It's Not a Lye!
Monday September 19, 2005
When I read it, I didn't believe it! Red Devil Lye has been discontinued! For those of you who are just candle makers, not soap makers, this would be akin to wicks being discontinued. Without lye, there is no soap! For years, soap makers have relied on getting Red Devil lye from their grocery stores. But no longer. When I called the manufacturer, Reckitt-Benckiser, they confirmed that indeed they were discontinuing it, but didn't give me a clear answer as to why. They sort of alluded to that it wasn't a strong seller. I have also heard that law enforcement agents are putting pressure on lye suppliers because it is a common ingredient in homemade meth labs. Whatever the reason, we've got a challenge on our hands. But soap makers are a pioneering, inventive group. We'll find a solution. Till then, get to your grocery store or hardware store and buy what they have left! Click here for more information and a list of online lye vendors.
Comments
Yes. RDL was discontinued because of the meth lab issue. The Feds have been trying to decrease the availability of chemicals used to (in theory) decrease the meth production.
The same thing happened to pseudoephedrine and ephedrine.
“soap makers are a pioneering, inventive group”
so are meth cooks, therein lies the problem lolz. idk why the feds think they won’t find an alternative.
I can understand that the Feds might have a “just cause issue”; however, it seems to me that an alternative solution could have been found other than just yanking lye off the counters. What’s next….farmers not allowing their cows to poop or use fertilizers {both known to be used to make bombs}?
This is absolutely ridiculous going from one extreme to the other…a favorite strategy of the government by the way.
Get with it Feds. I’d like to think we are still in a free country. Do your job without making everyone else suffer.
Sudephrine an Ephedrine are now behind the counter and one must show ID in order to purchase it and it works. Why not use the same strategy with lye? This makes complete sense and can be tracked easily. Meet us half way for God’s sake! I don’t want Meth on the streets but in all reality does anyone really believe that this will slow down or stop the production of Meth NOT ON YOUR LIFE. Control lye sales yes, keeping it from us soapmakers-NO.
I was looking for some Red Devil Lye for a few weeks and was wondering what the heck was going on. I have a bottle somewhere I just couldn’t find it.
GAH! I use it for the intended purpose, clearing drains. Give me a break. Draino and the other solutions don’t work as well. Stupid meth heads ruining it for everyone. Just track the buying patterns or something. This is ridiculous.
The good thing is that a lot of the anti-lye hysteria has settled. While can’t get Red Devil anymore, there are several other brands (Roebic is one) that you can get in hardware stores like Lowes. Or there are lots of online vendors like the ones listed here:
http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/coldprocesssoapmaking/a/lyesources.htm
When the government made stores take Gunk off the shelves(the good stuff), the replacement was RDL. I used it to clean grease off engines and other greasy dirty things. Makes a dirty old lawnmower look new. Even works great cleaning coffee makers and removing old paint from antiques. Why can’t the government go after the dopers and quit trying to piss off the whole country!