[Herbalist] Soap- How would they Have created Lye?

[LadyPDC@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/31/2004 12:01:50 AM Mountain Standard Time, 
bjofnz at yahoo.co.nz writes:
How would they of created lye?

I can't remember where I found this info as it was over a year ago when I was 
researching the subject.  So, for what it is worth ....

Lye came from wood ash.  The most complete info I found on the entire process 
came from a site I found on the recreations done of the American Virginia 
colonies.  Can't remember the site address off the top of my head but a search 
should find it for you.  The other information I found that dated to our time 
period upheld that the process done at the Virginia colonies was consistent with 
the process done in our time period.

Basically, much of the lye came from the baking process (which is how I got 
hooked into it as I was researching bread baking in period).  When baking was 
finished for the day, they would clean the ash out of the oven and place it in 
a kind of a sieve (in some cases the sieve was lined with broadcloth or 
cheesecloth, others made no mention of any lining.  This sieve was then placed over 
a bucket or barrel.  Often this container is just left out to wait for the 
next good rain or even place under a roof eve to facilitate the projection of 
rainwater into the container.  In some cases, there are records of a weekly 
drenching of the ashes with water.

The resultant liquid formed by running water through the clean and quite 
burned (temps in a baking oven get quite high) wood ashes give the lye component 
that was used in soap making.  

As I recall from looking at it over a year ago, I found several sites and 
books where chemists had analyzed the resultant water and given the strength of 
the lye and other components.  Also found reference to baking guild prices set 
for the sale of such "ash water" though I couldn't at this point tell you if 
it was the English or Italian Bakers guild.  I believe that it was from the 
1500's though wouldn't swear to that either.  (I have a mind like a sieve - much 
goes through but only bits and pieces of it stay)

Don't know how much help that is to you other than to let you know that the 
information is out there and give you some general search terms to look for 
both in an internet and in a library search.

Hope it is somewhat helpful.




Lady Constance de la Rose
Barony of Loch Salann
Kingdom of Artemisia

"Never say a thing's impossible,
For chances are you'll rue it.
Because some fool who doesn't know,
Will come along and do it."
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