well as go through a name change shortly after it was posted. The image of my "face" was just a quarter of my blurry beard on my chin, so I didn't bother cropping it.

I have a lot of updates from the new trials, but summer has kept me busy with outdoor activities and spending time with friends and family, so I haven't been very active lately, but the updates ARE coming so stay tuned!!!