possible problem:

[wimpy]

First thanks everybody, and geezmeister thanks again, you're right: time of talking is gone - it's time to act!! (blare of trumpets!)  
I guess SWIM will follow the instructions in that post from wareami mentioned by abominator some posts ago as this fits SWIMS needs best (he's a lousy little amateaur without a lab and so on (whine)), maybe he will try to scale it up with the mentioned ratios to fit his last 5g of clean pharma E powder. Guess that should be possible without killing the ballon(why? simply wishfull thinking, doh) . After that (if so) he will have to experiment with pill- or ephedra extraction, but that will be another story. Thanks again, will post the results!

[wareami]

Anything 5g or over should stand UP nicely if a PunchBalloon is used instead of standard sized balloons!
And as Geez pointed out.
A 4-6inch tube attached directly to the flask and then fitted with a standard balloon will far much better than a balloon directly afixed to the flask.
GoodLuck!

[TheHitMan]

Instead of using a flask with some tubing and a bloon on top, would it not be easier to use a volumetric flask with a bloon on top?

To cool the colum you could wind some plastic hose around it and run cold water through it.

 Just an idea, as I've no idea if this would work.

[CharlieBigpotato]

check out my post on rxn containment. it might help explain this. even if you don't use the method hinted at.
but let the damn air out of the system first. do it outside.

[abominator]

To cool the colum you could wind some plastic hose around it and run cold water through it.

 Just an idea, as I've no idea if this would work.

gluecifer used to use a set up quite similar to this with alot of success.

[12cheman12]

If you take some I2 (labgrade) and drop it onto some RP should it react straight away? and if it doesnt then it means the RP isnt clean enough?

[BullwinkleMoose]

right on man

or the appropriate shape beer bottle

then the flask is a functional part of the condenser

this bee would wrap a little foil around the base of that volumetric flask, for insulation, blow air across the neck of the flask with a fan !

[wareami]

12cheman12:
If you're not sure if RP is clean enough, don't marry it with I2 to determine as you risk losing both if it's not.
Ibee takes his guitarpick and dips the tip into the RP pile and transfers a minute amount to a watchglass or a microscope slide and sets flame to it. You'll know how good the RP is by watching how quickly and evenly it burns.
Ibee always does this test on 3rd and 4th run RP after cleaning as it starts losing color from use.
If the RP takes a long time to light or doesn't light evenly and thoroughly...the RP pile needs more cleaning.

[wimpy]

Thanks for all the hints, but it shows up SWIW still could use some help:

After a small reaction with LG E, LG I2 and MB Phosphorous everything worked as he expected, but after basifing and later mixing with Naphta (no better NP at hand) and acidifying with HCL to about PH 7 and some swirling (ok, maybe there was some shaking, too ) there's a thin layer of white "foam" still resisting 24h after the last swirling between the NP and the aquaous layer ...

Is this bad? Or can it just be ignored? the whole batch isn't worth talking about, but as it's not his first try swim would like to bring this one to an succesful end ... just once, oh ....*#++*
Any hints anyone?
Thanks a lot!

[geezmeister]

Separate it into an evap dish and let it air dry. Cover it with an agressive nonpolar like tolly or xylene, and let the solvent extract any amines that may be there. Then gas the solvent for the salt form. Sometimes you get a surprising amount, sometimes you get nothing. Sometimes its an emulsion which has trapped some of you meth, sometimes its just trash from the NaOH and/or the reaction. Emulsions are mixes of polar and nonpolar layer bubbles that don't tend to break down; the solids are usually trash that float to the surface...no bubbles. Sometimes the trash holds meth, but more usually the emulsions hold some. 

Nothing unusual in having a layer of solids at the interface. You try to not have one, but sometimes you do. There are worse fates in the universe.

[clandestine]

Swim used mbrp and it didnt react at ALL until heat was added... then it did just fine after that.

[wimpy]

hey geezmeister, really thanks a lot, was already thinking i'd spoiled it again -phew
clandestine: it started to react without heat, but only very low. it's done with the ratios mentioned by wareami some posts above for a HDR under most primitive conditions, with stuff like juice cans and tea candles ...   (as swim simply has not enough time alone to do a LWR in these days).

Again, thanks a lot to all, results, if any, will be posted, maybe they'll be of any use for i don't know who ...(?unlikely, but well, who knows?)

[wimpy]

If one had a lot of water in the end, what would be the highest possible temp to evaporate it? would the meth take any damage by temp, and if so at what temp? would 60 C still be ok or already too much?
Thanks!

[geezmeister]

The last time I checked, meth HCl did not vaporize at 100C. A temperature below that is recommended, actually. If you have a little visible vapor coming off the evap dish with no fan blowing on it, you are probably as hot or a little hotter that is prudent. Keep the fan blowing, keep the temp down. You don't want to boil the water off, just evaporate it.

[wimpy]

Thanks very much - worked very well, but what a f*n dream this turned out to be in the end- in swims dream to see a real dud all you had to do was to take a look in the encyclopedia under "wimpy - the dud(- bomb etc.) who smashed the beaker with all his product in."
Everything else worked great, thanks for all the help, but, well ...
200mg pure white crystal-like residue was left on the ground of the second evap-container after evaporating the last left few mililiters. not tested yet.

so, dear children what is to be learned from this? keep what you choose for your lab room tidy or you will end up like like the poor dud w. !

[wareami]

Like I recently shared with Geez....
"If I ever lose my sense of humor...Shoot Me"
Under no circumstances would I allow someone to shoot me other than that!
What's the big deal? So you're floors will be climbin the walls for a spell!  
Okay!
It's happened to the best of us!
Ibee was more upset at losing the glassware than he was at losing the product!
It teaches lessons in carelessness AND SAFETY!
Learn from it!
But don't give UP!
This is AWE about GETTING UP not giving UP!