I have a friend that recieved a caustic burn from some homemade soap, and while I think it is a good idea to learn the process to make 'lye soap' I almost gulp at the thought of me being required to use the process.
In a book that I was going through, I cam accrost a recipe. I have found out that the 'old time ways' do not always compute with a modern setting. So in the old days you might have been able to go to some market and buy a few pounds of tallow but today I dont feel that I aways have that option, so to learn how to make soap a person needs to learn how to render fat. But anyway here is a recipie for soap from the book 'Depression Era Recipes'
7 lbs. tallow
3 lbs. rosin
2 lbs. potash
6 gal. water
mix all ingredients and boil for 3-5 hours. Let stand overnight. Cut into bars, and let dry in sun for 2-3 days to harden.