Soap Sliver Recombobulation!

[Disposable Heart]

To all: Maybe not a how to make SHTF soap thread, but an important soap conservation thread question?

I have a ton (saved em all) of slivers of soap from bath bars and such. I have heard that some folks can make them back into workable bars. Does anyone does this, and if so, how!?

 

[redneckmedic]

Here is what you are looking for.....

Recycle your old Soap


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And More....


The History of Soapmaking

Over the past several years there has been a renewed interest in the art of soapmaking. This form of art has been around for centuries. Long ago, soap making was not considered an artform, but a necessity. Our ancestors usually made soap in the fall after the fall butchering, when they had plenty of fat from their hogs. They cooked the fat down to make lard. To the lard, they added lye which was made from wood ash. Our ancestors then cooked and cooked this concoction outside in a large kettle over a fire until it began to harden. The whole process took a very long time, but was necessary for the cleanliness of the family until the next soapmaking day, which was usually a whole year away. This soap wasn't just used to keep hands clean...it was used for everything. Housewives used the lye soap to wash their dishes, clothes, floors, windows, and even their babies. The soap surprisingly was not as harsh as some people of today believe.

Getting Started

There are several things you need to know before you begin your soapmaking experience.

• Lye which you can either make yourself from woodash, or purchase at a grocery store,is very irritating to the skin and can do severe damage to eyes and throats. Use extreme caution when using lye, aways keeping it away from children. You should use rubber gloves and saftey glasses when using lye. Follow the directions on the back of the lye box on how to handle lye. Red Devil is a popular brand of lye.
  You can also make your own lye by pouring water over wood ashes and saving the biproduct--lye water. The lye water is then added to fat to make soap.
• Although lard is the main ingredient in soap, one can successfully substitute other oils to use in its place. Possible substitutions for lard can be sunflower, canola, or just vegetable oil.(I have found that soap made from oil is greasier than that made of lard.) Lard can be purchased at a grocery store or a butcher shop.
• The utensils you use in soapmaking should be saved for soapmaking use only and should not be use thereafter for food purposes. This goes for the kettle you cook the soap in too, although I have used my enamelware canning kettle to can in after using it for soapmaking...I gave it a good scrubbing, of course.
  You must not use metal pans and utensils,like aluminum,iron,tin,or teflon for soap making. You can use cast iron (as in a kettle, if you are making it outside over a fire)or enamelware,stoneware,wood, glass or plastic.
• Always add lye to cold water. Not vise-versa.Remember to stir slowly to avoid splashes. The water will start heating up once the lye is added, due to a chemical reaction.Afterwards, pour the lye solution into the fat, once again stirring slowly.
• Chunks in your bar soap is caused by the separation of the lye and the lard. The chunks are the fat. If this happens, melt the mixture and add a cup of water at a time, until the mixture is thick and syrupy again.
• You can make your own soap molds out of a rag-lined box or glass cake pans or casseroles. Simply slice the bars with a knife after the soap has cured for a week.

Soap Recipes

I know the trend right now is to add wonderful smelling scents and beautiful tints to homemade soaps. I have given up doing this because both the scents and the colors fade after a very short time, and to me it isn't worth the extra expense and effort. You are suppose to use essential oils when adding scent to your soap, but I cannot tell a diffence between it and any other scent.
Boiled Soap No.1 For cooking outdoors in a kettle. 32 pounds lard
16 quarts soft water
8 cans lye
Boil 2 hours and then add 1 more gallon of water.Stir and remove fire from kettle and pour into molds.

Boiled Soap No.2 2 gallons of soft water
1 can lye
5 pounds lard
Heat the fat. In a separate container, add lye to water. Add the lye water to the fat and cook for 2 hours.

Cold Soap No. 1 6 lbs melted fat
1 can lye
2 1/2 pints water
Add lye to water and dissolve. When container which holds the lye water is warm, add the fat and stir until cool. Pour into a cloth lined box, or a box that has been dipped in cold water, and cover. Cut soap into squares when set.

Cold Soap No.2 1 cup fat
1/2 cup cold water
1 1/2 T. lye
1 T. powdered borax (optional)
1 T. ammonia (optional)
Melt fat. In a separate container,add borax and ammonia to lye. Add lye( with the borax and ammonia in it) to water. Then, add the lye solution to the fat. Beat with an egg beater for 20 minutes.
Cold Soap No.3
1 can lye
2 1/2 pints of cold water
5 1/2 pounds lard
Dissolve lye in water and set aside until temperature is less than 80 degrees. Melt the fat and set aside until temperature is 115 degrees. Very slowly pour dissolved lye into fat. Stir until it thickens, and pour into mold.

 

[Django]

Layer cheese cloth in a muffin tin.
Melt the slivers <over low heat on the stove or in the microwave>.
Use a basting brush with the liquid soap to coat the cheesecloth melding it to the tin.
Pour the rest of the soap, let it fully harden.
Remove from muffin tin by pulling on the cheese cloth.

-OR-

Pop the slivers into a cheesecloth, tie it off and use as-is.
<less work, same difference >

--edit--
or redneckmedic's link (didn't see it, looks the same as other bolded text)

 

[rambone]

I always just squeeze the slivers together with a new bar so they stick...

 

[Beau]

I always just squeeze the slivers together with a new bar so they stick...

That is what I do too.