Red Devil Lye has been discontinued!

Discussion in 'General Food and Foraging Discussion' started by bunkerbob, Mar 11, 2010.

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  1. Mar 11, 2010 #1
    bunkerbob

    bunkerbob Supporting Member

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    I can't believe this... It's Not a Lye! for all of us soap makers, olive curers and candle makers another product bites the dust.
    I went to the supermarket yesterday to get some Red Devil Lye for olive curing and could not find it on the shelf, ask a clerk and they looked at me like I was some dope, well maybe a little true, "never heard of it" one said, what!, its been around since I was a child and probably much longer. :dunno:
    Then I asked for some liquid Castile soap, another huh?, maybe in the organic food section, what?, never mind.:scratch:surrender:
    Well I found a site online to get the lye http://www.essentialdepot.com/servlet/the-3/4-lbs-Food-Grade/Detail and another for making your own Castile soap and more... A Database of the Most Interesting Natural Soap Making Recipes
     
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2010
    bunkerbob, Mar 11, 2010
    bunkerbob, Mar 11, 2010
  3. Mar 11, 2010 #2
    NaeKid

    NaeKid YourAdministrator, eh?

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    Wow!!!

    I'll take a quick-trip this evening to see if I can find some lye around here and will let you know what I find.
     
    NaeKid, Mar 11, 2010
    NaeKid, Mar 11, 2010

  5. Mar 11, 2010 #3
    lhalfcent

    lhalfcent Supporting Member

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    I can't find lye around here either. But i have found Fels Naptha soap and Castile soap bars.
    So last year when i couldn't find Red Devil Lye i researched how our pioneers did it. They took wood ashes and soaked them in water overnight which leaches lye, a bit more gentle than the red devil stuff. So I decided to experiment with a small batch.
    Anyway I made a small wood outdoor fire in one of those yard grills, the bowl shaped one. when the fire was out and wood turned to ashes i took my hose and filled the bowl with water and put a cover over it and let it set all night.
    the next day i took an old collander and put cheese cloth in that then poured out the water from the grill into the filter i just made and had lye!
    So i started another fire and melted my tallow i made from suet and added or I should say guessed on the ash lye. Trial and error. lol
    The soap took a bit longer to soponify but it did work. I tried it with suet and oils to see which worked better. both batches did the same but it was time consuming.
    I am going to try it again this year. But get myself a bit more organized.
     
    lhalfcent, Mar 11, 2010
    lhalfcent, Mar 11, 2010