Soap Makers Help!

[ninjapoodles]

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My main reason is just because I don't want bulk containers of lye sitting around. I know people who get great deals on it by ordering 50 or 100lbs at a time, but even though I order all my oils that way, I just can't seem to bring myself to order bulk lye.

I'm fairly certain that, like with cold medicine, purchases of lye are somewhat monitored on the local level...maybe moreso depending on where you live, as our area, like many poor/rural areas, does have a meth lab problem. If you really want to stay off the radar, it's probably best to use cash. I've always suspected, though, that if you were ever questioned about it, all you'd have to do is show proof that you're making soap (or pretzels, or lutefisk, etc.), and that would be the end of that. But better not to have to deal with it at all.

A bunch of us should get together and form buying co-ops for some of the pricier ingredients.

 

[MissPrissy]

If only we lived closer!

 

[ninjapoodles]

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I've participated in lots of co-op buys of soapmaking supplies...sometimes, the bulk price cuts are SO deep that, even with shipping, you still get a heck of a deal. Or, some things are available only in large quantities. One person has to be responsible for collecting money, taking orders, and putting in the large order, and then distributing the smaller packages out to all the buyers. It's kind of a pain, so sometimes the coordinator will add in a small "processing fee" to cover their time, trouble, and shipping materials.

Some things I've gone into bulk buys on are really expensive essential oils, African black soap, lip-balm tins, and fair-trade shea butter.

Something to keep in mind!

 

[Backyard Buddies]

What are you soapers using for molds? I'm not handy enough to build something and I certainly don't want to pay the prices on the Internet. I'm looking for some ideas that would be easy to come by. I've seen some use glass baking dishes or the flexible ones. What about things like old desk drawers and such? Is this pretty much anything goes or is there a limit to this? What do you use?

 

[jackiedon]

Have any of you used Room Temperature Method on your lye water and oils?

I've learned a lot of tips from http://www.soapmakingforum.com a lot of times I will mix my liquid and lye then in the other pot the oils at night and let them sit and the next morning mix them to trace and pour. Some of the people keep their lye liquid mixture in containers and just pour out as needed of course they use the same recipe.

NP - I'm glad you brought up the cukes because I got some from my sister this weekend so I can make some soap with it.

jackie

 

[MamaDragon]

I haven't made soap in years, but IF I Remember right - (and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong...)

Some metals can sometimes have a reaction with your soap. Glass can break if you're pouring a hot-mix into the pan. Plastic might melt for the same reasons.

My grandmother always used an old wooden tray/box, lined with brown paper sacks or waxed paper (don't remember which, I was 11 when she passed away), about the same size as a baking dish, it was a recycled sodapop box.

She had three or four of these, saved her "drippin's " all year, and made soap every spring for baths, laundry, etc. One bar does it all. Even in Downtown Los Angeles, you can't take the country out of the girl I guess. I always used Granny's boxes, so I don't know for certain. I DO know she'd do her soapmaking out in the garage, and would leave those trays on the workbench for a week or longer to "cure". Then she'd cut them up with a Hot Knife, box it all up and take it in the house.

I've had friends use cardboard case-bottoms lined with wax paper or SaranWrap. Just don't fill it so full the sides collapse.

My daughter makes milk soaps, and glycerin soaps, so I'll have to ask her next time I talk to her what she uses for molds.

Kathy

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Thanks for the mold ideas. I was out talking to my next door neighbor the other day and he offered to trade me some custom molds for some custom soap.

Sounds like a deal to me! All I need to do is provide him with the specs and he'll get right on it.

What size would be good? Should I have more than one mold? If it helps, I'm going to be doing this with other people, so we'll probably be doing slightly larger batches rather than smaller batches.

 

[ninjapoodles]

I know I have an email waiting from you--it's been nuts around here. I'll get to it with the details.

Do you have the formula for figuring the size mold you need for the weight/volume of soap you're pouring? If not, I can dig it up for you. I've been doing the same size batch for so long that I can't remember it.

I have a gorgeous Upland soap mold, wood with lid and a silicone liner that is my 2nd favorite soaping tool (1st being my Dulsie soap cutter). For block/loaf molding, I pour it full to the top and slice 40-something bars from it. For smaller batches that are slab-molded, I use the same mold, but pour it only 1.5" thick. This is what I do with recipes that tend to superheat, or bars that I want to swirl/marble with pretty colors.

You can find inexpensive loaf molds that are made of white "plastic" (it's not plastic, but I can't recall right now what it is). They're cool because when the soap has hardened, you just undo some wing-nuts on the sides and disassemble the whole thing to reveal the soap log.

Another fun thing to use as a mold is a Pringles can. Wash it out, pour your soap in, insulate it. Then when it's time to unmold, you just tear the can away from the soap, then slice the cylinder for nice round bars!

 

[MissPrissy]

My husband built me wooden box molds with lids. They are great! I line them with freezer paper and pour the soap. I LOVE them. They cost about $3 each to make. Compare that to some of the ready made slab box molds. They were super easy to build.

I cut my soaps larger than average. I have seen people at craft fairs and such mumble and walk away from soap booths as they felt the bars the vendor was selling were too small for the price tag. I have to agree in many cases.

I did use the pringle cans. The soaps are super cute!

I have tried the silicon molds too.

I always come back to the slab molds.

I prefer the rustic square/rectangle cut over most others.

 

[Backyard Buddies]

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No problem Ninja. This was a big work week for me (next week should be better), so I haven't gotten around to all that I promised you, either. So no worries. Whenever you can is fine.

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No, see and that's what I think I need. I'm sure all of this is pretty basic once you know how to do this and I'm sure most of it will be second nature once I get going, but right now I feel like I'm venturing into making bread for the first time and the recipes aren't telling me how many/what size loaf pans to prepare to fit the bread recipe. So, I'm reading recipes on the net where it only says, "prepare your molds" and I'm sittin' here wondering exactly how many and what size. So yeah, a formula would be a darn good thing.

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Ohh. See, that sounds great! Do you have any dimensions or directions you'd be willing to share? My neighbor has all the tools (he builds furniture as a hobby - bassinets, armoires, things like that) and has offered to build mine if I can give him some instructions. We're hoping to make our first batch in a couple of weeks, so I'd like to give him a little time to get this done. I know he'd do a great job and the idea of $3 vs. hundreds sounds darn good to me!