Colonial Soapmaking

Colonial soapmaking is an easy process once you have the necessary ingredients. From Colonial times to the present the traditional way to make lye is to leach it from wood ashes.

As a courtesy to my visitors, I often give away many how-to's about many subjects. See below for the basics and then when you are ready to become a master at soap making... You may choose to purchase our recipes.

For just $44.00 Bucks! You can have all the recipes you need and will quickly make that money back if you decide too sell your products. It's a great and fun hobby that anyone can do.

Click Here! to purchase how to create your own Luscious Bath Bombs, Soothing Creams and Aromatic Fragrance products. It's an electronic e-book that will be downloaded immediately after you purchase from our secure server.

126 great colonial soapmaking recipes are included.

making soap, soapmaking

Now...Let's Get Started Lye that is made in this manner is known as potash and is mostly potassium carbonate, a less caustic matter then commercial lye.

You can use a large wooden container for the lye making process, just make sure it is big enough to handle the amount of potash you are going to use. The more ashes that the water seeps through, the more concentrated will be your lye solution.

Take a large tub or barrel and drill a hole close to the bottom for leaching out your lye. This is an excellent process and works wonderful.

Place the wooden barrel on cement blocks or other supports so that a pot or pan can be placed underneath it to collect the lye water as it seeps out.

Set the barrel up at an angle, with the drilled hole at the lowest point, so that the lye water will run out of it and into the pan. Make sure you use a large enough pan to catch your lye water.

Line the bottom of the barrel with hay or straw to prevent ashes from sifting into the lye solution. Then, fill the barrel with ashes.

Colonial soapmaking may use any hardwood, but oak and hickory produce the strongest lye and is the most prevalent in my area of the country. That is also the type of wood I burn in my wood stove, so it is very convenient.

Finally, make a depression at the top of your ash pile that is large enough to hold 2 to 3 quarts of water.

To make the lye, it is a common practice to use rainwater. Hear your rainwater to boiling the fill the depression, and let the water seep down through the ashes.

Add more water when the water has all seeped away.

It will be a little while for the lye to trickle out of the bottom. It may take several days if you pack the ashes tight. So, be patient and let the water do the work.

Don't try and hurry the process along by adding to much water to soon.

Soap can be made directly from the lye, but it is much easier to have the lye in crystalline form.

To create crystalline potash from lye water, boil down the solution in a stainless steel pan or an enamel pot.

You will first see a black salt substance form.

Keep maintaining your heat and additional impurities can be driven off that will leave the grayish white potash.

This is what you need for your soap.

By following these instructions, you are on your way to being a colonial soapmaking expert.

How to Render and Clarify

Most vegetable oils or animal fats can be used in Colonial soapmaking.

Most manufacturers of lye recommend a combination of rendered beef fat and pig fat.

I usually save my bacon grease and keep it refrigerated for my Colonial soapmaking process.

Chicken fat is to soft, but you can use it in combination with other fats.

Vegetable oils can also be used with other fats.

For your kitchen and toilet soaps, try using Coconut oil or palm oil. The soap is soft and pleasant to the nose.

You can achieve the whitest and best smelling soaps by using pure rendered fats and oils.

You can use your kitchen grease and drippings from the frying pan if properly treated for colonial soapmaking. It will also make good soap.

Rendering is the process of purifying and melting solid fats. Make sure you start with twice the amount of fat called for in your soap recipe.

Cut the fat into little pieces, and then heat over a low flame.

Now, don't let your fat burn or smoke. Most of the fat will turn to liquidd, solid particles called cracklings will remain.

After rendering, strain the liquid into a sterlized container and place it in your refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

Straining will take the cracklings out of your fat.

Your grease and drippings from cooking are easily reclaimed for soapmaking by purifying them.

Colonial Soapmaking How- to's:

Put your fat and an equal amount of water into a pan to boil. Add 2 tablespoons of salt and bring it to a boil. I usually allow it to boil for a few minutes, but remember, don't let it burn or smoke.

Remove your pan from the fire and allow it to slightly cool. Then add cold water. For each gallon of hot liquid use about one quart of cool water..

Now, your mixture will separate into three layers. You will have pure fat at the top, then fat with granualar impurities next, and the water will be at the bottom. It is so cool to watch the separtion process.

The "pure fat" is what you will save for your colonial soapmaking process. My grandmother use to pour her cooking grease into a coffee can near her stove and let it set out without refrigeration.

This grease can be saved and purified too.

Instead of just using water in the purifying process, use one part vinegar to five parts of water.

To make your fat odor free, slice up potatoes and plce them in the clarified fat. Use every three pounds of fat, use one potato.

Now, for bleaching fat, mix your fat with a solution of potassium permanganate. Potassium permanganate is a powerful oxidizing and bleaching agent. Just warm and stir.

For each pound of fat, use one pint of solution.

For a pint of solution, melt a few crystals of potassium permanganate in a pint of soft water.

Permanganate can be purchased at hobby supply stores.

My methods are from doing colonial reasearch of soapmaking; which is basic instructions.

making soap, soapmaking

Now that you know the basics of making soap,consider making a profit from soapmaking with a home based business.

As a courtesy to my visitors, I often give away many how-to's about many subjects. See below for the basics and then when you are ready to become a master at soap making... You may choose to purchase our recipes.

Click Here! to purchase how to create your own Luscious Bath Bombs, Soothing Creams and Aromatic Fragrance products. It's an electronic e-book that will be downloaded immediately after you purchase from our secure server.

For just $44.00 Bucks! You can have all the recipes you need and will quickly make that money back if you decide too sell your products. It's a great and fun hobby that anyone can do.

It's a great way to make some extra cash or make gifts for the Christmas season.

Everyone is looking for authentic elegant fragance creams and soaps.

They also make great gifts throughout the year.

As I continue my research, I will add scents for soapmaking, and beeswax soapmaking

Return from Colonial Soapmaking to Self Sufficient Farm Living

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