sekio
Bluelight Crew
I would advise against working at night. It reduces visibility and overall looks a little more suspicious. If you want to make your life easier I would do the digging in daylight. A classic trick would be to borrow a high-vis vest and possibly a hard hat - maybe counterintuitive, but if you look and act like you're supposed to be digging roots out of the ground, nobody will disturb you. On the contrary, if you are stopped in the middle of the night with a shovel and covered in dirt, people might ask questions...
Are you equipped to do an extraction on the bark if you do get some? It would seem to be a waste to dig up a bunch of roots and figure out afterwards that you cannot do an extraction.
Typical STB shopping list:
Root bark
Pruning shears, coffee grinder, and/or comparable means to shred/grind the bark
Personal safety equipment (gloves, apron, and goggles.)
Jug of white vinegar or other dilute acid solution (emergency lye spill treatment/cleanup)
Lye (sodium hydroxide) or potash lye (potassium hydroxide)
A glass, HDPE, or polypropylene vessel to do the extraction.
Suitable vessel to act as a warm water bath which can contain the above vessel. (or a sink)
Naptha or similar nonpolar solvent.
Magnesium sulfate (aka epsom salts), oven-baked to dryness at 350F for several hours, until it is crunchy and snow-white (used as a drying agent for naptha)
Turkey baster or large syringe (to seperate the naptha from lye water)
A small container to collect the naptha after extraction
A freezer (preferably without food in it)
Coffee filters
You will also need a period of a few hours to do the extraction, a well-ventilated area away from sources of ignition, and an overnight wait for freeze precipitation. The extraction does involve corrosive and flammable materials, and can make a bit of a mess, but if done correctly and carefully poses minimal hazards. A detailed description of how the extraction is conducted is probably beyond the scope of this post - look up Noman's Tek on google for a classic example.
If you don't have the space or equipment, you should either find someone who can help you by providing a space, or (the better plan) wait until you do have everything you need. Patience is a virtue, and trying to half-ass an extraction will only result in a nasty mess.
Are you equipped to do an extraction on the bark if you do get some? It would seem to be a waste to dig up a bunch of roots and figure out afterwards that you cannot do an extraction.
Typical STB shopping list:
Root bark
Pruning shears, coffee grinder, and/or comparable means to shred/grind the bark
Personal safety equipment (gloves, apron, and goggles.)
Jug of white vinegar or other dilute acid solution (emergency lye spill treatment/cleanup)
Lye (sodium hydroxide) or potash lye (potassium hydroxide)
A glass, HDPE, or polypropylene vessel to do the extraction.
Suitable vessel to act as a warm water bath which can contain the above vessel. (or a sink)
Naptha or similar nonpolar solvent.
Magnesium sulfate (aka epsom salts), oven-baked to dryness at 350F for several hours, until it is crunchy and snow-white (used as a drying agent for naptha)
Turkey baster or large syringe (to seperate the naptha from lye water)
A small container to collect the naptha after extraction
A freezer (preferably without food in it)
Coffee filters
You will also need a period of a few hours to do the extraction, a well-ventilated area away from sources of ignition, and an overnight wait for freeze precipitation. The extraction does involve corrosive and flammable materials, and can make a bit of a mess, but if done correctly and carefully poses minimal hazards. A detailed description of how the extraction is conducted is probably beyond the scope of this post - look up Noman's Tek on google for a classic example.
If you don't have the space or equipment, you should either find someone who can help you by providing a space, or (the better plan) wait until you do have everything you need. Patience is a virtue, and trying to half-ass an extraction will only result in a nasty mess.
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