lye
- Thread starter jkevin
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I'd feel a lot happier myself if I had it in plastic containers, but then I am more strict with keeping my lye out of glass than I am about having the wrong wine/food combination..................
Much cheaper than I can get it, that's for sure!
dixiedragon
Well-Known Member
I use 1-gallon mayonaise jars I got from a restaurant. I pour the lye in, the seal the jar with duct tape.
HerbalEarthling
Well-Known Member
You could also split it up in a few 2 gallon buckets that you can get at any home improvement store. I would def do this outside on a day where there is practically no wind. It seems almost impossible to avoid dust. It almost def would contaminate an area with lye dust. Question, why not just put the bag inside a bigger container and just keep it in one spot? Like buy a tall plastic trash can (on second thought, that's not air tight so it would be hard to avoid getting moisture in it) or a big Rubbermaid bin. Just my thoughts...
I just kept mine stored in the bag and filled old lye containers 10 at a time and then refilled when needed. Make sure you suit up well when doing it though. Otherwise put it in a 5 gallon buckets with a good seal. I asked the company where I got mine from and they told me not to store it in glass.
No metal, no glass, and be careful with the type of plastic. NaOH will etch glass making it more prone to break, it will corrode metal, and it can make some plastics brittle. High density polyethylene (HDPE) is best. You need the container to seal well enough to keep out water vapor (humidity).
BabyPickles106
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Pet food containers also have a rubber seal. If you want to store the bag.
detroitgirl77
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I recently bought a 55lb bag of lye and split it into 2 5 gallon buckets that once held pickles and have the tops with the rubber o- ring seal. I then put some in some washed out plastic peanut butter jars for ease of use. Works out great!
Moody Glenn
Well-Known Member
Well stated DeeAnna! Lye is extremely reactive. Great care must be practiced if placed into any plastic container - some become weakened by the lye since plastic varies in thickness and quality. Never use glass. My other concern (which DeeAnna points out) is the relative humidity. Each time you open the container you allow more water vapor to enter casing the lye to clump. This spells trouble when it becomes large, rock hard clumps and difficult to empty, weigh and dissolve. Try to store in wide diameter opening HDPE containers that contain, on average, what you will use per batch of soap so you can easily empty most (better yet, all) of the container.
