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<pre>From: "jamalsadoun" <jamalsadoun@...>
Date: Sat, 09 Feb 2002 22:08:15 -0000

I have found this online. I haven't tried it and would not recommend
it to anyone. Good olive oil is now readily available everywhere.
[...]

Grate/Simmer/Skim/Extraction. Ordinary lye will be needed. Make up a
solution of 1/2 lb lye per 1 gal. water, using an agate-ware or iron pot
(not aluminum!) A small basket of wire screen such as is used for making
french-fried potatoes will be needed, or a piece of cheesecloth can be
used. Heat the lye solution to boiling and while it is boiling, dip the
olives in it for about 20 seconds. The time needed will vary with the
toughness of the skins. Leave the olives in the lye until the skins are
softened - that is, practically dissolved. Then plunge them into cold
water for a few seconds to stop the action of the lye. Place the
lye-treated olives on a piece of fly screen tacked to a frame over a
large dishpan. Rub them on the screen until the flesh has seperated from
the pits and dropped through the screen into the pan. A heavy pair of
rubber gloves is necessary in this process to prevent your hands from
becoming badly stained and roughened by the lye and olive juice.

I don't recommend this either. It's dangerous!

8 oz lye per 128 oz water is about 1/4 the strength of the lye I mix to
make soap. My mixture boils (or close) all by itself. The lower strength
one would get pretty hot but not boiling.

I don't know what agate-ware is but it does not sound lye-proof. The only
appropirate container to use is stainless steel. Iron is okay for making
soap (and traditional) but for boiling lye solution? Wire screen, unless
stainless steel, will start to dissolve. Cheesecloth will fall apart and
"flavor" your oil.

You could not pay me enough money to boil a pot of lye solution on the
stove. I would rather do it outside starting with warm water (generally
something to avoid).

The worst part of this recipe is that not once does it talk about the
dangers to skin from splashes (your hands aren't your only skin) but most
of all, there is not a hint of eye protection. The solution is strong
enough to dissolve the skin of an olive, you do not want it in your eyes!
Heck, you wouldn't even want hot water in your eyes and I'd wear protection
just for that. But trust me, the damage from this moderate-strength lye
solution could still make you blind with a single splash.

Old time methods used wood ash for lye. It can be dangerous too but often
isn't as strong as the modern commercial lye. Even so, blindness from a
lye splash (even wood ash lye) was/is not uncommon among people who made
soap or other products. Old time lye use was also done outdoors. The
fumes from the lye can burn your lungs.

If you're going to work with lye, do it outdoors if possible, have a source
of cold water (a hose) available, and wear lye-proof gloves, goggles, and
something around your nose and mouth to keep out the fumes. If you splash
your skin, rinse well with cold water. If you splash your eyes, rinse with
cold water continuously for half an hour and then go to the hospital.

Be very careful with the lye water after you are done with it. Neutralize
it with vinegar (do not use vinegar on your body after a lye splash! it
produces tons of heat) and discard. Rinse all equipment and your body. Do
not let children or animals near you during the process.

People use lye casually all the time (like in drains) and most of the time
they're okay. But when a splash or accident occurs and you're not
protected, the damage could be severe. A single drop of lye water used to
make soap will make a hole in clothing. Imagine what it does to your skin
or eyes.

Cyndi

--
__________________________________________________ ________________________
Cyndi Norman cyndi@...
Owner of the Immune Website & Lists http://www.immuneweb.org/
Tikvah -- Organic and Natural Products http://www.tikvah.com/
Handcrafted organic soaps & cosmetics, organic bedding, safety equipment
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