Since acid burns have no great appeal I'll reluctantly go with dilution or neutralization. It will leave me feeling a bit defeated though because I will learn little from the exercise.
I wish my chemistry teacher had been a little like Danny M's. I would have lapped it up and learned a lot more! Anything with a whiff of danger surely does grab the attention. What a shame that science and maths are not taught with a bit more imagination in school, but that is another debate.
Thanks for all the good advice. Much appreciated.
John