Soap Makers Help!

[redhead83402]

cheeptrick ~ so how long are the molds? And how many oz's does it hold? or pounds, I suppose.

I decided to NOT use the incense tea, based on what you all have said ~ I looked high & low, and could not find anything out about food grade safety on those incense products. Also, the folks at the factory wouldn't tell me one way or another ~ maybe I just wasn't crafty enough in my questioning ~ lol.

I am glad you enjoyed the Nippon Kodo site ~ let me suggest the aloeswood, it is like warm woodsy honey ~ only not a cloying sweet, just a fresh sweet.

One last question ~ I have some ( quite a few, actually) 24 x 13 x 3 stainless steel chafing pans ~ professional grade ~ that I got at an auction, and I was thinking of using them for my soap molds. They have straight up sides, and only the corners would be slightly rounded. At any rate, since they are 18/10 stainless, I figured they should work, if I put some mold release on it before hand ( like petroleum jelly). That's until I get my hubby interested enough to want to build me some molds... hehehe ~

What do you think? Will it eat the pans? I have several I use to cook with, but I have about 8 left over from the ones I sold on eBay.
~Red

 

[chiknwhisperer]

Thanks for the pics they are great! So did you use the whole length of the 2 x 4 or cut it down a bit? And the oz's question is a great one. I was thinking about that after I PMd you earlier.

Thanks

 

[cheeptrick]

Redhead and chicknwhisperer...(my dd is a redhead too

)
The stainless steel baking pans are perfect...I do not think you would need any petroleum jelly. I would line it with either parchment paper or freezer paper. I cut my lining paper before I start soaping. It is cumbersome when you first start out...but work with it a little. NOW I'm lean and mean on the paper...very little soap loss. You get better at it as it goes along.

My molds are 3.333 feet or 40 inches long and 7 inches wide. This is the measurements for the bottom board. The 2x4's were 2x4x8 cut in half with extra for the ends we had 2x4 scraps sitting around too...so I think it was not big enough as I remember.

Did I explain this right? Is my math right? LOL

OH and my soap recipe is 11 lb batch.

 

[cockadoodlemom]

Here are pics of my first batch of goatsmilk soap
The mold hubby made me

Right after we poured it in the mold

Today when we unmolded it

Sorry if I got too picture happy.

 

[MissPrissy]

That looks great!

Yayyy for you!

 

[redhead83402]

cockadoodle~ very pretty soap! it looks pumpkin spice-y ~ great idea with the stopper in the middle of the mold ~ just in case your recipe doesn't stretch that far!

everybody ~ woohoo!! my first ever batch of soap ~ now I am hoping it sets up just fine. It seemed like it might take FOREVER for the fats & lye to go down in temp ~ so I cold water bathed it ~ and then, I thought I might stir my arm off , and I was using a stick blender, too, lol ~ it finally reached trace. I added the essential oils just prior to trace, I ended up doing tangerine tub tea & eo's.
I am a little concerned about the scent, however, it still smells like fats to me! Is that normal? Should I have added more? Or will it wear off even further? If the scent doesn't improve, I guess I will use this as a soap base for milling, that way I can add more scent. I used 1/2 an ounce of tangerine tea eo, ( an aromatherapy blend) & a baggy of tangerine tub tea to fleck the soap.
~Red

 

[cheeptrick]

VERY VERY NICE!

Redhead...your fragrance will go thru changes during the curing process....give it time. ALL citrus fragrance oils FLASH off much quicker than others. I'd give it some time...sadly citrus is another one of those soaps that loose their fragrance much quicker also.

CockadoodleMom...your molds look just like mine. I like how you wrapped the pieces like a present! I might try that!

I LOVE All the photos!!

 

[jackiedon]

I love the pics guys. It really encourages me to soap more.

Question: Do any of you use stearic acid to make a harder soap? I got a bunch of stuff last year from freecycle and there was a bucket of stearic acid. I've been reading on a soap forum that they use it. If you do use it do when do you add it?

jackie

 

[cheeptrick]

Quote:
jackiedon...I use it. You melt about 1 tbsp per lb in with your oils. It takes a little longer to melt than the other oils. It does produce a very nice hard bar!! It lasts FOREVER too...a little goes a long way!

 

[cockadoodlemom]

cheeptrick~that was hubby's idea cause he wanted the bars to be smooth with no wrinkles. To us it was easier than trying to fight with the paper to get it to lay in the mold. We did borrow from your pics of your molds and some others I researched on the net. Thank you and all the others for sharing what you know and the pictures so we could learn & make soap ourselves

DH & I are hooked on making soap (our kids think it's neat too) and we are going to make buttermilk soap today.