What are cheaper alternatives for making lye at home?

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SUMMARY

Cheaper alternatives for making lye at home include using wood ash combined with rainwater, as detailed in a method found on Steve's Art Stuff. This method involves boiling the ash in rainwater and straining it to create a liquid lye solution. While potassium hydroxide can be used for soap making, it requires a higher volume due to its dilution compared to sodium hydroxide. The quality of soap produced using this method may vary, and using clean water sources is crucial to avoid contamination.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of lye production methods
  • Knowledge of soap making processes
  • Familiarity with potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide properties
  • Basic skills in boiling and straining liquids
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  • Research the properties and uses of potassium hydroxide in soap making
  • Learn about the lye production process using wood ash and rainwater
  • Investigate the effects of water purity on lye quality
  • Explore historical methods of soap making as described in the Foxfire series
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Homesteaders, DIY soap makers, and anyone interested in alternative methods for producing lye at home.

Mr_Bojingles
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Not everybody has access to Sodium hydroxide lye and not everyone can afford brewing barrels and all the other **** they tell you to get for making woodash lye so I was wondering what the cheaper alternatives are.

I found this method where he just adds the ash to a pot of rain water and boils it for a while then strains it through a cloth to make a liquid lye solution.
http://www.stevesartstuff.co.uk/making_lye.htm

I was wondering if that liquid lye would be strong enough to use for making soap. Obviously considering you need more potassium hydroxide than sodium hydroxide and the fact this potassium hydroxide is diluted with water youd have to use a load of this stuff but would it work?

Could you produce the same quality soap as that made with Sodium hydroxide or powder potassium hydroxide?
 
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That is exactly how soap used to be made. There is a discussion in one of the early Foxfire series of books. The process you described was called "dripping lye". (sometimes spelled "drippin' ")

Hardwoods make the best lye, I've heard.
 
Cool. Then I am going to get started. Would snow work as well as rain water? I am talking city snow so it wouldn't be the cleanest.
 
What might city snow it be contaminated with? Ash? Soot?
Consider your total process...

If you use a lot of water, you will make a very dilute solution of lye. You can still make soap out of it if you are willing to boil down the water until it is fairly concentrated. The details of how concentrated to make the lye are discussed in the Foxfire book I mentioned.
 
Well for example I filled a bucket with the cleanest looking snow I could see and when I looked in the bucket yesterday after it had melted there was all dirt at the bottom and a cigarette butt floating in it.

Im going to have to come up with a better way of getting water. I might just buy demineralized water in the pharmacy.
 
Absolutely avoid the cigarette butt tea!
 

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