Does anyone have any suggestions for a Canadian fellow? Canada doesn't appear to have VM&P Naphtha. We have Naphtha but I'm not sure if its good to use and why most sites I read recommend VM&P Naphtha.I know you need a non polar solvent, but honestly, I don't really know what classifies such a thing I remember reading that Varsol can work in place of naphtha but I was wondering if anyone had any experience using it.The person who suggested it didn't give any info really and no one else responded to his comments on it.

What's confusing me is Naphtha is a fuel and Varsol appears to be a paint thinner so I'm a little worried about grabbing it and trying it with no real info or other peoples experiences with it. All other alternatives I've read have also been more fuel based substances like lighter fluid and camping grill fluid so I don't know where this Varsol stuff is coming from.

I'm a little stumped

I am so certain you can find VM&P Naptha at most hardware store in NA, the stuff is used for painting all the time, maybe broaden your search a tiny bit and you'll have more luck?

not likely, it depends on the distribution from petroleum companies.
varsol (Imperial Oil/Recochem) is the primary distributed form of petrol distillates in canada.

swim has had problems getting spice to crash out in the freezer, so slow evap is the only way to work with varsol. takes a long time, but it does work. redissolve the residue in hot bestine, and evap or put it in the freezer.

So if I'm doing a STB method like Lazy man's guide, I want to grab Bestine as well as varsol and lye? If so, should I wait till all my pulls are finished to redissolve the residue in hot bestine or do it all at once?

yes, though i'd wait to do it all at once.

you could technically use warm bestine for the extraction itself; but it's a bit pricey, so most people use it sparingly, reserving it for recrystallization.

Is xylene just as hard to find?

in canada? yes

but varsol has xylene in it, as well as toluene. for all practical purposes, varsol can be used for extractions where naptha or xylene are typically used.

Thanks for all the help man. Really appreciate it. After doing some searching, I actually found another topic.I don't know why I didn't come across this one sooner. Someone suggested using Ronsol Lighter Fluid which is pretty much a Naphtha like product apparently. Do you have any experience with this stuff? It seems like it would be easier to get a hold of and cheaper. I personally would rather go this route since it's cheaper and simpler, and since I don't have a lot of money to spend, I want to get this right the first time.

i don't have any experience with it, but it seems like it would work fine, because it's essentially light naptha. varsol is medium naptha

I am wondering where one in Canada would obtain lye, or varsol or the paticular kind of lighter fluid at your local store or if it has to be ordered online let me know thanks