How to get NaOH from household chemicals ?

I seriously have a 5kg tub of KOH and can buy the bases in 25kg bags if you want one, but you're paying the postage.

The weight intervals are 500g, 1kg (I think) packs, 5kg tubs and 25kg bags.

5kg is about £8, a 25kg bag is about £20

Comes as white pellets or flakes.

Considering it's basically.... drain cleaner, I don't have any problems bouncing orders of that around; it's not fuming nitric acid or borohydride. Unless you're really interested in making it, it's more worthwhile to buy a bag.

I actually need to buy some more myself, as the 5kg tub is bottoming out from the two or so years of glass cleaning it's done. PM me if you want me to pick some up for you at the same time MR. I'll probably be getting KOH, for it's ultimate cleaning power.

[Edited on 16-10-2010 by peach]

Finally I got NaOH from the hardware shop

I got 2 flasks of NaOH pellets (99%, no drain cleaner) for $6 from the local hardware shop. Drain cleaner contains Al snippets which makes it unsuitable for electrolysis and it is more dangerous in the use it is intended for as H2 gas is released when adding water to it.

So I am going to try electrolyzing this lye for my hunt to Na metal.

"What do we do with all this?" "Fuck it.... put it in the draino... they won't notice"

I'm a strong voter on the fizz effect. It is really quite stunning how people will buy inferior, more expensive things for the look of the product. E.g. pre-watered down NaOH draino is MORE because it's in a yellow pack and looks more industrial.

Watering it down is probably a good thing, as most people seem entirely retarded when it comes to using it in a domestic setting, it's on the boarder of being (well, is), too strong for average householders - since it'll burn and blister and go out of control.

The hydrogen thing is odd though. They're going to make it a lot more dangerous. E.g. some of the customers will without doubt be smoking as they watch it work. The pipe will have atmosphere in it, mixing with hydrogen, and they may decide to flick cigarettes in there since it's being cleaned anyway.

Squeaky pop x 10

[Edited on 16-10-2010 by peach]

Sorry, when I say Draino, I just mean the hardware / diy type packs for drains. Being from the UK, I don't really see the actual Draino brand. A habit I should probably ditch soon, lest I confuse many US'ers. I try to pick up some of the US knowns so guys over there will be able to relate to things I say easier, but that may be a bad example.

I've never seen KOH or NaOH with aluminium in it though, or anything other than the base it's self, it's always pure white pellets or flakes. My big tub of KOH is for cleaning, but it's pristine white and I can see droplets of water collecting on it if I leave the lid off for half an hour.

The UK, like the US, is on a big anti-bomb adventure, getting everything off the shelves that can come anywhere near useful for bombs, propellants and so on. The idea of adding something that'll produce something similar to a bomb is against the grain.

Len has already McOwned the NaOH / sodium discussion MR. He's by far ahead of anyone else I've seen trying to do it themselves.

I have some mighty big linear power supplies and will be giving his idea a repeat. I may see if I can get it going with computer power supplies as well. My lab supplier doesn't do the alkaline earths, but I need some for solvent drying, as ripping open batteries isn't exactly economical.

MR, the base I'm talking about it is as pure as the CP grade from a lab supplier. But, if ya don't want it, fine then.

Where's that damn pretzel recipe? Are you going to make me google for one and end up with a terrible pretzel?

{Useless or insightful comments on the US versus UK}
LOWes is identical to B&Q (the store everyone in the UK knows), they even have the same colour scheme and shop layout style. The prices in B&Q are astronomical though, not LOW. E.g. I wanted a belt sander today. £300 in B&Q, £130 elsewhere; same model. 10m of cable, £10. 50m of the same cable elsewhere, £15. The UK doesn't have mixer taps as standard on sinks, but why does the US have those nasty carts with only two steerable wheels? Ahhhh.... differences...

[Edited on 16-10-2010 by peach]

Quote: Originally posted by metalresearcher

Drain cleaner contains Al snippets which makes it unsuitable for electrolysis and it is more dangerous in the use it is intended for as H2 gas is released when adding water to it.