Is Sodium Hydroxide a close relative of caustic soda? I can understand the need for precautions - caustic soda can do a lot of damage to tissue.
Used to dissolve alfoil in caustic, in a home made pressure vessel, pass the gas through a couple of water filters, and use the gas (hydrogen)to inflate balloons. Then send the balloons off into the wild blue yonder. All when I was 15, mind you. Had a few nasty burns from exploding pressure vessels.
