Page 290 - The Lost Ways

❖ Fit this bucket over the second (no holes) bucket.

❖ Now heat up the rainwater, without boiling, and pour the water over the ashes.

❖ Lye will collect in the bottom bucket. It’s usually a brownish color.

❖ Leave to stand for several hours or overnight.

❖ Collect the lye water, and repeat the process using the lye water instead of
rainwater.

❖ Repeat until no more brown water leaches from the ashes.

! The trick to making good strong lye is multiple filters through the wood ash.

! One of the tricks to knowing if the lye is ready is if a chicken feather dissolves in it.

! Some suggest using straw on top of the stones in the bucket.

! To strengthen the lye water, you can also boil it down to evaporate the water and

concentrate the lye.

Collecting the Fat

The second main ingredient for a basic soap is some sort of fat or oil. You can use many
types of fats or oils to create soap, and the type used will dictate the softness of the soap
produced. Below is a list of common oils or fats you could use and the resultant type of

soap each will produce; however, you can use virtually any type of fat or oil:

❖ Olive Oil: You’ll end up with a brittle but good lather soap that is long lasting.

❖ Vegetable Oil: This produces a softer soap than olive oil and lathers well.

❖ Lard: This is often used for laundry soap as it doesn’t lather well.

❖ Beef Fat: This produces a soft soap that is not really suitable for washing but is
best for laundry use.

You can also mix up any fats you have to create soap.

If using an animal fat to create laundry soap, for example, you should render the fat first
to remove any impurities that might prevent complete saponification.

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