Soda Ash

[Btreefing]

Hello,
Quick question on Homemade soda ash, I Baked baking soda at 300* for 1 hour let it cool then mixed 2 cups to 1 gallon but can't get it to fully mix. Any suggestions to what I did wrong?

 

[Biglew11]

I put about 3/4 of a gallon in a 5 gallon bucket then slowly add the 2 two cups while stirring vigorously. Using a funnel pour this into a gallon jug shake vigorously about a minute. Then top off the rest of the way. Let it sit overnight and it should be good.

 

[blasterman]

You can mix it to water in any ratio you wish. I just keep it dry in an airtight container so it doesn't recombine with CO2 then add as needed.

 

[nornicle]

Warm your water up, I’ve found dissolving carbonate much easier by warming up the water (luke warm is fine)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Hello,
Quick question on Homemade soda ash, I Baked baking soda at 300* for 1 hour let it cool then mixed 2 cups to 1 gallon but can't get it to fully mix. Any suggestions to what I did wrong?

It can be hard to dissolve since you are getting close to the solubility limit, and if the baking wasn't complete, it may be impossible to fully dissolve.

My recipe is 2 1/4 cups measured before baking. You may also be adding too much to match my recipe.

 

[Btreefing]

yeah i'm doing something, had clumps this morning in the jug. How would I know if it's completely baked? So 2 1/4 cups packed or just scooped and leveled off? temp?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

yeah i'm doing something, had clumps this morning in the jug. How would I know if it's completely baked? So 2 1/4 cups packed or just scooped and leveled off? temp?

Scoped and leveled.

You cannot overbake in any home oven. If it gets to 300 F, that's sufficient, but like a turkey, the inside can take a while if you bake a large amount. 400 deg F oven will speed things.

 

[Btreefing]

Scoped and leveled.

You cannot overbake in any home oven. If it gets to 300 F, that's sufficient, but like a turkey, the inside can take a while if you bake a large amount. 400 deg F oven will speed things.

Ok thanks, so I would be ok to throw is back in and bake it longer just to make sure it's good

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Ok thanks, so I would be ok to throw is back in and bake it longer just to make sure it's good

Yes, if you did not put it in water yet.

You could also try boiling the water if it is already in water. That drives off CO2, but may also dissolve some metal from the pot.

 

[Btreefing]

Yes, if you did not put it in water yet.

You could also try boiling the water if it is already in water. That drives off CO2, but may also dissolve some metal from the pot.

I know I didn't measure out how much I baked but if it's fully baked does 2 cups baked equal 2 1/4 unbaked?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I know I didn't measure out how much I baked but if it's fully baked does 2 cups baked equal 2 1/4 unbaked?

I've never measured the after baking volume. It's likely not far off, but the fluffiness determines the volume, and that varies.