Hey guys,
So I performed my first extraction tonight (Q21Q21s vinegar/lime extraction) and have some naptha precipitating in the freezer right now. The TEK suggests doing pulls 24-48 and even 7-14 days apart to get all the product out. My question which I have not been able to find an answer to in the search box is: How should I store the rootbark/ lime/ vinegar mixture in the mean time? should it stay in the refrigerator? should I just put it up in cool dark closet between pulls until it is depleted? I took pictures during the process which I will be posting as soon as I write it up, Assuming the extraction proves successful.

EDIT: Sorry, I should have put this in the extraction help forum. Feel free to move it if necessary.

The best advice I've heard on such a thing is to keep it in a cool dark place. It is not confirmed, but suspected that light can break down actives. Also, heat may as well (obviously this would be minimal as the stuff comfortably vaporizes, right?). I suspect prolonged exposure to heat can oxidize the actives. In which case it seems xylene pulls these just fine, but isn't as much fun to work with.

Probably doesn't matter either way, but it really couldn't hurt to be careful.

When you go to collect your solvent it's a good idea to heat everything up if you have a convenient way to do this. Hot solvent holds more goodies, just like hot water holds more salt.

I just cover the bowl and stick away from heat like sunlight. hasn't cause a problem for me doing this have left few weeks.

Thanks, I went ahead and wrapped the jar in a black sock and put it in a drawer. I plan to reuse the naphtha that is precipitating right now. On the first two pulls (back to back and placed in the same dish to precip) I filled a large stainless bowl full of scalding hot water and placed the whole jar into the water while I let the naphtha soak for 10-15 minutes, rolling the jar a little every few minutes. I even took a chop stick and poked small "burrows" into the mush to allow the naphtha to make as much contact with the surface area as possible. When I do my pulls tomorrow and over the next several days, should I just place the jar back into some hot water a few minutes before adding the recycled naphtha? Or should I heat the naphtha before adding it back to the mush? My plan so far is to pour the naphtha off into a separate jar once the crystals have formed, and let the dish dry through the day. when I get home 8 hours later I will add the (room temp) naphtha to the jar and place in some hot water again for a few minutes while scraping and collecting the product from the baking pan. let me know if there is anything wrong with my logic. I have researched the hell out of it, but there are always little things that you miss or that others have learned

It helps to have the whole jar/solution/naptha warm and roll it around a few times just prior to extraction, at least on the first pulls. Although, I guess my friend doesn't usually worry about heat on the very last one... It may be better to have the layers as separated as possible, to pull as much solvent as is available.

I find only heating the naptha sufficient.