# Lye



## jmdlcar (May 18, 2012)

I have did a search lye remove green paint could not find anything. My question is what brand or item has lye in them?


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## Palladium (May 18, 2012)

jmdlcar said:


> I have did a search lye remove green paint could not find anything. My question is what brand or item has lye in them?




The correct term is solder mask and the chemical is 100% sodium hydroxide.

http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=2354&p=20543&hilit=sodium+hydroxide+crystals#p20543


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## jmdlcar (May 18, 2012)

Palladium said:


> jmdlcar said:
> 
> 
> > I have did a search lye remove green paint could not find anything. My question is what brand or item has lye in them?
> ...



How can I get a list of correct terms and what they mean so I can be up on that part so I don't sound dumb. Thanks Jack


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## Palladium (May 18, 2012)

Don't know Jack. Seems like someone recommened something like that awhile back.


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## jmdlcar (May 18, 2012)

I found Drano at Wal-Mart if it will work how much do I need to use for memory sticks and PCI cards? How long will it take to do it?


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## ΩPhoenix (May 19, 2012)

jmdlcar said:


> I have did a search lye remove green paint could not find anything. My question is what brand or item has lye in them?




Google Lye


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## ΩPhoenix (May 19, 2012)

Palladium said:


> jmdlcar said:
> 
> 
> > I have did a search lye remove green paint could not find anything. My question is what brand or item has lye in them?
> ...




My Bad


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## philddreamer (May 19, 2012)

Jack, I don't know about using Drano... Try Ace hardware & ask for "ROOTO",
its 100% Lye drain opener.

Take care! 
Phil
http://goldrefiningforum.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=7501&p=68413&hilit=rooto#p68413


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## rewalston (May 19, 2012)

From my understanding Drano isn't good because not only does it contain Sodium Hydroxide but it also contains aluminum granules to help in the reaction within the drains....causes lots of bubbles thereby causing an almost scrubbing action to break up clogs. Aluminum I don't think would help in getting rid of the solder mask and could cause other problems but I'm not sure.

Rusty


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## Geo (May 19, 2012)

ive used crystal Drano before. its blue, comes in a metal can with a little plastic snap on lid. like Rusty said, it contains aluminum, so you have to add it to water slowly or it will foam over.it worked as good as any other product ive tried. dont use an aluminum pan to do it in. use a glass pyrex pan or steel. if you use steel, the solution will turn black quickly. dont be too concerned with that because it will still work. heat it until it gets to a slow boil and turn the heat down just enough that it stops boiling before you use it.


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## butcher (May 19, 2012)

Caustic soda, lye, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, can be obtained from leached wood ash, is used (or was) for making soap from hog fat, used in drain cleaners, also used to convert kitchen grease to bio-diesel, in history back when they traveled long distances over the ocean in ships, and someone died at sea, and they did not want to dump their body overboard, but wanted to bury them on land, they would put the body in a barrel of lye, the flesh would turn to soap they could then dump the soap overboard, the bones could be brought home for burial, this also kept from causing disease on the ship from rotting corpse, when you get sodium hydroxide on your hands they get slippery it is making soap out of your skin and the oils in your skin.

Check drain cleaners, soap makers supply’s, bio-diesel supply’s, chemical warehouses, water treatment supply, even Ebay, caustic soda is a very common chemical, and can even be easily made from your wood ashes and rainwater.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lye


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## jmdlcar (May 19, 2012)

I think I'll buy on eBay but is this one ok?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-Lb-Pound-Sodium-Hydroxide-Caustic-Soda-Lye-NaOH-/110882258987?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19d119002b#ht_500wt_732


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## goldsilverpro (May 19, 2012)

Be careful. When you dissolve lye (sodium hydroxide; caustic soda), it gets quite hot - so hot it can splatter out. Always protect the eyes and wear gloves. A spec in the eye could cause blindness. It will burn skin as badly as sulfuric acid.


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## jmdlcar (May 19, 2012)

If it wasn't for all the green I wouldn't' worry about it or dose it really matter when you add HCL/Bleach it can be filter out.


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## NobleMetalWorks (May 19, 2012)

I use Sodium Hydroxide myself

Here is a video on how to make Sodium Hydroxide, you have to be very careful and remember to do this in a well ventilated area, or in a fume home preferably because it does produce some Chlorine Gas.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nue1ZGSleEo[/youtube]

When you are mixing Sodium Hydroxide you should treat it as you would acids, never add water to Sodium Hydroxide, but rather small amounts of Sodium Hydroxide to water until you reach the desired concentration.

Heat is a by product of the reaction of Sodium Hydroxide with water, so it should be done in a container that can withstand the heat. Tempered glass, crockery that doesn't have a glaze that will dissolve, a plastic container that can withstand heat and isn't attacked by the Lye.

The reaction will give off some gases that can burn the inside of your lungs, you don't want to breath this in, so again, do this in a well vented area (outside) or under a fume hood.

Sodium Hydroxide will burn the skin similar to acids, in it's dry and wet forms. Treat this like Sulfuric Acid! However, it's a base and not an acid, if you need to neutralize it, if you spill or get it on your skin, you should do so with an acid such as vinegar or even citrus juice. I keep a plastic gallon jug of vinegar close at hand when dealing with Lye or Sodium Hydroxide. If for some strange reason you ingest it, you can drink milk, or if you get it in your eye, milk would be a better choice than vinegar.

Keep in mind that after you are finished, you are probably going to want to store the lye for later use, it would be better if you processed your material in the same container you plan to store it in. Also it's best if the container can stay stationary instead of being moved around to prevent accidents. Make sure you have a safety vent, but you should store the dry and wet versions in a dry place. Sodium Hydroxide and/or lye love water just like Sulfuric Acid does, and will react with any moisture that is in the air.

I have been using lye to remove all kinds of material besides soldering masks, it works wonderful so long as you respect it in the same way you might Sulfuric Acid.

If I missed any of the safety issues, please add

Scott


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## jmdlcar (May 19, 2012)

Where can I the graphite rods and he didn't say what voltage to use. It don't look hard to do. Thanks Jack


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## rewalston (May 19, 2012)

Hey Scott, you said that you used it to remove other stuff besides solder mask. Can you expand on that please?

Rusty

PS. If you get Lye on your skin it will feel slippery, this is because it is turning the fats in your skin into soap.


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## NobleMetalWorks (May 19, 2012)

Sure,

You have to follow the recipe, you can use lye as a paste to brush onto surfaces you need to remove paint from. 

1 gallon of water 
2 cups corn starch
mix corn starch with water
heat until it just starts to evolve bubbles, keep it at that heat for about 5 min
let it cool for about another 5 min then add 8 ounces of Sodium Hydroxide
Stir until it becomes a gelatinous mass
Use a brush to brush it on anything you want to remove paint from
You should make a new batch up each time you use it
This method also works really well for large items that will not fit into your vat of lye. You can brush it into places that might otherwise be missed.

I also use Lye to clean iron before I use it in the clean up process, and to clean up the iron skillet I use to heat with.

I use it to clean my grill with, works great at taking off all the built up BBQ material

I am Sicilian, I grow my own olives and cure them with Lye

I use lye to clean up as much material as I can before it goes into AP. Lye will remove organic material that might have built up on PC boards left outside, I have had some that were growing "stuff" on them. Lye does an excellent job of dissolving organic material.

Scott


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## NobleMetalWorks (May 19, 2012)

I want to add that I have been using lye long before I started recovering/refining precious metals. So I'm pretty comfortable using it in the recovery process. Also why I felt comfortable posting on this thread. But I am by far no expert, and I am sure there are other people on the forum that have used lye to their benefit, in ways I haven't. I would like to hear from them also.


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## Geo (May 19, 2012)

thank you Scott for the information. im sure it will be helpful. i know a few times i could have used the paint remover recipe, also ill have to try that on my grill.


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## NobleMetalWorks (May 19, 2012)

Works awesome on the grill, you can also clean your oven with it, inside that is.


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## Geo (May 19, 2012)

im thinking back to see if i can count how many times i bought stripper in a can. more than i can count, if this stuff works, ill owe you one.


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## NobleMetalWorks (May 19, 2012)

Just so long as you are not trying to strip paint off wood, lye will eat the wood pretty readily.

You probably already know that, but I figure it would be good to post for anyone else who might not.


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## jmdlcar (May 19, 2012)

Since it that powerful it won't eat the gold off too?


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## NobleMetalWorks (May 19, 2012)

jmdlcar said:


> Since it that powerful it won't eat the gold off too?



It doesn't dissolve gold, PGMs, silver, nickel, etc. But it does dissolve Al


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## jmdlcar (May 24, 2012)

I just order some Sodium Hydroxide to try. I have some scrap that has gold under the solder mask. If it works on what I have I'll use it on all the parts that needs it and more.


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## Harold_V (May 25, 2012)

jmdlcar said:


> I just order some Sodium Hydroxide to try. I have some scrap that has gold under the solder mask. If it works on what I have I'll use it on all the parts that needs it and more.


Be VERY careful when handling sodium hydroxide. The slightest splash in the eye will pretty much guarantee you'll lose sight in that eye. Wear a full face shield if you can.

Harold


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## Traveller11 (Jun 1, 2012)

WARNING!!

I have been doing some research on the electrolysis of sodium chloride solution and the method shown in the video will NOT produce sodium hydroxide at the cathode, at least not for more than a fraction of a second before it and the chlorine produced at the anode combine to make sodium hypochlorite.

However, this process will, if enough current is applied and the solution temperature goes over 50° Celsius, produce sodium chlorate (NaClO-3), instead of sodium hypochlorite, and this compound can be very risky to have around as it is a powerful oxidiser.

In order to make sodium hydroxide, the cathode and anode must be separated by a membrane. I do not know where the author got the idea that placing a piece of zinc at the bottom of the jar will take the place of a membrane.

Another Youtube "expert". There should be a season on them.


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## NoIdea (Jun 2, 2012)

One of the old methods to make sodium hydroxide was to have a mercury cathode in a concentrated salt brine bath, mercury will amalgum with sodium when a current is applied, this is then pumped into water, water reacts with the sodium to produce sodium hydroxide and hydrogen, the mercury is recycled back into the electrolysis brine bath and the cycle repeated, at the anode, chlorine gas is evolved.

Not something you want to do at home.

Deano


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