On Mon, 19 Dec 2005 15:26:43 +0000, Chris Bacon wrote:

The Natural Philosopher wrote:
Chris Bacon wrote:
The Natural Philosopher wrote:

I simply fill the plughole up with neat dry caustic soda, and dribble a
kettle of hot water on it.

weary sigh

Take advice on this, from the Internet at large if need be.

Hint: you might have complete success, or block up your
plughole, or cause yourself permenant physical disability
by blindly (cf) following this advice.

another weary sigh

Well I have used it vonsisten;ty over 30 years or so and have not blinded
myself, or blocked up a plughiole, yet, ever.

But it's knackered your brain/finger co-ordination, by the look.

If lavenders19 should try to use this method, which has nothing to
commend it over using a made-up solution of "caustic soda", then
if I were him I'd take precautions, such as using eye protection,
having a couple of full pails of cold water at hand to wash in
if necessary (the sink being a no-go area), as well as a good supply
of vinegar to finish washing in. Oh, I'd read the instructions on
the container, too.

No - cancel that. I'd ask you, with your 30 years or so of experience
to come and do the job, after getting you to sign a disclaimer.

Fine. I've had boiling casutic on my hands a few times. It stings, it
washes off - no need for soap :-)

It is of course deadly for eyes, so glasses are handy, or look the other
way.

My first experience of it was in the chem lab, where a dumb 16 year old
sucked a burrette full up into his mouth. Despiet warnings.

Talk about washing his mouth out with soap..:-)

The chem teacher made him rinse for 15 minutes, packed him off home via the
doctors, and he was in school the next day looking sheepish, but otherwise
undamaged.

Ive doine more damage to my clothes - etches through jeans quite nicely.
But again, one gets to use it carefully - first a trickle of hot water,
then as it goes exothermic, wait a little, the add a little more...the idea
is to get it all up to a nice boiling point and as concentrated as
possible. That etches through the fats quite well.

Once you have the flow rate up. generally running the hot tap flushes the
muck away.

I'd far rather have hot caustic on my skin than eg, trichorethylene..done
that twice, taking stuff out of baths of it with bare hands. felt totally
sick for half the day, and distinctly unfit to drive.