Caustic soda

[gazza]

Hi all,
Craig's comment about the effects idigbo has on his throat has led me to post this,
For the last couple of weeks i have been working on a house which is built from mostly reclaimed materials, old brick, bangor blue slates,sandstone and timber.
I have a stock pile (supplied by the owner) of reclaimed douglas fir and pitch pine which he has had for the last ten years or so.
I have been machining this as i need for various things.
Last week he arrived with a load more which he sourced recently.
After machining some of it i found myself feeling un well, it had the familiar smell of douglas fir but seemed to catch my chest an awful lot.
I had flu like symptoms and generally felt crap.next day i used some of the old stuff, same smell but no feeling unwell
I then began to wonder was this new batch reclaimed or not, as i know that caustic soda can be used to give an aged look to timber.
Just wondered if anyone had any experience of caustic soda and its effects on the timber and if the timber treated with it would cause flu like symptoms ??
Cheers,
Gazza.

[dom]

Hi Gazza, I use Caustic Soda to age Oak fairly regularly with no side effects.

[jaco]

Dom, what your method in applying? Mix etc.?

I just know it from cleaning drains and chemical prosesses where i have worked.

[dom]

Hi Jaco, we mix the caustic with water for a fairly thick mix, brush it on quite heavily leave it to soaj for 20 minutes then wire brush and jet wash thoroughly.
We dry with clothes to get as much of the water off as possible.

Always wear goggles, appropriate gloves and clothing

Dom

[mrgrimsdale]

I doubt caustic soda would cause flu symptoms - it was probably the flu.
I had a bad experience with nitromors in the bottom of a dinghy - large area and the vapours held in like a cup - got persistent headache and nausea and some sorta 'stoned' feelings, and funny dreams that night.

cheers
Jacob

[jfc]

I wonder if the new stuff had traces of lead paint on it that got airborn when you machined it . I know i get flue type feelings when working or burning off lead paint .

[mrspanton]

I do use caustic somtimes to treat a wood surface prior to applying some oil glaze's. I always work outdoors, gloves/goggles etc. hose pipe to rinse down. And spray acid on the wood (vinegar) to stop the alkaline caustic reaction. I have had one or two skin burns, but no breathing problems as far as I am aware. Mind you I have started to experiment with soil and clay to get the same abraded effect that the caustic etching can get (just leave the chair out in the garden with mud on it for a while ;D) Much safer and eco freindly if a lot slower. Some people have left chairs in cow byres for the same reason

[mrspanton]

jfc said:

I wonder if the new stuff had traces of lead paint on it that got airborn when you machined it . I know i get flue type feelings when working or burning off lead paint .

Or it might oof come out of a factory or works or something (especially pitch pine joist's or post's from factory) where they used chemicals or other pre H&S era nastie's? If the wood absorbed stuff it might get released with dust particle's? Just a thought.

[TonyW]

Having once tried a spray oven cleaner Mr Muscle - I think) with the main ingredient being Caustic Soda the symptoms you describe "catch my chest" are the symptoms I experienced using this product. The effect is immediate and in this case the source obvious.

I used to use quite a lot of caustic soda as a cleaning solution in photographic processing equipment. I was always careful when mixing the powder. Breath in the dust and it was as you described - very unpleasant

As far as I know there is no (or little) smell with caustic soda therefore you would only smell the douglas fir. I would think it entirely possible that your symptoms could be caused by inhaling the fine dust from machining and that the symptoms could persist for a day or so.

Cheers
Tony

[jaco]

Thanks Dom, will give it a try .........