Does anyone know of as many as possible uses for Tallow

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demographic

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 15, 2005
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710
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A mate of mine is currently getting set up making Biodiesel (legally that is) and a by product from the process is fairly large quantities of tallow/animal fat.

Currently he has about a quarter of a metric ton of stinky tallow/animal fat and not much to do with it :confused:

Cheers Scott.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
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S. Lanarkshire
Tell your friend to log onto some of the re-enactor's sites. They might even buy some of the stuff from him :D
Basketmakers use it, as do traditional ropeworkers, it helps the fids slip in between ropes or willows, but I don't think they could use that much :confused: It can also be used to make pretty manky candles :(
Sheesh, what a thing to get stuck with.....quarter a ton of fat! Poor sod, hope he finds some way of using it up.

Cheers,
Toddy

p.s. Links :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallow

http://www.nfuonline.com/x6526.xml
 

wingstoo

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
May 12, 2005
2,274
40
South Marches
demographic said:
A mate of mine is currently getting set up making Biodiesel (legally that is) and a by product from the process is fairly large quantities of tallow/animal fat.

Currently he has about a quarter of a metric ton of stinky tallow/animal fat and not much to do with it :confused:

Cheers Scott.

Hi Scott,

Tallow uses,

Candle making, soap making, hide cleansing, lubrication,lead wiping, cable pulling, channel swimmers...to name a few, but BCUK members would probably use it for candle making and hide cleansing...

LS

Here is a candle I made with a tub of tallow I found at work...

212en89.jpg
 

wingstoo

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
May 12, 2005
2,274
40
South Marches
Scott, the most important thing that needs to be done is to seperate the fat from the tallow...tallow is good stuff if it is pure, it is the fat that makes it smell bad...so needs to be got rid of...so where can I get a small barrel of this pure tallow from?


LS

Red, trust you to think of food! :rolleyes:
 

Ogri the trog

Mod
Mod
Apr 29, 2005
7,182
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Traditional builders or conservation groups might take tallow to mix into lime plaster (IIRC) though they might want it seperated as LS suggests

ATB

Ogri the trog
 

Tadpole

Full Member
Nov 12, 2005
2,842
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Bristol
demographic said:
A mate of mine is currently getting set up making Biodiesel (legally that is) and a by product from the process is fairly large quantities of tallow/animal fat.

Currently he has about a quarter of a metric ton of stinky tallow/animal fat and not much to do with it :confused:

Cheers Scott.
To purify animal fat/dirty tallow in to “good tallow”

1. Put as big a pan as you have on the stove and fill it most of the way with water.
(Too little water and the fat will darken as it separates into Tallow.) Animal fat has a lot of salt, which needs to be removed, so the more water the better.
2. Put the fat/tallow into the water and get the water boiling.
As the fat renders, the tallow will float to the surface of the boiling water. More and more tallow will rise until the water is skinned over with a rain-bow mother of pearl layer.
3. Use a big spoon to skim the layer off, and set this layer aside. Keep skimming till no more tallow rises. This is tallow, good clean tallow
4.When the fats boiled enough that no more tallow rises, throw out the boiling water. Wash the pot and fill it with clean water. Repeat the process with the skimmed tallow. Boil the tallow in the water. Skim and keep skimming. Too much salt left in the tallow and your soap will not solidify. Collect the tallow and keep refrigerated.

Warning: A clear layer of something thick will collect on top of the tallow in the fridge. The clear layer is glycerine. You can mix the glycerine back in when you make soap, or you can skim the glycerine off and use it for other things (like moisturiser or more expensive styles of scented soap)

The instructions for making soap can be found here
 

EdS

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Is stuff left from the filtering or a by product of the transestrifiaction process - the bit where you add NaOH & methanol.

If it is the latter it is not tallow/fat - mostly it will be glycerine contaminated with caustic soda.
This need to disposed of properly (can be burnt in home made incinerator thingy)

check out:

http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/forum/index.php
 

gaz_miggy

Forager
Sep 23, 2005
165
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i help out on a tall ship we use it as lubricant and with a mixture of other things to protect rope :D dose that help not bushcrafty but the question was what do you use it for,
 

arctic hobo

Native
Oct 7, 2004
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Devon *sigh*
www.dyrhaug.co.uk
Tadpole said:
Warning: A clear layer of something thick will collect on top of the tallow in the fridge. The clear layer is glycerine. You can mix the glycerine back in when you make soap, or you can skim the glycerine off and use it for other things (like moisturiser or more expensive styles of scented soap)

Glycerine is amazing stuff - put it in a large beaker, then lower a small one (make sure it's plain and not ribbed or anything) into the glycerine. You'll be amazed at the results :D (don't worry, it doesn't destroy anything!)
Also, I've found that the best way to separate the floating tallow is to gather it in aluminium foil - get a few layers and shape them, has the advantage too that you don't need to spend ages scouring the fat off a spoon :)
 

demographic

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 15, 2005
4,691
710
-------------
EdS said:
Is stuff left from the filtering or a by product of the transestrifiaction process - the bit where you add NaOH & methanol.

If it is the latter it is not tallow/fat - mostly it will be glycerine contaminated with caustic soda.
This need to disposed of properly (can be burnt in home made incinerator thingy)

check out:

http://www.vegetableoildiesel.co.uk/forum/index.php

Hmmm, he described it as being tallow but there has been some mention of transestrification and methanol in the conversation so you might just be right.

Strangely enough he is a member on that forum anyway :D
 

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