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Rendering the Fat

I get between 12 and 15 lb. of fat. Some is in strips, some are in larger pieces. I bring it home and run it through my meat grinder, but you could just cut it in small pieces. Then I freeze it until I want to render it. To render it, you need to cook it down (do this before the day you want to make soap). Once it is cooked down (just a bit left of solids in the bottom and the cracklings that are floating), then strain the solids out. Then you need to clean it. Clean the lard by putting two parts grease, one part lightly salted water in a pot and bring to a low boil. Let it boil for a few minutes. Stir constantly so that it doesn't turn brown. Take it off and let it cool. When the lard has cooled it will be solid and white. Carefully lift it off and lay it on a clean muslin cloth in a a shallow pan and set it in the refrigerator. All the water droplets need to evaporate off, but if you let it dry at room temperature, it can melt and make a mess.

Basic Lye Soap Recipe

1 can Red Devil Lye 12oz. size if you can still find it!
1 Quart of cold, soft water (you can use rainwater, or goat's milk)
10 cups of liquid fat

All materials that touch the mixture have to be wood, glass or stainless steel. Enamel will also work, providing there are absolutely no nicks or scratches.

Put the water or milk in a bowl (ss or glass). With rubber gloves and a long handled wooden or ss spoon, start slowly pouring the lye in the bowl. I do this outside, because the fumes are nasty and you DO NOT want to breathe them. Keep stirring until the lye is all dissolved. This liquid will now be very HOT!! So, please be careful. If any splashes on you, wash it off right away or put some vinegar on it.

Leave the above mixture for right now. Melt your fat slowly over the stove.

Line a small glass baking dish, with vaseline or a piece of plastic trash bag. Make it as smooth as possible. Some people use an old dress box (the kind you wrap your gifts in) lined with plastic. I also use an old small wooden wagon lined with plastic. Or you can buy molds at the store, but they are expensive and they don't last a long time.

Allow the lye mixture to cool until it is about 95 degrees. Warm the fat mixture up to 95 degrees. When they are both the same temperature, slowly pour the lye mixture into the fat stirring the whole time. Slowly is the key. Keep stirring. Stir until the mixture traces. Tracing is when you get some on your spoon and pour it back over the top of the mixture and it leaves a design. It is when it is getting close to looking like cream of wheat. When it traces, you will be able to then add your coloring or essential oils. Mix them in well and then place the mixture into the molds.

Place the molds in a draft free place for at least 24 hours. The soap should be fairly firm before you try and turn it out. It took my friend three days once to let hers firm up. Cut the soap in the mold like you would cut brownies and then turn them out onto a plastic lined surface. You might want to handle with rubber gloves at this stage as you are not sure that all the lye has saponified.

Stack the bars in a cardboard box in such a way that the air gets most of the way around them. Again put them in an out of the way place and let them cure for at least 3 weeks before using them.

Soap Jelly

One pound of grated soap..... (I use my lye soap. I weigh out one pound worth of bars and then grate them.)
One gallon of soft water (rainwater is great... or I used goat's milk* the last time)
One cup of borax

Put the water (or milk) on the stove in a large pot. Add the borax and stir it in completely. Then add the grated soap. Bring this mixture to a boil and let it boil for 10 min. Watch out, it WILL boil over. Pour the soap (it will be total liquid at this point) into jars or whatever you are going to put it into. I put it in the flip top shampoo bottles for my shampoo. Let it cool at least 24 hours. When it cools it will harden into a pudding type consistency. You can use it to wash your hands, or use 1/4 cup for a load of laundry or shampoo with it.

* I used the goats milk this last time. It did not harden into the pudding type consistency. It was very much a liquid, but we still used it for shampoo. It also separated a lot, but we just shook it up when we used it. However, as time has gone on, the consistency has become more like store bought shampoo.... a very thick liquid. We love it. You can get a build up in your hair using this for shampoo, so you can do a vinegar rinse, or do like we do.... Once a week we use store bought shampoo.

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