Hi

I am doing a pull in a new country and am using lye that i have never used before. It says on the bottle that it is "caustic soda" but the Sodium Hydroxide content is only 30.5%.

I'm sure it will be ok but just wanted to check with you guys first?

Thanks in advance

It's likely not okay. That other 69.5% is probably something that's going to wreak hell with an extraction.
Google the exact name of the product followed by "MSDS" to find out exactly what's in it before proceeding.

Here is a link to the stuff i got. The name seems to translate directly to Caustic Soda AKA Lye when i google it, so really don't know why it would be any different. Just this 30% is freaking me out.

http://www.cabdan.com/Pr...PROD46&VariantID=VO8

I don't sprechen zee deutsche but here's the msds

http://www.bi-ro.dk/datastore/datablade/%C3%86tsnatron%20(Kaustisk%20soda),%20msds.pdf

yeah i went to that page earlier and i have translated the contents section. It says...

Contains: Sodium hydroxide
R-phrases: 35 - severe burns.
S-phrases: 2 - Keep out of reach of children
26 - Irritating to eyes, rinse immediately with plenty of water and seek medical advice.



Since it does not list any other contents i guess the 30.5% must be referring to something else...as i guess they would normally have to list everything that is inside it right?

I'd be absolutely sure... I wouldn't want to mess up the extraction and most of all I would want to damage myself by ingesting unknwn toxins. Be safe

70% if it is different and probably some kind of surfactant, emulsifier, or pH buffer, any of which will screw up your extraction.
It's a drain cleaner that contains lye, not lye.

Oh, ok thanks guys

Guess i will have to go shopping tomorrow.

Maybe you can email the manufacturer and ask whats the other 70%?

If its just water, it would work fine... If its some surfactant, buffer, or whatever toxic additive or chemical that changes the extraction characteristics, as noman said, it would be bad to use.

So be sure whats inside before using.

I hope this doesn't cross the "suppliers rule" but try the home soapmaking industry if you're having difficulty finding lye elsewhere. I bought a shitpot of food-grade (I laughed at that) lye from a soapmaking site and it was like $24USD for 4 2-lb bottles.

Nope. Only the hazardous stuff.

ok i got pure lye at the supermarket just now...yay

oh, well if my drain blocks up one day i will have something handy to chuck down it.

thanks again for the help guys