Greetings and thanks for stopping by,

I have a few small questions as I prepare to jump into hyperspace.

Firstly I am very intrigued by extracted harmalas. I'd like to follow the guide here:

https://www.dmt-nexus.me...aspx?g=posts&t=17029

But the only source of lye/naoh around here sells at minimum 1kg, and it looks like I'll be needing all of about 50g at most. Is there something I can substitute that is more readily available? I'm not in a position to have tons of materials laying about for the next year so I'd rather not be sitting on 950g of Lye where someone might ask questions, preferring something from the grocery store.

Secondly I built a version of the KEY v2, and have been testing it with smoke blends but it seems to keep burning my herbs. Is this just a case of hold the lighter further away and draw for longer? Aside from using my Arizer Extreme Q and Air I have no frame of reference for what to expect from a homemade vaporizer.

Thank you kindly,
Nobody

I think you can use washing soda instead, but having lye around is fine because it's usually used in cleaning. If someone asks you can say that you were cleaning toilet pipes or sink or whatever. (Or you can actually clean them with your 950gr lye )

For vaping with a homemade pipe/vaporizer, remember that if you toke slow, it will be hotter,
Toke fast, it will be cooler.
Using a torch lighter allows you to hold the lighter further away when the bowl is on the top.
I set mine up so I can heat it from the bottom. How many screens do you have in it? You just want to heat the air around the herb, and it should be all crispy and change colour, but not burnt when vaped properly.
Good luck.

Thank you kindly for the replies.

In terms of NaOH I've moved back with my parents for a year, my Father knows when I'm up to "no good" and if some Lye appears under the sink he'll wonder why I bought it instead of using the tons of cleaning products that are already here. Funnily enough he's less likely to notice my 1kg of Caapi and MHRB than Lye. That being said I didn't realize STB extractions were quite so simple so I'll probably grab the Lye anyways.

Hmmmm I have around 10 screens in both the bottom and top, they're inexpensive brass screens sold from my local cigar shop. From what I can tell the screens aren't stopping the flame from hitting the herb so I'm getting some combustion. Maybe I'll try a torch light and see how that fairs.

Much Love,
No One.

You can use sodium carbonate for gibrans tek. You can get a big box sodium carb at walmart for under $5. Labelled as arm & hammer washing soda.

Another idea is to store your plants and chemicals for the extraction at a friend's place, if this is an option for you.

Another suggestion would be to focus on sorting out a home for yourself away from disapproving persons, where you can feel safe doing what you want to do. Needing to do this kind of thing clandestinely amounts to poor set and setting, IMO.

Once again thank you for all the replies.

In the end I just bought Lye and found a valid reason to have it sitting in mah closet. Still gotta figure out how to use this key though! Guess I'll just have to practice with Mary Jane a bit.

@concombres, thanks for the idea on the sodium carbonate. Since I'm gonna do extractions I decided to go to the local soap making shop and just buy the Lye. I have a nice grill that needs restoring and apparently Lye is extremely useful for that so long as there is no aluminum.

@TotalTotalness, actually that's not a bad idea, thank you! I can certainly store the questionable stuff at a friends place, though he'll bug me for some spice in return. Hmmmmmmmm to be generous, or not to be generous?

@downwardsfromzero, Now now no preaching . I will be moving out again next summer, only here to go back to school for a year while my wifey sorts out her new job. So next year is definitely going to be a lot more fun and another shroom grow, only got into DMT originally because it meant not having a 66L monotub on the go and I was rewarded with learning about these wonderful Harmalas! I would also agree about the set and setting, but the rents are gone the majority of the time, and don't really care that I do psychadelics (even invited the old man on a journey), it's more a comfort level with me extraction/production. I also think tripping here will be interesting from my new found perspective, a way of committing my childhood home to memory before letting it go forever. Plus you know, when the call comes you have to answer.

Much Love!
Nobody

It's good to hear that you're actually in a more sympathetic situation than the impression post #4 gave me! Language can be a capricious thing.

Wishing you the very best in your endeavours.

Hahaha that's quite fair! I just re-read it so I understand your point. I should have specified extraction/production to him is the "up to no good" aspect not the actual taking of psychedelics. Old man has a fear I'm gonna sell them, and more than anything just doesn't want me getting in trouble with Old Bill as I've clashed with The Man once in my life, and that was enough for all involved.

That's why he's not likely to notice my Caapi or MHRB, he'll think it's just something I make psychadelic tea with or mistake it for Mary Jane.

Anyways I thank you for your time, and agree language is so lacking! Words are such a difficult thing to convey anything with regardless of how expressive you are. A thought for another day.

Cheers,
Not Two But One.

If your parents are not comfortable with you doing extractions in their house, please refrain from doing it/discussing it here. Please see the No unsafe extraction settings and procedures section of the attitude:

Understood SnozzleBerry,

Honestly though TotalTotalness already solved that problem, given how easy extraction is now that I've done the research I will likely just do all my extractions at a friends place so no harm done.

Wasn't an option when I was growing cubensis, my friend was a poor monotub babysitter and liked to poke around, but for this it will certainly be adequate to chill there for a few days and end up with loads of spice and harmalas!

Much Love,
Neo