I just did perform this tek, first extraction attempt for me. I used the instructions found here --->
But I ended up with a very minimal amount of gooey spice, and by that I mean maybe a few mg. I wasn't expecting anything because when I hit the clean up step, I didn't have any brown fatty layer, just two very clean looking layers of water and NPS.
When I added the lye to basify my final product, the water stayed clear telling me that there was not much spice in there if any. I did my NPS pulls anyway and was surprised to smell brand new sneakers with some residuals in the plate after letting evap with a light fan al night. Amazing I knew the smell, even though I have never smelled it before.
I followed the directions I believe very well, here are the only things I think I may have messed up on.
1. Didn't freeze and thaw the powdered product before using. I had read that this really doesn't need to be done with powdered ACRB.
It can certainly help but not 100% necessary
2. The tek posted here
12 hr Tek Start - finish - STB - Welcome to the DMT-Nexus shows adding 60ml of vinegar to 300-400ml of water at beginning, where the one I followed says 60ml to 500ml. I had no means to measure PH, perhaps it wasn't low enough?
60ml of 5% distilled vinegar should get you into the correct range to salt alks.
3. During first acid bath I had it in a pot with pretty hot water. Not boiling but maybe warmer than warm as stated, could this have caused nothing to extract ?
This isn't a problem, it'll generally pull a more yellow color in the solvent.
4. I used 100% lye, as far as I can tell it should be the same as caustic soda. Is this correct or is it suppose to be a more common less concentrated product? Again I had no way of measuring PH, so I was just going of quantities given hopping they were right.
As long as you used the amount in the tek to the amount of water it'll have been very basic. Rule of thumb if ind is if it turns black its the right pH. 100% Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) is perfect. Even 98% is good enough.
5. I used canning and pickling salt. It was the only one that I could find that said just salt as ingredients and as far as I could find they are non-iodized and just NaCl.
This wouldn't spoil your extraction. As long as its NaCl and no anti-caking agents and no iodized you're fine.
As far as I can tell everything else was bang on, the only things I don't know for sure are if my PH's were right, I am wondering if that could have caused these kind of outcome. Any other ideas about where I might have made a mistake? Maybe the ACRB is not good?
Sounds like the bark is poor quality
Thanks in advance, I wanted to post these questions on the thread this tek is on but I am a new member and don't have that ability yet.