Soapmaking
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Soapmaking is the process of creating soap from raw ingredients such as fats, oils and lye using the chemical process of saponification.
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[edit] History
References to soapmaking are found as far back as 2800 B.C., in the ruins of Babylon.
Soapmaking was mentioned in the Ancient Egyptian civilization in a papyrus from about 1500 B.C..
By about 700 A.D., soapmaking had become an established craft in Europe. Some of the main European centers for soapmaking at this time were Italy, Spain and France. English people began making soap around 1200.
During the American colonial era, the colonists would store fats and wood ashes and "cook up" batches of soap themselves. Using "pot ash" (water dripped through wood ashes) made potassium hydroxide in place of modern sodium hydroxide (lye) which generally resulted in softer soap. This could be remedied by adding salt to the mixture.
By around the middle of the 1800s, soapmaking was a major industry in the New World. Soap was starting to become an everyday item available for the masses rather than a luxury item.
Today amateur soapmakers continue to make batches of soap themselves.
[edit] Types of Soap
There are two main types of soap.
Bar Soap - which uses lye in the form of Sodium Hydroxide to produce hard, solid soap.
Liquid Soap - which uses lye in the form of Potassium hydroxide to yield a softer soap that can be made into a gel or liquid.
[edit] As a hobby
Making homemade soap for fun is a growing hobby. There are now many suppliers who provide materials for the amateur soapmaker. Online tools that assist in creating soap recipes are also available.
[edit] Soap Making Processes
There are two main soap making processes, within which different techniques are applied.
[edit] Other Soap Making or Soap Crafting Processes
- rebatching also known as French milled soap or Triple-milled soap, can be done with the final soap, whether made the cold or hot process method.
[edit] In the media
In the film Fight Club, Tyler Durden obtains glycerin by rendering human fat in order to make soap.
[edit] Sources
[edit] External links
- Glossary for the Modern Soap Maker - A collection of terms, definitions and acronyms for today's soap maker.
- AquaSapone Soap Recipe Corner - Modern soap methods explained, basic soap racipes.
- Soap Naturally Web and Mailing List - Online resources and self-hosted mailing list, includes hundreds of soap recipes.
- Miller's Homemade Soap Page - Kathy Miller teaches how to make soap.
- The Handmade Soap Master's Blog - Notes on soap and soapmaking myths: organic soap, glycerine soap.
- Walton Feed's Soap Making Homepage - Instructions for modern and traditional soapmaking methods.
- Soapmaking at Bellaonline - Articles,instructions, forum and supplier links.
