[TheForge] Re: Finding Nitric

[Barking Crow]

What do you do, when handling large quantities of lye, to avoid
problems with dust -- in eyes, inhaling, sticking to clothes or
whatever?


Well, very little.  It comes in granular form in a thick plastic bag and I 
dump it into a largescrew lid plastic drum while holding my breath.  The 
dust doesn't really show up.  When weighing it out I wear safety glasses and 
rinse my hands before long.  I keep a big plastic scoop in the bin and 
always get a bit on my hands but can usually weigh the few batches I'm doing 
without having to stop and rinse my hands.   Then we take it outside in a 5 
gallon bucket  and add a gallon of water to it and the temperature goes 
quickly to 180 degrees.  So it is not only caustic but very hot. 
Interestingly you have to stir it at first to make sure some of it won't 
form a smooth layer on the bottom and not dissolve Later when it has cooled 
to almost room temp we add it to the vegetable oil mix and stir until it 
starts to thicken and pour it into the long molds.  For this operation we 
wear gloves as the saponification isn't complete and its quite caustic. 
Usually it isn't a problem, but if you're not wearing gloves it will find 
any small hole in your skin and sting like the devil.  It is also difficult 
to get out so the stinging will last for a good while.  Some people keep 
vinegar around to neutralize any you get on your skin or clothes, but 
typically we don't and just go flood the area with water when we have time. 
Occasionally a drop or blob will get on your skin and before long you'll be 
aware of the need to go get it off right now, not a big deal though.  I'm 
the safety officer and the one who pushes safety glasses but I'm also the 
spouse and so my wife rarely will wear em.  Years ago a drop lept up into my 
brother's eye and it was nasty for a couple of days, mattering and red. 
Safety officer couldn't get him to seek any medical care either.  It was 
fine after a few days.  I don't mean to minimize the safety concerns, but 
common sense will get you thru most of the situations we encounter.  A 
bucket of fresh water goes along way towards solving any problem. Not good 
to have kids in the area, though, as disaster is possible.   Many old timer 
farmers in this area put a can of red devil lye (when they could get it) in 
a hole every 20' or so around the perimeter of a pecan tree every year for 
fertlize.  Seems insane, but is a common practice.

Also, with the HCL I keep a 5 gallon bucket with a screw on likd and another 
likd laid over that in the yard for rust removal and add some fresh acid 
when it seems to be weak or I need more volume to cover some piece.  Its 
been there for years and is a dirty brown color.  Interestingly, when I drop 
something in to be derusted and come back a few hours later the outline of 
the object is directly above it, beautiful in yellow on the brown liquid. 
HCL or muriatic acid costs about the same as milk at home depot.  Its sold 
manily I think for cleaning brick and you know the construction guys ain't 
reading the MSDS sheets or following any directions.   When a piece comes 
out of the bucket it either goes back in until the rust is gone or gets 
rinsed in hot water and then quickly gets coated with phosphoric acid before 
going its way, to prevent the quick rusting of the bare metal.  Most 
directions say to neutralize the piece with sodium bicarb or someother base, 
but the acid is infinitely soluble in water so a good rinse seems to do it, 
especially since its going to get coated with the phosphoric acid right 
away.

Jeff