Soap Making:
To clarify fat, melt and add a few slices raw potatoes, letting them get a golden brown and the grease to bubble.
When this is done, strain through a cloth into a jar or lard pail.
Measure the sodium hydroxide (lye) by weight into a separate
5 F.
Dissolve the lye in the water.
Cool
ater and stir until lye is dissolved. Warning: Lye is a caustic
r glass containers. Dissolve the lye in the water, stirring gently
Empty can of lye in water.
Stir slowly until lye is dissolved. Allow to stand until lye is completely dissolved and the water is just barely lukewarm.
(The lye heats the water.) Pour grease into large stone bowl or enamel container.
Using wooden spoon or stick, slowly stir while pouring dissolved lye mixture into grease, stirring constantly.
Stir for 15 minutes until mixture begins to get thick.
If soap thickens before time is up, pour into molds lined with wax paper.
ater, stir until melted.
[Lye] Put on gloves and in
Dissolve lye in water.
Heat grease to 120\u00b0 or until all is melted.
When you mix the water and lye, it will become very hot. Allow to cool to about 80\u00b0 before mixing.
Slowly pour the melted lard into the lye mixture, stirring slowly until the mixture becomes thick like honey.
Pour into a plastic pan, cover with a cloth, let set until cool and cut in squares.
I mix my soap in a plastic bucket.
If you have old grease (bacon), melt and strain before making soap with it.
hilst gently stirring add the lye slowly to the water until
Melt grease and let cool.
Pour water on lye and let get cool, stirring until dissolved.
Add Borax to the lye.
Stir until dissolved.
Add the lye to the grease and stir 7 minutes.
Then add ammonia and stir 3 minutes longer.
(The more you stir the whiter the soap will be.)
Let set until hard.
Takes about 1 hour.
Make soap on first quarter of the moon.
Put 3 gallons of fat in an old black wash pot.
Add 1 can Red Devil lye.
Bring to a boil.
Boil unti lye eats the meat up.
Pour 1 gallon water in the pot.
Bring to a boil and boil until water boils away.
Dip out and pour into pan.
Let cool.
Cut out blocks of soap.
Dissolve the can of lye in the water, stirring to cool it. The tallow should be neither warm nor hard.
Very slowly pour the lye into the tallow in a thin steady stream, stirring it all continuously.
Then without stopping, add the glycerin, lavender and ammonia.
Beat until creamy and smooth.
Pour into small forms.
When hard, it is ready to use.
o a boil.
Pour lye into boiled ingredients being very
Melt grease and cool to a milky stage.
Grease should be salt-free.
No aluminum pans are to be used.
Do not get mixture in eyes and keep children safe.
Add lye to cool water.
Stir until dissolved.
Add grease to lye water slowly, stirring constantly and carefully. Add other ingredients.
Stir well.
Let stand 30 minutes, without stirring, then stir 15 minutes.
Pour into a cardboard box, lined with wax paper.
Let drain.
Cut while soft, but firm.
Let set 30 days.
Put 3 gallons water in old-time wash pot.
Melt lye, then grease.
Let boil.
When grease melts, gradually add the remaining water.
Cook slow or it will boil over.
Use wooden paddle to stir constantly.
When soap is done, lift paddle from the pot and it will string.
To test, put a little soap in cold water and it will form a ball.
Can be put in molds.
Do not use aluminum.
Make soap outside using an iron pot or enamel kettle.
Put water in kettle and carefully add the lye.
Avoid breathing the fumes.
Pour grease slowly into the lye water, stirring all the time with a wooden paddle or a wooden spoon.
Stir until the mixture thickens.
Let cool overnight and cut into bars.
Store in a dry place.
Melt grease and strain.
Let cool.
Pour water on lye; let cool, stirring until dissolved.
Add Borax to lye water and stir until dissolved.
Add this to the grease and stir 7 minutes.
Add ammonia and stir 3 minutes longer.
The more you stir, the whiter the soap.
(Any scrape grease can be used:
bacon drippings, grease from fish fries, etc.)
Let cool and set.
Cut into desired shapes. Do not use aluminum pans and use only wooden spoons to stir.
Dissolve the lye in water and pour the mixture into one gallon of milk.
The mixture is then poured into the other gallon of milk without stirring.
Let the mixture stand 24 hours during which it will harden, then allow cakes to stand until well cured.
Dissolve lye in water; allow to cool.
Heat grease.
Slowly pour lye into grease.
Stir until the mixture drips from stirrer like strained honey.
Do not stir too long or it will separate, 5 to 10 minutes is about right.
Pour mixture into molds or pans. Cover with a heavy blanket and leave for 2 days.
Now, cut your snow white bars of soap into the desired size.
There are bound to be some readers who can remember when wash day meant heating water in a black iron pot and using strong lye soap and a rub board to get clothes clean.