  Elliott Lieb's ice-type models opened up the whole field of solvable models
in statistical mechanics. Here we discuss the ``commuting transfer matrix'' $T,
Q$ equations for these models, writing them in a more explicit and transparent
notation that we believe offers new insights. The approach manifests the
relationship between the six-vertex and chiral Potts models, and between the
eight-vertex and Kashiwara-Miwa models.
