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Previous Next The best candle and soap tips online! HISTORY OP THE SOAP AND ALKALI TRADBS. 21 It is difficult correctly to ascertain at what time or by what nation soap was first maJe and used. It is claimed by some that the Greeks first invented it, yet it is first distinctly spoken of as en invention of tl e Gauls, whence the Germans obtained the art and were distinguished for their superior goods, which was at least a century before Italy established its manufacture in the eighth ;entury, and in the beginning of the tenth century it was introduced into France, where large factories were established in Marseilles by a colony of Phoceans, defendants of the Greeks. Marseilles was particularly adapted to this industry, as all the needed materials were there abundant. Olive oil was common, and the neighboring eea-ccast provided the vegetable sod»s, and the seaport on the Mediterranean had a large commerce with all Europe and the Levant. So France became the great market for this useful product, and was celebrated for the superior quality of its soaps, and very deservedly, as the processes then in use have been faithfully adhered to, and all these combinations are to this day wisely continued with the addition of improved gpplicatit ns natural to the advance in everything else. These manufacturers have with prudence ailded to their materiala only such as have proved after careful experiment to be of decided advantage. In the wnr with Spain in the beginning of this century the sources sf much of their material both alkali and oil were cut off, very much tc their disadvantage, and the government with great wisdom ottered ;i large reward for the discovery of the means :>f substitution. This was accomplished by Leblanc who discovered a process for making cauBtic soda from culinary salt; a discovery that has been of great importance, anl may be said to have revolutionized the soap and a'kali trades; for artificial soda as it is called is now universally used. So with their olive oil which became scarce and dear, fur it was also largely supplied by Spain ; the manufacturers were compiled to try other oils, and poppy oil, hempseed oil, sesame oil, and groundnut oil, were used in combination. The litter oil especially proved a success, in fact an improvement to the soap. So at the present time no Marseilles (Castile) soap is made with olive oil alone, as the addition of any of these oils in certain proportions has been proven beuofic'uil; preventing the soap from acquiring too solid a consistency when dry, which that made from olive oil alone was sure to have, except when made with lye from barilla, which contains a large percentage of potash, and the hygroscopic character of this alkali had a like effect in keeping the soap plastic and moie soluble. In turning from France to England we sec that but little progress was made in this art; soap was indeed made, but only in the crudest form and generally in the household or for fulling. The first mention of its manufacture" was in 1.V24, in London; in 1641 a factory for ifs production is described in some records in the British Museum. The trade was retarded, like many others, by the special privileges granted to a subject by the sovereign, and again by the heavy excise duties. These obstructions prevented progress eo that but little improvement can be foand from the tiniaof Queen Anne till the present century, when in 1804 Muspratt made artificial soda by Leblanc's process, which immensely cheapened and increased the manufacture of the articb. Tet to the date of the first International Exhibition of 1851, England had made BO little progress that she was surprised that the manufacturers of other countries carried oft' nearly all the prizes given for that branch. TLis surprise caused an agitation for the repeal of the excise, which was finally accomplished in 1853. The result of this repeal was so beneficial that we find in 1870 the amount manufactured had increased fully fifty per cent. Yet England has not kept pace with some other countries in the progress of the art, though some important discoveries in cheapening the cost of soap hnve there been made, particularly the addition of rosin, palm oil, and silicate of soda. The former article may be considered an aoieliorater, making it more soluble ; the latter while :heapeniug doe3 not materially injure its quality, the silicate of soda, having an alkaline reaction and a detersive quality, biing less objectionable than 22 TECHNICAL TR1ATISE Off SOAP AND CANDLES. the many articles now in use as sophistications of soap, some of which are pernicious and should he abandoned. In 1870 England manufactured about 260,000,000 pounds of hard and soft soap, but since then we canuot trace any material increaae, for countries that then were principally dependent for soaps rn England now make most of their own. Bat of alkali England has steadily increased its supply until it now in quantity excels all other nations. The Germans, who in early times made the best Boap and exported it to other countries, nave made but moderate progress in modern tiroes. At the present day, however, the practice of the art being open to all the people, who have establisljed many small factories and applied to the trade its true chemical diameter, they tre producing superior goods, though this superiority is not sufficiently maintained to claim particular notice in comparison with the products of other countries. The soft soup of Germany is still much used for household purposes as well as for manufacturing, and it lias acquired a reputation for excelling in quality that of other countries. Why, we cannot say, for there have been neither many improvements nor much science given, to its manufacture. Of the manufacture of alkali in Germany there had been but ft limited improvement for mam' years, until it was found that England was extending her alkali tmde to an enormous extent, when the Germans saw the necessity of improving their goods and economizing their processes, which latter had heretofore been conducted in a very wasteful manner. This compelled them IO establish large works and to employ experts at liberal wa^es. The result has been not only a better product, but a large increase in the quantity manufactured and in a single -leeade. For a period of time past recollection Germany had made both soft and hard soaps with potash lyes, the latter by using salt in turning the soft Boap into hard, the culinary salt or chloride of soda producing a decomposition by parting with its chlorine, forming chloride of potash, which was precipitated in the Bpent lye along with the glycerine, leaving a HISTORY OP THE SOAP AND ALKALI TRADES. 23 sebacic acid soda soap. This process is still in vogue in countries where wood is burnt as fuel, and potash and wood ashes are abundant; notably Russia and the newly settled portions of the United States. Germany now employs the artificial eoda in almost all its soaps, and is making much of its alkali from cryolite for the use of the glass manufacturers as well as the Boap boilers. In our own country there haa been a steady progress in the improvements constantly making in this useful and important art, until now wo are producing goods which for quality compare favorably with aiy made elsewhere; moreover we have invented much new and improved machinery and apparatus that greatly facilitate the processes, saving labor and time and improving inequality.' Thus the United States is at this time but little behind any other country, either in the amount made or in the quality of the article ; while in the economy and facility of their manufacture this industry is in advance of that of nearly all other countries, and is steadily progressing, so that it cannot be long before we shall equal in quality ?.nd exce. in quantity, for already we are making soap in larger quantities thin Great Britain, and are but little behind France. We are also making so much of our own alkali that we shall soon be independent of other countries. We have hitherto been supplied From England, which is still largely in advance in the production of soda and its adjuncts, having in operation over fifty large alkali works and milking goods valued at 820,000,000 per annum. At the present time the United States has several of these works and many more are projected. When Chevreul described the exact constituents of the fatty bodies, and made known the processes for their separation, a great impetus was given to both the arts-of soap and candle manufacture. The stearitie or solid part was made into candles while the olein or liquid part was converted into soap, the glycerine which had previously been thrown away was extracted from the sublye and utilized and has since become of great importance in many arts. 24 Previous Next
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