Hi all

SWIM's going to be starting the Fluffy Funfest tek this weekend, but has a question regarding the waiting period and storage temp of the mixture before the first pull.

After SWIM adds vinegar, water and lime to the MH, she has read that one can do a pull immediately or up to a while later.

If SWIM were to leave the thick pea soup consistency mixture, say for 24 hours, and this mixture became drier over the course of that waiting period, does SWIM need to add more water/vinegar to get it back to the original pea soup consistency, or does she continue on with whatever consistency she has after that time period?

Also, can this mixture just be left at room temperature before doing the first pull?

Thanks in advance!

P.S. Sorry as SWIM realises this should have probably come under the Extraction section so Mods, please feel free to move it over there

Hello there!

You should definitely let it sit for 24 hours. I leave mine at room temp in a dark place (closet). You will get a larger yield from your first pull.

Now, regarding consistency, once you get your mixture to the proper consistency you should never need to add any water/vinegar throughout the rest of the extraction.

I usually do the first pull after 24 hours. Then I do one or two pulls every subsequent 24 hours up to a week or two later or until the plant material is exhausted.

Good luck and best wishes!

-The Grateful One-

Brilliant - thanks for your help and quick reply!

SWIM's just grinding up the MH but not all of it is powdery - some of it is in fine threads (a bit like saffron) - should SWIM mix this up with the powdered bits and use it all, or sift out the powdered part?

Use it all!

I find that grinding it in a blender first and then moving it into a coffee grinder after that helps get it to a nice powdered consistency.

However, there is usually some bigger, stringy, thread-like pieces left over but as long as it is mostly powdered it will be fine. Your lime will do the rest of the work. Over time, it breaks down the plant material on a cellular level which is why doing the extraction over the course of a few days is very important and helps with yield.

Thank you

A little bit nervous as SWIM using 50g MH and with 50ml vinegar and 50ml water, it didn't look anything remotely like pea soup of thick oatmeal! Once lime added, it resembled soil so SWIM added a bit more water and now it looks a bit like wet lumpy mud...! In the closet so will see how it looks tomorrow

No problem! It is what we do at the Nexus! We all help each other!

I'm actually in the same stage as you...well sort of. I am doing Q21Q21's tek 1 with 100g Acacia Confusa and am about to add my lime and let it sit for 24 hours.

I have found that it is best to have your basic mixture (MHRB or ACRB/water/lime/vinegar) at a relatively thick consistency. Not dry, thick. If it is too dry it will absorb a lot of your Naphtha (or whatever solvent you use...keep in mind it will absorb some of the solvent no matter what. This is inevitable).

If it is too wet, you risk accidentally pouring some of the basic mixture off with your Naphtha when decanting it into your precipitation jar/container.

Anyway, let us know how it goes!

Yes, this forum has already been immensely helpful so hopefully I can contribute a bit more once I have some experience under my belt!

Fingers crossed and will post an update - SWIM's taking photos during the process so there's a way to compare future extractions. Good luck with your tek also!

Have ended up with what appear to be very low yields so far so has posted an update over at The Official Extraction Help Thread.

Will post the full process with pictures in DMT Extraction paths in the hope that it might be of use to some other newcomers once all the pulls are finished.

I tend to mix everything together in one of those pyrex casserole dishes that come with a lid, pyrex being ideal for extractions if possible. Whenever I leave it, such as that period before the first pull or between pulls I put the lid on top and although over time the moisture level does drop, it doesn't drop nearly as much as it would without a lid. Maybe something to consider if you find the consistency changes dramatically?

Also, there's no need for SWIM here.

Thank you - yes, I just read up about SWIM on this forum so have edited my later posts to remove it

I'm starting to wonder if the low yields I've got have been caused by wrong pH levels so I'm ordering myself a meter today, pyrex casserole dish with lid, and a new batch of MH so I can try again next week - should have at least enough from this for two breakthroughs....I hope!

Sometimes doing a few extra pulls can help. I personally do one or two pulls every 24 hours or so for up to a week. It may be overkill but I usually get decent results.

A ph meter can be very useful however your lime ratio should have been enough. A 3:4 ratio is usually plenty but I typically go closer to a 1:1.

Anyway best of luck on whatever you decide to do!

I have some litmus paper but have never needed it for Q21Q21's tek. Don't be too disheartened by a low yield, I think ordering some new bark, perhaps from a different vendor would be the way to go. My first extraction (not done with Q21Q21) was very low yielding of a not too pretty looking yellow, oily crystal. After ordering some different bark and swapping to Q21Q21 (not very scientific I know, should've tried the old method first to see the difference but I wanted to try something new) I obtained 1-2% of the white, fluffy crystals.

Same happened with my first harmala extraction using Gibran2's tek. Followed it to the letter and got a poor yield. New bark and I got a healthy yield doing the exact same procedure.

Perseverance is key! Good luck.

Thanks, guys. Yes, I did wonder if it could be the bark. Do you know if the mixture should turn black after adding the lime? I read this is the case with a few other teks but mine was dark reddish brown (and grey underneath if I gave it a stir) after I added the lime. It currently looks like a very thick brown paste.

Francois - which tek did you use first time around?

I'm trying not to feel too disheartened and will keep at it, as well as keep pulling the existing mush for all its worth! Have ordered new bark which should hopefully arrive within the next 2-3 days and will stick with the same tek (was tempted to try a different one but I'm anxious about using lye).