The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1881-05-12
Household Scan Making.

MIR. w. Menz;es gives, in the Chemist
and Druggist, the following practical
recipe for making SOAP without boiling:
e" Take exactly ten pounds of double re-
fined ninety-eight per centum caustic
soda powder. put it in any can or jar
with forty-five pounds -four and Half
gallons) of water. stir it once or twice,
when it will dissolve Immediately and
become quite hot; let it stand until the
I've thus made is cold. Weigh out and
place in any convenient vessel for mix
ing exactly seventy-five pounds of
clean grease, tallow, or oil (not mineral
oily. If grease or tallow be used. melt
it slowly over the fire until it is liquid
and just warm-say temperature not
more than one hundred degrees Fahren-
heit. If oil be used mo- heating is re-
quired. Pour the I've slowly into the
melted grease or oil in q small stream
continuously, at the same time stir NO
with fiat wooden stirrer about three
inches broad; continue gently stirring
until the lye and grease are thoroughly
combined and in appearance like honey.
Do not stir too long or the mixture will
separate itself again. The time re-
quired varies somewhat with the wealth
er and the kind of tallow, grease or
oil used; from fifteen to twenty
minutes will be enough. When the
mixing is completed. pour off the liquid
soap into an old square box for mold
sufficiently large to hold it, previously
dampening the sides with water 50 IS
to prevent the soap sticking. Wrap vp
the box well with old blankets, or, bet
ter still, put it in warm place until
the next day, when the box will contain
a block of one hundred and thirty
pounds of soap, which can afterward
be cut up with wire. Remember the
chief points in the above directions,
which must be exactly followed. The
I've must be allowed to cool. If melted
tallow or grease be used it must not be
more than warm. The exact weight of
double-refined ninety-eight percentum
powdered caustic soda and ta!low or oil
must be taken; also the I've must be
stirred into the grease, not grease or
oil added to the lye. If the grease or
tallow used be not clean, or contain
salt, it must be rendered. or purified
previous to use, that is to saw, boiled
with water and allowed to heceme hard
again to throw out the impurities. Any
salt present will spoil the whole opera
ton entirely, but discolored or rancid
grease or tallow is just as good as fresh
for soap-making purposes.
If the soap turn out sticky and un-
even it has not been thoroughly mixed.
If very sharp to the taste. too much
soda has been taken. II soft, mild and
greasy. too little soda has been used.
In either case it must now be thrown
into a pan and brought to boil with
q little more water. In the first case
boiling is all that is necessary; in the
other instances a very little oil or
very little more. of the double re med
powdered caustic soda must be added
to the water. These things will never
happen, however, if the directions are
exactly followed, and after the soap
has been made several times with the
experience thus gained, the process is
extremely easy. and the result will be
always q good batch of soap. Beef
tallow makes the hardest soap, mutton
fat rather softer soap; of oils, cotton
seed is the cheapest and best, but the
soap is much softer. lathering very
freely, indeed. Ordinary household fat
or dripping will make nice soap, and
in many places can be obtained at a
trihing cost, and in exchange for goods
sold. Such grease. however, must be
carefully examined for salt which it
often contains. 1t will be evident that
any smaller quantity of soap can be
made at time, according to the above
directions, by taking the ingredients in
exact proportion. It Is not advisable to
make more than double the quantity
prescribed, as it is difficult to work more
l.