When made with oil it is better to remelt in a kettle the potash soap,
made according to the above directions, with half its weight of water,
using very little heat, stirring constantly, and removing the fire as
soon as the water is mixed with and taken up by the soap. A beautifully
bright soap is obtained in this way, and curiously the soap is actually
made much harder and stiffer by this addition of water than when it is
in a more concentrated state previously to the water being added.
With reference to the caustic potash for making the soap, it can be
obtained in all sizes of drums, but small packages just sufficient for
a batch of soap are generally more economical than larger packages, as
pure caustic potash melts and deteriorates very quickly when exposed
to the air. The Greenbank Alkali Co., of St. Helens, seems to have
appreciated this, and put upon the market pure caustic potash in twenty
pound canisters, which are very convenient for potash soft soap making
by consumers for their own use.
While on this subject of caustic potash, it cannot be too often repeated
that _caustic potash_ is a totally different article to _caustic soda_,
though just like it in appearance, and therefore often sold as such.
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