I've done about 20 extractions since I found out about making DMT and since I already had a magnetic stirrer I used it from extraction 1.
But a while ago I did one without a stirrer, just periodical turning over the container.
The yield was about 1/4 of the yield done with a magnetic stirrer.

What I'm trying to say is: If you are extracting regularly it's a good investment to purchase one of these things, there are also tutorials on how to make one yourself.
You just put your container on it, set it on 'low' and let it stir for 12 hours or so.
Easy as π

Cheers

Picture of my setup

Note: This batch of solvent was used for about 5 extractions already. That's why it's so dark

How many pulls do you use with the stirrer? You can make up for the lack of yield per pull with doing more pulls manually. Cool time saver though.

Yesss, magnetic stirrers are awesome

That looks like quite a tall glass, sometimes it might be better to have it a bit wider and shorter, for the layers to mix well...

but if you got 4x the yield I guess you already got your technique down

Thanks for sharing the tip

You let it stir for 12 hours with the solvent in it?

Yes, that's true. You don't magically pull more dmt unfortunately but it's less time and less work.


I'm not really sure that would make a difference, since the content is continually stirred and mixed
Maybe is does make a different but this is the only large glass container I have

Yes. I found that letting it stir for a time between 6 to 12 hours give better yields than any shorter

magnetic stirrers are endlessly useful. I probably abuse mine .

So long as you are getting a nice vortex it will create plenty of solvent to aqueous layer contact. In the case of an STB it will also increase the rate of lysis of bark with the basic water.

Yeah as InMotion said, what matters is that you are getting a nice vortex. The thing is, if the glass is very tall and/or if there's just too much liquid in general compared to the size of the magnetic bar, then you either will not have a very good vortex and maybe just see a bit of movement, or if you turn the speed up too fast, the bar goes to the side of the container and gets trapped... Maybe you had this happen already.

Anyways just raise speed gradually, have a bar of appropriate size and make sure there is a nice vortex going on and all is fine

I think its powerful enough. Getting a 2cm (Aprox 1 inch) deep vortex at 4 out of 10 speed.

How would a magnet get trapped?
If I turn it up too fast the magnet starts bouncing around until I turn it down again

wouldnt it also help to add some heat while stirring ? (if you have a stir & heating combo)

My unit has indeed both stirring and heating and can hold the container at a nice steady temperature but I found that heating it pulls a lot of plant goo resulting in a dark yellow spice. After reX about the same amount of spice.

Hmm, I havent stirred for 12 hours, maybe just 20 min and (pre)heated all upp to maybe 70 c.
With the naptha I used all spice was like glass no rex was needed.

But yeah magnetic stirrers are a great tool !

Maybe it's because I don't have naphtha here.
I use octane.

Interested too.

By trapped I meant indeed bouncing around erratically, not doing the propper movement, excuse the poor english

btw, amvitamine, octane should be more or less equivalent to naphtha... Naphtha is usually a mix of hydrocarbons such as pentane, hexane, heptane, octane....

How accurate is the temperature in that magnetic stirrer, how well does it maintain a temperature, or does it oscilate a lot?

Luckily I keep a log of extractions
100 gram rootbark powder
100 gram of NaOH
1.6 liter of water
250 ml of solvent

Pull 1 400mg
Pull 2 400mg
pull 3 350mg
pull 4 120mg
pull 5 40mg
After that I didn't bother anymore and disposed of the soup
You see it pulls very consistent yields the first 3 times so good stirring is desirable




Well the dial just say 1 to 10, no real temperature because that would depend on what kind of container you put on it.
But if I hang a thermometer in it and slowly heat it I can set it with a precision of +-5 degrees Celsius with barely any fluctuation.
If I want to do the real thing I have a waterbath which has steps of 0.5 degrees celcius and doesn't fluctuate

did you used 50ml solvent for each pull?

Oh wow! I NEED one of these! The mixing / stirring part is always such a pain for me. Would it be possible to add all of the solvent and leave it running for 72 hrs or so?

A magnetic stirrer and a sep funnel would make my life much easier. I have no idea how to explain to my family why I would want them @ birthday / Christmas time though

Magnetic stirrer, separatory funnel and vacuum filtering FTW

hehe

an old trick I picked up several years ago, 'cept I use a 2 L erlenmeyer flask; more conducive to the fluid dynamics involved