[TheForge] Re: Finding Nitric

[Mike Spencer]

me> What do you do, when handling large quantities of lye....

Jeff> Well, very little.
Jeff> [long, informative  reply omitted]

Thanks for the details, Jeff.

> 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.

I think lye in the eye has the potential to opaque the cornea
and wreck it completely.  There may be eventual surgical fixes for
that, similar to cataract surgery, but I sure would go -- do go -- to
some length to avoid the risk.  I think your brother was very lucky.

> 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.

If it were potassium hydroxide, it might up the potash, but not NaOH.
Certainly would tend to increase the pH of the soil as the NaOH
gradually diffused.

Um, and if they're buried with the devils facing out, might be a juju
protection against bad spirits?  :-)

- Mike

-- 
Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada       .~. 
                                                           /V\ 
mspencer at tallships.ca                                     /( )\
http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/                        ^^-^^