Home Made Soap

New Zealand Listener, Volume 22, Issue 552, 20 January 1950, Page 22

Home Made Soap

Dear Aunt Daisy, I have often found your articles in The Listener very helpful and wonder if you could help me with some advice on how to render down fat for soap so as to get all the salt out? I melted mine with water, but couldn’t get all the water out

again as it- seemed to be absorbed. Perhaps, too, you could print a good recipe for home-made soap?

Joan

Devonport

Try to get fat which has no salt in it --just render down plain fresh fat. To clarify fat, bring it slowly to the boil in water, boil about halt an hour, then pour into a vessel containing a little cold water and leave till cold. The fat will be hard and set on top, and can be lifted off, leaving the wafer with all impurities in the vessel. lf necessary, scrape — the underneath of the cake of fat. Good | soap cannot be made from dirty fat. This | is said to be a good recipe by the sender | in Wanganui: 6 Ib, clarified fat, 1 ib, | caustic soda, 1% Ib, borax powder, 14 oz, | resin, 12 pints cold water, Put 11 pints vater in kerosene tin with other ingred- | ients, and bring to the boil. Let it rise nearly to top of tin, then dash in re~ maining pint of water, which should be | kept handy. When it comes to the boil | again, remove from fire. Stir occasionally | while it cools. Next day turn out and | store, Do not leave the soap when it is ) nearing the boil, as it comes up ‘silently | and boils over. ;