Chapter 19 of my Caveman Chemistry book begins with an excerpt of Mappae Clavicula, a book from around 1130 AD: ☿ How soap is made from olive oil or tallow Spread well burnt ashes from good logs over woven wickerwork made of withies, or on a thin-meshed strong sieve, and gently pour hot water on them so that it goes through drop by drop. Collect the lye in a clean pot underneath and strain it two or three times through the same ashes, so that the lye becomes strong and colored. This is the first lye of the soapmaker. After it has clarified well let it cook, and when it has boiled for a long time and has begun to thicken, add enough oil and stir very well. Now, if you want to make the lye with lime, put a little good lime in it, but if you want it to be without lime, let the above-mentioned lye boil by itself until it is cooked down and reduced to thickness. Afterwards, allow to cool in a suitable place whatever has remained there of the lye or the watery stuff. This clarification is called the second lye of the soapmaker. Afterwards, work [the soap] with a little spade for 2, 3 or 4 days, so that it coagulates well and is de-watered, and lay it aside for use. If you want to make [your soap] out of tallow the process will be the same, though instead of oil put in well-beaten beef tallow and add a little wheat flour according to your judgment, and let them cook to thickness, as was said above. Now put some salt in the second lye that I mentioned and cook it until it dries out, and this will be the afronitrum for soldering. Rene Rancourt and Michelle LaBrie: see, soapmaking *is* alchemy! The first mention of soap made from Al-qali and oil was in the Ebers papyrus, an Egyptian document that dates back to 1552 B.C. and is the oldest preserved medical document. Some believe the papyrus to be a copy of the even more ancient books of Thoth (3000BC), reputed father of medicine, pharmacy and alchemy. It is now in the University of Leipzig library. Back in the old days the craft of soapmaking was organized into guilds that kept the sacred knowledge. Natrium (al-qal al-soda, sodium carbonate, lye) was mined from the egyptian salt lakes. Natrium has the sun as its father, since it needs evaporation, the moon its mother because of the tides, the wind makes the water vapor go away and the earth is its nourse. ∴
Posted on: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 12:19:43 +0000
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