May I add that I read somewhere that they tested the lye with a feather and if it ate the feather, it was strong enough. Barbara ----- Original Message ----- From: William Awbrey <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, February 21, 2000 4:35 PM Subject: Re: [TNWASHIN] Molasses &SoapMaking Time > Lye comes from running water through wood ashes. I have no idea how they > knew if the lye water was strong enough. My mom said that their soap was > made from pig fat, not beef tallow, due to the fact that all their cows were > milk cows. According to the soap information that I have, pig fat makes > soap harder, but it doesn't suds as well as beef fat. There are all kinds > of fancy soap recipes to be had on the internet, and lots of people really > like making and getting the hand made soaps. Kathy >