patch lube question

[roundball]

"...to do the best research you could..."

Just trying to follow this interesting thread and am puzzled by this statement...what does it mean?

 

[Lone Carabiner]

Very good question, but another is how/what did they use for cleaning in the field? I'm saying a month or more afoot in sometimes bad weather.
Grease (bear fat &etc plus hardwood ash makes a sort of 'soap') based soap? Or did they carry bar soap with them? Liquid soap was not available at that time. Plenty of hot water was, if a pot was available. :hmm:

 

[paulvallandigham]

soap was carried in wooden containers, in horns, and in oilskin, or just in leather. Whatever the family had was it. For the long hunters, they often went without. It was too much extra weight to carry, and they didn't plan to spend time bathing, which was an activity reserved for once a year, maybe. In those days, people believed you would catch diseases if you bathed. They would think us very odd today, and I am sure the feeling would be mutual. Perfumes were used to hide body odor, rather than soap being used to remove it, in high society.

 

[Stumpkiller]

Liquid soap was not available at that time.

Sure it was. Called "soft soap" or "saddle soap". You add salt to the soap made from pouring rendered animal fat through wood ashes and you get cakes. Leave the salt out and you have liquid soap.

 

[renovato]

There were more liquids soaps at the time than hard soaps. In fact, the first soaps were all liquids until they figured out the salt trick.

I tried making soap from wood ash once. Wow was that ever involved. Run boiling water through the ash over and over, then boil it down till it was strong enough, then the saponification part. Yielded a pretty good soap though. I've made it a couple times since using Red Devil lye but decided soap making just isn't for me.

 

[Lone Carabiner]

Saddle soap ain't got salt in it. It's made with regular soap, clear turpentine (close to 'Tall oil?) and neatsfoot oil.
No doubt that there was 'soft soap' of a sort available though
That would probably be a good patch lube/cleaner also.

 

[Lone Carabiner]