# Is red devil lye off the market?



## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

I've read a couple of bulletin boards and on one other forum that I participate in, there is a thread that Red Devil Lye is no longer manufactured. Does anyone know more about this?

Fusion


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## BjornBee (Feb 7, 2003)

If you have Truevalue or Ace hardware stores check there first. In most stores it is in the plumbing section. You can also do a search for red devil website and see if they can direct you to the nearest store carrying the product. It is still made and I bought some just a couple weeks ago.


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## BjornBee (Feb 7, 2003)

Distributed by Rickett Benckiser Inc. Call 1-800-228-4722 for information.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I haven't bought any in the last few months but it's what I usually use for drain cleaner and I'm sure I bought some in the last year.


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

Well folks, don't hold your breath. I did a search on the web and its definitely been discontinued. There is still a lot of it on the shelves and at least one other manufacturer sells it in bulk (50 pound bags), but the ordinary plastic containers will be no more. Something to do with making Meth with it. I've also heard from several folks who can't find any locally.

I'm going to the store this evening and if they have it, will buy a couple of bottles just to have handy.

Fusion


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## HARight (Jun 6, 2004)

Fusion_Power; Who is the manufacturer with the 50 pound bags of lye. I need it for soap making. Thanks, HAR


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## BjornBee (Feb 7, 2003)

Just got back from Ace hardware.  Completely sold out. The manager did not know of anything coming out about pulling the product or a discontinued status. So we did an internal ace hardware search for the product, and not one bottle showed up for the entire east coast region for distribution. The correspondance from the company states "unavailable".


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## Barry Digman (May 21, 2003)

Apparently they've pulled Red Devil Lye from the shelves because of the meth heads. This link should get you to a list of alternate suppliers.


http://candleandsoap.about.com/b/a/203763.htm


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## Barry Digman (May 21, 2003)

And of course, ever-resourceful Americans will always find a way....

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2F&fkr=1&from=R8&satitle=red+devil+lye&category0=


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## BjornBee (Feb 7, 2003)

Thanks coyote. I just ordered some. Chemistry store had the better prices for bulk orders.


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## Robert Hawkins (May 27, 2005)

What's a chemistry store? I do a lot of chem stuff and use a pharmacy for ordering. did I do wrong?

Hawk


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

My Grandma used to make her own lye from ashes to make soap. I've also used ashes to get lye for dehairing hides.

I don't understand why the Meth labs are the driving force to deprive us all of common household chemicals.


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## BjornBee (Feb 7, 2003)

Hawk, on the website that coyote gave, you will find a site called the chemistry store. Thats the one I went with. I guess its just the name of the site.


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## Barry Digman (May 21, 2003)

<I don't understand why the Meth labs are the driving force to deprive us all of common household chemicals.>

Isn't it strange how something like this happens? 

Years ago when I was drilling oil wells we used caustic soda (lye) in 40lb sacks to balance the pH in our drilling fluids. Wonder if the meth cooks know what's in those brown sacks stacked all over the county? A million places to buy this stuff by the truckload and it has to be pulled off of grocery store shelves so everyone will believe we're "doing something" about meth.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

BTW. You can make nice clean lye from ashes, it just has to be strained fine enough. I hope the meth labs don't find out or we'll have to have a permit to have ashes.


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## sc-bee (May 10, 2005)

>Just throw in a couple of shovels of wood ash after you use the torch a little too long. Seriously, wood ashes will work. 

Some one mentioned just using ash. Do you have to make lye or just use the ash. I have plenty of wood ash. Do your strain them and just sift the ash on your woodenware (supers, frames ,etc.)???

[ January 22, 2006, 02:33 PM: Message edited by: sc-bee ]


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## Fusion_power (Jan 14, 2005)

The best way to make lye water from wood ashes is to build a wooden hopper so that ashes can be poured into the top, then water is poured through the ashes where it filters down to a drain at the bottom of the hopper. Put a fine strainer over the drain and you will get lye water that must be handled with caution. You can also do this by filling a plastic garbage can 2/3 full of ashes, boring a hole near the bottom for the water to drain from, and using a synthetic cloth as a strainer. Use your ingenuity. Warning, kids have died from drinking lye water made from wood ashes so please please treat the liquid as a dangerous substance!

Fusion


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## Grant (Jun 12, 2004)

Having a few extra minutes, I dropped my friendly Wal-Mart. They didn't even know what I was talking about. Never mind, nothing on the shelf.

I checked my grocery store, and nothing there, but it would have been a surprise if I did.

I dropped over across the street to my local farm supply store and found 24 bottles on the shelf. So I bought three. There's still some lye out there. 

Grant
Jackson, MO


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

Good idea Grant. My wife had checked all of the local groceries...no joy. After reading your post I stopped by the farm supply store and bought 6 of their last 12.
I guess that the typical meth lab people might be uncomfortable shopping in the farm supply store.


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## Phoenix (May 26, 2004)

If you do a search for Sodium Hydroxide, you will find plenty of sources online.

Some of us that make our own Bio-Diesel are finding it more and more difficult to find the Red Devil Lye as well, and we have been wondering if this is a government conspiracy to prevent us from making our own fuel source.  

If your search some Bio-Diesel websites as well, you will find sources to purchase Sodium Hydroxide in bulk.


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## daknoodle (Dec 8, 2005)

okay, I'm showing my newbee ignorance here, but what do you use lye for in beekeeping?

Doug


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Some people boil old frames and boxes from an unknown source to clean them and make sure they don't have AFB. Others use it to make soap from beeswax.

I also use it to unclog drains, dehair hides and other things.


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## FordGuy (Jul 10, 2005)

How tough is it to make biodiesel? I could just ask uncle Google, but I'd rather ask brother beekeeper.


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## Kris^ (Jan 10, 2006)

Making biodiesel is relatively easy, but it can be time consuming. We put together a reactor from a water heater, a pump and some pipe, and make it in 20 gallon batches. You have to measure the level of animal fats in your used vegetable oil, then mix the right amount of lye into a measured amount of methanol and mix it all up in the oil. After it processes and settles you drain the glycerine off the bottom; wash the biodiesel with water baths a few times to get the residual soap out, then dry the bio to get the residual water out. We usually have a couple batches going through various stages of the process during the course of a week, and use it to heat greenhouses. 

We also have an old Mercedes 240D converted to run on straight vegetable oil. It performs just as well, runs quieter and smells better then burning diesel fumes. We got a batch in there now that smells like chocolate cake!


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## BULLSEYE BILL (Oct 2, 2002)

>How tough is it to make biodiesel?

Check out the mega-thread on bio-diesel in the trash, er, tailgate section.


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