Hello a friend is getting ready for first extraction and they asked if they could use calcium carbonate (a.k.a garden lime)in place of sodium hydroxide (a.k.a lye) or calcium hydroxide (a.k.a pickling lime) which he thought he had...ooops

Any help would be hugely appreciated and all reports will be posted at the end of tek.
P.S he will be using mostly Q21Q21's tek thanks guys!

No, calcium carbonate is not a replacement for neither sodium hydroxide nor calcium hydroxide nor sodium carbonate. Your friend really needs to go and get calciuum hydroxide if he needs calcium hydroxide.

Calcium carbonate is very slightly basic and very slightly soluble in water as well. It will never bring the pH high enough for a good extraction, so it's use for a basing agent (at least in dmt extraction for MHRB) is pretty much not recommended at all.

thank you will try again... ahh my friend that is thanks