Harp Soap

Ingredients

• one gallon of good soft soap
• a pint measure level full of common salt
• more weak lye
• rain-water

Method

1. 1

   Place one gallon of good soft soap in a kettle to boil; when it begins to boil, stir in a pint measure level full of common salt, stirring it all the time until the salt is dissolved, then set to cool.

2. 2

   Next day, cut out the soap in squares, scrape off the soft, dark part that adheres to the lower side of the cakes, pour out the lye, and wash the kettle.

3. 3

   Place the soap, cut in thin slices in the kettle, with more weak lye.

4. 4

   If the lye is strong, add rain-water, pint for pint; let it boil until the soap is dissolved.

5. 5

   While boiling, again stir in a pint measure level full of salt, stirring it some as before, and set to cool.

6. 6

   When perfectly hard, cut it in cakes the size you wish, scraping off the soft lye part that adheres to the lower side, and lay on boards, top side down in the sun, turning it each day until sufficiently dry.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Buckeye cookery (1892), page 293. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

Harp Soar.—Place one gallon of good soft soap in a kettle to boil; when it begins to boil, stirin a pint measure level full of common salt, stirring it all the time until the salt is dissolved, then set to cool. Next day, cut out the soap in squares, scrape off the soft, dark part, that adheres to the lower side of the cakes, pour out the lye, and wash the ket- tle; place the soap, cut in thin slices in the kettle, with more weak lye. _ If the lye is strong add rain-water

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.