--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MG one thing for sure is you're a lot better off losing the baking soda which is a terrible e-lyte.Lye is ok but if you want a cleaner e-lyte try using KOH(potassium hydroxide)here's a good source for it:
http://www.lyedepot.com/purchase_lye/index.html
If you plan on building a dry cell design you'll need a much stronger solution of e-lyte.I use 28% by weight in my dry cell and that's about 2 LBS of KOH to 1 gallon of distilled water.Dry cells use a lot more than openbath cells due to the design.With open bath designs there are a lot of stray currents and virtually none in a dry design.
Do you have any plans for the dry cell you're planning to build?