The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1864-03-09
aqritulturul nnA Dumsstit.
now TO Make soAP SOFT AND HARD

Frequently see directions in papers for max
ing soaD. but / never yet saw any that possessed
common sense. The best andcheapest article TO
make soap with ia common house ashes; when
that cannot be obtained, potash is the next best
But some people say they never have any luck
making soap. Now bumbly submit that there
l. no luck aboutit. II your lye 10 pure and oil
the proper strength, aud your grease clean you
cannot boil them together without making soap
But how about the purity OF your Iye! Every
tyro in chemistry knows that coroonlc acio gas
is one OF the most abundant products oil nature
Now csrbonie acid gas will Lot DIX win grease
WOOD ashes have great affinity for carboDic
acid gas particularly such as get damp or lay
near The ground. as a natural consequence, alb
sorb il and when the I've is run of it 10 not
caustjc potash, but a carbonate OF potash, which
"a said before, will not mix With grease there
fore. il il that some housekeepers have so much
trouble in making soap. Now fresh burnt lime
has stronger affinity for earbonie acid than
wood ashes, consequently where lime IN suth
Gent quantity is used in the leach, it absorbs al
the caIbobic acid and leaves the lye pure or
causuc and then il of proper strength Il IL sure
10 make SOAP Now all kinds OF wood ashes
contain potash in some proportion; some kinds
contain more than Others, but all kinds will make
sosD II YOU can get the I've strong enough To
Ur
BY mixing amd letting it stand. to make what Is
called cold SOAP. 1 would advise everybody
that intends 10 make soap 10 procure one BUSH
eli of fresh burnt lime for every ten bushels OF
house ashes even If the ashes are dry aud clear,
Stake the lime and mix with the ashes; I'LL your
leach, and az long as your I've 10 strong enough
10 bear an egg you cannot fail 10 make soap
II your ashes are TOO poor In potash that the I've
will lot bear egg you car save the I've 10 put
in a fresh leach or you can boil 1t down until II
will bear an egg.
II YOU have no wood ashes and are compelled
to use potash, il is q matter OF economy to still
use line, for common potash ID not csustic
enough TO make soap to advantage, without lime
The best way 10 10 take peck OF fresh burnt
lime for every ten pounds Of potash put the
lime in keg dissolve the potash in water and
leach il through the lime; be sure it 10 strong
enough. and then proceed with your soap.
There can be no directions given as TO the
proportions Of grease and potash. That depends
upon the strength of the potash and the purity
or cleanliness Of the grease. The only test
know is the tongue. II by touching little TO
your tongue from the tip OF your fuger it tastes
very strong Of lye il wants more grease If mild
is wants more lye. II is a good plan to leave
your soap pretty strong Of lye when you finish it
or else when you come to use IL, il will not make
good suds.
The above directions are Of course for soft
soap. Potash aud grease .s4ka snft soaD /: soda
and grease make hard soap. Ii after you have
made good soft soap you wish to convert it into
hard soap you can do so very easily by adding
common salt until, by taking up some OF the soap
on paddle, you can see the lye run from the
paddle clear Ike water. Then let il stand until
il settles, wher you can take the soap off the
- - IL ka
worked over two or three times, each time with |
good fresh strong lys. In this case of making
hard soap with potash, where you use salt, the |
chloride of the soda unites with the potash and
forms chloride of potash which remains in the
kettle, called salt lye, and leaves the soda free to
unite with the grease to form hard sosp.-PrGi-
Tis Farmer.