In article , Silvan wrote:
I have a badly rusted vise. I think I posted about it a couple years ago
when I got it. I'm finally getting geared up to give electrolysis a try,
because everything else (heat, liquid wrench, time, vinegar, Coke, 10'
cheater bar, sand blaster) has failed to get the screw turning. I'd have
done it already, but even my 80-something grandmother has never heard of
washing soda, and I have no idea where to get some. The web makes it sound
common, but it ain't common around here, unless I'm blind.

Most grocery stores here (Indianapolis) have it, on the same aisle as laundry
detergent. If you can find the Borax, the washing soda will be nearby.
Hardware stores (the real ones, like Ace, not HD or Lowe's) are likely to have
it too. If you can't get it where you live, drop me an email (see sig line)
and I can send you some. Fair warning: it'll cost 2-3x as much for shipping as
for the soda. It comes in 55-ounce boxes that cost about two-fifty US.

I'm *amazed* that your grandmother has never heard of washing soda. Perhaps
she knows it by a different name (sal soda, carbonate of soda, maybe even soda
ash). Ask her what she used for washing clothes when she was young, or what
her mother used.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek-at-milmac-dot-com)