i am about to do my very first marsofolds tek extraction, but i cant get any red devil lye. I have talked to very few people here and have figured i just need to bring my ph up. does anyone know what I can get to bring the ph up, or just another source of 100% lye thats in stores near normal people. Extremely thankful, and may the spice guide me well.

Hey there!
A while ago i got curious, so i went to the biggest super market around here and took my time looking at the labels from drain openers. Most of them are NaOH or at least NaOH based... Find a powder one that is "super strong" and probably when you look at the label you´ll find out it´s NaOH.
If you´re like me and you´re not so keen on taking risks you can just go to the pharmacy and ask for some (that was the advice i got and worked wonders for me =). But as you are in the USA it´s probably not the way to go as it is controled...

You could also use KOH (potassium hydroxide) for A/B.

You could order NaOH (sodium hydroxide) online. As long as you don't buy 10 pounds at a time you shouldn't have any problems. NaOH has a lot of legit uses from soap making and biodiesel to a number of foods including pretzels, olives, lutefisk and Hominy.

If you'd like a link to a supplier PM me.

It is important to mention that some drain openers also contain additives such as surfactants and other cleaning agents that will probably screw up your extraction. Check Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) online, if available.

Hence me saying




Stay safe

A popular auction site carries a lot of NaOH products, some of them even sold as food safe.
It's a fairly anonymous buying method I have always felt comfortable with.

Sorry Eden, I must disagree. Ebay is NOT "fairly anonymous" and actually works (along with paypal) in full cooperation with LEO. There is no need for excess paranoia and I am not attempting to fear-monger, but ebay is in no way shape or form "fairly anonymous" as your purchasing records are tied to your ebay account (with your mailing address) and/or a paypal account, credit card, or similarly real-world-identifying form of payment. Keep in mind that through your ebay account your address is shared/available, so even if you pay with cash or money order, you put your address in the public domain alongside whatever you purchase.

I completely agree. However, the "fairly anonymous" sense I get is from dealing in a peer to peer structure. Of course, many large sellers are considered to be stores and are likely watched as such, but many smaller sellers exist. It's a large network that I feel would take a lot of resources to closely monitor.

But that "sense" does not match reality, imo. You're not dealing in a p2p setup, despite ebay creating the feeling that you are. You are operating through a network that you and the vendor are a part of and ultimately have no say or depth of understanding as to the inner workings of said network. It's not just large stores that may be watched, the whole network is watched/cooperates willingly with LEO (large stores, small stores, it really doesn't matter, it's easy to keep tabs on 'em all, as well as the buyers, with the system in place). Any sense of anonymity is imagined and does not reflect on the reality of the situation. Granted, we are small fish and generally uninteresting to the powers that be, but that's a very separate issue from anonymity.

that is all very helpful, but most intresting to SWIM is KOH, SWIM has ph up from a general hydroponics store and it is based of KOH and potassium carbonate, Is it possible to use this and still reach a ph close to 14 and not ruin the final product?

Again, very valid points.

However, the fact remains that this is the alternative to any other source of materials which, in the end, will be a store. Regardless to the actual nature of the ebay network, my limited understanding leads me to believe it is harder to red flag thousands of small sellers, new ones being created constantly, than an store that has established itself to be the source for a certain product.

Anyways, I will continue to purchase legal (though watched) substances through ebay. I feel safer dealing with single transactions than being caught up in a big bust on a large vendor in which all connected parties are liable.