Hi,

I have this problem: I did q21q21's tek all the way correctly(altough I added bit too much of lime), and when it was time to pour in the naphtha I get this problem:

The naphtha stays in only for about 5-10 minutes, and after that there is only couple drops left to pour off! It was with 50g MHRB and 50ml naphtha. Ended up using 50ml two times= it was sucked into the mix or evaporated! On the third time poured 50ml and kept it in for only about 5 minutes or less, just not to waste it, then into the precipitation container.

So guys and gals, can you help me out, is the problem that the mixture sucks in the naphtha or does the naphtha evaporate out? And what can be done to solve this problem?

Used boiling water at the bottom bowl and had a fan 1-2 meters away blowing on the top.

Afterwards I could definately feel that the mixture was still soaked in some naphtha that couldn't be poured off.

THANKS!

1st dont panic, its all still in there.
why do you think you used too much lime? how much did you use?

with that aside for a second you need to use much more naphtha that that. i dont really measure i just pour by eye. it does soak up but even more it evaporates fast when hot and your using a fan. your most likely evaporating as much as is being held in the goo giving you just drops to pour off.

you really wont hurt anything but using more naphtha than called for. dont go crazy but id say use at least 2-3ml per gram of bark. keep it in the goo for 20 min or so covered so you dont loose heat and evap of the naphtha. stir 3-4 times. wait 30 min and repeat.

Thanks. Even if it's still in the mix, I suppose there is no way to pour it off?

Anyway, I used something like 1,2-1,5grams of lime per 1gram of MHRB. I suppose 0,7g lime per 1g MHRB would be enough?

Should it be totally sealed (metal lid for example) when the naphtha is in the mix, or is it enough to put some sort of cloth on the mixture?

When doing something new, some setbacks are usual... Thanks for helping!

huh? thats pretty confusing haha!... but regardless i use 1g lime to each gram mhrb so .7 is just fine, you didnt use too much.

dont use a cloth to cover the pot cloth is absorbent use metal or glass or something non absorbent.

and to answer your question there is nothing to pour off because it likely all evaporated so dont worry about it.

OK next time I'll just cover the mix between stirrings. Should the mix be somewhat wet before adding the naphtha, what's the ideal consistency? And should the naphtha be only somewhat warm when it is being mixed?

i just re-read your reply. how much did you use? 5 grams lime per gram of bark?!

this maybe be your issue.

No, only 1,2 to 1,5 grams of lime per 1gram of MHRB.

One thing you can use is screening for window. You can buy a roll of it from a hardware store. I quadurple it and nothing fall through except naphtha. Or maybe cheesecloth but that might absorb it.

Did you use the fan while the naptha was in the MHRB mix? That's the impression I got from reading your post. If so you don't use the fan till you've poured off the naptha into the container you will use to precipitate the crystals...

Yes. I will now have the naphtha covered between stirring and will add more naphtha to the mix, hopefully all goes well