New and Terrified of Sodium Hydroxide
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What Deda said. I mix and also store my 50/50 masterbatch lye solution safely and long-term in plastic. Not all plastics are alike, though. There are many discussions here regarding which plastics and other containers are lye-compatable and which are not. A search under 'HDPE' will bring up several pertinent threads.
IrishLass
IrishLass
excellent word choices, mods - pertinent and erroneous in the same thread!
Really, though Tiki, don't use glass and absolutely don't recommend someone else use glass. No, not Pyrex - not ANY glass. Temperature change causes glass to explode. Temperature change causes Pyrex to explode. Lye etches glass, yes even Pyrex, which makes it even LESS safe. Don't use glass to mix lye solutions, or to hold lye solutions. Not any glass.
Lye does not eat plastic, by the way.
Really, though Tiki, don't use glass and absolutely don't recommend someone else use glass. No, not Pyrex - not ANY glass. Temperature change causes glass to explode. Temperature change causes Pyrex to explode. Lye etches glass, yes even Pyrex, which makes it even LESS safe. Don't use glass to mix lye solutions, or to hold lye solutions. Not any glass.
Lye does not eat plastic, by the way.
judymoody
Well-Known Member
Deda said:
Also not "metal." Stainless steel, yes. Aluminum, never, never, never. Aluminum in combination with sodium hydroxide can produce explosive gases. You really don't want to go there.
judymoody
Well-Known Member
carebear said:
True, not all stainless steel is created equal. Use the cheap stuff at your peril.
IrishLass said:panzerakc said:
I don't mean to come off as contradictatory (or a scaremonger) since I do realize that some have not ever had the above happen, especially if they use the flaked lye as opposed to the beaded lye, but for safety sake I though it necessary to add a comment regarding the above statement so that proper precautions can be applied to avoid any potential mishaps. I can't comment on the mad dog part :wink: , but lye beads can indeed jump out of the container depending on how how much static is present. I've seen it happen firsthand and I've read enough from others who have had it happen to them. However- it hasn't happened to me personally ever since I started wiping my lye container down with a fabric softener sheet (it really does work!).IrishLass
Actually, Irish, I was being a bit melodramatic with my comment about it leaping from the container. I've read comments from folks who've never made soap before that make it seem as though they expect some actual THING with long teeth and claws to suddenly burst out of the lye container and kill them. I guess I thought my rendition was clearly different than the possibility of a few stray beads of lye attracted out of the container due to static electricity.
I don't seem to have a problem with static electricity, but after I've measured my lye into its container (dishwasher-safe plastic pitcher, for the record), I always take a damp paper towel and wipe down the area, including my scale.
Anita
G
Guest
Deda said:
Sorry, but you are the one who is wrong. You use KOH ("base bath") to soak glassware to remove organic solvent. We also use glass test tubes, mixing apparatus, etc. ALL THE TIME in pchem lab with PURE NaOH, not the diluted stuff you use in soapmaking. Think about it. Why is there GLASSWARE in a chemical lab if glass is unsafe for mixing chemicals. Pour some NaOH(l) in a plastic bottle and see what happens.
G
Guest
carebear said:
Again I have used glass on a ROTOVAP which is HEATED and under pressure with no problem with a basic solution. I don't understand why you all are freaking out over glass. Really, have you ever given any thought at all to how NaOH and KOH are handled in a chemical lab? Well, I can tell you it is in glass!!! Of course glass can crack, but you should check for star cracks, and it will not be a problem.
Most soapmakers are NOT chemist nor do they work in a chemistry lab. I would also feel comfortable saying that most soapmakers that use glass are NOT using heat resistant/ suitable for chemicals glass. They're using canning jars, pyrex...etc.
G
Guest
agriffin said:
Well I ordered glassware. I thought that is what everyone did. Lye is a chemical, so it made sense for me to order some glassware to handle it.
But saying that you can't put lye in glass is incorrect. You most certainly can, and I do, and have never had a problem with it. I have been handling bases in glass for over 15 years and have never once received any sort of chemical burn.
TikiBarSoap said:[Well I ordered glassware. I thought that is what everyone did. Lye is a chemical, so it made sense for me to order some glassware to handle it.
It all depends on the kind of glass you are using. In the same way as all plastics are not alike, all glass is not alike either. Of the kinds of glass that are available to the average home soaper, I would say Pyrex is probably the best of the lot, but I have the testimonies of many soapers who used Pyrex to mix their lye in and lived to regret it. Why? Because it exploded on them, which resulted in shards of glass and raw lye solution everywhere. You may not have ever had a problem with your lab glass and that is fine as far as it goes, but the majority of handmade soapers do not have access to specialized lab glass, and it has been shown time and again through the testimonies of many experienced, long time soapers that the best that most have access to- Pyrex- is not reliable. It may not explode the first time you use it, or the second, or 20th time, but maybe the 21st time it will. Do you want to take that chance? I don't, and it would be very irresponsible of me and all the others here who know what we know about the soapers who have had it explode on them, to ever recommend it to any soaper, especially someone new to the craft who may not know what to do in case of a lye spill.
I appologize if my post comes across as harsh, but the protection of all those who come here who are new to the craft is of utmost importance to me and I will not compromise on that, knowing what I know of those who have had the misfortune of having their glass lye container explode on them.
IrishLass
today's pyrex is NOT what labware is made of.
but Tiki - I encourage you to go about your business thinking you know it all. i think the weather in that world is probably sunshine and rainbows all the time. but in this world, soapers are strongly discouraged from sacrificing their lives and their skin by soaping in glass. not.worth.the.risk.
i know you are a chemist - well, you say you are but have yet to address my questions which you once offered to. so...
as for sounding harsh - *I* make no apologies.
but Tiki - I encourage you to go about your business thinking you know it all. i think the weather in that world is probably sunshine and rainbows all the time. but in this world, soapers are strongly discouraged from sacrificing their lives and their skin by soaping in glass. not.worth.the.risk.
i know you are a chemist - well, you say you are but have yet to address my questions which you once offered to. so...
as for sounding harsh - *I* make no apologies.
carebear said:
Very true. And today' Pyrex is not even what Grandma's Pyrex was made of.
Tiki- I highly recommend Dr. Kevin Dunn's book 'Scientific Soapmaking. Dr. Dunn is the Elliott Professor of Chemistry at Hampden-Sydney College (and my soaping hero). On page 9 of Dr. Kevin Dunn's book 'Scientific Soapmaking', he acknowledges that Pyrex is often recommended for mixing lye, but he personally recommends plastic (PP #5) over glass for mixing and storing lye solution as the better and safer option.
IrishLass
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