Soap-Making Manual

Thomssen, Edgar George, 1886-Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.6

Word count: 411K words
Chapters: 42

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Soap-Making Manual by Edgar George ThomssenAuthor: Thomssen, Edgar George, 1886-,Language: English, Class: TP: Technology: Chemical technology, Release Date: Oct 22, 2010

Editor's review

Thomson's Soap-Making Manual is a practical technical reader that organises saponification, the choice of fats and oils, the preparation of lye, recipe calculations and the testing of the finished product according to the production process, emphasising workability and safety standards. Its value lies not in nostalgia but in helping readers understand the chemistry behind handmade soap: why different oils affect lather and hardness, how the amount of alkali determines whether the finished product is mild, and how temperature and stirring influence the course of saponification. For readers who want to move from following a recipe to understanding why the recipe works as it does, the book offers a transferable framework. Note that it was written fairly early, and some ingredient names, units of measurement and safety standards bear the marks of their time; modern practice should follow current safety information, and the calculation examples in the book should be treated as method exercises rather than recipes to copy. It is well suited as a theory supplement for handmade-soap enthusiasts and a reference for workshops.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Enthusiasts who have made simple handmade soap and want to understand recipes and the principles of saponification
Teachers who need process explanations and calculation examples for handmade-soap courses
Readers interested in early industrial chemistry texts and practical technical writing
Self-taught practitioners willing to take notes on the process and who value safety standards

Not a good fit for

Complete beginners with no hands-on experience who only want a fully illustrated starter tutorial
Readers expecting modern cosmetics regulations, formula compliance and marketing guidance
Casual readers unwilling to engage with chemical calculations and safety procedures

Reading tips

First read the overview of the process, mark the chapters on saponification calculations and safe operation, then return to the recipe examples for close reading.
Keep a notebook: compile the book's oil properties and alkali calculations into comparison tables and practise with your own recipes.
While reading, check against current safety information; when you meet old units or old ingredient names, convert and verify them first rather than copying them directly.
After each chapter, make a small-batch trial and record your observations beside the text, building your own process notes.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable for learning to make handmade soap from scratch?

Not really as a first book. It leans towards process principles and calculations and assumes a basic familiarity with soap-making. Complete beginners should first work through an illustrated starter tutorial and make a few simple batches, then read this book to understand the chemistry and measurement logic behind recipes; the results will be more reliable.

Can the recipes in the book be followed directly?

Copying them directly is not advisable. The book was written fairly early, and ingredient names, units of measurement and safety standards may differ from current practice. Treat the recipes as examples of calculation and process thinking: verify ingredient specifications and safety requirements first, then adjust according to modern standards and try small batches.

Do I need a chemistry background to read it?

No systematic chemistry training is required, but you need patience with proportions, concentrations and reaction processes. The book involves saponification and lye calculations; readers need only follow the steps to understand the relationships between variables, working them out in a notebook. Look up basic chemistry references for terminology; there is no need to study a full course first.

Does it still have reference value for modern handmade soap making?

Yes, but it should be positioned as a reference on principles rather than an operating manual. It helps readers understand the relationships among oil properties, alkali quantity and process conditions, and this logic still applies; specific safety standards, ingredient sourcing and regulatory requirements should follow current information, and the two are best used together.

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About the author

Thomssen, Edgar George, 1886- Author · American · 1886

Edgar George Thomssen (born 1886) was an American chemist and technical writer. Public information about him is limited, and the details of his life are now difficult to trace, but he is known for his practical technical writing on soap making. His representative work, Soap-Making Manual, is a technical handbook on soap manufacture intended for production practice. It deals with formulas, processes, and operating points, and is written in a concise, well-organized style that emphasizes practical guidance rather than theoretical exposition. Handbooks of this kind gave workers directly applicable operating references against the background of early twentieth-century industrialization, and they also reflect how chemical process knowledge was transmitted to the shop floor at the time. Only one of his works is currently held in the collection, so a full assessment of his overall output and standing is not yet possible.