Hello,

All of the research I had been doing up until now was focused mainly on the actual technique but the more I have been reading the more I am realising the importance of proper equipment and avoiding plastics and other easily corroded materials.
So out goes the plastic turkey baster and in comes the glass syringe. Out goes the pickles jar with aluminium lid and in comes....?
I am thinking of getting a 1000 ml erlenmeyer flask with glass stopper. From what I have read on here this seems to be a popular vessel.
Will the glass stopper form a leak proof seal so that I can roll my mixture? And is this vessel safe to use for a heat bath? Presumably if the stopper does form an air tight seal I should leave it off during the heat bath to allow for expansion.
I do apologise if these questions are a bit basic, but I am keen to avoid getting covered in a warm lye solution! And wasting my bark of course
Also I should probably mention that I am going to be trying cybs hybrid atb salt tek.

Thanks
Woody

A 1000mL flask is definitely the best way to go. Make sure it's good quality (such as pyrex) so it wont easily crack (some lesser quality glass can't handle heat baths).

The glass stopper will seal properly if you apply a thin layer of grease to it, however it will not hold itself in, especially if pressure is building up in your flask (which will happen when agitating the liquid).

You can purchase glass turkey basters which are better for larger extractions in my experience, but seeing as you're new to this you should be doing relatively small (50g) pulls for now.

Feel free to ask any further questions you might have, as your safety is of utmost importance! No question is dumb when it comes to safety.

Cyb's salting tek(s) is apparently a good choice. I'm currently using it for the first time. His revised tek is the Max Ion one however, so I would probably default to that instead of the hybrid.

Thanks Whippits. The flask I am looking at is broscilliate. Yes I only want it to seal for the rolling so I could have my thumb on top as I do this. So I suppose the fact it would not hold itself is probably safer in case the pressure built up too much.

I am only going to be doing 50g extraction for my first attempt. Even after I can't see me needing to increase that if all goes well.
I will look at the revised tek. cheers.

Forgot to mention, if you wanted to get fancy you could purchase a separatory funnel to decant the NPS, but that will set you back at least $40 for a cheap one.

Hey Woody, welcome!

I wouldn't like to use lab glass like that, it's not designed to seal securely and is thinner/weaker than regular glass, so risk of eg. breakage during rolling is much higher. It's also quite expensive as you're discovering.

Something like this has served me very well for many years, and it's fine in a heat bath so long as you heat from cold and cool down slowly.

The small neck holds about 50ml so it's perfect for pulling!

Hi man from chan chan, thanks for your reply.
The flask I'm looking at is only £8 and is made from broscillicate glass. From what I have read this is quite strong and capable of withstanding high temps.

Hi whippit, I think I'll stick with the £5 glass syringe for now! Cheers.

Hi Woody, do you mind if I ask which/where is the £8.00 glass you're looking at. I'm after one myself.

Cheers

Don't bother with an erlenmeyer. Seperatory funnel us easier. Probably much cheaper, too

When using the glass bottles with glass stoppers, don't ever leave the NaOH containing solutions sitting for long time, otherwise, glass stopper will "freeze", get stuck, and your bottle or flask will become useless. Aqueous NaOH solution reacts slowly with glass. I destroyed one glass syringe this way. It became stuck, and I couldn't do anything else except throwing it away.

hi Brainforest,

I ordered it from a company called scientific glass. The flask is listed at £8 excluding VAT and delivery. the stopper was another £3. So in total it was actually £25. I know its all a bit more than a old jar or bottle but i cant find anything without plastic/aluminium lids so its probably worth it for the peace of mind.

I believe that to prevent the stopper from seizing it is necessary to grease it.

Thanks, I've just bought this. 12 quid, 1litre borosilicate. Hopefully should do the trick.

Hi

Realise this thread is a little old but I am looking for UK supplies

I am also looking to not cut corners, things like clingfilm over jars concern me so I Would prefer to keep to safer materials like proper glass flasks with glass toppers.

With this in mind could you send me links to specific uk equipment you use please? This will also reassure me that it is less likely to break if someone has already tested.

I am also looking for a full list of all other supplies as I am slowly creating one. If any UK people here who use good quality equipment without cutting corners please let me know

Thanks yall

how do I get rid of seedling so I can post new article?

In addition to what Cheelin writes, sound interactions in the Chat will also up your chances of prompt promotion to full membership.

As far as UK supplies goes, what have you collected so far?

Here's an excerpt from the Attitude Page:


In principle, virtually everything you need for an extraction bar the plant material can be found at a larger branch of somewhere like Wilkinson. Bear in mind, though, that I've been out of the UK for a couple of years and I'm not sure how much the current supply-chain issues may have affected things.

Actual labware isn't strictly necessary for a successful extraction although I'm not sue how I'd cope without a good supply of glass Pasteur pipettes. My first ever home extraction was carried out very successfully using only kitchen equipment (pyrex jug, pyrex baking dish, turkey baster, brewing spoon), caustic soda, and BBQ lighting fluid for the naphtha - all from Wilkinson. 2% yield from MHRB using STB and freeze precipitation.

Thanks for the comments all

I am trying to follow best practice and harm reduction, not concerned with price or losing some efficiency. Unable to setup a Separating Funnel however so plan to do that part in shed with pipettes and safety gear

I will be following the guide by spiritveghead

I am trying to use the best materials and equipment though

I have come up with the following and would really appreciate some feedback from the experts:

Erlenmeyer with glass stopper (do I need to grease to stop sticking - what do you use?)
https://www.amazon.co.uk...Erlenmeyer/dp/B06WD291LF

lye (pure enough?)
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/383509725147

heptane (is it ok not heating heptane due to obvious concerns while learning the process?)
(pure enough at 99.5%?)
https://apcpure.com/product/heptane-99-5-acs/

Pipettes
https://www.amazon.co.uk...-Chemistry/dp/B07V3VC7YZ

Glass rods
https://www.amazon.co.uk...Cocktails/dp/B08X2M1V4H/

Glass Beakers
https://www.amazon.co.uk...Resistance/dp/B07P5Z2WPS

Pyrex container with lid for freezing - having trouble with this as not sure about the top and how it reacts with the solvent. Advice on the safest version would be appreciated.

This just leaves safety equipment: goggles, mask, gloves, suit? plus scales and temp gun which I will leave for another post.

Thanks in advance

I use PTFE plumbers'/gas fitters' tape. It's best to avoid getting grease in the extraction.