Lye bath questions...

[Stuart Lowery]

I'm upgrading to either a 30 or 55 gallon drum from my Rubbermaid type tub (cleaning 1 or 2 skillets at a time is too slow).

Best size for half a dozen (plus) at a time medium to large pieces, 30 or 55 gallon?

If the water is 2-3 feet deep and black how do you keep track of the pieces down on the bottom?

When the water is 2-3 feet deep and they're piled up at the bottom what do use use to grab them to lift one out?

My shallow lye bath was no problem, a heavy gauge wire hook about 18" long would grab hold for a progress check and rinse if needed. I can make a 3 foot version, but I wondered if any of the pros had a better tool for this?

Or maybe a whole series of 3 foot wire hangers each staying attached to the CI and hung around the edge of the plastic drum? No fishing, just lift until I find the one I'm looking for...

[Tommy Harris]

I haven't made my lye bath yet, but I am leaning towards the last option.   Attaching a wire to the handle and it will stay attached until the piece is done.  Seems to me that that would make it easier to keep track of pieces, get them in and out, and most importantly, be safer because you won't have to be reaching in and digging around.   

[Tom Penkava]

I use a 30 gal blue heavy gauge plastic drum I got off Craig's List for $5 with lid that rabbit food came in, and have various lengths of #9 close line wire with a hook on each end to hang iron from.  One hook for iron, one on the barrel edge.
I set the barrel on a 4 caster furniture mover so I can move it around the garage when needed.

[Keith Rumgay]

I USE 55 GALLON PLASTIC DRUM w/ Top Cut Out.
with 1/2" Round Bar inserted 1" from top of rim and wire coat hangers Bent as needed and wood lid for some safety.
Loaded it yesterday 2-WW Double Skillet Lids, 1WW 5 Star, ! WW Long Griddle, 1- Gris. #8 Double Skillet Lid, 1 #9 & #6 Gris  Hinged Skillets, 1 Older Lodge? Deep Skillet  LOTS of carbon on it.   

[Cheryl Watson]

My Cleaning Station updated.

Blue Barrels with Red Lids are 30 gallon, Blue with Black Lids are 15 gallon.

Both 30 gallon are Lye Baths right now.

Since setting up I improved the tiles under neath from the rubber pressed to concrete.  Gosh has it been two years already??

One 15 is a Vinegar Bath, the other a spare for whatever I need if for.

[Cheryl Watson]

Hang wires are this... (cheep, reusable, and can be custom cut in 2.5 seconds) Bend me shape me!

[Stuart Lowery]

Been away for a bit...

Thanks everybody for the ideas/pics

[Jeff Friend]

Stuart,

I think a 30 gallon polyethylene drum will be the ticket.  Find an "open head" rather than a "tight head" and avoid the trouble of cutting the top out.  I can get a lot of iron in mine - maybe 15 pieces of varying sizes.  My drum is about two-thirds full.  If you use stout wire, you can hang several skillets from the same hook.

I have a pair of looong rubber gloves to handle the iron in the bath.  They aren't long enough to reach down to the bottom, though.  If you drop a skillet, you are going to be fishing around with a long wire for a while.  Or, get a strong magnet.  One more word of advice: make sure your cookware is completely submerged.

Jeff

[Lewis Downey]

Stuart,

My LB only allows about 11 pieces to be soaked at a time, but any piece can be pulled at any time with minimal interference from the other pieces. Others might not have the issue of one piece of cast iron interfering with another but I did.

I ended up making three yokes that go across the top of a 55 gallon drum. Each yoke has a series of keyholes that allow hanging most pieces. For pieces without a hanging hole as well as DO lids, I use a separate short tank and a pair of gloves.

The tank is in our basement and does not have a tight fitting lid. That could be a problem if your tank is kept outside.

Pics below show the yokes from above, the keyholes, and a couple of hangers made from threaded rod, pieces of plywood, and t-nuts (I think that is the right term). The rods were shaped by being heated with a common propane torch and bent using the hanging hole of an adjustable wrench.

[Jim Glatthaar]

Great idea Lewis.  Very clever.

[Lewis Downey]

Here it is in an exciting action shot :) :)