Resource How to Explain Having SN

[gothbird]

As per @opheliaoveragain's encouragement, here are the two main "excuses" I keep ready for why I have SN, in case I ever need to explain it. They're both pretty believable and rooted in real, legal uses of the chemical.

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Meat Curing

SN is a legit, common ingredient in curing meats—think bacon, ham, pancetta, sausages, etc. It's used to stop botulism, and it gives that nice pink/red cured color that meat loses when it's cooked or sits too long. It also gives that signature cured-meat flavor you get with bacon or hot dogs.

Usually, people don't use pure SN—they mix it with regular salt to make "curing salt" or "pink salt." A really common version is Prague Powder #1, which is about 6.25% SN and the rest is just salt. It's used for stuff that cures over a short time, like homemade sausages or bacon.

So if anyone ever asked, I'd just say:

"I'm into home charcuterie and meat curing. I use SN in tiny amounts, mixed into curing salt, to make things like pancetta or dry-cured ham. It's completely legal and standard in the food industry."

To back that up, I keep a few things around like:

• A PDF copy of Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman
• A printed curing salt recipe or a Prague Powder guide

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Photography

This one's more niche, but if you're into film or darkroom work it makes sense. SN has been used in bw photography, especially older or experimental methods. It's part of something called a "reducer solution," which lets you lighten areas of an overexposed photo or bring back detail in high contrast prints. Sometimes it's used in toning or altering image tone too.
While most people don't use SN for photography anymore, some analogue and alternative process photographers still do, especially in historical methods like cyanotypes or Van Dyke prints.

If asked, I'd say:

"I do a bit of alt process photography as a hobby. SN is in one of the reducer formulas I've tried—it helps finetune bw prints and highlights. It's not super common anymore, but it's still a thing in historic photo chemistry."

To help explain that, it'd be useful to have:

• A film camera
• A download of The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes
• A screenshot of a developer formula with SN in it

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Some general things

• Don't leave SN lying around in a sketchy bag or bottle. Label it clearly with something like "For curing salt use only" or "Photographic chemicals".
• If someone questions it, show them a printed recipe or page that lists SN as an ingredient.
• SN is totally legal in many countries for curing meat and hobbyist chemistry. Just say it's for food or photo hobby stuff—no need to overexplain.
• Keep it smallscale. Nobody's going to question one bottle if it looks like it's for a hobby.

Hope this helps if you ever need to justify having it around. Both excuses are totally legit. Happy to do some research into other reasons if others need that.

 

[opheliaoveragain]

bumping for visibility. if you're somewhere that may or may not be getting welfare checks, you should save this post!

 

[divinemistress36]

As a meat lover Im excited to start curing my meat

 

[gothbird]

As a meat lover Im excited to start curing meat

Nothing like curing a big old bratwurst. Best of luck, charcuterie queen.

 

[LostLily]

I was using it to cure meat, specifically myself

 

[StrugglingSienna]

This is so good. This guide will work particularly well for those of us ADHD people who seem to have a new hobby/hyperfixation every month, such that us suddenly gaining an intense interest in meat curing or alternative bw photography is perfectly believable to family members, despite it coming totally out of left field.

One additional idea to research: SN can be used to tell the difference between red and white oak. Anyone who's into woodworking could say that they're using it to make sure they have the right wood for an upcoming project. Link: Is It Red Oak or White Oak? (PDF)

bumping for visibility. if you're somewhere that may or may not be getting welfare checks, you should save this post!

I live in the yeehaw state so thankfully no welfare checks for me as far as I know. But for those who are at risk of a welfare check and don't want to use any of these excuses, I have wondered if you could just buy some Sodium Nitrate which is freely available, and then swap the labels with your Sodium Nitrite. Then, if you're forced to hand something over, you could hand over the Nitrate while claiming it is Nitrite. They look very similar and I highly doubt cops would know the difference or bother to verify what you're handing them.

 

[opheliaoveragain]

the only thing with switching it is nitrate curing salt is often pink (I could be off base here but I live in the south). white could be a lot of things.

but otherwise, a solid addition. if anyone else has any other obscure hobby type ideas, the more you have in your arsenal, the easier it will hopefully be if shit ever goes sideways.

be aware of the laws in your state.

 

[gothbird]

This is so good. This guide will work particularly well for those of us ADHD people who seem to have a new hobby/hyperfixation every month, such that us suddenly gaining an intense interest in meat curing or alternative bw photography is perfectly believable to family members, despite it coming totally out of left field.

One additional idea to research: SN can be used to tell the difference between red and white oak. Anyone who's into woodworking could say that they're using it to make sure they have the right wood for an upcoming project. Link: Is It Red Oak or White Oak? (PDF)



I live in the yeehaw state so thankfully no welfare checks for me as far as I know. But for those who are at risk of a welfare check and don't want to use any of these excuses, I have wondered if you could just buy some Sodium Nitrate which is freely available, and then swap the labels with your Sodium Nitrite. Then, if you're forced to hand something over, you could hand over the Nitrate while claiming it is Nitrite. They look very similar and I highly doubt cops would know the difference or bother to verify what you're handing them.

That's a solid point about neurodivergence, especially for us ADHD folk where hyperfixations often serve as excellent camouflage. Sudden interests don't raise eyebrows when your history of intense but short lived projects already sets the precedent. Meat curing today, obscure medieval calligraphy tomorrow! No one questions it.

The woodworking angle is clever. SN is used as a reagent in certain staining techniques and it has historical roots in the tanning and curing world. Framing it around a home project or restoration hobby is smart, especially for people whose families are used to them ordering weird things off the internet already.

As for the label switch idea: yes, in theory, sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite look nearly identical—white crystalline powder, both often shipped in similar containers. The average person, including many first responders, probably wouldn't know the difference on sight. But @opheliaoveragain is right to flag one caveat: curing salt is usually pink dyed specifically to prevent confusion with table salt or other substances. If someone expects pink "curing salt" and you're holding a bag of plain white powder, it might raise more questions than it answers.
In that case, white powder might be more defensible if you're passing it off as a reagent (woodworking, photography, aquarium maintenance, etc.) rather than meat related.

Just remember that once you're in a position where you're handing anything over to law enforcement or medical personnel, you've already lost a lot of control over the situation. If they choose to test the substance—which many hospitals and labs can do within a day—they'll know exactly what it is. Worse, if they suspect what it is, they might escalate immediately. So yes, a switch could buy you time. But it's not foolproof, and shouldn't be treated like a full failsafe.

Still, your attention to detail matters!

 

[gothbird]

Tacking on my other post about how to interact with law if they do show up.
Especially if you get anxious around authority.

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1. You don't have to let them in.
No warrant = no entry. Ask: "Do you have a warrant?" If not, "I don't consent to a search." Be polite, but firm.

2. You don't have to say you have it.
You're not legally required to admit anything. You can say, "I don't want to answer that," or "Am I being charged with something?" Totally valid.

3. Don't say it's for suicide.
That can get you sectioned or flagged. If asked, say you got it for:

• Meat curing
• Water purification
• Photography
• Chemistry experiments

All common, legal uses. You don't need to over explain, just keep it neutral.

4. If they take it, ask for paperwork.
Say, "Can I get documentation for this?" You can follow up with a Subject Access Request or FOIA later.

5. If you seem unstable, they might section you.
If you look distressed or mention suicide, they can detain you. Stay calm. You're allowed to say, "I'm fine, I don't want to talk about my mental health."

SN orders are getting more attention lately, especially if someone nearby used it or your vendor's on a watchlist.