Guest guest Posted September 14, 2006 Report Share Posted September 14, 2006 Hi Folks, Cool lye making facts/experiments Thanks Ane, Judy & Dave! I don't think many folks make it this way still, except for chemistry related fun/posterity/Ren Fest style demos. I think the main reason folks don't use this method anymore, is because its kinda hard to figure out exactly how strong the lye solution is or isn't, hence it becomes hard to figure out how much oils to use (and saponification values are a pretty exact science). That's why you hear stories of folks nostalgically remembering great grandma's homemade lye soap that could eat your skin off! *lol* *Smile* Chris (list mom) http://www.alittleolfactory.com > > It is going to be quite difficult explaining in English, but > let us try: I get the ashes, put them inside a plastic bucket > which I made holes in the bottom with nail and hammer. Put > boiling water on the ashes and percolate the dark juice of > them. This ash juice (I don't know the proper name for > decuada or barrela in > English) is like lye. The rest is all the same . > Give it a try and Enjoy! > Ane* > Ane's way is similiar to the way our forefathers made lye. > One way, (a backwoods way) was to use a hollow log and all the ashes you've > saved all winter long. Upright the log, fill with ash and pour rainwater > through. The water coming out the other end is lye water, usually pretty > intense lye water, but lye just the same. They then went on to make soap with > pig lard (OR bacon grease they saved all year - y uck!!). > Judy > Green Dragon Herbals [Dave:] I've been working now and then on a history of soap <snipped> [Dave:] My wife also remembers making soap this way. I just didn't know folks still did it that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 14, 2006 Report Share Posted September 14, 2006 I think the main reason folks don't use this method anymore, is because its kinda hard to figure out exactly how strong the lye solution is or isn't, hence it becomes hard to figure out how much oils to use (and saponification values are a pretty exact science). [Dave:] The old way was to float a potato in it. If it sank halfway into the water but still floated, the lye was strong enough. -- Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.12.4/448 - Release 9/14/2006 -- Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.12.4/448 - Release 9/14/2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 Thanks for that extra little snippet of lye making trivia! I was more thinking along the lines that its not so much a question of " is the solution strong enough to make soap " but more the question of exactly HOW strong is it .. Say you're making a pure olive soap (for easy calculating) ... It takes 19.00 grams of modern standardized KOH (potassium hydroxide) lye to fully saponify 100 grams of olive oil ... if you want it " superfatted " by 5% you'd use 18.05 grams .. 7 % 17.67 grams, etc ... Its a pretty exact science. So yeah, the lye solution might be strong enough to make soap, but just how " superfatted " , or lye heavy is the final soap product gonna be is the crap shoot one takes using the old fashioned ashes method. *Smile* Chris (list mom) http://www.alittleolfactory.com I think the main reason folks don't use this method anymore, is because its kinda hard to figure out exactly how strong the lye solution is or isn't, hence it becomes hard to figure out how much oils to use (and saponification values are a pretty exact science). [Dave:] The old way was to float a potato in it. If it sank halfway into the water but still floated, the lye was strong enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 15, 2006 Report Share Posted September 15, 2006 I was more thinking along the lines that its not so much a question of " is the solution strong enough to make soap " but more the question of exactly HOW strong is it .. [Dave:] Exactly. You can see how the invention of a standardized lye revolutionized the soap industry. -- Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.12.4/448 - Release 9/14/2006 -- Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.12.4/448 - Release 9/14/2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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