VARIETIES. 
563 
The  woodwork  of  the  plane  must  be  fashioned  at  each  end,  so  that  when 
placed  over  the  mortar,  it  remains  firm  and  not  easily  moved  by  the  parallel 
pressure  of  the  soap  against  its  projecting  blade. 
To  commence  operations  we  take  first  7  lbs.,  14  lbs.,  or  21  lbs.,  of  the  bars 
of  the  soap  that  it  is  intended  to  perfume.  The  plane  is  now  laid  upside  down 
across  the  top  of  the  mortar. 
Things  being  thus  arranged,  the  whole  of  the  soap  is  to  be  pushed  across 
the  plane  until  it  is  all  reduced  into  fine  shavings.  Like  the  French  char- 
bonnier,  who  does  not  saw  the  wood,  but  woods  the  saw,  so  it  will  be  per- 
ceived that  in  ihis  process  we  do  not  plane  the  soap,  but  that  we  soap  the 
plane,  the  shavings  of  which  fall  lightly  into  the  moitar  as  quickly  as 
produced.  • 
Soap,  as  generally  received  from  the  maker,  is  in  proper  condition  for  thus 
working;  but  if  it  has  been  in  stock  any  time  it  becomes  too  hard,  and  must 
have  from  one  to  thiee  ounces  of  distilled  water  sprinkled  in  the  shaving  for 
every  pound  of  soap  employed,  and  must  lay  for  at  least  twenty-four  hours 
to  be  absorbed  before  the  perfume  is  added. 
When  it  is  determined  what  size  the  cakes  of  soap  are  to  be,  what  they 
are  to  sell  for,  and  what  it  is  intended  they  should  cost,  then  the  maker  can 
measure  out  his  perfume. 
In  a  general  way,  soaps  scented  in  this  way  retail  from  4s.  to  10s.  per 
pound— bearing  about  100  per  cent,  profit,  which  is  not  too  much,  consider- 
ing their  limited  sale.  The  soap  being  in  a  proper  physical  condition  with 
regard  to  moisture,  &c,  is  now  to  have  the  perfume  well  stirred  into  it.  The 
pestle  is  then  set  to  work  for  the  process  of  incorporation.  After  a  couple  of 
hours  of  "  warm  exercise"  the  soap  is  generally  expected  to  be  free  from 
streaks,  and  to  be  one  uniform  consistency. 
For  perfuming  soap  in  large  portions  by  the  cold  process,  instead  of  using 
the  pestle  and  mortar  as  as  an  incorporator,  it  is  more  convenient  and  econo- 
mical to  employ  a  mill  similar  in  construction  to  a  cake  chocolate-mill,  or  a 
flake  cocoa-mill  ;  any  mechanical  apparatus  that  answers  for  mixing  paste 
and  crushing  lumps  will  serve  pretty  well  for  blending  soap  together. 
Before  going  into  the  mill,  the  soap  is  to  be  reduced  to  shavings  and  have 
the  scent  and  color  stirred  in;  after  leaving  it  the  flakes  or  ribbonds  of  soap 
are  to  be  finally  bound  together  by  the  pestle  and  mortar  into  one  solid  mass  ; 
it  is  then  weighed  out  in  quantities  for  the  tablets  required,  and  moulded  by 
the  hand  into  egg-shaped  masses,  each  piece  being  left  in  this  condition, 
separately  laid  in  rows  on  a  sheet  of  white  paper,  dries  sufficiently  in  a  day 
or  so  to  be  fit  for  the  press ;  the  press  is  the  same  as  that  previously  men- 
tioned. It  is  usual  before  placing  the  cakes  of  soap  in  the  press  to  dust 
them  over  with  a  little  starch  powder,  or  else  to  very  slightly  oil'lhe  mould ; 
either  of  these  plans  prevents  the  soap  from  adhering  to  the  letters  or  em- 
bossed work  of  the  mould — a  condition  essential  for  turning  out  a  clean 
well-struck  tablet. 
The  body  of  all  the  fine  soaps  mentioned  below  should  consist  of  the  finest 
