Scrapbooking, Quilting, Needlework, Arts & Crafts

The Art Of Making Soap - A History Of Soap Making

Below is a historical introduction to the art of soap making extracted from a book written in the late 1800's entitled "The Art Of Making Soap & Candles" ...

Various ancient writers inform us, furthermore, that lixivious natural salts were employed for washing, such as the nitrum, designated "borith" in the writings of the Hebrews. In the present day it has commonly been supposed equivalent to nitre, but this is an error, for it has been evidently proved that the ancients understood by the word nitrum, the carbonated alkali either of potassa or soda. Both of these substances are natural products, and found in many places and in large quantities, either in outcrops of different rocks or prairies, or in springs and lakes.

Asia is rich in such lakes; some exist in Asia Minor, Armenia, Persia, Hindostan, Thibet, and other eastern parts of that continent. Egypt, also, is richly supplied with soda lakes and springs, and with mineral sodas, whilst in Naples a volcano rock is still extant containing soda.

As some of these substances are highly impregnated with hygroscopic salts, it is not necessary to suppose, as some do, that the Egyptians produced their mineral alkali from the ashes of plants; on the contrary, Pliny states that they were obliged to put it-in well-corked vessels, otherwise it would become liquid.

The production of alkali from plants seems to have been the invention of a later period. Strabo speaks of an alkaline water in Armenia, which we have reason to believe is similar to that of the lake Ascanius mentioned by Aristotle, Anxigonus Carystrius, and Pliny. And here it is worthy of remark, that the ancients made ointments of those mineral alkalis and oil, but no hard soap.

The cheapest and most common article, however, used for washing was the urine of men and animals. This, not long since, was actually employed in the cloth manufactories at Leeds, Halifax, and other places in England. To obtain a supply of it, the ancients deposited at the corners of the streets, special vessels, which they emptied as soon as filled by the passers-by, who were at liberty, even expected, to use them.

Scourers at Rome, however, were obliged to reside either in the suburbs or in unfrequented streets, on account of the consequent disagreeable odor attending their business. Instead of soap, the ancients at any rate made use of the saponaceous juice of some plant, but of which one it is difficult, we may say impossible, to define.

The article "The Art Of Making Soap - A History Of Soap Making" continues on the next page ...

Recommended Resource:

The "Art Of Making Soaps And Candles" was written in the late 1800's by a leading expert at that time and also provides factual and productive information from some of the top manufacturers, inventors, chemists and established authors from the 1800's.

This publication deals not only with the manufacture of soaps and candles, but it also includes illustrations and critical explanations of the various manipulations and mechanical arrangements by which they are effected, thus compiling a condensed narrative full of information that had never been published previously.

Get it here: The Art Of Making Soap & Candles

*****

For more articles and information about making your own crafts and gift-making supplies, please see our "resources" section, or go to articles about make your own crafts.

<< Previous    1  2  [3]  4  5    Next >>