Lot of interesting responses.
I worked one summer as an interpreter at a restored homestead.
We had an ash hopper that was used for making soap.
The ratio of lye to fat determined hardness of the bars. The system is not complicated but there was a lot of work involved, mostly stirring and pouring.
The type of wood used for the ash was a big determinant in quality of the lye.
IMHO, soap made from commercial lye products is no where as good as with ash lye.
I used to use lye soap when I had my cattle farm. If I thought I had gotten into poison ivy I scrubbed with lye soap right away at home. Haven't had a pi rash in almost 50 years.
Edit: I didn't answer your deer fat question.
Really, I don't know. Our deer don't carry much fat here.
I worked one summer as an interpreter at a restored homestead.
We had an ash hopper that was used for making soap.
The ratio of lye to fat determined hardness of the bars. The system is not complicated but there was a lot of work involved, mostly stirring and pouring.
The type of wood used for the ash was a big determinant in quality of the lye.
IMHO, soap made from commercial lye products is no where as good as with ash lye.
I used to use lye soap when I had my cattle farm. If I thought I had gotten into poison ivy I scrubbed with lye soap right away at home. Haven't had a pi rash in almost 50 years.
Edit: I didn't answer your deer fat question.
Really, I don't know. Our deer don't carry much fat here.
