SWIM followed the marsofold tek as follows:

first off, didn't just powder the bark. Bought it finely shredded. Don't know if that makes a difference.

Used half pound of bark to start with. Halved everything else in the tek except the gallon-wine-jug suggestion.

Let sludge settle from extraction for about 4 hours.

poured off liquid into wine jug (it's still a gallon jug, but half of everything else.)

HERE'S where SWIM may have fucked up:

Prepared the lye solution in an empty plastic jug, but they had another plastic jug just like it with a similar amount of water with a few drops of juice maybe.

SWIM isn't sure if they used the lye solution, or the water. At first thought they did it right and poured out the water from the other container but then realized it may have been the lye solution they just poured out and they may have used water in the wine jug.

Added 125 mL naptha, then filled 1-gallon wine jug with water to an inch from the top: this may be important because it's twice as much water proportionately as the tek normally calls for, since they halved everything else in the recipe but still used a 1-gallon wine jug.

Let sit 3 hours, then used a baster to put the clear stuff on top into two small bowls which were then set in a long flat tupperware container with the lid closed almost completely on top of it. Didn't have saran wrap so SWIM thought glassware set inside of tupperware might work. Could SWIM just use tupperware on it's own?

Is there a way to tell if the solution used at the part where SWIM should've added the lye solution, actually was the lye solution or just water?

What would happen if it was just water?

And if SWIM did mess it up, could it be saved or is it too late?

SWIM apologizes, but has a hard time understanding the chemical concepts behind this.

Done 2 tests:

Acacia Tortilis leafs A/B:
Boiled ~20g of leafs with 1 part lemon juice 2 parts water. Was left with about 200ml thick soup
DEFATTING: added ether (about 100ml) and shaked very well but it was immediatly seperated and stayed transparent.
Took the solution to ~12pH with NAoH.
Added about 100ml ether but still the same, doesn't mix. Evaported and nothing.

Acacia Raddiana Bark STB:
Broke and twisted about 300g (roughly assuming) of the bark into a bowl with water brought to 13pH with NAoH. Squeezed a lot with potato mesher. After two hours about 200mg of the soup was taked for test: Added ~100mg of warm white gas...It bubled a bit but settled and seperated almost as fast as the ether in the previous test..... Evaporation.. and nothing. Not a single crystal.

WTF...

SWIM found some M.E.K. at home depot. Is that any good for a STB?

Little help guys.
I'm approaching noman's tek, and I'll have pre-powder MHRB, should I double the distilled water amount?
And... why is that?

also, is it really a problem using lighter(zippo) fluid, or is just an impurity- more time to evaporate- problem?
Here in Italy is really difficoult to get some non-polar solvent


Thanks =)

hey guise,

SWIM has done Noman's tek. 1.5 l of water -> 5 tbs of lye -> 1/4 lb mimosa -> shaken not stirred -> toluene -> rolled and left for a 5-6 hours -> sucked out the toluene on top and threw it in the freezer for 24 hours (SWIM saw a few white little powder things in the toluene) -> SWIM took it out put it through a coffee filter and poof! nothing on the coffee filter! just toluene on the bottom.

SWIM collected the toluene in disappointment, threw it back in the freezer, and is wondering what SWIM did wrong..

help or advice will be greatly appreciated

that helped A LOT, thanks =)

So, doubling the water without doubling the HCl, right?
That's my last noob question for a while, I promise =)