Lye bath question

DWHodges

New member
Hey guys. I live in a small upstairs apartment. Is a lye bath a bad idea? I have no children or pets. Will it stink up the place?
 
Not if it's covered. Which it really should be even without kids or pets. It does have a bit of an odor when you're standing over it, but not anything that would knock you back away from it. Wouldn't want it to leak, though.
 
A lye bath would probably be OK. I would just use EasyOff in a large garbage bag and tie it shut for a couple of days. Then in the garbage it goes.

Hilditch
 
I have a 35 gal blue barrel with a tight lid. I never smell anything other that when I open it to add or remove a piece.

A Rubbermaid 10 gal. roughneck tote will have some smell, as they do not seal tight.

Here is my summer 55 gal blue barrel. They make 15 gal up to 55 gal with tight sealing lids.

e-tank_0371.jpg


You will not like the smell of a dirty lye tank in your home. As for myself I do not trust a thin roughneck tote. But I have been known to have over 20+ pieces in my lye tank at one time.
 
What Jeff R said. I use the plastic you mentioned outside. I mark it and strap.
To do it inside would cause problems with my wife as it does give some smell when you rotate cast iron.
 
A lye bath would probably be OK. I would just use EasyOff in a large garbage bag and tie it shut for a couple of days. Then in the garbage it goes.

Hilditch
Going by Murphy's Law, 'if something can go wrong it will,' I'd be leery of the indoor lye tank. Particularly on the second floor.

I second the motion for the easy off in the garbage bag. I recently did my first one and it was grungy ! Took 3 treatments one day apart each, and finally came clean as the proverbial whistle.

I live in a condo and have a little utility room adjacent to a screened in porch. Set the bag in a rubber dish tub in the utility room. If you go that way make sure you get the easy off that has the lye. They make it with, and without.
 
I think you guys have talked me into sticking with the easy off and garbage bag. Much safer and I don't anticipate doing more than one piece at a time any time soon.

Thanks again!
 
Jeffrey, where do you get those barrels? I've seen those before and used them once or twice, but I never sourced them myself. Are they readily available at stores? Or would I need to look for an online source?
 
They are food grade barrels that once held chocolate and other food ingredients. We now use them for collecting sap for maple syrup, and my lye and eTank.

We also have the metal caged tote tanks, also food grade.

All my blue barrels have a metal locking clamp ring. They do not leak.

Try Craigslist in your state. We have a local person that sells them.

Search, Food Barrels.
 
They are food grade barrels that once held chocolate and other food ingredients. We now use them for collecting sap for maple syrup, and my lye and eTank.

We also have the metal caged tote tanks, also food grade.

All my blue barrels have a metal locking clamp ring. They do not leak.

Try Craigslist in your state. We have a local person that sells them.

Search, Food Barrels.

Cool...I was looking online and saw some new ones available, and saw the locking clamp ring on the lids. So, at least I know what to look for when I start searching. I'm thinking of setting up a lye tank soon, and these blue barrels seem to make a lot of sense to avoid potential leaks. I will search craigslist and see if I find any locally. Thanks for the info!
 
Cool...I was looking online and saw some new ones available, and saw the locking clamp ring on the lids. So, at least I know what to look for when I start searching. I'm thinking of setting up a lye tank soon, and these blue barrels seem to make a lot of sense to avoid potential leaks. I will search craigslist and see if I find any locally. Thanks for the info!

The blue ones are 55 gal. There are also pickle barrels which are brown and about 30 gal. A well made rain barrel with have a silcock in the bottom for draining the lye mix when it's time. I use a 20'gal. R. Made tote. Outside in the shed.
 
The blue ones are 55 gal. There are also pickle barrels which are brown and about 30 gal. A well made rain barrel with have a silcock in the bottom for draining the lye mix when it's time. I use a 20'gal. R. Made tote. Outside in the shed.

I was looking at new barrel specs online, and 30 gallon seems like it'll be about the right size...I think. Not too big, but big enough. This will be set up in my basement (I have ventilation), so I want to be as sure as I can be about no leaks.
 
Fwiw, Dollar General's Oven cleaner has lye and works well. Price is....you guessed it, $1.00 They also have Scotch Brite stainless steel scrubs in a 2 pack.
 
The blue ones are 55 gal. There are also pickle barrels which are brown and about 30 gal. A well made rain barrel with have a silcock in the bottom for draining the lye mix when it's time. I use a 20'gal. R. Made tote. Outside in the shed.

I have 15, 35 and 55 gallon in the blue barrels. I paid $15.00 for the 55 gallon, but I purchased 6 at one time.

---------- Post added at 07:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:57 PM ----------

I was looking at new barrel specs online, and 30 gallon seems like it'll be about the right size...I think. Not too big, but big enough. This will be set up in my basement (I have ventilation), so I want to be as sure as I can be about no leaks.

I have my lye tank in my basement, with no ventilation set up with it. Have never been an issue with the wife. :icon_thumbsup:
 
I have my lye tank in my basement, with no ventilation set up with it. Have never been an issue with the wife. :icon_thumbsup:

Honestly, I'm not concerned about it...I just put that disclaimer in so I didn't kick off some big debate about how I was doing it wrong :-D The ventilation is for my e-tank set up, and lye will end up somewhere against the same wall.
 
Honestly, I'm not concerned about it...I just put that disclaimer in so I didn't kick off some big debate about how I was doing it wrong :-D The ventilation is for my e-tank set up, and lye will end up somewhere against the same wall.


:icon_thumbsup:
 
Back
Top