Lye Arrived!! Yay?? Maybe

[Sislea]

OK one more ingredient in the mail today but I am not sure how to handle the packaging. It arrived in a one gallon ziplock bag.

Is it safe to keep in this bag? Better to find a suitable container?

Trying to figure out how to get the lye poured out of the bag. If safe to keep in it for storage, could I just use a SS measuring spoon to get it out of the bag into the cup for weighing?

 

[shunt2011]

I would put the bag into a heavy duty plastic bucket with a tight fitting lid. Then just use a spoon or stainless measuring cup to get it out.

 

[DeeAnna]

I personally would put it in a hard sided container that can be tightly closed. You can leave it in the ziplock too, if you like, but lye definitely needs to be stored in something more tear and moisture resistant than just a ziplock bag.

If you pour the lye crystals into a container, do it outside on a dry, warm day with light breeze and stand upwind. You don't want the dust in your house or in your face.

 

[Sislea]

Thanks ladies..while waiting for a reply I did some googling. So I am looking around my kitchen now for a container marked HDPE. So far I only found DH's kool aid pitcher by rubbermaid. Don't think he would like me to store it in that :mrgreen:

 

[Sislea]

Ok I also seen somewhere about PP #5? I have several of these cylinder ziplock storage containers with screw on lids. I could use one of these? And am I correct in that one of these containers could be used to mix my lye water solution in?

 

[boyago]

Those should be fine for both storage and or lye solution as far as the material is concerned. For the solution you might want to get something specifically for that as the supper wide mouth of the cylinders might make for a accident.

Who the heck ships sodium hydroxide like that? That seems like it would be a massive problem/hazard if it was damaged in route.

 

[DeeAnna]

I thought the same thing, Boyago.

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD

 

[Sislea]

I don't have the ziplock bag in front of me but it was from a company called "something thrasher"

I won't be getting it from them anymore. That was crazy the way it was shipped.

the bag was wrapped in white paper and placed inside a small flat rate usps box.

 

[Sislea]

when i got the box out of the mailbox and into the house, i was not expecting it to be my lye as it was addressed from an individual and not a company. I had a terrible time opening the box. It was taped completely over. Once I got the box torn open, and managed to tear the white paper off of "whatever was wrapped in it", again, the paper had wide packing tape around it. Another chore to open. When the paper was off and I seen what was inside I about poopoo my pants. It was a chore to get off, and I thought to myself that could have been a disaster if I had ripped the ziplock bag in the process and the lye flew everywhere. When I placed my order, their website picture shows the item in a 1# container, so I ordered 2# expecting to get two containers.

 

[boyago]

Pfff, everyone know you should use Duct tape when compensating for a lack of proper packaging.

 

[snappyllama]

Ah, Macgyver must have opened up a lye store now that he has retired from secret agent life. Did you get his free grab bag with every purchase? I hear it has a bobby pin. It could save your life someday; I'd hang on to it.

 

[KristaY]

That's seriously scary practice! So many horrible things could have happened all along the way. How many videos have we all seen of delivery people throwing stuff over fences or onto stoops from the street. I'm certainly going to add these guys to my "don't-ever-order-from" list.

 

[Sislea]

Exactly crazy. I told DH about my experience when he came in last night. He was fit to be tied. He designs chemical labs and so knows somewhat of what can happen. Not only could it have been a disaster for me, but like he said, what if one of the postal workers somehow punctured it and the lye fireworked on them.