Big Trouble Dissolving Caustic Soda Beads

[sgearhart450]

Ok, my name is Sam and I’m new here but have been into soap for awhile like you guys but now I’d like to make some. Well I obtained about 8oz of caustic soda beads from a 200lb barrel at work that was labeled sodium hydroxide caustic soda beads.
Yet once home and trying to dissolve them in regular tap water, I mean there is absolutely no dissolving going on whatsoever no matter how much I mix or mortar and pratap the beads down with the blunt end of a knife while stirring. I’m about to say the hell with this because I know for an absolute fact that what I have is pure sodium hydroxide. We use it to make all kinds of products at work. What gives here?????

 

[Obsidian]

How much water are you using? You need at least equal amounts water to lye by weight to properly dissolve it.

 

[KimW]

OK, so I'll just do a quick pre-comment because I'm not really clear on what you've been doing - The image of you trying to crush the beads with a mortar and pestle, or the blunt end of a knife, made me cringe. I just see little bits of lye, perhaps so small that you don't notice them, flying around. Seems very unsafe to me.

On to your question. A few things come to mind: Lye Quality, Soda Ash, Water Quality, Water Amount, Patience.
Lye Quality: I understand you use it successfully at work, but are you absolutely certain of its quality/purity? How old is it? Is it kept well sealed and are only clean utensils used to take from the large container (that is, is this a clean lab situation where you can be certain the lye is not getting contaminated by dirt or dust or other chemicals or someone's lunch crumbs)?
Soda Ash: Sometimes there can be a light floating layer of "scum" atop a lye solution. This is just soda ash and can either be stirred in or strained as you pour the lye solution into your oils.
Water Quality: Folks typically use distilled water for soaping. The minerals in tap water usually have an adverse effect on the final soap product, however, I've also seen tap water (because I sometimes don't do what I'm told...LOL) cause precipitate in my lye solution.
Water Amount: The rule of thumb is to have a minimum of the same amount of water as you have of lye by weight (a 1:1 ratio). While the amount of water needed to dissolve a specific amount of lye is actually different and is dependent on the temperature of the water, I've always seen the suggested minimum of a 1:1 ratio in soap making as reliable, safe and acceptable.
Patience: It can take a few minutes for lye to completely dissolve.

Oh and - Hello, Sam and welcome!

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

Hello Sam.

 

[Relle]

Ok, my name is Sam and I’m new here but have been into soap for awhile like you guys but now I’d like to make some. Well I obtained about 8oz of caustic soda beads from a 200lb barrel at work that was labeled sodium hydroxide caustic soda beads.
Yet once home and trying to dissolve them in regular tap water, I mean there is absolutely no dissolving going on whatsoever no matter how much I mix or mortar and pratap the beads down with the blunt end of a knife while stirring. I’m about to say the hell with this because I know for an absolute fact that what I have is pure sodium hydroxide. We use it to make all kinds of products at work. What gives here?????

As you are a new member Sam and this is your first post, please go to the Introduction forum and tell us a bit about yourself so the members get to know you.

 

[DeeAnna]

Rather than guess about it here, I recommend you go back to work and confirm whether the stuff in the container is truly 100% caustic soda aka sodium hydroxide aka NaOH.

It wouldn't be the first time that an empty container was filled with stuff that's different than what the label says. It's not a smart idea, mind you, but it happens.

Sodium hydroxide beads should sink, not float. You also shouldn't have to crush them to get them to dissolve.

And NaOH generates a lot of heat when dissolving in water. Even if you used less water than is needed to fully dissolve all of the NaOH, some of it will dissolve and will still generate a lot of heat.

You need to verify.

 

[sgearhart450]

I’m just going to buy pure lye at the hardware store and that should tell me all I need to know. I’ll keep the forum apprised. I want to try and make that Nabulsi olive oil soap.

 

[TheGecko]

I’m just going to buy pure lye at the hardware store and that should tell me all I need to know.

Know what? Whether the lye got from work was 'real' lye of not? When you got to the hardware store to buy your lye, READ THE LABEL...carefully. Most lye at hardware stores is 'drain cleaner' and is 'lye based'...meaning that it is NOT 100% Sodium Hydroxide. If you tell us what hardware store you are going to, we can help.

 

[earlene]

I have used lye from hardware-type stores quite often. There are several brands that are acceptable for making soap. When the label says sodium hydroxide crystals or beads, and it has no other ingredient on the label, I am confident that it is what it says it is. It may say 'pure' and it may not. It may say 99% pure, which is fine. That doesn't mean it has other additives; it means the purity of lye cannot be 100% once it is exposed to ambient air. Sodium Hydroxide pulls moisture from its surroundings when exposed to any moisture and there is moisture in the air.