Lately I have been having a problem when I pour my Lye. The Lye beads become somewhat airborne. Today I actually got a few burns because of it. Anyone know why this might be happening? And is there anything I can do to prevent it? It does this as I am pouring and sometimes just when I move the container I have poured the Lye into.
Fly Away Lye Beads
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In a word- static. Most folks (me included) rub down our lye bottle with a dryer sheet before pouring. Works great. Many say that the flake form of NaOH is less prone to static than the bead form.
IrishLass
IrishLass
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Sounds like static. I keep a dryer sheet in the bag with my NaOH bottle then rub the bottle and my container before pouring to diffuse any static that might be lingering.
If you don't have a dryer sheet, but do have anti-static-cling spray, you can use that by spraying it on a paper towel or cloth rag and using that to wipe down the outer surface of the container. Just make sure you spray lightly and don't soak the cloth or towel. You don't want it dripping.
TBandCW
Well-Known Member
I love using the flakes, but sometimes I can't pass up a sale on lye beads. I'll be using the dryer sheet suggestion when the time comes.
I use the dryer sheets. I keep one in the container I keep the lye in. Makes it easy to remember and find.
nframe
Well-Known Member
I found that shaking the lye container just before pouring helps a bit.
Yes, shaking does help. I don't do dryer sheets or anti-static spray. Instead, I lightly wipe the work area around my scale with a damp cloth to temporarily raise the humidity and shake the lye container before opening it. Be sure to tighten the lid well and also put a restraining finger over the container lid as you shake as insurance against the lid possibly loosening. The shaking also helps to break up any lumps.
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