Irons
Well-known member
Ever since Big Brother had retailers remove Red Devil Lye from the store shelves, getting Sodium Hydroxide has been a real pain. I don't use enough to make it worthwhile to buy it in bulk because the pellets absorb moisture, cake up and have a great affinity for Carbon Dioxide.
If I want Sodium Carbonate, I can buy it at the grocery store a heck of a lot cheaper.
Here's a handy recipe for making Sodium Hydroxide solution that will be better than what you can make from NaOH pellets:
Dissolve a cup of Sodium Carbonate in a half gallon of water.
Mix a cup of Calcium hydroxide in a pint of water to make a slurry.
Pour the slurry into the Sodium Carbonate solution while stirring.
Allow the resulting Calcium Carbonate to precipitate out.
Voila.
I use masons lime. It's a mixture of calcium and Magnesium hydroxide but it works well for me.
Dont use agricultural lime. It is Calcium and Magnesium Carbonate.
If I want Sodium Carbonate, I can buy it at the grocery store a heck of a lot cheaper.
Here's a handy recipe for making Sodium Hydroxide solution that will be better than what you can make from NaOH pellets:
Dissolve a cup of Sodium Carbonate in a half gallon of water.
Mix a cup of Calcium hydroxide in a pint of water to make a slurry.
Pour the slurry into the Sodium Carbonate solution while stirring.
Allow the resulting Calcium Carbonate to precipitate out.
Voila.
I use masons lime. It's a mixture of calcium and Magnesium hydroxide but it works well for me.
Dont use agricultural lime. It is Calcium and Magnesium Carbonate.
