I'm planning on making my first attempt at the Noman's Tek

What I have:
Lab gloves/goggles/respirator
100g pre-powedered Mimosa Hostilis inner root bark
1 gallon HDPE jug
Kleaner Strip VM&P Naptha - http://www.kleanstrip.com/product/vmp-naphtha
Roebic Crystal Drain Opener - http://www.roebic.com/he...stal-drain-opener.shtml
A stainless steel turkey baster (couldn't find glass)
1 gallon white distilled vinegar

First question is regarding the naphtha I have. It seems to be marketed as a paint remover, the labeling is different then standard Klean Strip VM&P naphtha, is it still good to use?

It's MSDS says:
CAS # Hazardous Components (Chemical Name)
64742-49-0 Hydrotreated light naphtha
Concentration
95.0 -100.0 %
RTECS #
NA

Another question, when mixing the lye with water it says in Noman's tek to stir slowly as adding. This draws confusion because the solution is dangerous. The opening on the jug is pretty small to imagine fitting a metal spoon in there so I'm not sure what to use. More importantly I'm not sure what to do with what I use to stir in between adding, it's going to be covered in a caustic solution so I imagine just throwing it on the table in between adding lye repeatedly isn't safe. Is the stirring as adding necessary? If so, please advise.

Around how slow should the lye be added? I'm adding 100g of lye to 1500ml of water and would like a rough estimate on how much I should add and how long I should wait before adding that amount again.

Is using distilled water and de-ionized water the same thing?

Will throwing naphtha in the freezer for a hour before adding to the solution to reduce fumes be a bad idea?

Is evaporating remaining naphtha on the pyrex container/coffee filter after freeze precipitation outside in 90-100 degree weather a bad idea?


That's pretty much it, I'm excited to get the ball rolling but patient to make sure I'm informed beforehand. Any other input, or if anything looks wrong in the ingredient listing I have, please let me know.

Thank you! ^_^

That naphtha looks better than the standard one although I could be wrong as I do not know what hydrotreated means but light naphtha is indeed what you want.

Yes, you do want to stir in your lye slowly or it will just chunk up at the bottom of your vessel. I would strongly recommend a glass vessel rather than a plastic as the lye is going to significantly heat up the vessel. Just sprinkle in the lye as you stir.

Distilled and de-ionized are two different things.

I don't think throwing your naphtha in the freezer will hurt anything but if your caustic soup is still hot it will just heat your naphtha once you start mixing it. Naphtha fumes aren't terrible as long as you don't stick your face in it and do it in a ventilated space.

I wouldn't just leave my DMT under the sun but I have no science to support my feeling on this.

as for the lye...I mix this separately. I take about 150 ml of cool distilled water in a separate glass container and add lye slowly, mixing until dissolved with a glass stirrer. Then I add to the base soup....please be careful with this...use safety gear..and keep some vinegar around to neutralize spills.......good luck!

Jimbo and FLeP answered some of your questions-- I'll get back to you on the others.

Make a habit of looking in the FAQ.

1) It seems to be marketed as a paint remover, the labeling is different then standard Klean Strip VM&P naphtha, is it still good to use?
Check out this link: FAQ - Is My Solvent/Chemical Ok to Use

2) Is the stirring as adding necessary? If so, please advise.
Check this section of the FAQ regarding materials (look for the stuff on milk jugs): Is this Material of Container ok to Use with My Chemicals
Stirring is necessary, but you can add a little NaOH then stir, add a bit more, etc.
You will need something resistant to corrosion on which to place your stirrer (ceramic, pyrex, etc).

3) Around how slow should the lye be added? I'm adding 100g of lye to 1500ml of water and would like a rough estimate on how much I should add and how long I should wait before adding that amount again.
100g lye to 100g root bark in 1500ml water is a fine ratio. You will not need to repeat adding 100g lye. You should add the 100g lye a little at a time to the water (say 20mg at a time).

4) Will throwing naphtha in the freezer for a hour before adding to the solution to reduce fumes be a bad idea?
Think of it this way: Naptha absorbs DMT when warm and drops in when cold. So-- you want it warm when adding it to the bark solution. Some folks but it in a heat bath to get it good and warm.

Addig lye is always best done as a solution. Lye reacts exothermincally with water, which can weaken your glass, causing cracks.

Distilled and DI water are interchangable for you purposes.

Cold Naptha holds less alkaloids and will not appreciably reduce fumes. I would suggest actually heating your Naptha using a ZERO FLAME hot water bath/double boiler. Get a paint respirator and open a window.

Evaporating your Naptha off your final product in hot weather will produce a reliquified Naptha-alkaloid soup. Your product will redissolve. Remember, there is a reason temperature is important in getting pure product. Crank the AC and use a fan--there's a reason I do most of my extractions in the winter...

I bought a hdpe jug online its 1 gallon. I preferred the idea of plastics because I don't have to worry about etching or shattering.

So you're saying add 20mg every 10 to 20 seconds? Basically a sprinkle?

Also, at Walmart what can I buy as a stirrer? The opening is small so I need something thin and metal or glass.

Thank you

Have you looked into lab spatulas? They make different sizes and shapes. Just make sure to get one that is compatible with your solvents/ingredients.

Or some people use spoons or chopsticks. You can pretty much use whatever you want as long as it wont dissolve or disintegrate in your solvents or react with your acids/base. I cannot stress that enough!

Good luck!

Ok so I'm sort of freaking out. I mixed 100g of lye with 1500ml of water, slowly stirring, and it appears quite a bit of lye still settled on the bottom. Now whenever I move the container the bottom gets hot pretty fast. I feel like I made a lye bomb please help I hope someone is awake who can tell me what to do. There's a chance I'm over-reacting because it really just gets warm. Can I just let it sit there and it will slowly dissolve?

Thank you

mixing lye into water will always cause heat to be produced, thats why you should add it slowly, keep stirring and it will all dissolve.

HDPE isnt as good as glass when using solvents such as naphtha.

Aight, so I ended up biting my lip and shaking it slowly to vigorously over a drain with vinegar on hand and it ended up being fine, got a little warmer is all. So then I added 100g of powdered mimosa and shook it up. This is what it looks like.



Overall, I'm glad I got to where I am but feel it was all a little sloppy. A lot of this came from bad equipment. I didn't anticipate the level of water being so low so the stirrer I got only got 1/3 of the depth (explaining why the lye settled most likely). Also the goggles I got were LOUSY! I was sweating they would steam up and I'd go blind from steam. I'd be forced to take them off and wipe them with my shirt every so often! Very sloppy since my gloves could of had lye on them (though they didn't touch the insides of the goggles - still sloppy af).

The bottle appears to be shrinking, I kept loosening the lid to check if there's back pressure and there appears to be none. Just thought it was kind of weird.

I did add the lye slowly, the 100g took me about a hour to add I'd say I added 20-100mg at a time.

I'm glad the anxiety provoking step is over, now onto the next step will update with photos ^_^

Your container doesn't really look that suitable imo, I don't think you'll be able to see the naphtha layer separate in such an opaque container. And how will you pull the naphtha layer off when it's that low down? It's tricky enough with the right gear
Personally I would try and find a more suitable vessel before you continue.

Good luck and be careful.

I was thinking the same thing. Like, once I add the naphtha and it's only 100ml its going to be a pretty thin layer. I got a stainless steel turkey baster with a thin tip I can add on, but do you think this is a lost cause? I'm wondering if I should even mess with it at this point lol or if I should just dump it out - cut my losses - and find a better container.

You will definitely need a glass turkey baster as you won't be able to see what you're drawing up (ie the base mix) with that.
There's no need to dump it, just source the right equipment, transfer it over and carry on.
However, saying that, it might be good to do a little bit more research/reading just so you've got a really good idea of what you're doing otherwise you might run into some more problems down the line.

Cool, what kind of jar would you recommend? Considering this is a gallon, I imagine something the size of a half gallon would be sufficient and something more narrow would be optimal and glass. I already added naphtha, I can clearly see the two layers but the naphtha layer is too thin to draw up. Also, when transferring this to another container I imagine I got to be extremely careful to avoid splashes (avoid an emulsion) and spills (I imagine the solution is dangerous).

Thank you!

I agree that you don't need to throw anything out. There's no rush-- you can keep everything in the container you have for weeks if needed. If stressed, it can be a good idea to take a step back anyway.

In terms of what container to look for, look either pyrex or HDPE 2 liter, wide mouth bottles. Lots of them on the leading shopping websites. Keep in mind, you do often get what you pay for.

For now, stick with the directions as they are written in your tek, but in the future, consider working in smaller batches: 50g bark in 1 liter containers. I find this size to be easier to work with for individual batches. 500mg spice (over a dozen threshold experiences) is plenty have on hand. By running through the process more often, you will get more comfortable and more skilled quicker.

One last note: several teks say to shake the bark mixture, but I find that shaking can lead to an annoying emulsion. Stirring will be just as effective and is less likely to lead to problems later. my 2c.

Cool, will something need to be ordered online? Or can I find a jar locally?

Also, I really want to use a wine bottle I think it would be perfect. However, the problems going to come from transferring because the opening on a wine bottle is pretty small - attempting to pour the solution from this jug into that little opening guarantees a spill. I would have to use a funnel. I looked up HDPE funnels and they're like $50 a pop! Would it be ok to use a funnel I buy locally? I imagine it's not good, but will the solution touching it temporarily mess up the DMT?

I managed to get drops of naphtha out last night, threw it in the freezer to see what happens, it appears mini crystals formed form just drops now I'm really annoyed about the bottle situation lol

You can find a strong glass jar with a wide mouth (or even several if they are small) locally. People use em for canning jams and spagehtti sauces. Sometimes you can even find them at the hardware store. Get the wide mouth, that's part of why you are having problems.


Everyone tells you to do 100 ml pulls. Let me be the one to tell you that in your situation you are better off doing a 400-500ml pull after mixing it and letting it seperate several times. Freeze precip that and if you are happy with your results, don't do any more pulls or do a little one, whatever. When you get a better siphoning apparatus you can do those tiny pulls without sucking up any soup.

Hey. You can always cut the top off that thing so you can fit a ladle in there.

Or transfer your solvent tainted with base soup to a thinner bottle. The base soup will fall to the bottom and you can pour off your solvent.

Thank you! I was wondering about doing a 4-500ml pull just to salvage this project.

I managed to do two pulls. The stainless steel turkey baster has a needle tip attachment. I pushed it against the side of the container and pulled slowly with it just in the naphtha while monitoring to make sure no base was sucked in (I could see it moving towards the tip if I pulled to hard).

Anyways, I put it in two pyrex containers the solvent appeared clear. After two hours in the freezer I see without a doubt some decent snow globes forming on the bottom and sides ^_^! I wasn't able to pull all of the solvent, got maybe three fourths, on the next pull (3rd) I'm gonna try 400ml to get whats left over. I will update with pictures.

This project wasn't a complete waste, I got solid experience and learned from it. Also it looks like I may get some DMT out of it as well ^_^