Soap making is yet another down-home pursuit that allows you to feel good inside because you get to recycle and create at the same time. It's also an operation that can be just as small-scale and simple or as large and sophisticated as you want to make it . . . anything from throwing ashes into the cookout frying pan to carefully measuring rose geranium petals into a precisely controlled batch of bar soap. Perhaps best of all, this homemade cleaner contains none of the phosphates, NTA, still-caustic sodas and other additives that made today's detergents so dangerous to the environment. Real homemade soap is all natural, all organic and as welcome on the homestead as a compost pile.
GENERAL NOTES ON SOAPMAKING
1. Never use lye on aluminum utensils (it acts on them). For small batches of soap, enameled or granite ware is suitable . . . for larger batches, an iron kettle may be used.
2. There need never be a failure in soapmaking. If separation occurs, ingredients can be reclaimed.
3. Remember that lard is the melted and clarified fat of swine and tallow the hard, coarse fat from sheep or cows (usually from around the kidneys and loins). Before tallow dries out, it's called suet. Rendering fat is simply clarifying it by melting.
4. The following fats are listed in order of their desirability for soapmaking: tallow, lard, their combinations, olive oil, other vegetable oils. Mineral oils will not make soap and poultry fat should be combined with other fats since soap made from it alone is soft and spongy.
5. To obtain soap with a clean wholesome odor, all grease must be pure and clean.
6. Instead of storing rinds and meat scraps, extract the fat and store it in a tightly covered container in a cool, dry place.
7. Make the fat into soap as it accumulates and let the soap age rather than allowing the fat to get too old and rancid.
8. If you find that your grease has become rancid or contains materials other than fats, boil it in a large quantity of water, allow it to cool, skim off the grease and then follow the directions in the recipe for soapmaking.
9. Measure accurately and be careful about tempera tures.
10. The ammonia, kerosene, carbolic acid, etc. that some people add to soap help it little, if any . . . they are usually neutralized by the lye. Such ingredients DO increase cost and may even make soap harsh on skin.
11. Coldness makes a hard, brittle soap.
12. Excess lye makes a coarse, flinty soap that will crumble when shaved. Aged soap should have a smooth velvety texture, should curl when shaved and should not bite the tongue.
13. Aging always improves soap. Soap made from lard or soap that has been boiled requires the longest aging before it becomes hard and ready for use.
14. Use the following all-purpose soap as a toilet soap, as a shampoo or as a laundry soap for prints, lingerie, hose and other delicate fabrics.
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