Lye from wood ash

[Yolanda]

Has anyone used lye water filtered from wood ash? I'm interested in learning how the pioneers made soap from scratch. Thanks.

 

[ChemicalPyros]

Hello @Yolanda,
The early processes of making soaps are very difficult to make nowadays, you need to find alkaline plants and burn then to make the ashes, then add the water to solubilize the alkaline substances present in the ash. and you leave it for a while for the insoluble matter to go down.
Then in a pot you melt the fat and add the alkaline water bit by bit while boiling. Before every addition you put some of the mixture on your tongue to test for the alkaline "zap". Once you detect the "zap" you stop and boil for some time to eliminate most of the water then you pour in a mold (if you want to keep it traditional, the mold should be made of wood) and you leave it for 12 to 24 hours before cutting it into cubes and leaving them to cure.
The final soaps may be soft and paste-like because the alkalinity is from a mixture of sodium and potassium salts.

 

[Yolanda]

Thank you for your detailed instruction. I'm going to try making this but will end up using silicone mold.

 

[Mawejje Brian]

Hello,I need your help.I made lye from wood ash but on testing it was weak.How can I make it strong .?

 

[Haemocyte]

Hello,I need your help.I made lye from wood ash but on testing it was weak.How can I make it strong .?

Boiling it to reduce water content is an easy method. Another thing you could try is soaking some more ash in it to dissolve more hydroxides.