Making soap takes much time and effort. Soap is made by boiling lye and animal fat together for over six hours. Salt is thrown in the kettle when the boiling is done so that the soap will harden.

     Lye is a harsh chemical that can burn the skin. It comes from collecting water poured through ashes from fires.

     When the Spray's butcher their livestock in the fall, usually hogs, they collect the fat to make soap. Lard comes from hogs and tallow comes from cattle.

     The fat must be rendered before it is mixed with lye. This means it must be boiled in water for hours to separate any meat attached to the fat. When the water cools, the clean fat rises and floats on top of the water. Then it can be skimmed off to be boiled with lye.

 

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