[Jewelry making - Article 00141] - Re: [Orchid] [Source] Lye

[Peter Bond]

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>     I always believed that Lye was an archaic term for an alkali but
>     particularly POTASSIUM Hydroxide (Caustic Potash) - made from wood
>     ash, but a number of people here have been referring to Lye as
>     SODIUM Hydroxide or Caustic Soda - another chemical
>     entirely............Which is correct? 

    Ian - I've always known lye as NaOH, and KOH as wood lye, although
    I've heard a lot of people refer to KOH as just "lye". The lye I've
    seen in the Chinese grocers in Bristol & Southampton has been NaOH.
    Depends what you're doing as to whether you can substitute or not.
    (My chemistry background is no further than A level, with an
    unhealthy interest in 1940s chemistry textbooks & a father with a
    doctorate in biochemistry, so I'm not going to pretend that my word
    is gospel!) 

    Oh, and I bought my last lot of NaOH from Rose Chemicals, who were
    quite happy to help a hobbyist. http://www.rose-chemicals.co.uk

>     Over here in the UK we have pretty much abandoned the slang names
>     for chemicals and not before time. With sometimes up to half a
>     dozen variations in name for one chemical (like Antimony Black and
>     Antimony Glance for Antimony Trisulphide [or Trisulfide..]) and
>     similar names for different chemicals (such as Copperas for
>     Ferrous Sulphate and Blue Copperas for Copper Sulphate) these can
>     be confusing. 

    ...But some of the older crafts & industries still like to stick
    with the traditional names. 

ATB
Peter
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