Subject: Re: Soap - Laundry soap and Net sites
From: J & F Higham <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 01 Nov 1999 14:15:25 +1100
Newsgroups: alt.permaculture

Anyone who wants to make soap please note that if you use any cautic
soda (lye) in the process, then you must take precautions.  It gets
very hot when mixed with water and caustic soda itself will burn
skin.  Never use plastic pots or buckets.  Use only wooden stirrers
and stainless steel.  Soap making is an art and it takes some practice
to get it right.  

That having been said are some Net sites on soap making, 
these have recipes and/or links to suppliers and other sites;

http://hometown.aol.com/oelaineo/soapmaking.html
http://www.ecosoft.com/thelibrary/index.htm
http://lis.ab.ca/walton/old/soap.html
http://www.folksonline.com/folks/hh/tours/soapmkg.htm

Biodegradable Laundry soap  (note that measurements are metric)
(1 cup = 250 ml)
half cake of pure laundry soap grated,
half cup washing soda crystals
half cup vinegar
1 litre tepid water
4 and a half Litres Hot water
4 litres cold water
half teaspoon eucalyptus oil &/or Lavendar oil

Boil grated soap & tepid water, add washing soda.  Stir, once
dissolved, add vinegar, stir thoroughly & remove from heat.  Add oils
then hot and cold water.  Leave overnight to let solidify.  Use 2 or
more cups in wahing machine depending on model and size of load. 
Makes about 10 litres.

I'm still hunting through my recipe file for the domestic soap recipe
which uses vegetable oil as the 'fat' base.  Will post when I locate
it.

Fran

From: "AndreaMc" <[email-masked]>
Newsgroups: alt.permaculture
Date: Wed, 3 Nov 1999 10:40:09 +1100
<>
I thought you might like this recipe for Castile Soap, it's an olive oil
based soap which is beautifully rich and gentle. Makes about 15 bars.

Equipment:
6 lt stainless steel saucepan
Long handled plastic spoon
Accurate kitchen scales
Safety glasses or goggles
Large plastic apron
2 lg heat resistant plastic jugs
Long rubber gloves
2 kitchen thermometers (must have a reading as low as 25oC)
Large clear container with plastic lid (big enough to hold soap mixture)
Insulated box (like a foam grocers box)
plastic tablecloth or large sheet of plastic.

Ingredients
1.5k olive oil
198 gms caustic soda
25gms apricot kernel oil
30gms essential oil
570gms filtered water

Safety Information as outlined above by Fran.  Vinegar should be wiped over
a caustic soda burn to neutralise the soda.  Until it cures the soap will
remain caustic.

Method
Using the 2 jugs, one with water and the other with the caustic soda,
carefully and gently pour the water into the jug containing the caustic
soda.  Stir the solution gently with plastic spoon, avoid splashing, until
dissolved.  This mixture will heat up by itself up to 80oC when first mixed.
Set aside and let cool to 30oC.  Measure the olive oil into the saucepan and
gently heat to 30oC.  Once both solutions are at 30oC gently pour the lye
solution into the saucepan.  Avoid splashing and stir continuously for
around 1 hour before pouring into large plastic container.  Place the
container into the foam box or wrap in blankets for insulation.
Check the soap every 8 hours.  With a plastic spoon stir in the thin layer
of oil that forms on the top of the mixture until it no longer forms - this
can take up to 3 days.  Keep the mixture insulated between stirrings.
Tracing occurs when the mixture is thick enough to leave a light pattern on
the surface when mixture is drizzled with a spoon.  When this occurs
thoroughly stir in the apricot kernel oil and essential oil.  Stir only
until the oil is incorporated into the mixture.  Replace lid and return
container to insulated box and leave undisturbed for 48 hours.
The soap should now be firm enough to leave an imprint when pressed.  If not
remove the lid and expose to air for a day or so.  Turn out of container and
place on plastic sheet.  Leave until roughly the hardness of Swiss cheese -
approx. 1 week.  Cut the large block into soap bars.  Place bars where air
can circulate around them to let them cure.  Leave for 6 weeks before using.

<><><><><><><><><><><>
----------------------
<><><><><><><><><><><>

Date: Mon, 17 Apr 1995 14:00:03 -0400
From: [email-masked]
Subject: FAQ Soapmaking

So, you want to make soap? Good! I'll try my best to tell you how. I'm Elaine
White, author of "Soap Recipes: Seventy tried-and-true ways to make modern
soap with herbs, beeswax and vegetable oils" These instructions are very
condensed and cannot possibly contain the details included in "Soap Recipes."
Nonetheless, I believe you will have a good overview after you read these
instructions. Once you learn basic safety precautions, soapmaking procedures
and termonology, you will be able to make soap from any recipe. The outline
for these instructions is:
A) Safety precautions in handling lye, lye/water and freshly-made soap
B) The equipment list
C) The procedure of combining ingredients and molding soap
D) Herbal soap
E) Superfatting soap
F) US Soapmaking suppliers
G) Soap recipes
---------------------------------------------------
A) Locating lye and safety precautions in handling it.
(The following may frighten you, but I promise that thousands of people make
soap everyday without mishap. You need to know all the dangers present in
order to avoid trouble. If you can get past the following warnings--you are
destined to make soap!) Look where drain cleaners are sold and buy 100% lye
(Red Devil is one brand). Don't bother looking at liquid drain cleaners and
don't try Draino (it contains metal). If you aren't sure the product is 100%
lye, then order lye from a soapmaking or chemical supplier (addresses
listed). Most good soap recipes list lye by weight for accuracy: lye in
granular form (drain cleaner) measures differently than lye in flake form
(the form of lye from chemical suppliers, pool chemical suppliers, etc.).
Scales are a necessary part of sucessful soapmaking and allows you to use any
type of lye. Lye can be nasty if handled improperly. Lye (sodium hydroxide)
is also known as caustic soda.
Upon opening a container of lye, the lye crystals absorb water from the air,
which can weaken the strength of the lye and cause it to form a solid lump.
When not in use, keep lye closely capped. Lye reacts with some metals: iron,
aluminum, zinc, and tin. Safe containers include heatproof stoneware, glass,
enamel, stainless steel and plastic. Lye can be fatal if swallowed. Always
keep it out of the hands of children. Lye can remove paint. If lye, lye/water
or freshly-made soap splatters onto a painted surface, wipe it off
immediately. Wash the area with water and detergent; wash it with clear
water, then wipe it dry. Lye, lye/water and freshly-made soap can burn and
irritate skin. Burns from lye are not instantaneous. It takes awhile for lye
to irritate skin. Chances are you will notice if lye splashes on you. You'll
notice itching before burning. Lye/water on skin is first noticed by a
slippery feeling. Rinse your hands with vinegar and immediately rinse them
with running water. Since lye can burn skin, you can imagine what it does to
eyes. It's difficult to rinse your eyes while they're burning and you can't
see. This painful and dangerous situation in entirely avoidable. Always wear
eye protection! You may wonder why anyone wants to bathe with soap that
contains something as harsh as lye. Well, the good news is that soap is
*made* with lye, but soap doesn't *contain* lye. Lye reacts with fats,
crating roughly three molecules soap and one molecule glycerin. The lye is no
longer presnet--only great soap and glycerin.
-------------------------------------------------
B) The equipment list
# one 4-to-6 cup mixing container made of lye-resistant material
  (I use a stainless steel mixing bowl)
# one heatproof container that holds at least 2 cups
  (I use a Pyrex measuring cup)
# stainess steel, plastic or wooden spoon or a rubber spatula
# two thermometers made of glass or stainless steel
  (candy and meat thermometers work well)
# eye protection (wear sunglasses if you have to!)
# rubber gloves (optional)
# scale to weight the fats and lye
# soap molds (any flexible plastic container works well)
# a clock with a second hand or other type timer
# wire whisk (optional)
# pot holders or oven mitts
# measuring spoons
----------------------------------------------------
C) The procedure
1) Put the fats in a lye-resistant container and place a glass or stainless
steel thermometer into the fats. Be sure the thermometer doesn't touch the
bottom of the container and give a false reading. Heat the fats and optional
ingredients to the temperature specified in the recipe.
2) Put on eye protection and rubber gloves.
3) Dissolve the lye in cold water (use distilled water if your water is
hard) and wait for it to reach the temperature specified in the recipe. Use a
heat-proof container to measure the amount of cold water (70 to 75 degrees F)
specified in the recipe. Cold water is important. If you add lye to hot or
boiling water, the water could "boil-up" out of the container; if you add lye
to *really* cold water, the lye/water might not reach the high temperatures
required to make some recipes. Stir the
water and slowly add the lye. The water will get hot and turn cloudy.
Continue to stir until the lye dissolves. Don't breathe or intentionally
smell the fumes coming from the cup because they are quite "chokey." If you
wait too long to stir the water, the lye could harden in the bottom of the
container. This is not a problem. You can still sitr it, but it will be more
difficult. Add a glass or stainless steel thermometer to the lye/water and
wait until it reaches the temperature specified in the recipe. Temperatures
for making soap aren't critical. For small one-pound batches, temperatures
from 120 to 150 degrees F usually work well.
4) When both the fat and the lye/water reach the temperature specified in the
recipe, add the lye/water to the fat. I's sometimes a balancing act to get
the fat mixture and the lye/water mxiture to specific temperatures at the
same time. Never place lye/water in a microwave (the cup could break). It
takes lye/water longer to cool than it takes fat to heat. Most soapmakers
wait for the lye/water to cool to about five degrees above the desired
temperature, then heat the fat. When both the lye/water and the fat are
within five degrees of the temperatures specified in the recipe, use a pot
holder and move the bowl to a sink (to contain splatters). Slowly pour the
lye/water into the fats while stirring.
5) Stir the soap until it "traces." When lye, water and fat first combine,
the mixture is thin and watery. Gradually, as the lye and fat react
chemically to form soap, the mixture thickens and turns opaque. "Tracing" is
a term to describe the consistency (thickness) of soap when it's ready to
pour into molds. To test for tracing: 
 a. Drip some soap onto the surface of the soap in the stirring bowl. It
should leave a "trace" or small mound.
 b. Draw a line in the soap with a spoon or rubber spatula. If a "trace" of
the line remains for a few seconds, the soap has traced.
Tracing is easy to recognize, yet it causes new soapmakers a lot of worry.
Relax and know that the soap will trace eventually. Just stir the soap
constantly for the first 15 minutes or so, then stir the soap every fifteen
minutes until it thickens and traces, no matter how long it takes.
6) After the soap traces, add up to one tablespoon essential oil (if desired)
and stir a few minutes longer to incorporate the oil.
7) Pour the soap into molds and wait for it to harden.
8) Unmold the soap, Soap is still harsh when it's time to remove it from the
molds. Put on rubber gloves and press the back of each mold compartment to
release the soap. It's a lot like removing ice cubes from a tray. Sometimes
the soap doesn't release easily from the mold. To overcome this problem,
leave the soap in a freezer for a few hours. Freezing soap causes it to
contract slightly, becom hard and release from the plastic mold.
9) Wait the time specified in a recipe for the soap to "age." (usually 3
weeks). During the aging time the pH of the soap decreased (the soap becomes
mild) and the bars harden. It's a good idea to write the following
information on a piece of paper and place it with the soap: the date you made
the soap, the date the aging time is over, and the recipe name.
10) Step 10 is *enjoy your soap!*
As soap ages, a fine, white powder may appear on the surface. This is soda
ash (sodium carbonate) formed by a reaction of lye with carbon dioxide in
air. This white powder is mostly on the surface exposed to air while the soap
was in the molds. Soap that contains wax develops little or no soda ash.
There are three ways to deal with soda ash: 
 a. Try to prevent it. Immediately after pouring soap into molds, cover the
soap with plastic wrap or waxed paper. Press the wrap or paper onto the
surface of the soap to prevent air contact.
 b. Cut it away. Overfill the molds slightly. Later, when the soap hardens,
take a knife and cut the soap level with the mold. This also cuts away the
soda ash.
 c. Wash it away. Wait until the soap ages and hardens. Wash the powder away
by rubbing the soap with your hands under running water or by rubbing the
soap over a wet dishcloth. Set the soap aside to dry----then, *enjoy your
soap!*
-----------------------------------------------------
D. Herbal soap
You can replace the water in soap recipes with herbal tea, but to be honest,
most of the properties (color and fragrance) are lost. The best way to use
herbs in soap is to add dry, finely powdered herbs to the fats before adding
the lye/water. Use anywhere from 1 tablespoon to 1/4 cup dried herbs to 1 lb
soap. Coarsly ground herbs should be restricted to about 1 or 2 tablespoons
per lb soap because they contribute a coarseness to the soap that sometimes
makes it uncomfortable during use. The nicest way to add properties of herbs
to soap is the addition of pure essential oils. Use anywhere from 1 teaspoon
to 2 tablespoons essential oil per lb soap (depending on the strength of the
oil). Color is an illusive thing as far as soap is concerned. Natural colors
can be obtained by adding 2 tablespoons red clay, calendula petals and
strong, true color can be obtained from Pourette's dye recommended for soap.
Use up to 1/8 teaspoon per lb soap.
---------------------------------------------------
E. Superfatting soap
The following recipes have the exact amount of lye to make soap that contains
very little excess fat. This soap leaves skin perfectly clean and smooth
feeling. Some people like excess fat in recipes. For this I recommend 2 to 4 
tablespoons castor oil added when the soap traces. Castor oil is emollient
and contributes to soap lather.
-----------------------------------------------------
F. Soapmakers supply list (United States)

Barker Enterprises, Inc.
15106 10th Ave SW
Seattle WA 98166
Telephone: 206-244-1870
retail/wholesale: waxes, molds and candle dye (which works for soap)

Chem Lab Supplies
1060 Ortega Way, Unit C
Placentia CA 92670
Telephone 714 630-7902
Fax  714-630-3553
retail: pH kits, electronic scales, lye

Hagenow Laboratories, Inc.
1302 Washington St
Manitowoc WI 54220
No telephone, correspond by mail and request catalog
lye, waxes, clays, essential oils, thermometers and pH kits

Liberty Natural Products
8120 SE Stark St
Portland OR 97215
1-800-289-8427
$50 minimum order retail/wholesale same price
essential oils, soapmaking fats, herbs, clays, etc.

K & W Popcorn
710 E 24th St
Trenton MO 64683
Telephone 816-359-2030
retail only: coconut oil 5 gallons (will ship)

Lorann Oils
4518 Aurelius Rd
Lansing MI 48909
Telephone 1-800-248-1302
retail/wholesale: essential oils, fats, candy molds, waxes

Pourette Soapmaking Supplies
6910 Roosevelt Way NE
Seattle WA 98115
Telephone 206-525-4488
retail/wholesale molds, dye, wax (request *soapmaking* price list as it's
different than their regular catalog, which contains candle molds)

Sunfeather Soapmaking Supply
HCR 84 Box 60-A
Potsdam NY 13676
Telephone 315-265-3648
retail only: lye, fats, soap fragrance
-----------------------------------------------------
G) Now, the moment you've been waiting for--the recipes!
copyright 1995 in "Soap Recipes" by Elaine C. White
All rights reserved. All ounces (oz) are determined by weight unless
otherwise stated. Lye is "sodium hydroxide" granular or flake form.

Pure Soap
16 oz coconut oil
 2.8 oz lye 
1 cup water (8 fluid ounces)
Fat and lye/water temperature about 120 degrees F
Time in molds: 48 hours
Age: 3 weeks

Pure Soap II (softer style)
16 oz weight coconut oil
2.9 oz lye
3/4 cup water (6 fluid ounces)
Oil room temp
Mix and use lye
Estimated tracing 1 to 2 hours
When the soap traces, add 4 tablespoons castor oil to superfat the soap.
Makes a smoother texture. Leave the soap in the mold 24 hours, freeze 3
hours, then remove from the mold. Age: 3 weeks.

Soap III
6 oz coconut oil
6 oz olive oil
5 oz vegetable shortening
2.6 oz lye
1 cup water (8 fluid ounces)
Fat and lye/water temperature about 120 degrees F
Time in molds: 48 hours
Age: 4 weeks

Soap IV
9 oz vegetable shortening
4 oz coconut oil
3 oz lard
2.4 oz lye
3/4 cup water (6 fluid ounces)
Fat and lye/water temperature about 120 degrees F
Time in molds: 24 hours
Age: 3 weeks

Soap V
10 oz vegetable shortening
 6 oz coconut oil
2.4 oz lye
1 cup water (8 fluid ounces)
Fat and lye/temperature about 120 degrees F
Time in molds: 48 hours
Age: 4 weeks

Soap VI & VII
16 oz lard or beef tallow
2.3 oz lye
3/4 cup water (6 fluid ounces)
Estimated tracing 45 minutes
Fat and lye/water temperature about 120 degrees F
Time in molds: 24 hours
Age: 3 weeks

Soap VIII
Beeswax Castile 
13 oz weight olive oil
 2 oz beeswax
 1 oz palm oil
2.1 oz lye
1 cup water (8 fluid ounces)
(melt the beeswax with the fats)
Fat and lye/water temperature about 150 degrees F
Tracing time: about 12 minutes FAST!
Time in molds: 48 hours
Place the soap in a freezer for 3 hours, then remove it from the molds
Age: 6 to 8 weeks for the bars to harden

Beeswax Soap IX
(follow directions at "Soap VIII)
16 oz weight olive oil
 2 oz weight beeswax
2.2 oz weight lye
1 cup water (8 fluid ounces)
--------------------------------------------------------
I really hope you feel confident enought to prepare your first batch of soap.
Good luck and happy lathering.
Best regards,
Elaine C. White
--------------------------------------------------------
These instructions are condensed from "Soap Recipes:
Seventy tried-and-true ways to make modern soap with herbs, beeswax and
vegetable oils" Copyright 1995 Elaine C. White. All rights reserved.
International Standard Book Number 0-9637539-5-9
The book is available from: Valley Hills Press, 1864 Ridgeland Drive,
Starkville MS 39759 USA. In the US telephone 800-323-7102. Other countries
call 601-323-7100. Contact [email-masked] for more information.
end

From [email-masked] Mon May 15 23:09:21 EDT 1995
Article: 12170 of alt.folklore.herbs
Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!news-server.ncren.net!news.duke.edu!hookup!europa.chnt.gtegsc.com!news.msfc.nasa.gov!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!gatech!usenet.eel.ufl.edu!freenet3.freenet.ufl.edu!afn25124
From: Frank Thompson <[email-masked]>
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs
Subject: Soap recipe
Date: Thu, 11 May 1995 14:21:33 -0400
Lines: 28
Message-ID: <[email-masked]>
NNTP-Posting-Host: freenet3.freenet.ufl.edu
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

Chris:
Good soap requires fats that are free from dirt, rancidity, lean meat, 
salt and other impurities. Butchers will give you tallow, :}.
BASIC SOAP FORMULA:
Makes 9 pounds of pure, hard, smooth soap suitable for toilet, laundry, 
or soap flakes.
	Cold water		2 1/2 pints
	Pure flake lye		13 ounce can 
		***caution*** lye is caustic
	Clean fat(tallow, lard) 6 pounds
Slowly pour lye into water in Pyrex, iron, or enamel vessel. Stir until 
lye is dissolved. Cool to 93 degrees F.
	Render tallow over low/medium heat. Careful not to burn. Strain 
out any impurities. Cool tallow to 125 degrees F. Pour lye solution into 
fat in a thin steady stream with slow, even stirring (slow means slow). 
Honey-like consistency is formed which becomes thick in 10 to 20 minutes.
	Pour mixture into wooden or pyrex square cake pan lined with clean 
cotton cloth wet in water and wrung nearly dry. Place in protecting pan. 
Cover with a board or cardboard, then with an old rug or blanket to 
retain heat while it's texturing out. Leave alone for 24 hours.
	Remove soap from mold by lifting ends of towel. Cut into bars by 
wrapping soap with a fine wire and pulling through. Dry by placing so air 
can circulate (not in draft or cold). Age for 10 to 14 days.
	You can of course, scent your soap with non-alcohol scents of 
your choice. Please acknowledge.

Franco @freenet.ufl.edu 	 

From: [email-masked] (Nicole Okun)
Newsgroups: misc.rural
Subject: Re: Lye Soap
Date: Wed, 10 Aug 94 20:34:44 -0700
<><><><><><><><><><>

Here is a recipe for single bars of soap, so you can experiment with
different scents or added ingredients and not end up with forty pounds of
hateful stuff.

1/2 C cold soft water
2 heaping Tbsp commercial lye
1 C melted beef tallow

Slowly add the lye to the water, then bring both lye solution and tallow to
about body temperature.  Combine the two in a glass bowl and mix slowly and
steadily with an eggbeater until the consistency is that of sour cream.
Pour mixture into mold and cover with a blanket or cardboard.  After 24
hours,remove from the mold and let it age in open air for two to four weeks
before using.

I don't remember where this recipe came from (I wrote it into my recipe
book) and I have never tried it, but I do have methods and recipes for
making lye, rendering fat, and specialty soaps like grease remover,
vegetable soap (no animal fat), scented soaps, etc.  Let me know if you're
interested!

-- Nicole

uke.edu!zombie.ncsc.mil!blackbird.afit.af.mil!usenet
From: "Thomas C. Johnson" <[email-masked]>
Newsgroups: misc.rural
Subject: Re: So what do you do with the bacon grease?
Date: 2 Aug 1995 17:44:06 GMT

Accumulate left over grease until 
you have about 5 lbs of it. Render it (boil it in water) until it's 
clean, then with a $1.50 can of lye you can make about 1 year's worth of  
homemade soap that is good for you, good for the environment, and will 
save you a bunch of money. Lard/lye soap works well in hard water, is 
biodegradable, takes the itch out of poison ivy, mosquito bites, and even 
gets the dirt off!

From [email-masked] Mon Aug 22 22:54:45 EDT 1994

Well, several people have requested the soap recipes I alluded to in an
earlier post, so here they are.

Once again, my disclaimer: I haven't actually tried these myself.

A few notes to start:

1.  Use soft water (add borax to hard water, or collect rain water)

2.  Line molds with plastic or grease them with Vaseline

3.  Keep some vinegar handy in case you splash lye on yourself (it will
neutralize the lye)

The Ingredients

Castile Soap

1 lb 9 oz olive oil
3 lb 10 oz tallow
10 1/2 oz lye
2 pt water

Avocado Soap - same as above, but substitute 6 oz of avocado oil for 6 oz
of olive oil (this would be incredibly expensive in my part of the world!)

Coconut & Olive Oil Soap

1 lb 7 oz olive oil
1 lb 7 oz coconut oil
1 lb 7 oz tallow
11 1/2 oz lye
2 pt water

Standard Soap

13 oz lye
2 1/2 pt water
3 lb tallow
3 lb lard

Cold Cream Soap

Mix 2 oz of cold cream into standard soap just before pouring into molds

Lanolin Soap

Add 2 oz liquid anhydrous lanolin into the standard recipe before molding

Milk & Honey Soap

Mix 1 oz powdered milk, 1 oz honey into soap while still liquid

Rose Water Soap

Substitute 4 oz of rosewater for plain water when mixing the lye

The Method

Pour cold water into a non-metallic pot, then add the lye slowly while
stirring with a wooden spoon.  The reaction between the lye and water will
heat it almost to boiling.  Let it cool to room temperature.

Bring both the lye solution and the fat to 95 - 98F in separate pots.

Stir the fat, then add the lye solution in a steady stream while stirring.

The mixture will turn opaque and brownish, then lighten.  The consistency
should be like sour cream.

If the mixture separates, it can usually be reclaimed by slowly heating it
to 140F and stirring gently all the while.  Remove from heat and stir until
it turns into soap.

The soap is ready to mold if you let a few drops of it fall on the surface
of the mixture and they are supported for a moment or two before sinking
into the soap.

Add any scents, colours, extra ingredients now, then pour into prepared
molds.

Cover molds with cardboard and leave in a warm place.

After 24 hours, unmold the soap and leave it uncovered for two to four
weeks to age.

Scents

Cinnamon

6 tsp oil of cinnamon
1/2 tsp oil of bergamot
1/2 tsp oil of sassafras

Savon au Bouquet

4 1/2 tsp oil of bergamot
1/4 tsp oil of clove
1/2 tsp oil of thyme
1/2 tsp oil of sassafras
1/2 tsp oil of neroli

Grease Removing Soap

Mix 1 oz of almond meal, oatmeal or cornmeal to the castile soap recipe
before molding.

Vegetable Soap

2 lb 10 oz oilive oil
1 lb 7 oz Crisco
2 pt water
1 lb coconut oil
10 1/4 oz lye

OK, now everybody run off and make soap and let me know how it turns out!

-- Nicole

From: [email-masked] (EWhiteVHP)
Newsgroups: misc.rural
Subject: Lye (& soap) from ashes-2pages
Date: 3 Jun 1995 21:31:07 -0400

Copyright 1995 Elaine C. White. All rights reserved.
Elaine is the author of "Soap Recipes" a 224-page book with over 70 modern
soap recipes. (The following method is not included in the book, but once
you
have 1 cup of lye/water at the "right" strength, you could make any soap
recipe.)

     Making lye from wood ashes is a very-old fashioned method of making
soap. In order to do it properly today, one has to resort to "modern"
methods
of determining the lye strength. Is my method old-fashioned enough to suit
the people?---if they know how to measure the strength of the lye with a
string, rock and a stick? Think I'm nuts don't you? Hang with me a minute.

     If a person could make a lye solution the same specific gravity of
the
lye/water we use, then they'd know how much to add to a pound of fat to
make
soap--one cup, right?

     Well here's how to "Make lye from scratch"
Drill a few holes in the bottom of a plastic garbage bin and then stand it
on
blocks over a large collection dish (lye-resistant material remember). 
Add a
cloth at the bottom of the bin or about 4 inches of straw or pine needles
to
act as a filter. Fill the bin with with finely sifted wood ash, but not
the
kind from paper wastes as they often contain clay and other additives.
Pour a
bucket of cold rainwater on top of the ash.  Wait a few hours to see if
water
seeps from the bottom of the bin. Collect the water, add it to another
bucket
of water and pour through the ashes. Repeat this process every time the
ashes
stop dripping. The water contains lye. The more times it's run through
ashes,
the stronger the lye. It may be necessary to remove the ashes from the bin
and replace them with new ashes in order to make the lye/water strong
enough.
It's also possible to boil the lye/water to reduce the water, making the
remaining lye/water stronger pH. (Better not breathe *those* fumes!)

     Now--Baume is a scientific measurement (like specific gravity) and
it's
a very accurate way of measuring the strength of lye/water. The modern
instrument to measure specific gravity is called a hydrometer.

     Making a old-fashioned hydrometer
Can't remember the source, but remember reading a bunch of absolutely
"foolish" methods of testing the strength of the lye. (Floating an egg is
*not* a good indication.) One of the most interesting (and one that
sounded
most-likely to work) said to make a very strong solution of salt. Really
pour
in the salt, stir and let it sit several hours so the water dissolves as
much
salt as possible. Excess salt will sit at the bottom of the
container--voila!--a "saturated salt solution." This author says that the
specific gravity of this solution was the same as the lye/water needed to
make soap. Said to make an instrument to measure the specific gravity by
tying a rock to a string and tying the other end of the string to a stick
(cork-type arrangement, but the string between the rock and stick must be
very short-no more than an inch or so. Hard to describe, but what you're
doing is almost tying a rock on the bottom of a long stick). Now float the
home-made hydrometer in the saturated salt solution. The rock should sink
and
most of the stick floats above water. (If the rock goes to the bottom, it
may
be too heavy, or the container isn't deep enough) The rock must be
suspended
in the liquid and the stick bobbing freely.  Mark a line at the water
level.
(This is the "magic measurement") Now, put the homemade hydrometer into
the
lye solution. If the lye/water is the "right" strength for soapmaking the
water-line marked should be at the lye/water level. If not, the lye is too
strong, or not strong enough.

     Now, I don't know what strength this guy is talking about (wish I had
his name to give credit for his work), but he sure gave me an idea. I make
a
lye solution of the "right" strength (by adding 2.2 oz weight to 1 cup
water). Put the homemade hydrometer in the solution and make the "magic
mark"
The stick-hydrometer could be used over and over. Hey--that would work! I
know it would!------------Elaine

     Hey, Pam and Diane--is this method primative enough to suit the
living-history people? We could sell "stick hydrometers" to people who
want
to make soap "the old-fashioned way?" Guaranteed repeat market 'cause that
stick ain't gonna last long with repeated exposure to lye/water!
I'm teasing about the sale, but I love the method!

From: Coyote and her Hunter <[email-masked]>
Newsgroups: misc.rural
Subject: Re: Soapmaking
Date: Thu, 21 Mar 1996 10:20:08 -0600

Marge Pritchett wrote:
...P.S. What is the purpose of the lye? If it is caustic and
> shouldn't get on your skin during the soapmaking process then
> how can it be used on skin afterward?

Yes, Marge, lye in its pure form is not good for the skin. But in 
soapmaking, the lye reacts with the fat (whether vegetable or animal) to 
make the soap. The result, if you measure carefully, should not be 
caustic, since all the lye should be used up in the chemical reaction.

I *will* say that the lye soap my grandmother used to make from lard did 
have a tendency to be harsh on clothes, so I assume she had a generous 
hand when she measured the lye. I did enjoy the process of rendering the 
lard, making and cutting the soap, and helping her wash clothes in her 
wringer washer. Nice memories....

DeeAnna

From: [email-masked] (Steve Thomas)
Newsgroups: misc.rural
Subject: Re: Soapmaking
Date: Wed, 03 Apr 1996 08:05:25 GMT

>P.S. What is the purpose of the lye? If it is caustic and
>shouldn't get on your skin during the soapmaking process then
>how can it be used on skin afterward? I grow herbs so would
>like to also know which ones are best for use in soapmaking.
>The vegetable oil based soaps esp. interest me but I would like
>to read about all. Thanks again!

It's a chemical process. Caustic plus lipid produces soap. If you have
an excess of caustic, yeah, the soap ends up being pretty rough on the
skin. If you have an excess of fat, then all the caustic gets used up
in the saponification process, and you have oil mixed up with your
soap.

If you use sodium hydroxide (regular caustic soda), you end up with
regular soap. If you use potassium hydroxide (caustic potash), you end
up with soft soap.

In the process of handling soybeans, they are crushed and the crude
soybean oil is purified by a number of steps, including
saponification. The end result of this process is "neutral dry soap
stock" which has historically been disposed of by blending it into
animal feeds. Frankly, it's a hassle to get rid of, and the feed folks
don't really want it, but nobody really knows what else to do with it.
If you can figure out a use for it, the folks at Central Soya and
Archer-Daniels-Midland would surely be interested in selling it to you
*REALLY* cheap.... <G>

From: [email-masked] (Tom Maynard)
Newsgroups: sci.bio,sci.misc
Subject: Re: Does soap need time to "work"?
Date: 19 Feb 1995 10:52:14 GMT

>There's no instructions on soap, and I don't know who else I can ask. 
>Does soap need time to work?"

As a proud member of the "teeming millions" you (or Cecil) speak of in
such derogatory tones, I feel it is my duty to muddy the water with
another question:

What do you want the soap to do?

If you are using the soap as a *disinfectant*, the contact time is very,
very important.  Although normal soap would make a crappy disinfectant,
it would probably have some disinfectant qualities, and the effectiveness
would be directly proportional to the contact time.  Disinfectant soaps
(such as the antibacterial liquid soaps) often do have instructions which
recommend a minimum contact time.

If you are using it just to get the grime and film off your body, I suspect
that time is not as important.  Not that time doesn't matter at all: the
mixing of detergent and grease would be limited by diffusion, after all,
but the time needed for the soap which you are scrubbing on your body to
diffuse through a very thin layer of hydrophobic grease and grime should
be very short.  Unless, of course, you've been bathing in the tar pits
prior to shower time.  (Scrubbing, of course, is an effective way to speed 
up the diffusion rate)

>enzymatic reaction here. I always thought 
>business about the hydrophilic end of the soap molecule sticking to 
>the water molecules and the hydrophobic end sticking to the dirty was
>a pretty straightforward chemical proposition that might be 
>accelerated by scrubbing but didn't otherwise need time to do its
>stuff. Was I wrong and is Daddy right? 

Unless she's using that new Pancreatic Extract Soap, there shouldn't be
any enzymes involved.  But, as a (cough) Man of Science (cough), Ed,
you should know that chemical reactions aren't instantaneous.  They
may be measured in picoseconds instead of years, but they aren't
instantaneous.  In this case, the limiting factor should be diffusion,
which is pretty fast over short distances.

Article 1924 of rec.food.sourdough:
From: [email-masked] (NANCY COLEMAN)
Newsgroups: rec.food.sourdough
Subject: SOAP RECIPES ETC.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.00

      Title: Glass Cleaner
 Categories: Odd stuff, Cleaners
      Yield: 1 gallon

      1 c  White vinegar
      1 c  Ammonia
      1 tb Mild detergent
     13 c  Warm water

  In a cleam gallon-size plastic jub, mix the alcohol, ammonia, and
  degergent together.  Fill with warm water.  Label jug, keep tightly
  capped, and keep out of reach of children.

  To use:  Pour solution into a clean spray-type bottle.  Spray window
  with the solution, wait 30 seconds, then wipe window thoroughly with
  newspapers, turning paper often.  Discard paper when it is very wet.
  Although you will get your hands nice and dirty if you are not wearing
  plastic gloves, the ink on the paper seems to really shine up the
  windows without leaving any streaks at all.  If you do notice
  streaking, it only means that the windows are still dirty - spray on
  more cleaner, and go at them again.

  SOURCE: Cheaper & Better by Nancy Birnes.
  Typed for you by Nancy Coleman.

MMMMM

 * OLX 2.1 TD * Best way to be useful - stay out of the way.
 * Origin: Salata BBS * Redondo Beach, CA * (310) 543-0439 Fidonet:
(1:102/125)

Article 1925 of rec.food.sourdough:
From: [email-masked] (NANCY COLEMAN)

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.00

      Title: Oven Cleaner
 Categories: Odd stuff, Cleaners
      Yield: 20 ounces

      1 c  Ammonia
      2 c  Boiling water
    1/2 c  Baking soda
      1 c  White vinegar

  Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees.  Leave oven on for 15 minutes; turn off
  and leave the door closed.

  Fill a shallow baking pan with ammonia and place on the top shelf of
  your oven.  fill another pan with 2 cups boiling water and place on
  the bottom shelf.  Close oven and leave pans in for at least 2 hours
  or overnight.

  Remove ammonia and make a past of ammonia, baking soda and vinegar.
  Spread paste on oven surfaces, leave on for 15 minutes, and then
  scrub off with a sponge or steel wool.

  Note: Clean up spills as they happen and you won't have to do this job
  very often.

  SOURCE: Cheaper & Better by Nancy Birnes
  Typed for you by Nancy Coleman

MMMMM

 * OLX 2.1 TD * Green Thumb?  Only when dying Easter Eggs!
 * Origin: Salata BBS * Redondo Beach, CA * (310) 543-0439 Fidonet:
(1:102/125)

Article 1926 of rec.food.sourdough:
From: [email-masked] (NANCY COLEMAN)

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.00

      Title: Dishwasher Spot Stopper
 Categories: Odd stuff, Cleaners
      Yield: 12 ounces

      1 c  Borax
    1/2 c  Baking soda

  Mix ingredients and store in a clean, tightly closed pint-size jar or
  can. Label and keep out of the reach of children.

  To use: Add 1 teaspoon of the mixture to your dishwasher in addition
  to your cleaning crystals.

  Or mix 1 cup Dishwasher Spot Stopper to 2 cups dishwashing crystals
  and use according to your machine's directions.

  SOURCE: Cheaper & Better by Nancy Birnes
  Typed for you by Nancy Coleman

MMMMM

 * OLX 2.1 TD * Originality is undetected plagiarism.
 * Origin: Salata BBS * Redondo Beach, CA * (310) 543-0439 Fidonet:
(1:102/125)

Article 1927 of rec.food.sourdough:
From: [email-masked] (NANCY COLEMAN)

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.00

      Title: Drain Cleaner
 Categories: Odd stuff, Cleaners
      Yield: 20 ounces

      2 c  Baking soda
      2 c  Salt; kosher, rock, or reg.
    1/2 c  Cream of tartar

  Mix ingredients and store in a covered container.  Label and keep out
  of the reach of children.

  To use: Have 2 cups of water boiling on the stove.  Pour 1/4 cup of
  the cleaner down the drain and then follow immediately with half the
  boiling water.  Wait 30 minutes and repeat.  Flush with cold water
  when second application is finished.

  Hints: Keeping your drains clean involves some common sense; make sure
  your sink has a strainer-cover and keep it in the sink at all times.
  You can buy nice plactic replacements at the hardware store, so
  there's no excuse for not having one.

  Try to avoid pouring any kind of grease down the drain.

  If your drain gets clogged, keep a plunger handy and if you dislodge
  any clogs this way, use the Drain Cleaner when you are finished.

  As for the hint that isn't supposed to work, but it does: I pour used
  coffee grounds down the drain at least twice a day, each and every
  day, and I never, ever have a clogged drain.  My mother does the same
  thing and she doesn't have clogged drains either, but everyone who
  sees me do this advises against it. It's supposed to mess up the
  drain, but confidentially, I think the grains act like little
  grinders and scrub the inside of the drain clean.

  SOURCE: Cheaper & Better, by Nancy Birnes.
  Typed for you by Nancy Coleman

MMMMM

 * OLX 2.1 TD * Convert your 486 machine into an 8088 -- install Windows!
 * Origin: Salata BBS * Redondo Beach, CA * (310) 543-0439 Fidonet:
(1:102/125)

Article 1930 of rec.food.sourdough:
From: [email-masked] (NANCY COLEMAN)

I have a book called Cheaper & Better that has all kinds of recipes for
things like home-made mixes, cleaning supplies, bug repellent, egg dye,
and hair spray just to name a few.  If you don't think this is an
inappropriate place to post them I wouldn't mind typing some of them in.
Here are several for cleaning items to get started.
                                Nancy

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.00

      Title: Dry Carpet Cleaner
 Categories: Odd stuff, Cleaners
      Yield: 20 ounces

      2 c  Baking soda
    1/2 c  Cornstarch
      5    Bay leaves; crumbled
      1 tb Ground cloves

  Mix all ingredients together and store them in a container with a
  tight-fitting lid.  Label and keep out of reach of children.

  To use: Plan on leaving the mixture on your carpet overnight if
  possigle. Shake the cleaner and then sprinkle liberally all over the
  carpet to be cleaned.  Close the door to the room so that pets or
  children don't get at the carpet, and then vacumn thoroughly the next
  day.

  Cheap Trick: If you have indentions in your carpet from furniture, you
  might try this trick to lift the carpet's nap; dip a clean dish towel
  in water, wring it out, and lay it down, doubled, over the sopt.  Set
  your iron to its woolen, or medium-high setting and carefully lay the
  iron on the wet towel.  Lift the edge and check - a few moments of
  steaming should do the trick.  Be careful not to let the iron rest
  directly on the carpet or you could burn or even melt the fibers.

  SOURCE: Cheaper and Better by Nancy Birnes.
  Typed for you by Nancy Coleman

MMMMM

 * OLX 2.1 TD * A fool and his money are SYSOP material.
 * Origin: Salata BBS * Redondo Beach, CA * (310) 543-0439 Fidonet:
(1:102/125)

-- 

From: [email-masked]
Subject: FAQ Soapmaking

So, you want to make soap? Good! I'll try my best to tell you how. I'm Elaine
White, author of "Soap Recipes: Seventy tried-and-true ways to make modern
soap with herbs, beeswax and vegetable oils" These instructions are very
condensed and cannot possibly contain the details included in "Soap Recipes."
Nonetheless, I believe you will have a good overview after you read these
instructions. Once you learn basic safety precautions, soapmaking procedures
and termonology, you will be able to make soap from any recipe. The outline
for these instructions is:
A) Safety precautions in handling lye, lye/water and freshly-made soap
B) The equipment list
C) The procedure of combining ingredients and molding soap
D) Herbal soap
E) Superfatting soap
F) US Soapmaking suppliers
G) Soap recipes
---------------------------------------------------
A) Locating lye and safety precautions in handling it.
(The following may frighten you, but I promise that thousands of people make
soap everyday without mishap. You need to know all the dangers present in
order to avoid trouble. If you can get past the following warnings--you are
destined to make soap!) Look where drain cleaners are sold and buy 100% lye
(Red Devil is one brand). Don't bother looking at liquid drain cleaners and
don't try Draino (it contains metal). If you aren't sure the product is 100%
lye, then order lye from a soapmaking or chemical supplier (addresses
listed). Most good soap recipes list lye by weight for accuracy: lye in
granular form (drain cleaner) measures differently than lye in flake form
(the form of lye from chemical suppliers, pool chemical suppliers, etc.).
Scales are a necessary part of sucessful soapmaking and allows you to use any
type of lye. Lye can be nasty if handled improperly. Lye (sodium hydroxide)
is also known as caustic soda.
Upon opening a container of lye, the lye crystals absorb water from the air,
which can weaken the strength of the lye and cause it to form a solid lump.
When not in use, keep lye closely capped. Lye reacts with some metals: iron,
aluminum, zinc, and tin. Safe containers include heatproof stoneware, glass,
enamel, stainless steel and plastic. Lye can be fatal if swallowed. Always
keep it out of the hands of children. Lye can remove paint. If lye, lye/water
or freshly-made soap splatters onto a painted surface, wipe it off
immediately. Wash the area with water and detergent; wash it with clear
water, then wipe it dry. Lye, lye/water and freshly-made soap can burn and
irritate skin. Burns from lye are not instantaneous. It takes awhile for lye
to irritate skin. Chances are you will notice if lye splashes on you. You'll
notice itching before burning. Lye/water on skin is first noticed by a
slippery feeling. Rinse your hands with vinegar and immediately rinse them
with running water. Since lye can burn skin, you can imagine what it does to
eyes. It's difficult to rinse your eyes while they're burning and you can't
see. This painful and dangerous situation in entirely avoidable. Always wear
eye protection! You may wonder why anyone wants to bathe with soap that
contains something as harsh as lye. Well, the good news is that soap is
*made* with lye, but soap doesn't *contain* lye. Lye reacts with fats,
crating roughly three molecules soap and one molecule glycerin. The lye is no
longer presnet--only great soap and glycerin.
-------------------------------------------------
B) The equipment list
# one 4-to-6 cup mixing container made of lye-resistant material
  (I use a stainless steel mixing bowl)
# one heatproof container that holds at least 2 cups
  (I use a Pyrex measuring cup)
# stainess steel, plastic or wooden spoon or a rubber spatula
# two thermometers made of glass or stainless steel
  (candy and meat thermometers work well)
# eye protection (wear sunglasses if you have to!)
# rubber gloves (optional)
# scale to weight the fats and lye
# soap molds (any flexible plastic container works well)
# a clock with a second hand or other type timer
# wire whisk (optional)
# pot holders or oven mitts
# measuring spoons
----------------------------------------------------
C) The procedure
1) Put the fats in a lye-resistant container and place a glass or stainless
steel thermometer into the fats. Be sure the thermometer doesn't touch the
bottom of the container and give a false reading. Heat the fats and optional
ingredients to the temperature specified in the recipe.
2) Put on eye protection and rubber gloves.
3) Dissolve the lye in cold water (use distilled water if your water is
hard) and wait for it to reach the temperature specified in the recipe. Use a
heat-proof container to measure the amount of cold water (70 to 75 degrees F)
specified in the recipe. Cold water is important. If you add lye to hot or
boiling water, the water could "boil-up" out of the container; if you add lye
to *really* cold water, the lye/water might not reach the high temperatures
required to make some recipes. Stir the
water and slowly add the lye. The water will get hot and turn cloudy.
Continue to stir until the lye dissolves. Don't breathe or intentionally
smell the fumes coming from the cup because they are quite "chokey." If you
wait too long to stir the water, the lye could harden in the bottom of the
container. This is not a problem. You can still sitr it, but it will be more
difficult. Add a glass or stainless steel thermometer to the lye/water and
wait until it reaches the temperature specified in the recipe. Temperatures
for making soap aren't critical. For small one-pound batches, temperatures
from 120 to 150 degrees F usually work well.
4) When both the fat and the lye/water reach the temperature specified in the
recipe, add the lye/water to the fat. I's sometimes a balancing act to get
the fat mixture and the lye/water mxiture to specific temperatures at the
same time. Never place lye/water in a microwave (the cup could break). It
takes lye/water longer to cool than it takes fat to heat. Most soapmakers
wait for the lye/water to cool to about five degrees above the desired
temperature, then heat the fat. When both the lye/water and the fat are
within five degrees of the temperatures specified in the recipe, use a pot
holder and move the bowl to a sink (to contain splatters). Slowly pour the
lye/water into the fats while stirring.
5) Stir the soap until it "traces." When lye, water and fat first combine,
the mixture is thin and watery. Gradually, as the lye and fat react
chemically to form soap, the mixture thickens and turns opaque. "Tracing" is
a term to describe the consistency (thickness) of soap when it's ready to
pour into molds. To test for tracing: 
 a. Drip some soap onto the surface of the soap in the stirring bowl. It
should leave a "trace" or small mound.
 b. Draw a line in the soap with a spoon or rubber spatula. If a "trace" of
the line remains for a few seconds, the soap has traced.
Tracing is easy to recognize, yet it causes new soapmakers a lot of worry.
Relax and know that the soap will trace eventually. Just stir the soap
constantly for the first 15 minutes or so, then stir the soap every fifteen
minutes until it thickens and traces, no matter how long it takes.
6) After the soap traces, add up to one tablespoon essential oil (if desired)
and stir a few minutes longer to incorporate the oil.
7) Pour the soap into molds and wait for it to harden.
8) Unmold the soap, Soap is still harsh when it's time to remove it from the
molds. Put on rubber gloves and press the back of each mold compartment to
release the soap. It's a lot like removing ice cubes from a tray. Sometimes
the soap doesn't release easily from the mold. To overcome this problem,
leave the soap in a freezer for a few hours. Freezing soap causes it to
contract slightly, becom hard and release from the plastic mold.
9) Wait the time specified in a recipe for the soap to "age." (usually 3
weeks). During the aging time the pH of the soap decreased (the soap becomes
mild) and the bars harden. It's a good idea to write the following
information on a piece of paper and place it with the soap: the date you made
the soap, the date the aging time is over, and the recipe name.
10) Step 10 is *enjoy your soap!*
As soap ages, a fine, white powder may appear on the surface. This is soda
ash (sodium carbonate) formed by a reaction of lye with carbon dioxide in
air. This white powder is mostly on the surface exposed to air while the soap
was in the molds. Soap that contains wax develops little or no soda ash.
There are three ways to deal with soda ash: 
 a. Try to prevent it. Immediately after pouring soap into molds, cover the
soap with plastic wrap or waxed paper. Press the wrap or paper onto the
surface of the soap to prevent air contact.
 b. Cut it away. Overfill the molds slightly. Later, when the soap hardens,
take a knife and cut the soap level with the mold. This also cuts away the
soda ash.
 c. Wash it away. Wait until the soap ages and hardens. Wash the powder away
by rubbing the soap with your hands under running water or by rubbing the
soap over a wet dishcloth. Set the soap aside to dry----then, *enjoy your
soap!*
-----------------------------------------------------
D. Herbal soap
You can replace the water in soap recipes with herbal tea, but to be honest,
most of the properties (color and fragrance) are lost. The best way to use
herbs in soap is to add dry, finely powdered herbs to the fats before adding
the lye/water. Use anywhere from 1 tablespoon to 1/4 cup dried herbs to 1 lb
soap. Coarsly ground herbs should be restricted to about 1 or 2 tablespoons
per lb soap because they contribute a coarseness to the soap that sometimes
makes it uncomfortable during use. The nicest way to add properties of herbs
to soap is the addition of pure essential oils. Use anywhere from 1 teaspoon
to 2 tablespoons essential oil per lb soap (depending on the strength of the
oil). Color is an illusive thing as far as soap is concerned. Natural colors
can be obtained by adding 2 tablespoons red clay, calendula petals and
strong, true color can be obtained from Pourette's dye recommended for soap.
Use up to 1/8 teaspoon per lb soap.
---------------------------------------------------
E. Superfatting soap
The following recipes have the exact amount of lye to make soap that contains
very little excess fat. This soap leaves skin perfectly clean and smooth
feeling. Some people like excess fat in recipes. For this I recommend 2 to 4 
tablespoons castor oil added when the soap traces. Castor oil is emollient
and contributes to soap lather.
-----------------------------------------------------
F. Soapmakers supply list (United States)

Barker Enterprises, Inc.
15106 10th Ave SW
Seattle WA 98166
Telephone: 206-244-1870
retail/wholesale: waxes, molds and candle dye (which works for soap)

Chem Lab Supplies
1060 Ortega Way, Unit C
Placentia CA 92670
Telephone 714 630-7902
Fax  714-630-3553
retail: pH kits, electronic scales, lye

Hagenow Laboratories, Inc.
1302 Washington St
Manitowoc WI 54220
No telephone, correspond by mail and request catalog
lye, waxes, clays, essential oils, thermometers and pH kits

Liberty Natural Products
8120 SE Stark St
Portland OR 97215
1-800-289-8427
$50 minimum order retail/wholesale same price
essential oils, soapmaking fats, herbs, clays, etc.

K & W Popcorn
710 E 24th St
Trenton MO 64683
Telephone 816-359-2030
retail only: coconut oil 5 gallons (will ship)

Lorann Oils
4518 Aurelius Rd
Lansing MI 48909
Telephone 1-800-248-1302
retail/wholesale: essential oils, fats, candy molds, waxes

Pourette Soapmaking Supplies
6910 Roosevelt Way NE
Seattle WA 98115
Telephone 206-525-4488
retail/wholesale molds, dye, wax (request *soapmaking* price list as it's
different than their regular catalog, which contains candle molds)

Sunfeather Soapmaking Supply
HCR 84 Box 60-A
Potsdam NY 13676
Telephone 315-265-3648
retail only: lye, fats, soap fragrance
-----------------------------------------------------
G) Now, the moment you've been waiting for--the recipes!
copyright 1995 in "Soap Recipes" by Elaine C. White
All rights reserved. All ounces (oz) are determined by weight unless
otherwise stated. Lye is "sodium hydroxide" granular or flake form.

Pure Soap
16 oz coconut oil
 2.8 oz lye 
1 cup water (8 fluid ounces)
Fat and lye/water temperature about 120 degrees F
Time in molds: 48 hours
Age: 3 weeks

Pure Soap II (softer style)
16 oz weight coconut oil
2.9 oz lye
3/4 cup water (6 fluid ounces)
Oil room temp
Mix and use lye
Estimated tracing 1 to 2 hours
When the soap traces, add 4 tablespoons castor oil to superfat the soap.
Makes a smoother texture. Leave the soap in the mold 24 hours, freeze 3
hours, then remove from the mold. Age: 3 weeks.

Soap III
6 oz coconut oil
6 oz olive oil
5 oz vegetable shortening
2.6 oz lye
1 cup water (8 fluid ounces)
Fat and lye/water temperature about 120 degrees F
Time in molds: 48 hours
Age: 4 weeks

Soap IV
9 oz vegetable shortening
4 oz coconut oil
3 oz lard
2.4 oz lye
3/4 cup water (6 fluid ounces)
Fat and lye/water temperature about 120 degrees F
Time in molds: 24 hours
Age: 3 weeks

Soap V
10 oz vegetable shortening
 6 oz coconut oil
2.4 oz lye
1 cup water (8 fluid ounces)
Fat and lye/temperature about 120 degrees F
Time in molds: 48 hours
Age: 4 weeks

Soap VI & VII
16 oz lard or beef tallow
2.3 oz lye
3/4 cup water (6 fluid ounces)
Estimated tracing 45 minutes
Fat and lye/water temperature about 120 degrees F
Time in molds: 24 hours
Age: 3 weeks

Soap VIII
Beeswax Castile 
13 oz weight olive oil
 2 oz beeswax
 1 oz palm oil
2.1 oz lye
1 cup water (8 fluid ounces)
(melt the beeswax with the fats)
Fat and lye/water temperature about 150 degrees F
Tracing time: about 12 minutes FAST!
Time in molds: 48 hours
Place the soap in a freezer for 3 hours, then remove it from the molds
Age: 6 to 8 weeks for the bars to harden

Beeswax Soap IX
(follow directions at "Soap VIII)
16 oz weight olive oil
 2 oz weight beeswax
2.2 oz weight lye
1 cup water (8 fluid ounces)
--------------------------------------------------------
I really hope you feel confident enought to prepare your first batch of soap.
Good luck and happy lathering.
Best regards,
Elaine C. White
--------------------------------------------------------
These instructions are condensed from "Soap Recipes:
Seventy tried-and-true ways to make modern soap with herbs, beeswax and
vegetable oils" Copyright 1995 Elaine C. White. All rights reserved.
International Standard Book Number 0-9637539-5-9
The book is available from: Valley Hills Press, 1864 Ridgeland Drive,
Starkville MS 39759 USA. In the US telephone 800-323-7102. Other countries
call 601-323-7100. Contact [email-masked] for more information.
end

-=-=-=-=-
and here's some more:
-

(288)   Tue 15 Feb 94 10:50
By: Tom Keller
Re: Soap Making

  Someone queried here about soapmaking recently.  I found this:

"SOAP.  Making It, Using It, Enjoying It." by Ann Sela Bramson, Workman
Publishing Company, NY NY, 1972

  It talks about all sorts of soapmaking techniques, covers vegetable
oil based soaps as well as tallow based soaps, and offers excellent
safety tips.

  I have absolutely no idea if it is still in print.  Hope this helps.

 * Origin: Sonoma Online, HOMEPOWR Echo (707)545-0746-HST\V32b (1:125/7)

(328)   Sat 19 Feb 94 15:22
By: Kim Hay
Re: Home Made Products

I have a recipe for homemade soap:
     To: All Soapmakers
     Subject: Soap recipes

----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.00

      Title: Mild Coconut Soap; and Mild Milk and Honey Soap
 Categories: Tightwad, Crafts, Soap
      Yield: 30 bars

---------------------MILD COCONUT SOAP--------------------------
     47 oz Olive oil
     19 oz Coconut oil
     27 oz Vegetable shortening
 10 3/4 oz Lye
     32 oz Lye

------------------MILD MILK AND HONEY SOAP-----------------------
     44 oz Olive oil
     17 oz Coconut oil
     24 oz Solid vegetable shortening
           -like Crisco
 10 3/4 oz Lye (one can)
     32 oz Water
      1 oz Powdered milk
      1 oz Honey

          You will also need a large flat box lined with wax paper or a
  cloth; a long-handled wooden spoon and a thermometer that measures
  temperatures between 95 an 98 degrees accurately, like a dairy
  thermometer or candy thermometer.

          Put all the oils and shortening into a heavy enamel pot, not
  aluminum.  Heat over low.  When it is about half melted, take it off
  the stove.  It's hot enough that the rest will melt.  Now pour the ly
  and water into the jar.  It sizzles and bubbles and is dangerous!
  Don't get it on your skin.
          Now place the bottle of lye solution in a sink or pan of cold
  water and the pan of fats in a sink or pan of cold water.  Now you
  have to keep testing with the thermometer, watching to see when both
  the oils and the lye are between 95 and 98 degrees. Go back and
  forth, back and forth carefully.  When both are in that range, have
  someone pour the lye solution slowly into the pot of fats as you
  steadily stir the fats in a circular mothion.  You should be stirring
  as the lye is being added.  I pour in the lye myself as I'm stirring,
  but it's a little tricky so you should get some help the first time.
  Now kee stirring slowly and steadily until the soap thickens, which
  won't be long. To test it's readiness to pour, lift the wooden spoon
  out of the mixture and drip it back onto the surface.  Whenyoucn drip
  a little shape that stays there a moment before it disappears -- this
  is called tracing -- then the soap is ready to pour. Now por it inot
  your prepared box.  cover it with a towl, now , and leave it alone
  for about 24 hours.  You may peek gently once or twice!
          After 24 hours has passed, it is soap.  You can cut it into
  nice bars now.  But please wear rubber gloves because it still
  contains a lot of free lye which will burn your hands.  After
  cutting, allow the soap to age and cure for 2 weeks to a month.  Then
  it will be ready to use. Before you use it, wipe off the dusty powder
  that is on the surface of the soap, because it might damage your skin.
          The question people always ask me is, "Where do I get lye?"
  Lye is drain cleaner!  Look closesly at the little red white and blue
  can of drain cleaner you buy at the grocery store.  It says "100%
  lye"  Red Devil is the most common brand.
          Coconut oil is available in health food stores and through
  food coops.  It is also available throuwh Golden Meadows Herb Farm,
  address recources section.  It is an expensive oil compratively, and
  it doesn't look like oil, it is solid like shortening.  You cannot
  substitute one oil for another when making soap, because different
  oils saponify at different temperatures, that is, the temperatures at
  which the oil and lye become soap vary accorting to the type of oil.

  These are from the meal master series.

Kim Hay

Date: Sat, 22 Oct 94 18:39:13 GMT
From: Nikki Locke <[email-masked]>
Subject: Re: information request: lambsquarters (fwd)

> Hi! For my B.Sc. (Agric)- horticulture undergraduate project I am examining
> different seed treatments of lamb's quarters (Chenopodium album L.) in order to
> obtain information for a better method to increase harvestable yield of
> herbage. Yes herbage! 
>    I am examining this plant as it is a suitable potherb and there is a market
> for it (and it tastes good too!).
>    I am looking for information about:
> - edible uses, culture, other uses (ie. cover crop, forage) 

Here is what the "Plants for a Future" plant database has to say about it ...

Latin name: Chenopodium album
Botanical references: 17
Family: Chenopodiaceae
Common name: Fat hen
Habit: Annual
Deciduous/Evergreen:
Height:            0.9
Width:            0.2
Hardyness:
Range: Britain.
Habitat: A common weed of cultivated g
Soil: LMH
Shade: N
Moisture: M
Well-drained: 0
Nitrogen fixer: 0
pH: ANB
Acid: 0
Alkaline: 0
Saline: 0
Wind:
Growth rate:
Pollution:
Poor soil: 0
Drought: 0
Wildlife: 0
Woodland: 0
Meadow: 0
Wall: 0
In leaf:
Flowering time: 7 - 10
Seed ripens: 8 - 10
Flower Type: H
Pollinators: Wind
Self-fertile:
Known hazards: The leaves and seeds of all 
               members of this genus are 
               more or less edible. 
               However, many of the species 
               in this genus contain 
               saponins, though usually in 
               quantities too small to do 
               any harm. Although toxic, 
               saponins are poorly absorbed 
               by the body and most pass 
               straight through without any 
               problem. They are also 
               broken down to a large 
               extent in the cooking 
               process. Saponins are found 
               in many foods, such as some 
               beans. The plants also 
               contain some oxalic acid, 
               which in large quantities 
               can lock up some of the 
               nutrients in the food, but 
               they are very nutritious 
               vegetables in reasonable 
               quantities.  There is also a 
               report that very large 
               quantities of the leaves 
               have caused photosensitivity 
               in some people[74]. Only the 
               raw leaves can cause 
               problems, and then only if 
               large quantities are 
               consumed[172].

Synonyms: C. reticulatum.

Cultivation details: Succeeds on most soils, but 
                     dislikes shade[1, 200].  
                     Prefers a moderately fertile 
                     soil[200].
                     In moderate amounts this 
                     plant is a good companion 
                     for potatoes, corn and 
                     cucurbits[20, 54]. 
                     Responds directly to the Mg 
                     content of the soil so it 
                     can be used as an 
                     indicator[114]. 
                     Occassionally cultivated as 
                     a food crop,[46] there is at 
                     least one named 
                     variety[183]. Called 
                     'Magenta' in reference to 
                     the colour of its leaves, it 
                     is considered by some people 
                     to be the best tasting of 
                     all potherbs[183].

Edible uses: Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 4, 
             5, 9, 12, 20, 54, 62, 102]. 
             A very acceptable spinach 
             substitute[183]. The leaves 
             are best not eaten raw, see 
             notes at the top of the 
             page[74]. The leaves are 
             generally very nutritious 
             but very large quantities 
             can disturb the nervous 
             system and cause gastric 
             pain[74]. The leaves contain 
             about 3.9% protein, 0.76% 
             fat, 8.93% carbohydrate, 3% 
             ash[179].
             Edible seed - dried and 
             ground into a meal and eaten 
             raw or baked into a 
             bread[[2, 4, 12, 14, 54, 
             102, 183]. The seed can also 
             be sprouted and added to 
             salads[183]. The seed is 
             very fiddly to harvest and 
             use due to its small 
             size[9]. The seed should be 
             soaked in water overnight 
             and thoroughly rinsed before 
             it is used in order to 
             remove any saponins. Seeds 
             contain about 49% 
             carbohydrate, 16% protein, 
             7% ash, 5.88% ash[114, 179].
             Young inflorescences - 
             cooked[183].
Medicinal: Antiphlogistic, 
           antirheumatic, 
           odontalgic[172].

Uses notes:  A green dye is obtained 
             from the young shoots[99].
             The crushed fresh roots are 
             a mild soap substitute[106].

Propagation 1: Seed - sow spring in situ. 
               Usually self-sows freely in 
               most soils.

Cultivars: -
Heavy clay: 0
Last update:16/12/93
Record checked: -

<><><><><><><><><>

Here is a recipe for single bars of soap, so you can experiment with
different scents or added ingredients and not end up with forty pounds of
hateful stuff.

1/2 C cold soft water
2 heaping Tbsp commercial lye
1 C melted beef tallow

Slowly add the lye to the water, then bring both lye solution and tallow to
about body temperature.  Combine the two in a glass bowl and mix slowly and
steadily with an eggbeater until the consistency is that of sour cream.
Pour mixture into mold and cover with a blanket or cardboard.  After 24
hours,remove from the mold and let it age in open air for two to four weeks
before using.

I don't remember where this recipe came from (I wrote it into my recipe
book) and I have never tried it, but I do have methods and recipes for
making lye, rendering fat, and specialty soaps like grease remover,
vegetable soap (no animal fat), scented soaps, etc.  Let me know if you're
interested!

-- Nicole

From [email-masked] Apr 18 13:32:01 1995
Date: Mon, 15 Aug 94 20:37:13 -0700
From: Nicole Okun <[email-masked]>
Newsgroups: misc.rural
Subject: Soap Recipes (finally!)

Well, several people have requested the soap recipes I alluded to in an
earlier post, so here they are.

Once again, my disclaimer: I haven't actually tried these myself.

A few notes to start:

1.  Use soft water (add borax to hard water, or collect rain water)

2.  Line molds with plastic or grease them with Vaseline

3.  Keep some vinegar handy in case you splash lye on yourself (it will
neutralize the lye)

The Ingredients

Castile Soap

1 lb 9 oz olive oil
3 lb 10 oz tallow
10 1/2 oz lye
2 pt water

Avocado Soap - same as above, but substitute 6 oz of avocado oil for 6 oz
of olive oil (this would be incredibly expensive in my part of the world!)

Coconut & Olive Oil Soap

1 lb 7 oz olive oil
1 lb 7 oz coconut oil
1 lb 7 oz tallow
11 1/2 oz lye
2 pt water

Standard Soap

13 oz lye
2 1/2 pt water
3 lb tallow
3 lb lard

Cold Cream Soap

Mix 2 oz of cold cream into standard soap just before pouring into molds

Lanolin Soap

Add 2 oz liquid anhydrous lanolin into the standard recipe before molding

Milk & Honey Soap

Mix 1 oz powdered milk, 1 oz honey into soap while still liquid

Rose Water Soap

Substitute 4 oz of rosewater for plain water when mixing the lye

The Method

Pour cold water into a non-metallic pot, then add the lye slowly while
stirring with a wooden spoon.  The reaction between the lye and water will
heat it almost to boiling.  Let it cool to room temperature.

Bring both the lye solution and the fat to 95 - 98F in separate pots.

Stir the fat, then add the lye solution in a steady stream while stirring.

The mixture will turn opaque and brownish, then lighten.  The consistency
should be like sour cream.

If the mixture separates, it can usually be reclaimed by slowly heating it
to 140F and stirring gently all the while.  Remove from heat and stir until
it turns into soap.

The soap is ready to mold if you let a few drops of it fall on the surface
of the mixture and they are supported for a moment or two before sinking
into the soap.

Add any scents, colours, extra ingredients now, then pour into prepared
molds.

Cover molds with cardboard and leave in a warm place.

After 24 hours, unmold the soap and leave it uncovered for two to four
weeks to age.

Scents

Cinnamon

6 tsp oil of cinnamon
1/2 tsp oil of bergamot
1/2 tsp oil of sassafras

Savon au Bouquet

4 1/2 tsp oil of bergamot
1/4 tsp oil of clove
1/2 tsp oil of thyme
1/2 tsp oil of sassafras
1/2 tsp oil of neroli

Grease Removing Soap

Mix 1 oz of almond meal, oatmeal or cornmeal to the castile soap recipe
before molding.

Vegetable Soap

2 lb 10 oz oilive oil
1 lb 7 oz Crisco
2 pt water
1 lb coconut oil
10 1/4 oz lye

<><><><><><><>

Here is a recipe for single bars of soap, so you can experiment with
different scents or added ingredients and not end up with forty pounds of
hateful stuff.

1/2 C cold soft water
2 heaping Tbsp commercial lye
1 C melted beef tallow

Slowly add the lye to the water, then bring both lye solution and tallow to
about body temperature.  Combine the two in a glass bowl and mix slowly and
steadily with an eggbeater until the consistency is that of sour cream.
Pour mixture into mold and cover with a blanket or cardboard.  After 24
hours,remove from the mold and let it age in open air for two to four weeks
before using.

I don't remember where this recipe came from (I wrote it into my recipe
book) and I have never tried it, but I do have methods and recipes for
making lye, rendering fat, and specialty soaps like grease remover,
vegetable soap (no animal fat), scented soaps, etc.  Let me know if you're
interested!

-- Nicole
From [email-masked] Mon May 15 23:12:36 EDT 1995
Article: 12099 of alt.folklore.herbs
Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!rutgers!rochester!udel!news.sprintlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!news-e1a.megaweb.com!newstf01.news.aol.com!newsbf02.news.aol.com!not-for-mail
From: [email-masked] (EWhiteVHP)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs
Subject: soap molds, mixer & newsletter
Date: 13 May 1995 14:04:08 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Lines: 46
Sender: [email-masked]
Message-ID: <[email-masked]>
Reply-To: [email-masked] (EWhiteVHP)
NNTP-Posting-Host: newsbf02.mail.aol.com

Here's the scoop on some new soap molds available. Seems the designs are
copied from Pourette's (exact size, shape, etc). The difference is that
this company sells only one type mold and the mold contains six designs:
hexagon, oval, round, rectangular, heart and square. The plastic is thick,
white and seems very substancial. The man selling these molds says he's
used them in the freezer and he has used them for about 4 months with no
damage. He has lower prices than the following, but said if anyone wanted
to see the molds to send $7 for 2. This includes shipping, etc. He doesn't
accept credit cards at this time, so the telephone number is just if you
have a question.
  Soapmaking Kits
  P O Bx 6751
  Lee's Summit MO 64064
  Telephone 816-525-0664

Also received samples of the world's first soap newsletter, "Soapmaking
Today". I think the editor, Robert Jones, did a pretty good job. He
announced "The First Great Soap Swap." Seems readers send 16 pieces of
soap (at least 1 ounce each) to him along with the recipe and $3. He
coordinates the packages and sends each person 16 different types of soap
with recipes. Sounds like a NRR huh? He said he'd publish the best recipes
in future newsletters. 

The newsletter also described and pictured a soap mixer called "The White
Tornado" It holds 4 gallons of soap, stirs it and costs $449.95! (which
includes shipping and handling, thank goodness). He says "The Soap
Blender" makes soap with better texture than hand-stirred soap.

The newsletter also contains tips and ideas for home-based businesses. For
a sample, send $5 and request a sample copy of "Soapmaking Today" from:
   Robert Jones
  110 SE Greystone
  Lee's Summit MO 64063

This is the same man who said he's working on a "soap slicer" and would
let us know when it's ready.

Oh, one more interesting tidbit from the newsletter. He says "You do not
have to label your soap products with ingredients" thanks to lobbiests
with the CTFA (Cosmetics, Toiletry and Fragrance Association). He said you
"do" have to list ingredients if you claim your product to be a "dandruff
shampoo" or a "skin softener" etc. 

I'm just passing info along and don't know if this guy "knows his stuff"
or not.
Elaine

From [email-masked] Mon May 15 23:11:50 EDT 1995
Article: 12109 of alt.folklore.herbs
Path: bigblue.oit.unc.edu!concert!news-server.ncren.net!news.duke.edu!hookup!europa.chnt.gtegsc.com!news.sprintlink.net!paperboy.ids.net!mailman!karyn.siegel-maier
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs
In-Reply-To: [email-masked]
Subject: Re: Soapmaking
From: [email-masked]
Message-ID: <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 9 May 95 15:36:00 EST
Organization: Knights Of The Light BBS
Lines: 5

I've recently launched a small press company which has several publications
available pertaining to the use of herbs.  One of my booklets not only gives
the procedure and recipes for various soaps, but includes dozens of recipes
for making many cosmetics/toiletries.  If you're interested in this
publication (or would like a list of other titles) let me know.

From [email-masked] Tue Sep 24 22:55:38 EDT 1996
Article: 32764 of misc.rural
Path: newz.oit.unc.edu!sun-net.ncren.net!rutgers!news.sgi.com!spool.mu.edu!newspump.sol.net!www.nntp.primenet.com!nntp.primenet.com!cs.utexas.edu!howland.erols.net!newsfeed.internetmci.com!in3.uu.net!news.alt.net!newspost1.alt.net!usenet
From: Terry Shay <[email-masked]>
Newsgroups: misc.rural
Subject: Soapmaking
Date: Mon, 16 Sep 1996 19:07:05 -0700
Organization: Altopia Corp. - Affordable Usenet Access - http://www.alt.net
Lines: 8
Message-ID: <[email-masked]>
Reply-To: [email-masked]
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.0 (Win16; I)

If anyone has an interest in making their own soap, I supply soapmaking
items. I have a pretty good list, and I also can supply you with all
kinds of book titles that deal with soapmaking, and other related
things.

Just Email me if you're interested.

Terry

(288)   Tue 15 Feb 94 10:50
By: Tom Keller
Re: Soap Making

  Someone queried here about soapmaking recently.  I found this:

"SOAP.  Making It, Using It, Enjoying It." by Ann Sela Bramson, Workman
Publishing Company, NY NY, 1972

  It talks about all sorts of soapmaking techniques, covers vegetable
oil based soaps as well as tallow based soaps, and offers excellent
safety tips.

  I have absolutely no idea if it is still in print.  Hope this helps.

 * Origin: Sonoma Online, HOMEPOWR Echo (707)545-0746-HST\V32b (1:125/7)

(328)   Sat 19 Feb 94 15:22
By: Kim Hay
Re: Home Made Products

I have a recipe for homemade soap:
     To: All Soapmakers
     Subject: Soap recipes

----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.00

      Title: Mild Coconut Soap; and Mild Milk and Honey Soap
 Categories: Tightwad, Crafts, Soap
      Yield: 30 bars

---------------------MILD COCONUT SOAP--------------------------
     47 oz Olive oil
     19 oz Coconut oil
     27 oz Vegetable shortening
 10 3/4 oz Lye
     32 oz Lye

------------------MILD MILK AND HONEY SOAP-----------------------
     44 oz Olive oil
     17 oz Coconut oil
     24 oz Solid vegetable shortening
           -like Crisco
 10 3/4 oz Lye (one can)
     32 oz Water
      1 oz Powdered milk
      1 oz Honey

          You will also need a large flat box lined with wax paper or a
  cloth; a long-handled wooden spoon and a thermometer that measures
  temperatures between 95 an 98 degrees accurately, like a dairy
  thermometer or candy thermometer.

          Put all the oils and shortening into a heavy enamel pot, not
  aluminum.  Heat over low.  When it is about half melted, take it off
  the stove.  It's hot enough that the rest will melt.  Now pour the ly
  and water into the jar.  It sizzles and bubbles and is dangerous!
  Don't get it on your skin.
          Now place the bottle of lye solution in a sink or pan of cold
  water and the pan of fats in a sink or pan of cold water.  Now you
  have to keep testing with the thermometer, watching to see when both
  the oils and the lye are between 95 and 98 degrees. Go back and
  forth, back and forth carefully.  When both are in that range, have
  someone pour the lye solution slowly into the pot of fats as you
  steadily stir the fats in a circular mothion.  You should be stirring
  as the lye is being added.  I pour in the lye myself as I'm stirring,
  but it's a little tricky so you should get some help the first time.
  Now kee stirring slowly and steadily until the soap thickens, which
  won't be long. To test it's readiness to pour, lift the wooden spoon
  out of the mixture and drip it back onto the surface.  Whenyoucn drip
  a little shape that stays there a moment before it disappears -- this
  is called tracing -- then the soap is ready to pour. Now por it inot
  your prepared box.  cover it with a towl, now , and leave it alone
  for about 24 hours.  You may peek gently once or twice!
          After 24 hours has passed, it is soap.  You can cut it into
  nice bars now.  But please wear rubber gloves because it still
  contains a lot of free lye which will burn your hands.  After
  cutting, allow the soap to age and cure for 2 weeks to a month.  Then
  it will be ready to use. Before you use it, wipe off the dusty powder
  that is on the surface of the soap, because it might damage your skin.
          The question people always ask me is, "Where do I get lye?"
  Lye is drain cleaner!  Look closesly at the little red white and blue
  can of drain cleaner you buy at the grocery store.  It says "100%
  lye"  Red Devil is the most common brand.
          Coconut oil is available in health food stores and through
  food coops.  It is also available throuwh Golden Meadows Herb Farm,
  address recources section.  It is an expensive oil compratively, and
  it doesn't look like oil, it is solid like shortening.  You cannot
  substitute one oil for another when making soap, because different
  oils saponify at different temperatures, that is, the temperatures at
  which the oil and lye become soap vary accorting to the type of oil.

  These are from the meal master series.

Thank you again moderator

Kim Hay

 * Origin: * Moonlight Cascade**RR#2 Perth Road**613-353-7369 * (1:249/133)
From [email-masked] Mon May 15 23:06:14 EDT 1995
Article: 12159 of alt.folklore.herbs
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From: [email-masked] (EWhiteVHP)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.herbs
Subject: Soapmaking 7 pgs
Date: 11 May 1995 12:07:17 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Lines: 440
Sender: [email-masked]
Message-ID: <[email-masked]>
Reply-To: [email-masked] (EWhiteVHP)
NNTP-Posting-Host: newsbf02.mail.aol.com

Here are about 7 pages (printed) of soapmaking instructions and a
shameless
plug for my book. Hope you enjoy. These are the same instructions
available
>from  America Online's library. Feel free to pass the information along to
others. Just keep the copyright information included and I'll be happy.
Best regards,
Elaine
-------------------------------------------------------
So, you want to make soap? Good! I'll try my best to tell you how. I'm
Elaine
White, author of "Soap Recipes: Seventy tried-and-true ways to make modern
soap with herbs, beeswax and vegetable oils" These instructions are very
condensed and cannot possibly contain the details included in "Soap
Recipes."
Nonetheless, I believe you will have a good overview after you read these
instructions. Once you learn basic safety precautions, soapmaking
procedures
and termonology, you will be able to make soap from any recipe. The
outline
for these instructions is:
A) Safety precautions in handling lye, lye/water and freshly-made soap
B) The equipment list
C) The procedure of combining ingredients and molding soap
D) Herbal soap
E) Superfatting soap
F) US Soapmaking suppliers
G) Soap recipes
Once you read these instructions and if possible, join the soapmakers at
America Online. Go to "The Exchange" click on "Crafts and sewing" then
"other
crafts" and you will find "soapmaking." AOL gives me free time online to
help
soapmakers and I often join the discussions. I am glad to help you in any
way.
---------------------------------------------------
A) Locating lye and safety precautions in handling it.
(The following may frighten you, but I promise that thousands of people
make
soap everyday without mishap. You need to know all the dangers present in
order to avoid trouble. If you can get past the following warnings--you
are
destined to make soap!) Look where drain cleaners are sold and buy 100%
lye
(Red Devil is one brand). Don't bother looking at liquid drain cleaners
and
don't try Draino (it contains metal). If you aren't sure the product is
100%
lye, then order lye from a soapmaking or chemical supplier (addresses
listed). Most good soap recipes list lye by weight for accuracy: lye in
granular form (drain cleaner) measures differently than lye in flake form
(the form of lye from laboratory chemical suppliers, pool chemical
suppliers,
etc). Scales are a necessary part of sucessful soapmaking and allows you
to
use any type of lye. Lye can be nasty if handled improperly. Lye (sodium
hydroxide) is also known as caustic soda. Upon opening a container of lye,
the lye crystals absorb water from the air, which can weaken the strength
of
the lye and cause it to form a solid lump. When not in use, keep lye
closely
capped. Lye reacts with some metals: aluminum, zinc, and tin. Safe
containers
include heatproof stoneware, glass, enamel, stainless steel and plastic.
Lye
can be fatal if swallowed. Lye can remove paint. If lye, lye/water or
freshly-made soap splatters onto a painted surface, wipe it off
immediately. Wash the area with water and detergent; wash it with clear
water, then wipe it dry. Lye, lye/water and freshly-made soap can burn and
irritate skin. You'll notice itching before burning. Lye/water on skin is
first noticed by a
slippery feeling. Rinse your hands with vinegar and immediately rinse them
with running water. Since lye can burn skin, you can imagine what it does
to
eyes. It's difficult to rinse your eyes while they're burning and you
can't
see. This painful and dangerous situation in entirely avoidable. Always
wear
eye protection! You may wonder why anyone wants to bathe with soap that
contains something as harsh as lye. Well, the good news is that soap is
*made* with lye, but soap doesn't *contain* lye. Lye reacts with fats,
creating roughly three molecules soap and one molecule glycerin. The lye
is
no longer present--only great soap and glycerin.
*NOTE: If you have small children, keep lye (and essential oils) in a
*locked*
cabinet. Lye/water sitting at the edge of a counter can easily be reached
by
children and even swallowed. Drinking lye/water is like drinking liquid
fire
and anyone ingesting lye/water should immediately be taken to an emergency
room for treatment! Like I said: everyday, thousands of people make soap
without mishap. In order to do so, you must be aware of all safety
hazards.
Children and feeble-minded people should not be in the soapmaking area or
have access to stored soapmaking ingredients, especially lye and essential
oil.
-------------------------------------------------
B) The equipment list:
# one 4-to-6 cup mixing container made of lye-resistant material
  (I use a stainless steel mixing bowl)
# one heatproof container that holds at least 2 cups
  (I use a Pyrex measuring cup)
# stainess steel, plastic, wooden spoon or a rubber spatula
# two thermometers made of glass or stainless steel
  (candy and meat thermometers work well)
# eye protection (wear sunglasses if you have to!)
# rubber gloves (optional)
# scale to weight the fats and lye
# soap molds (any flexible plastic container works well)
# a clock with a second hand or other type timer
# wire whisk (optional)
# pot holders or oven mitts
# measuring spoons
----------------------------------------------------
C) The procedure
1) Put the fats in a lye-resistant container and place a glass or
stainless
steel thermometer into the fats. Be sure the thermometer doesn't touch the
bottom of the container and give a false reading. Heat the fats and
optional
ingredients to the temperature specified in the recipe.
2) Put on eye protection and rubber gloves.
3) Use a heat-proof container to measure the amount of cold water (70 to
75
degrees F) specified in the recipe. Cold water is important. If you add
lye
to hot or boiling water, the water could "boil-up" out of the container;
if
you add lye
to *really* cold water, the lye/water might not reach the high
temperatures
required to make some recipes. Stir the water and slowly add the lye. The
water will get hot and turn cloudy. Continue to stir until the lye
dissolves.
Don't breathe or intentionally smell the fumes coming from the cup because
they are quite "chokey." If you wait too long to stir the water, the lye
could harden in the bottom of the container. This is not a problem. You
can
still sitr it, but it will be more difficult. Add a glass or stainless
steel
thermometer to the lye/water and wait until it reaches the temperature
specified in the recipe. (Note: Some people are extremely sensitive to
fumes
which come from the lye/water. The fumes which come from small batches (1
pound) isn't a problem. Be aware than larger amounts of lye (larger
batches)
creates more fumes, which, with prolonged contact, can burn eyes and skin
of
sensitive people.) 
4) When both the fat and the lye/water reach the temperature specified in
the
recipe, add the lye/water to the fat. I's sometimes a balancing act to get
the fat mixture and the lye/water mxiture to specific temperatures at the
same time. Never place lye/water in a microwave (the cup could break). It
takes lye/water longer to cool than it takes fat to heat. Most soapmakers
wait for the lye/water to cool to about five degrees above the desired
temperature, then heat the fat. When both the lye/water and the fat are
within five degrees of the temperatures specified in the recipe, use a pot
holder and move the bowl to a sink (to contain splatters). Slowly pour the
lye/water into the fats while stirring. (Note: Temperatures for small
one-pound batches of soap poured into individual molds aren't critical. As
long as the lye/water and fats are between 120 and 140 degrees F you will
have good success. Larger batches or batches poured into a single mold,
require the lower temperature range.)
5) Stir the soap until it "traces." When lye, water and fat first combine,
the mixture is thin and watery. Gradually, as the lye and fat react
chemically to form soap, the mixture thickens and turns opaque. "Tracing"
is
a term to describe the consistency (thickness) of soap when it's ready to
pour into molds. To test for tracing: 
 a. Drip some soap onto the surface of the soap in the stirring bowl. It
should leave a "trace" or small mound.
 b. Draw a line in the soap with a spoon or rubber spatula. If a "trace"
of
the line remains for a few seconds, the soap has traced.
Tracing is easy to recognize, yet it causes new soapmakers a lot of worry.
Relax and know that the soap will trace eventually. Just stir the soap
constantly for the first 15 minutes or so, then stir the soap every
fifteen
minutes until it thickens and traces, no matter how long it takes.
6) After the soap traces, add up to one tablespoon essential oil (if
desired)
and stir a few minutes longer to incorporate the oil. About the only soap
that remains totally scent-free is the Pure Soap Recipe that follows.
Other
fats result in soap that has a "fatty lye" smell. Essentials oils are
necessary for a pleasant-smelling product.
7) Pour the soap into molds and wait for it to harden.
8) Unmold the soap, Soap is still harsh when it's time to remove it from
the
molds. Put on rubber gloves and press the back of each mold compartment to
release the soap. It's a lot like removing ice cubes from a tray.
Sometimes
the soap doesn't release easily from the mold. To overcome this problem,
leave the soap in a freezer for a few hours. Freezing soap causes it to
contract slightly, becom hard and release from the plastic mold.
9) Wait the time specified in a recipe for the soap to "age." (usually 3
weeks). During the aging time the pH of the soap decreased (the soap
becomes
mild) and the bars harden. It's a good idea to write the following
information on a piece of paper and place it with the soap: the date you
made
the soap, the date the aging time is over, and the recipe name.
10) Step 10 is *enjoy your soap!*
As soap ages, a fine, white powder may appear on the surface. This is soda
ash (sodium carbonate) formed by a reaction of lye with carbon dioxide in
air. This white powder is mostly on the surface exposed to air while the
soap
was in the molds. Soap that contains wax develops little or no soda ash.
There are three ways to deal with soda ash: 
 a. Try to prevent it. Immediately after pouring soap into molds, cover
the
soap with plastic wrap or waxed paper. Press the wrap or paper onto the
surface of the soap to prevent air contact.
 b. Cut it away. Overfill the molds slightly. Later, when the soap
hardens,
take a knife and cut the soap level with the mold. This also cuts away the
soda ash.
 c. Wash it away. Wait until the soap ages and hardens. Wash the powder
away
by rubbing the soap with your hands under running water or by rubbing the
soap over a wet dishcloth. Set the soap aside to dry----then, *enjoy your
soap!*
-----------------------------------------------------
D. Herbal soap
You can replace the water in soap recipes with herbal tea, but to be
honest,
most of the properties (color and fragrance) are lost. The best way to use
herbs in soap is to add dry, finely powdered herbs to the fats before
adding
the lye/water. Use anywhere from 1 tablespoon to 1/4 cup dried herbs to 1
lb
soap. Coarsly ground herbs should be restricted to about 1 or 2
tablespoons
per lb soap because they contribute a coarseness to the soap that
sometimes
makes it uncomfortable during use. The nicest way to add properties of
herbs
to soap is the addition of pure essential oils. Most soap develops a
"lye/fat" odor, which essentail oil prevents. Use anywhere from 1 teaspoon
to
2 tablespoons essential oil per lb soap (depending on the strength of the
oil). Color is an illusive thing as far as soap is concerned. Natural
colors
can be obtained by adding 2 tablespoons red clay, calendula petals, or
palm
oil from Lorann Oils (yellow). Strong, true color can be obtained from
Pourette's dye recommended for soap. Use up to 1/8 teaspoon Pourette dye
per
lb soap.
---------------------------------------------------
E. Superfatting soap
The following recipes have the exact amount of lye to make soap that
contains
very little excess fat. This soap leaves skin perfectly clean and smooth
feeling. Some people like excess fat in recipes. For this I recommend 2 to
4
tablespoons castor oil added when the soap traces. Castor oil is emollient
and contributes to soap lather. Adding castor oil after tracing along with
1
tablespoon essential oil also seems to help retain the soap fragrance.
-----------------------------------------------------
F. Soapmaker's supply list (United States)

Barker's Enterprises, Inc.
15106 10th Ave SW
Seattle WA 98166
Telephone: 206-244-1870
retail/wholesale: waxes, molds and candle dye (which works for soap)

Chem Lab Supplies
1060 Ortega Way, Unit C
Placentia CA 92670
Telephone 714 630-7902
Fax  714-630-3553
retail: pH kits, electronic scales, lye

Hagenow Laboratories, Inc.
1302 Washington St
Manitowoc WI 54220
No telephone, correspond by mail and request catalog
lye, waxes, clays, essential oils, thermometers and pH kits

Liberty Natural Products
8120 SE Stark St
Portland OR 97215
1-800-289-8427
$50 minimum order retail/wholesale same price
essential oils, soapmaking fats, herbs, clays, etc.

K & W Popcorn
710 E 24th St
Trenton MO 64683
Telephone 816-359-2030
retail only: coconut oil 5 gallons (will ship)

Lorann Oils
4518 Aurelius Rd
Lansing MI 48909
Telephone 1-800-248-1302
retail/wholesale: essential oils, fats, candy molds, waxes

Pourette Soapmaking Supplies
6910 Roosevelt Way NE
Seattle WA 98115
Telephone 1-800-888-WICK (9425)
retail/wholesale molds, dye, wax (request *soapmaking* price list as it's
different than their regular catalog, which contains candle molds)

Sunfeather Soapmaking Supply
HCR 84 Box 60-A
Potsdam NY 13676
Telephone 315-265-3648
retail only: lye, fats, soap fragrance
-----------------------------------------------------
G) Now, the moment you've been waiting for--the recipes!
copyright 1995 in "Soap Recipes" by Elaine C. White
All rights reserved. All ounces (oz) are determined by weight unless
otherwise stated. Lye is "sodium hydroxide" granular or flake form.

Pure Soap (the only recipe I've discovered that remains scent-free and
doesn't require essential oils) Good for washing dishes, delicate laundry,
etc. Great lather.
16 oz coconut oil
 2.8 oz lye 
1 cup water (8 fluid ounces)
Fat and lye/water temperature about 120 degrees F
Estimated tracing time: 1 1/2 hours
Time in molds: 48 hours
Age: 3 weeks

Pure Soap Shampoo Bar
16 oz weight coconut oil
2.9 oz lye
3/4 cup water (6 fluid ounces)
Oil room temp
Mix and use lye
Estimated tracing 1 to 2 hours
When the soap traces, add 4 tablespoons castor oil to superfat the soap
and
to make a smoother-textured bar. Leave the soap in the mold 24 hours,
freeze
3
hours, then remove from the mold. Age: 3 weeks. Essential oil is optional
for
this recipe. The soap will remain scent-free without it.

Soap III
6 oz coconut oil
6 oz olive oil
5 oz vegetable shortening
2.6 oz lye
1 cup water (8 fluid ounces)
Fat and lye/water temperature about 120 degrees F
Time in molds: 48 hours
Age: 4 weeks

Soap IV
9 oz vegetable shortening
4 oz coconut oil
3 oz lard
2.4 oz lye
3/4 cup water (6 fluid ounces)
Fat and lye/water temperature about 120 degrees F
Time in molds: 24 hours
Age: 3 weeks

Soap V
10 oz vegetable shortening
 6 oz coconut oil
2.4 oz lye
1 cup water (8 fluid ounces)
Fat and lye/temperature about 120 degrees F
Time in molds: 48 hours
Age: 4 weeks

Soap VI & VII
16 oz lard or beef tallow
2.3 oz lye
3/4 cup water (6 fluid ounces)
Estimated tracing 45 minutes
Fat and lye/water temperature about 120 degrees F
Time in molds: 24 hours
Age: 3 weeks

Soap VIII
Beeswax Castile 
13 oz weight olive oil
 2 oz beeswax
 1 oz palm oil
2.1 oz lye
1 cup water (8 fluid ounces)
(melt the beeswax with the fats)
Fat and lye/water temperature about 150 degrees F
Tracing time: about 12 minutes FAST!
Time in molds: 48 hours
Place the soap in a freezer for 3 hours, then remove it from the molds
Age: 6 to 8 weeks for the bars to harden

Beeswax Soap IX
(follow directions at "Soap VIII")
16 oz weight olive oil
 2 oz weight beeswax
2.2 oz weight lye
1 cup water (8 fluid ounces)
--------------------------------------------------------
I really hope you feel confident enought to prepare your first batch of
soap.
Good luck and happy lathering.
Best regards,
Elaine C. White
--------------------------------------------------------
These instructions are based on a book:"Soap Recipes:
Seventy tried-and-true ways to make modern soap with herbs, beeswax and
vegetable oils" by Elaine C. White
International Standard Book Number 0-9637539-5-9

The book will be available in bookstores June, 1995 and is available now
from:
Valley Hills Press
1864 Ridgeland Drive
Starkville MS 39759 USA
$23.95 US funds includes price and shipping to US and Canada
$28.95 US funds includes price and Air Mail shipping to other countries
1-800-323-7102 Visa/Master Cards accepted 
Toll-free number good in US only, other countries call 601-323-7100 (This
is
a voice line and fax.)
Valley Hills Press specializes in craft how-to information regarding honey
and beeswax products. They will send a free brochure about this book and
other products: MS Beekeepers Honey Cookbook, soapmaking kit, mead/honey
wine
kit, "Super Formulas" (book tells how to make 360 useful products that
contain honey and beeswax). 
Free brochure. Just ask.
end