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Home made soap!
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dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46168
Location: yes
PostPosted: Tue Mar 17, 20 9:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Na OH does require care (and shopping unless you have some in the larder) but i can vouch for the soap. once aged it is ace.

by care i mean look up the h and s data for it.
it ain't cat4 nasty but a grain in the eye, or aerosol mixing spray in the lung will ruin your life more than a few holes in your skin.

safe enough if you learn to be safe with it.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15932

PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 20 7:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Agree on that. Like most chemicals that aren't, as Dpack says Cat4 nasty, treat with respect and read up the health and safety precautions before handling.

Strangely, I have never made soap properly, just played around with it by very basic means once. I know in theory how to make it from scratch starting from wood ash, but have never actually done it. If using potassium (from wood ash) you have to use salt to make it solid.

sgt.colon



Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.
PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 20 9:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

If there are nasty chemicals in soap that can do you harm if misused, what is it in soap that neutralises them?

chez



Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset
PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 20 10:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

The reaction thing... the caustic and the lard react and make the soapy goodness. But if you use it too early it stings.

I have some in the airing cupboard that's been curing since autumn.

sgt.colon



Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.
PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 20 12:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Thanks Chez.

So once made, do you have to leave it to cure for a certain amount of time? Is it like a chutney that get's better with age?

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46168
Location: yes
PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 20 1:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

yep the reaction continues after it sets so maturing it makes it more soapy and less caustic, at some point all the naoh is reacted with the oil/fat and the ph of the soap is almost 7.

not quite like chutney, a bit more like concrete in many ways in that it goes solid quickly but takes a while to reach full strength, or in the case of soap a neutral ish ph, as the reactions continue.

chez



Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset
PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 20 2:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

sgt.colon wrote:
Thanks Chez.

So once made, do you have to leave it to cure for a certain amount of time? Is it like a chutney that get's better with age?


Sally says that hot-processing means you can use it straight away, but I don't know what that means. But for cold processing, dpack is correct!

tahir



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45661
Location: Essex
PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 20 2:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

There used to be an article on here (I think)

tahir



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45661
Location: Essex
PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 20 2:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

https://www.downsizer.net/Articles/Make_your_own/Making_soap_from_woodash_lye/

tahir



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45661
Location: Essex
PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 20 2:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

https://www.downsizer.net/Articles/Make_your_own/Making_Washing_Gel/

tahir



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45661
Location: Essex
PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 20 3:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

https://www.downsizer.net/Articles/Make_your_own/Soap_making/

tahir



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45661
Location: Essex
PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 20 3:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

What a blinking fabulous resource!

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46168
Location: yes
PostPosted: Wed Mar 18, 20 9:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

yep we do have a rather useful knowledge base ranging from soap to home made leccy and off grid medicine and food no matter what happens.

that we do this stuff as normal does mean that we do have a huge library of useful stuff if folk know to look for it.

duck duck go does ace

i know we are useful, i was going to post a link to the virtual naval hospital but it has been firewalled, i have a mirror on several dvd's but that does not help much.
i will have look on tor to see if it has been archived when i next fire up the linux steampunk server.
my thinking is that while medical services are dealing with a pandemic a bit of diy stitching, wise triage of an issue or whatever might be necessary and could be a lot safer than a visit to an a and e dept for something relatively minor.

the first rule of wilderness medicine is don't get hurt or ill the second rule is if you are deal with it, the third is the medic might/will be the first casualty so folk need to be able to substitute if needs be.

it was after my chest surgeon climbing partner took a tumble he started training me properly, scouting gave me the basic red cross stuff but how to perform an appendectomy on a haggis and boil it without it bursting in a snowhole was not in those 2 courses
grannie taught me basic wise woman and pre antibiotic nursing skills when i was a nipper
without reference material i would be lost in all but basic mangled, full of holes with bits missing, toasted or simple medical stuff.

i will have a look around for a decent medical knowledge resource kit for public use sick call guide is a start.


the nhs is well good compared to basic stuff if it has capacity to do it but basic stuff is essential if there is no functional health service

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15932

PostPosted: Thu Mar 19, 20 7:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I know that in theory, if you add salt to woodash lye soap, it turns into hard soap, but not sure how much you need, and I have never actually tried it.

Thanks for those Tahir; certainly very useful in emergency. I ought to be collecting wood ash I think.

sgt.colon



Joined: 27 Jul 2009
Posts: 7380
Location: Just south of north.
PostPosted: Thu Mar 19, 20 8:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Thanks all for your answers.

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