From: Fran.Mcgee@f26.n343.z1.mpbbs.com (Fran Mcgee) Newsgroups: rec.crafts.misc Subject: soap Message-ID: <760572601.AA00150@mpbbs.mpbbs.com> Date: 6 Feb 94 17:28:00 GMT Lines: 84 X-FTN-To: All %Can anyone tell me how soap is made, or used to be made in earlier times? %I'need the information for a graphic novel I'm working on, set in the Mid %Ages, and I can't find any literature on the subjects. %Book references and descriptions of what apparatus were used would be %particularly welcome. In the next 4 posts find 4 homemade soap recipes. MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.00 Title: Milk and Honey Soap Categories: Crafts, Soap Yield: 1 servings MMMMM--------------------HEAT TO 115 DEGREES------------------------- 2 tb Scented oil (no alcohol) 24 oz Coconut oil 12 oz Tallow (rendered beef fat) MMMMM----------------MIX AND LET COOL TO 100 DEG--------------------- 6 3/4 oz Lye 20 oz Milk -goat, or water can be used MMMMM-------------------ADD AFTER SOAP TRACES------------------------ 1 tb Honey Add the lye to the milk and allow to cool to 100 deg F. Melt the oils and fats to 115. Combine the ingredients by pouring the lye-milk into the fat solution while slowly stirring. The soap should "trace" (be ready to pour) in about 5 minutes. Stir in the honey with an electric mixer. Don't over-beat or the mixture will separate. Pour into molds. Allow to set two or three hours. Place in a freezer two to three hours to harden. Remove soap from mold and place on unprinted cardboard to age at least two weeks. OATMEAL soap: Same recipe. Beat in one ounce of baby oatmeal when the honey is added. GENERAL SOAP MAKING TIPS: Molds: Lye reacts with most metals. Use ONLY heat-proof stone, glass, enamel, stainless steel or plastic. Precautions with lye: Lye burns your skin, removes paint and generates heat. Wear goggles and rubber gloves when making soap. If lye gets on your skin, rinse it off with vinegar. Add lye to the liquid while stirring to prevent the lye from hardening in the bottom of the container. NEVER reheat lye-water in the microwave. Set the container in a sink of hot water. Coconut oil is sold in grocery stores with the cooking oils. I buy mine from restaurants by the 5 gallon bucket. A mail order source in "Vinton Popcorn Co.," phone # (319)-472-5235. Hardening and aging soap: The soap is semi-liquid when poured. Time must be allowed for the soap to harden and for the lye to react with the fats. Test soap by sticking it to your tongue. If you feel a burning sensation, something went wrong with the temperatures, measurements or the amount of stirring. Further aging may allow the soap to become milder. Large bars of soap can be mild on the outside while still being harsh inside. They require longer aging than smaller bars. If a white coating forms on your soap, wash it off before using or testing the soap. Freezing the soap allows it to easily be removed from any mold - even glass. Soap from lard smells like rancid bacon in a few months. Homemade soap without coconut oil simply doesn't lather. SOURCES: " Soap: Making It, Enjoying It" by Ann Bramson. A $2.25 booklet of good recipes: " Soapreme: Your Own Handmade Soap with Custom Molds," available from Pourette Mfg. Co., PO Box 15220, Seattle, WA 98115. Request Pourette's Soap Making Catalog of molds, scents, and coloring. From Countryside & Small Stock Journal, Elaine White, Starkville, Miss. Submitted By JENNIFER MERK On 11-19-93 (18:47) MMMMM * SLMR 2.1a * Pedal faster, our past is catching up on us.... ******************************************** Newsgroups: rec.crafts.misc Subject: soap Message-ID: <760572601.AA00151@mpbbs.mpbbs.com> Date: 6 Feb 94 17:29:00 GMT Lines: 121 X-FTN-To: All MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.00 Title: Homemade Soap Categories: Tightwad, Crafts, Soap, Gifts Yield: 1 batch MMMMM------------------------SIMPLE SOAP----------------------------- 6 c Freshly rendered tallow 3/4 c Lye 2 1/2 c Cold soft water MMMMM----------------MARY WEAVER'S HOUSEHOLD SOAP--------------------- 5 lb Freshly rendered tallow 1 lb Lye 1 qt Cold soft water 2 ts Sugar 1/2 c Household ammonia MMMMM----------------------VEGETARIAN SOAP--------------------------- 6 c Solid vegetable shortening 3/4 c Lye 2 1/2 c Cold soft water MMMMM-------------------HERBAL COMPLEXION SOAP------------------------ 2 1/2 c Herbal tea 5 c Freshly rendered tallow 1 c Coconut oil 3/4 c Lye 1/4 c Baking soda 1 c Oatmeal 2 ts Vitamin E oil 1 ts Fragrant oil (optional) MMMMM------------------------SOAP SHAMPOO----------------------------- 2 c Freshly rendered tallow 1 c Vegetable oil 1 c Lye 1 1/4 c Cold water or herbal tea 1 1/4 c Lukewarm water 1/2 c Vegetable oil 1/4 c (up to) baking powder -optional for oily hair 2 ts Lemon oil 1 ts Yellow food coloring Lye can be found with the drain cleaners in any grocery store. Tallow is freshly rendered beef fat, while lard is from pork. Tallow yields a harder, longerlasting soap than lard does. Leftover drippings from bacon hamburger and the like can be saved and used to produce a soap that cleans well.To get a milder-smelling soap,you can wash and deodorize fats after rendering.deodorizing, use fat trimmings fresh from the butcher. To save on trimming time ask the butcher for solid hunks of fat from around the kidney. To render it pure, fat must be separated as much as possible from the meat, blood, veins etc. Cut inot small chunks and melt down over low heat. Strain using cheesecloth or an old sheet. To wash leftover fats, melt them down and boil in an equal amount of water with 1 ts of alum or baking powder added per quart. Boil for about 10 minutes. Once cooled th fat can be skimmed off the top of the water. Any fat found on the underside of the fat block that has not congealed should be discarded. MIXING THE INGREDIENTS: Never use tin or aluminum to make soap, or the lye will eat through it. Wear rubber gloves, surgical mask, and safety goggles. Soapmaking involves the following 5 steps: 1. preparing the lye and water mixture; 2. melting the fat; 3. allowing both to cool to their proper temperatures; 4. mixing and stirring; and 5. pouring the soap into a mold. Measure water or herbal tea first, then add the lye, stirring constantly with a long stick, with your head turned away, until the lye is dissolved. The chemical reaction will cause the solution to heat up. Desired temperature for mixing the lye mixture with fat depends on the fat used: (use a thermometer) Tallow: cool lye mixture to 93 degrees; tallow to 125 degrees Lard: cool lye mixture to 77 degrees; lard to 98 degrees When temperatures are right, slowly pour the lye mixture into the fat. Then stirr slowly but constantly for 10 to 30 minutes, sometimes up to and hour, until the soap has turned thick and creamy, almost like honey. You will know it is ready for the mold when you can drop a thin stream form your spoon back into the bowl and it holds it's shape on top of the batch. Now you can add oil-based scents and colorings, such as those used in candlemaking, or crayon shavings, melted for solid color. Yellow food coloring is stable in soap, but the other colors aren't recommended. Alcohol based extracts and perfumes are not recommended, since they can affect the chemical nature of the soap, as oils. A recomended amount of oil to start wih is 1 ts per 1 or 2 cups liquid soap, or about 1 once per gallon. If a batch won't thicken, likely the temperatures were too high; if so, setting the pan in cold water may bring on thickening. Set the batch aside and stir occasionally. Never discard a bad batch down the sink, or you'll have to call the plumber. The mold should be prepared ahead of time. You can use an old shoebox, or almost any container, or buy molds. Either line your mold with a damp cloth, or grease well. Let it set for a few hours and then cut the firm-but-not-yet-hard soap with a stainless steel knife. At this point the soap is still caustic. Let it set at least 3 weeks before using. SIMPLE SOAP: Follow the geveral directions for mixing and molding. MARY WEAVER'S HOUSEHOLD SOAP: It is not as harsh as the simple soap and cleans just as well. Follow the general directions for making soap, and dissolve boarax and sugar in ammonia, add after mixing lye and fat. VEGETARIAN SOAP: Vegetable shortening like Crisco can be used instead of animal fat. It is a soft soap that doesn't last as long. Follow basic steps, this will take longer to thicken, and takes a few weeks to harden. HERBAL COMPLEXION SOAP: The oatmeal and baking soda stimulate as they clense, the oils soften the skin. Flour may be substited for oatmeal. Let the herbs steep overnight and use instead of water. Dissolve baking soda in a tiny bit of hot water, allow to cool. Add baking soda, oatmeal, E oil and fragrant oil when the soap is ready to be poured into the mold. SOAP SHAMPOO: Follow general instructions for soap making. When the soap mixture has thickened add the lukewarm water, 2nd portion of oil, dissolved baking soda, lemon oil and coloring. Store in glass jar. Source: The Natural Formula Book for Home and Yard; edited by Dan Wallace Found for you by Fran McGee MMMMM * SLMR 2.1a * Smurfs: Illegitamate children of the jolly grean giant *********************************************** From: Fran.Mcgee@f26.n343.z1.mpbbs.com (Fran Mcgee) Newsgroups: rec.crafts.misc Subject: soap Message-ID: <760572601.AA00152@mpbbs.mpbbs.com> Date: 6 Feb 94 17:29:00 GMT Lines: 110 X-FTN-To: All MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.00 Title: Mild Coconut Soap; and Mild Milk And Honey Soap Categories: Tightwad, Crafts, Soap Yield: 30 bars MMMMM---------------------MILD COCONUT SOAP-------------------------- 47 oz Olive oil 19 oz Coconut oil 27 oz Vegetable shortening 10 3/4 oz Lye 32 oz Water MMMMM------------------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. MILD MILK AND HONEY SOAP: Follow directions as for mild coconut soap, except when the soap traces, but before your pour it into the box, mix the milk and honey together and add it to the soap, mixing well. Pour into box. Cover and cure as with coconut soap. SOAPMAKING PROBLEMS: 1. Soap mixture never gets thick and traces: The temperature or amounts were likely off. However it can take up to one hour for th mixture to thicken. You can try placing the mixure over medium hea, heating to 125 degrees or so, removing from heat, and stirring. This is a lengthy process as the temperature has to come all the way down again. 2. Soap mixture separates when mixed: Reheat, allow to cool, stir, stir, stir... 3. Soap mixture curdles: This is hard to fix. You can reheat and try stirring as it cools and see if you can make it work. 4. Finished soap is layered: This is a bad batch. soap should be homogenous all the way through. This is caused by not enough stirring, too quick of a temperature drop, or wrong amounts of lye. You have to throw it out. Sometimes you'll just have a little bit of layering; in other words, there may be a nice whit layer in teh middle that looks like soap. Then youcan cut off the top and bottom layers and keep what is good. 5. Finished soap is mushy or has small liwuid filled pckets that sting when you touch them. Something was off either int eh measurements, stirring or temperatures. Throw it out. It cannot be reclaimed. Source: Gentle Spirit Magazine; Sept. 1992 Address: PO Box 251, Vaughn, Wa 98394; Phone/fax 206-884-9268 subscription: 11 issues $22.00 MMMMM * SLMR 2.1a * I'm just here for moral support...ignore the gun.... ********************************** From: Fran.Mcgee@f26.n343.z1.mpbbs.com (Fran Mcgee) Newsgroups: rec.crafts.misc Subject: soap Message-ID: <760572601.AA00153@mpbbs.mpbbs.com> Date: 6 Feb 94 17:30:00 GMT Lines: 29 X-FTN-To: All MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.00 Title: Vegetarian Soap Categories: Crafts, Soap Yield: 6 servings 2 c Coconut oil or 100% solid -Veg. shortening 3/4 c Cold soft water 1/4 c Lye flakes Melt coconut oil until liquid, but not too warm. It has a very low melting point, so don't hear unnecessarily. Add lye to cold water,stir to dissolve. Grease molds liberally with petroleum jelly. When lye and fat are cooled, pour lye into fat, stirring constantly. This recipe takes a long time to saponify (up to an hr.). It is not necessary to stir for the entire time, but do keep it well mixed as it thickens. When thick, pour into molds. It sets very slowly. After a day, it will be firm but may not be hard enough to use for several weeks. 2 3/4 C liquid soap 1 1/2 lbs hard bar soap Jennifer MMMMM * SLMR 2.1a * Cats are smarter than dogs: Eight cats won't pull a sled. ***************************** From: vivisect@ac.dal.ca (DEBORAH MERRIAM) Newsgroups: rec.crafts.misc Subject: soap recipes *LONG* Message-ID: <1994Feb8.142511.20567@dal1> Date: 8 Feb 94 14:25:11 -0400 Organization: Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Lines: 84 Summary: Soap-making recipes and hints With all the recent queries for recipes and soap-making information and the lack of answers, I thought it might be helpful if I posted what I've compiled about the subject. I'm no expert, I just thought I'd like to try my hand at it someday (*wink*). Most of the following was gleaned from posts on this newsgroup in the last 6 months or so... ----------------------------------------------------------------- RECIPES ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Plain Lye Soap (posted by Steven Baumrucker, MD, author@iat.holonet.net, to rec.crafts.misc, 18 Dec. 1993) 1 lb lard 4 tbsp Red Devil lye 2/3 cup cold water Add lye to cold water in a mason jar or pyrex container (reaction is exothermic, will give off heat!). Set jar in water bath at approx 95o Fahrenheit to cool. Melt lard in a glass container in an oven set to approx 150oF. Set this in the same 95oF water bath to cool. Once lye water and lard are at 95oF, slowly pour lye water into lard, stirring constantly. The mixture will remain liquid for some time. Stir at least 30 minutes to ensure a complete reaction. Once it starts to thicken slightly, pour into a saran-wrap lined mold (ex. bread pan). Cover and place somewhere warm to set. In 24-48 hours, remove the soap from the mold and cut into bars. Stack bars loosely on a plate to cure for 2 weeks before using. "The myth is that lye soap is harsh... you'll find the opposite to be true! You can add 1/3 cup of Borax to the recipe after about 5 minutes of stirring. Food colouring can be added, but it is wonderfully unpredictable (green food colouring is converted to an orange colour by the sodium hydroxide, known here as lye). Fragrances should be in the form of oils: oil of clove, oil of lemon, etc. ... I have tons of recipes for more complex soaps and would love to collect more!" ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2. No Dead Animal Soap (from a vegetarian Zine that a friend gave me, which I have since lost) 2 cups coconut oil (or 100% solid vegetable shortening) 3/4 cup cold distilled water 1/4 cup lye flakes Melt oil to liquid (low temperature). Add lye to cold water, stir to dissolve. Grease molds with petroleum jelly. When oil cools, add lye to fat, stirring constantly. This may take a long time to saponify (thicken), up to 1 hour. It's not necessary to stir *constantly*, but do keep it well mixed. When thick, pour into molds and leave to set (3-4 weeks). The longer it's left to cure, the harder it'll get and the longer it'll last! Advice from the front on veggie soap: (posted by Lisa Vawter, fraser@husc10.harvard.edu OR vawter@harvard.edu, to rec.crafts. misc, 26 Sept. 1993) "I've found that veggie soaps are the most difficult to get to saponify ... You should combine the fats and lye solutions when they're about 98oF and keep them at that temperature and stir until saponification occurs. I find that with veggie soaps, this can take HOURS and may take more heat than 98oF. Like 120-130oF. I usually use a beaker and a heat/stir plate in the lab to do the heating and stirring." ----------------------------------------------------------------- BOOKS I've seen references to: the Rodale book of Practical Formulas Soap - Using it and Enjoying it The Art of SoapMaking, A Harrowsmith Contemporary Primer. Merilyn Mohr. 1979. Camden House Publishing, Camden East, Ontario, Canada, K0K 1J0. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Well, that's everything I have on file, I hope it helps the interested posters get started! Deborah Merriam vivisect@ac.dal.ca