Hello everyone.
I've tried to work it out for myself but I'm stuck.
STB is so simple and effective why do people use other teks?

Enlightenment on this subject welcome!
Many thanks.

because some people aren't as lazy at extracting.
besides, A/B yields a cleaner product when done carefully.

you can get really good stuff from an STB. Wash, Re-X . . I get the glass shardness.

Different strokes for different folks. I eventually will try an A/B, it certainly seems more proper.

Because I dont want my separatory funnel blocked by solid non-active material

I'm no chemist I have zero intrest in learning more advanced extraction techniques. I have been extracting for 6yrs +or-. I've done vovins and nomans many times successfully back in the day, I've worked with D-limo and BLAB, I have pulled fumerates and freebase. I have converted both, I have done Qs tek.

I pull spice for one reason and one reason only and it has nothing to do with being a better chemist.

I have learned to adapt to the tek that offers the best results for me. That tek for me is STB with a vinager pre soak.

After a rex and a wash. I get wonderful quality white/clear white shards perfect for use in my GVG. I also get some yellow-orange that is perfect for use in changa.

I consistantly pull 1.5% alkaloids from whatever bark I am using.

I do all my extractions with simple household items. Practice makes perfect. Whatever your tek is master it. IMO if you truely master the STB you can pull more quality spice allot faster and without the extra steps.

I would never pretend to be able to pull the quality that someone like benzyme can. I am better off not having the extra steps in there to potentially screw up. STB with an acid presoak pulls great medicine if done carefully. I am confident that the clear spice I pull is not dirty or cotaminated with anything other than natural plant material.

this, my friend, is an A/B..perhaps inadvertently, but still.

I do A/B, for any extraction. I first look up the pKa of an alkaloid's terminal amine, and
go from there. no tek, just chemistry.

there are several ways of doing the extraction, and no 'correct' way.
use what's available, and always observe safety.

Well then... BLAB over here. Back in the day there was argument/discussion over calling that an a/b...

so...revised answer:

there is no reason not to do an a/b

Thanks bezyme for setting me strait on that, lol. Now, see what I mean, lol. I dont even know what kind of extract I'm doin! lol.

What everyone else has said, plus an A/B is as simple as making a cup of tea, and uses less than 1/10 as much lye as a STB.

four main reasons imho-

1. Like gibran said, you use around 10x less base
2. You can mix and shake an a/b much more than a stb without worrying about killer emulsions
3. You can use much less liquid in your end extraction (i reduce ~64oz of liquid from 100g of bark down to 16oz or less)
4. You can do a defat with an a/b whereas with a stb that would be impossible.

Can I get a link about vinegar pre soak? My stb creates good sh-t when Rex'd, but am curious about saving base.

Not to stray off topic, I thought it might be ok to ask this here but, The only Tek I am familiar with is Q's tek#2, I am really new to all of this but I am constantly trying to learn what I can, and develop some theory behind it all. I have been wondering If it would be easier to make a tea out of the mimosa with some vinegar/water and just basify the liquid, mix with Naptha in a hot water bath and separate with a turkey baster. Maybe It's silly but I really prefer the idea of using lime instead of lye.

@Toadfreak1, the problem with doing what you describe with lime is that it is very poorly soluble in water and so won't work very well. SWIM has found Q21Q21's tek more difficult to get right than either A/B's or STB's using lye, but if you've already got it down and are happy, stick with it.

So I'm not really sure about an exact link, but, I started doing a vinager pre soak with my STBs after doing a BLAB which does call for a vinager pre soak. I had great success with the BLAB and D-limo I just like doing the STB better so I decided one day to do a vinager pre soak of my bark before doing my STB. So I just covered the bark to be basified with vinager. Not allot. Just enough to soak and cover the bark. I let it soak a good week, then I just do the STB like I normally would. Basify the bark, allow to sit a while, and pull with heptane or whatever solvent you like to pull with. The results are great. By the looks of your picture your doing fine without a pre soak. I would try it if I were you It will make a difference.

I find that if a vinegar soak is out of the question then cooking your bark in near boiling water before basification increases yield by quite a bit.

Just do it the way you like it. I do STB extraction all the time and never thought about doing it different way cos I am happy with the one I do and I have to say I AM NOT LAZY

I think that comment about people being lazy was not necessary you have to work hard what ever tek you do

Well said smokerx, well said. I agree.

After doing my first extraction as an STB, I will never try an a/b tek. STB is just way too easy and simple. Paired with th fact I don't have to heat anything in open air with fumes and I don't have to evap fumes into the air. Just a freeze precip and then store the used naphtha and use it for next time. I don't mind using a little extra lye, it's not like it's expensive or ends up in the end product..

Thanks. I was curious, I'm trying some bark that is a few months old and getting nothing. Frustrating since I've done the same before and got great results. Hot pulls, shaken in a hdpe jug, emulsion always clears before pulls, just nothing. Got some powder coming someday here.