Year: 1879




daily consumption of the householder
of more importance than soap, and yet
there are few articles the constituent
element of which and the sophistica-
tions" of which are so little understood.
Soap is a compound formed by the uni
son of alkalis with vegetable oils or
animal fat. Pliny ascribes the inven-
ton of the article to the Gauls, and
gives to the barbarous Germans the
credit of manufacturing it. A COM
plete factory with soap in a good state
of preservation has been discovered at
Pompeii, and this will prove that the
article is of early origin. Some natural
productions possess the qualities of
soap, as, for instance, the berries of
the soap tree of South America and the
West Indies. Fuller's EARTH may be
classed among natural soaps, for it is
mentioned in the sacred writings, and
to this day is used in fulling cloth.
Different kinds of oils are used in the
manufacture of soap, each possessing
different properties, such as stearine,
palmatine and oleine. The harder
kinds of soap are made from stearine
and alkali, the softer from oleine and
pOlfNoly anu hll "llOlos "liOh
used upon greasy fabrics, form soap
similar to that of the manufactured ar
ticle. Consumers invariably Judge the
quality of soap by its firmness-if the
soap be hard they jump to the conclu-
sion that the quality must be good.
Never was there greater delusion.
They are ignorant of the fact that the,
veriest trash may be made hard by the
admixture of certain ingredients.


A soap may be soft, although made
Of the best material. When soap is
manufactured, while in the pan, it is
called pure or nett soap. When taken
out of the pan it is put into frames,
when brine and other substances are
pounded into it. This is done in order
to reduce cost. That which in England
is called pure tallow soap consists of
1000 weight of tallow and 800 weight
of rosin to the ton, and also the addi-
ton of sufficient alkali, the absorption
of water, and 100 pounds of brine.
Rosin is the softest substance that en-
ters into the manipulation of soap.
Vegetable oils have far greater affini
ty for water than for animal fat. and if
an excess of water be added to soap
VI dullhdl ldl, SOlI anu
article will be the result. With soaps
made purely from vegetable oils, how
ever, the result will be exactly
the opposite, and the more water
and brine that is crunched into
them, the harder they will become.
But, of course, the water will speedily
evaporate unless prevented. To pre-
vent speedy evaporation and loss of
weight, the soaps when cut up are
stacked in drying room. where cur
rents of hot air are forced through the
room. This process is called getting a
"skin'' on the soap. Soap is insoluble
in a solution of common salt, so that
the addition of salt to the contents of a
soap pan will cause curd, consisting
of solid soap, to rise to the surface.
The conversion of fatty matter into
soap is what is understood as the process
of saponification. This is done by con-
tinuous boiling with caustic alkali at q
strength of about fifty per cent. The
spent lye, caused by doing this, is grad
ually pumped off and replaced by fresh
lye, the proper saponification being at
length reached Should the soap in
its preparation be surcharged with an
excess of alkali, it becomes injurious
to the hands as well as to the fabric.
An excess of alkali is easily discernible,
for as the soap becomes hardened, the
alkali, if in excess, will eXude, show
ing n whitish substance the soap.
Whenever this is the case, such soaps
should not be permitted to enter the
household, for they are injurious in
every respect Silicate of sodium is
mixed with soap. Being a much heav-
ier substance than water, it is crunched
into the frame when the soap is cool
ing, and greatly reduces the cost. 1t
has great cleansing properties, but is
most injurious in effect. 1t is chiefly
used in soaps made from cocoanut oil.
CASTLE soap is made chiefly from olive
oil. To produce mottled soap, the sur
face of the newly-made body of fat
must be sprinkled with lye of less and
less strength, thereby distributing the
coloring matter throughout the bulk of
the article.


There are soaps in the market which
are most injurious in effect, and the
only guarantee against them afforded
the consumer is for him to buy his soap
| from houses of established character.
There are soap-makers who do not hes
itate to charge their soap-pans with
the loathsome gangrene of the fat of
| dead animals. A continued use of soaps
made in this way will poison the hands
and produce numerous diseases of the
skin.


That the soap trade is one of great
profit there can be no questioning.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars an
nually are spent in the vicinity of New
York in carrying on the business, and
parties engaged in making soap in New
York City have amassed fabulous fort
unes. There are but few manufactories
in this city-by far the greater part OF
the soap used here coming from cities
in other portions of the union.-Brook'


Ign Eagle.


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