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THE SOUTHERN PLANTER 



AH our common brown soaps contain re- 

 sin. Colophane or resin is soluble in a 

 caustic alkali, hence its adaptability to in-i 

 crease the quantity of our common soaps. 

 Its use is so common, and as it produces a 

 lather with water it is not generally held 

 to be an adulteration, still it does not pro- 

 duce proper saponification. The quantity 

 of fatty matter required to make a ton of 

 perfect soap is 1,.540 pounds. From eight 

 to ten per cent, of this fatty acid is con- 

 verted into glycerine, and owing to the 

 limited use made of this substance it may 

 be called waste. 



The most convenient and cheap alkali 

 for manufacturing soap is sal soda — the 

 carbonate of soda manufactured from com- 

 mon salt. ]t will not make soap by boiling 

 it direct with grease, as it contains too 

 much carbonic acid; it must be prepared 

 for use by dissolving it in about five times 

 its weight of water, then adding half its 

 weight of fresh slacked lime. The carbo- 

 nic acid leaves the soda, unites with the 

 lime and forms chalk, which sinks to the 

 bottom of the vessel. The clear liquor is 

 caustic soda lye, fit to be boiled with tal- 

 low, oil or fat, to make soap. In soap 

 works, the soda lye is deprived of its car- 

 bonic acid in vats prepared for the pur- 

 pose ; but any person may make haid soap 

 from soda lye by a very simple apparatus, 

 viz : a wash tub, and a small tin or iron 

 boiler. 



It is not our intention to give a full de- 

 scription of the processes for manufactur- 

 ing soaps on a large scale; our "Notes" 

 are general on points where information 

 can easily be obtained, but 'particular re- 

 specting some things that are not so well 

 known. 



The most recent work published in our 

 country on Soap and Soap Making is that 

 of Campbell Morfitt, by Parry and McMil- 

 lan, of Philadelphia — a good treatise. An- 

 other w( rk, and a very excellent one also, 

 is that of Kurten, being a translation from 

 the German, published by Lindsay & Blak- 

 iston, Philadelphia. Different soap ma- 

 kers employ different methods of working; 

 and we know one not many miles from New 

 York City, who pursues the methods de- 

 scribed in Dr. lire's old Dictionary of Che- 

 mistry, published in 1823. Soap making 

 is not an art which has undergone much 

 improvement for many years. Tallow, su- 

 et, lard, oils, resin, fat from deceased ani- 



f mals, and boiled bones, are the most com- 

 I mon materials employed in soap making. 

 ! It has been proposed to make soap from 

 cotton seed oil, and we have a sample of 

 ' such soap in our possession ; Edward Conk- 

 lin, of Cincinnati, has made soap direct 

 from the seed, and there aie some pros- 

 pects of his being successful in its manu- 

 facture on a large scale. 



•In England palm oil is now extensively 

 employed for making soap; 40,000 tons of 

 this substance is consumed annually for 

 this purpose, and the consumption of it is 

 increasing rapidly. It is obtained from 

 Africa, and is an. economical material. 

 Fish oil and vegetable oils of every de- 

 scription can make soap by being boiled 

 with caustic alkali, and thickened, if re- 

 quired, with salt. A grand discovery in 

 the manufacture of hard soap would be the 

 saving of the glycerine by combining it 

 with the soap. 



Fancy Soap. — Those small cakes of per- 

 fumed soaps used for the toilet can easily 

 be manufactured by dissolving common bar 

 soap of any kind, and adding perfumed in- 

 gredients and coloring matter — if the latter 

 are desired. The bar soap is cut up into 

 thin slices placed with a small quantity of 

 water in a pan over a fire, and is stirred 

 until it is reduced into a paste. The per- 

 fumes are then added, well stirred, and the 

 soap run off into a flat frame or dish, and 

 set in a cool place. In the course of three 

 days it is fit to be cut into cakes and stamp- 

 ed with any ornamental figure or name. 

 In establishments for conducting the man- 

 ufacture of these soaps, the heating is per- 

 formed in a steam bath, and machinery and 

 apparatus are employed for conducting the 

 business with facility and economy. 



Almond Soap. — This is perfumed with 2 

 pounds of the otto of almonds added to 128 

 pounds of dissolved bar soap. The heat 

 should be as low as possible. 



Camphor Soap. — This is made by adding 

 1^ pounds of otto of rosemary and the 

 same amount of otto of camphor to 28 

 pounds of dissolved bar soap. 



Brown Windsor Soap. — This soap has a 

 distinguished reputation, and sells at retail 

 for 25 cents per pound. It is made by add- 

 ing half a pound each of otto of caraway, 

 cloves, thyme, cassia and lavendar, to 168 

 pounds dissolved bar soap. Its brown col- 

 or is produced by roasted sugar — caramel. 

 Perfumed soaps of endless variety can 



