In article , The Natural
Philosopher writes
dave @ stejonda wrote:

In message , Malcolm Stewart
writes

Bear in mind that even weak caustic soda is very dangerous to skin
and eyes (full face visor recommended) and will make soap out of you
in short order
Just in case anyone reading doesn't believe this comment - I once
didn't bother with gloves when using diluted caustic soda to clear a
drain - and wondered for a while where the soap on my hands had come
from - very odd sensation, and not what I'd expect to feel when my
skin was being corroded.

Inded, since the epidermis is largely dead and has no nerve cells, you
just end up wih a fresh shiny and very clean layer of slighly less dead
skin.
No big deal really.

This guy's an idiot, but each to their own I suppose.

Caustic burns do a lot of tissue damage (er, destroy it, really). As a
minimum, wear eye protection and gloves and cover your arms. Also note
this cautionary tale:

I decided to use caustic soda on the lavatory bowl the other day. I've
done this before, but I was in a rush. Instead of pre-mixing it in a
bucket and pouring it in, I just sprinkled "a few" crystals into the
bowl. The phone went and I went to answer it, without stirring the
mixture.

It wasn't a few. The heat of solution (energy released when the crystals
dissolved) caused the mixture to become very hot, at the bottom of the
pan, where the crystals were. The resulting heat cracked the bowl (I
don't know that it boiled - probably did - as I wasn't there). I knew
this happened - once nearly melted the bottom of a plastic bucket in a
similar way - but I didn't think it could hurt ceramics. Silly me.

Moral: when you make up the solution, keep stirring (piece of old lath
or wooden stick is good), and preferably make it up in a metal container
(a galv. bucket is ideal). If you don't break them up, the crystals once
poured-in can form a very hot solid-ish lump at the bottom as they
dissolve, which is what does the damage.

ALWAYS add crystals to water, not the other way around, and plan what
you will do in the event of spillage, especially on you.

Up-side: It's a really brilliant, inexpensive, de-greaser and drain
cleaner, and superb on oven trays and shelves.

Regards,

Simonm.

--
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