[MR] Quick Lime (Lye)

[Terry L. Neill]

Quick lime (caustic) and limestone (inert) are two different things.

Soap makers want *lye* to combine with fats or oils and "soaponify" into a 
salt--otherwise known as soap.

The easiest way to get lye for soapmaking is to buy a can of Red Devil lye 
in the supermarket next to the Draino products.  Make sure it's PURE LYE and 
doesn't have other drain cleaning additions.

One of these days I'd like to try my hand at making lye water from ashes.  
In my copious spare time.

Regards!

  - Anarra, wannabe soap maker

P.S.  Would anyone who knows how to make soap like to come to the Dun 
Carriag area (St. Mary's County) on June 23 or 24 to a Longship Company 
event called "Camp Fenby" and teach us how?  Camp Fenby is a weekend of 
learning early medieval crafts and sciences.

e-mail t_neill at hotmail.com if so.  We would appreciate it to no end!




>hahahaha... I found a distributor.  There are
>limestone quarries sometimes depending on where you
>live but there's a whole web site called limestone.org
>which lists professional  distributors in the country.
><G>
>
>I'm still hoping I can find a local quarry rather than
>forcing my sister to bring some from Kentucky.
>
>Rebecca
>--- Phillip Jones <jonesj at infoave.net> wrote:
> > I understand it is dandy for eliminating bodies,
> > too. Where do you get it?


> > I think I found a source for quicklime!!!
> >
> > Ya kind of have to be a soaper to understand why I
> > would want such a thing and all the standard shops
> > you
> > might think would have it don't. <G>

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