What Panthers007 said.
When I was mixing the flakes and water and getting the NaOH solution into the seat tube, I was wearing rubber boots, elbow-length rubber gloves and another pair of heavier rubber gloves over them, and a head-to-toe vinyl rain suit. I tested the solution on the rain suit before hand. I also wore safety goggles and a mask covering the nose and mouth. I also had a garden hose and a half gallon of vinegar right beside me. I did this outside at the edge of a woods that borders my back yard, about 30 yards from any houses. I was continuously rinsing: rinsing tools, stirrers, my gloves, etc. Have to always keep in mind that you can't wipe off a bead of sweat with your gloved hands.
Yes, you might say that was overkill, but I did it without injuring myself or anyone else, so I'm satisfied.
When I was growing up back in Kentucky, a few neighbor ladies made soap with lye regularly, Once, when I was 6 or so I was over at Mrs. M's house when she was cooking soap. I wasn't allowed in the kitchen but I could see the lye beads in a big plastic jar on the counter. I asked her if I could eat a piece of the white candy. She said something like "My, my no. That'll kill you
I'm having second thoughts about even posting about this experiment now.
One more edit: I removed ALL parts and components before I did this. The frame was bare.
Last edited by caintuck; 11-03-09 at 03:23 AM.