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Classic
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page 179
on a plate that it is a thick jelly, and no grease appears, put in salt in the
proportion of one pint to three gallons--let it boil a few minutes, and pour it
in tubs to cool--(should the soap be thin, add a little water to that in the
plate, stir it well, and by that means ascertain how much water is necessary for
the whole quantity; very strong lye will require water to thicken it, after the
incorporation is complete; this must be done before the salt is added.) Next
day, cut out the soap, melt it, and cool it again; this takes out all the lye,
and keeps the soap from shrinking when dried. A strict conformity to these
rules, will banish the lunar bugbear, which has so long annoyed soap makers.
Should cracknels be used, there must be one pound to each gallon. Kitchen grease
should be clarified in a quantity of water, or the salt will prevent its
incorporating with the lye.
Soft soap is made in the same manner, only omitting the salt. It may also be
made by putting the lye and grease together in exact proportions, and placing it
under the influence of a hot sun for eight or ten days, stirring it well four or
five times a day.
TO MAKE STARCH.
WASH a peck of good wheat, and pick it very clean; put it in a tub, and cover it
with water; it must be kept in the sun, and the water changed every day, or it
will smell very offensively. When the wheat becomes quite soft, it must be well
rubbed in the hands, and the husks thrown into another tub; let this white
substance settle, then pour off the water, put on fresh, stir it up well, and
let it subside; do this every day till the water comes off clear--then pour it
off; collect the starch in a bag, tie it up tight, and set it in the sun a few
days; then open it, and dry the starch on dishes.
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