Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2004 7:59 am Post subject: Lets keep it clean people.
Hygeine. The most basic of our necesities aside from food and water. Being clean keeps us healthy and makes us enjoyable company as well. A win win situation. Aside from that, theres nothing as relaxing as a hot bath with candles and your signifigant othe..... I mean..... A nice hot shower....
But, whats a shower without soap?! What if we cant get soap? Now thats a bit of a pickle isnt it. Fortunately, making soap is very easy to do. In fact, it requires all of 3 ingedients! (4 counting you)
Lye, water and oil.
The most common oil is lard, which is easily made by cooking down pigs fat. You can substitute other oils however such as canola or vegetable.
Water, how easy can it get.
Lye. Think of distilled wood ash. Burn wood, get lye. Aint country livin good?
Rather then type it all out (And its not difficult) I'll point to a few good reading articles.
Joined: May 24, 2004 Posts: 3428 Location: California, USA
Posted: Mon Aug 16, 2004 3:15 am Post subject:
Hmm, and I thought this would be a topic reminding people to minimize the use of cusswords:-)
A close friend of mine ran the manufacturing system at a commercial soapmaking operation for a while, and knows plenty about the chemistry, process, etc. He said that making soap from lye & fat results in something that smells truly nasty, is harsh as hell, etc.
So I have to believe that some of the DIY soap recipes have dealt with those issues in some way, and that the ingredients needed to mitigate the harshness and bad smells, are commonly available.
In all but the most severe collapse scenarios, commercial soap will almost certainly still be available; it's one of those things that's relatively easy to produce on a large scale, and a vital necessity for public health. However, the fact that it is so vital, is plenty good enough reason to have the skills to produce it locally in the community.
Now while we're on the subject...
Assume that soap can be used to wash hair, so shampoo is optional. Or conversely, a liquid such as a shampoo might make a decent substitute for soap. (Which is more efficient? a liquid or a solid?)
What about toothpaste?
And toothbrushes, speaking of petroleum products, nylong bristles in a plastic handle...
Toilet paper.
Feminine hygiene products.
Q-tips (USA brand of cotton swabs on a double-ended stick, for cleaning the ears).
Shaving cream.
Razor blades.
Laundry detergent.
One thing I don't look forward to, is people using an in-progress collapse as an excuse for poor hygiene. Just say "epidemic!" Not to mention, the use of perfumes to cover up the "haven't washed in a week" smell.
the glycerine byproduct from biodiesel production will contain small amounts of methanol (one of the transesterification ingredients), which is highly toxic and must be removed prior to making soap. I imagine it can be distilled out but making soap from biodiesel glycerine is not as simple as it seems.
Plants like the aloe vera have a soap-like quality, and apparently were used by native Americans. I have washed my hands with aloe vera, and it works. It feels a little like a weak shower-gel. I'm not sure whether I could effectively wash my hair with it though, unless I used a large amount. I'll have to try it sometime, because I'd much rather be growing nice friendly aloe plants than messing about with pig fat and lye!
Joined: Jul 07, 2004 Posts: 434 Location: Berkeley CA
Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2004 4:10 am Post subject:
Soap is made from animal fat reacted with lye.
Glycerol is a byproduct of soap manufacture, I don't see why couldn't it be used as a soap. One side of the glycerol molecule is polar, which will stick to water. The other side is non-polar, so it will stick to oils, and grease.
Glycerol from biodiesel is pretty impure, methanol boils at a lower temperature than glycerin, so it can be evaporated off, or boiled off. I doubt distilling glycerol will work, it tends to decompose at a temperature below it's boiling point.
Speaking about hygine, there's a plant that's native to California called "Chlorogalum Pomeridianum." The bulb of the plant contains soap which can be used. This plant has other uses as well, as the flowers can be eatten in the spring, the leaves can be used to make baskets, and best of all its easy to grow.
Leurasia, Aloe Vera is useful, the oils in the plant has disinfectant properties, but the plant only grows in a warm environment, it grows well in shade, it makes a great house plant, but I cannot stand frost.
Joined: May 24, 2004 Posts: 3428 Location: California, USA
Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2004 2:56 am Post subject:
Cleansers: it's not an either/or, it's another and/both. Some will be better for general handwashing, and some better for those occasions when your hands are full of grease & grime. Some better for washing clothes, some better for dishes, etc.
Explosives: I used to think they could be a clever shortcut for excavation, but lately I've been thinking that the basic hand crew method (pick, shovel, barrows, appropriate organization) can be adapted to even the tedious stuff like utility trenches. That is, explosives move a lot of earth fast, but then you still have fine-grading to do. In worst case, you blast out too much earth, and you have to backfill & compact; and the compacted earth is never as dense and stable as it was in its natural state before you moved it (i.e. watch your house settle unevenly). So, better to dig precisely down to grade and not below.
However, boulders, treestumps, and gravel pits are still problems best solved with a bit of dynamite. Actually, for treestumps you want a "slow dynamite," which has more of a heaving action. For boulders you want a "high explosive" meaning high-velocity shockwave that will fracture the rock, and if I'm not mistaken, those are controlled substances nowadays. Gravel pits could go either way depending on whether you need to break rock or merely loosen up a natural deposit.
This still leaves open the question of breaking down rock into usable aggregate sizes, i.e. 1" and minus, all the way down to sand (well-graded aggregate makes strong concrete with less portland cement needed), but that's another topic for another day.
One more use for dynamite: If you have a hazardous and unstable rock formation uphill of a spot you want to use for something such as terrace agriculture. In cases of that kind, blasting may be the safest way to bring down the unstable formation, i.e. you do not want people working with picks & shovels in an area where they could fall and get seriously injured.
Speed readin' is not all its cracked up to be. No offense meant.
Awww, none taken. If I was easily offended, would I be posting here? _________________ American by birth, Muslim by choice, Southern by the grace of God!
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