Alternative Method for Making Lye, Part 1

     This is an excerpt from a chemistry text, written in 1856, called "A Treatise on Chemistry Applied to the Manufacture of Soap and Candles: Being a Thorough Exposition, in All Their Minutiae, of the Principles and Practice of the Trade, Based Upon the Most Recent Discoveries in Science and Art."
     I have taken enough college chemistry classes to realize that I never could seem to find the useful parts of the chemistry books. Perhaps because they didn't come with those chapters. But here is a small bit of a nifty chemistry which can be done at home to work-around the lack of available lye sources for home soaping.
     I love antique cookbooks and now, chemistry books. They provide a new perspective that is absent in our modern age.
     Read more for a more practical method breakdown. Do home chemistry at your own risk. Never throw salt in your eyes.
     What is soda ash? What is hydrated lime?