# Mechanic Soap



## Bamagirl

I decided yesterday to go ahead and make the mechanic soap with kerosene. I researched this forum and spent many many hours reading and re-reading the posts. I jotted down many notes and finally settled on "how" I was going to do it. I took notes on the steps and wanted to share in case anyone else was interested. Sorry, I only took pictures of the soap cut and not pictures of the process as I was wanted to make sure I done things correctly. I used a cardboard Velveeta box with a plastic bag as a liner for my mold because I wasn't sure if the kerosene would linger or damage the silicone molds. I made a 21 oz batch following the formula on here of how to determine mold size. The batter fit almost perfectly, it came above the top a hair, but I just piled it up. I decided on a 70% lard 30% coconut oil and soapcalc gave me the following:

Water as percent of oil weight: 38%
Superfat: 5%
Lard-14.70 oz
Coconut Oil: 6.30 oz
Water: 7.98 oz
Lye: 3.07 oz

Additives: 2.1 oz kerosene (10%)
              1.35 oz fine ground pumice (thanks doriettefarm  )

I mixed my lye solution and let it sit. Then I measured out my oils and nuked them to melt. When they had cooled a bit, I used the laser thermometer and seen the lye was around 90 and oils around 125. I added kerosene to the oils and pulsed a couple times with the stick blender to mix it. Then I poured in my lye solution and alternated stick blending on low, stir, then high, stir for several minutes (didn't time it, but guessing around 7 minutes or so) until I got it to what I felt was a thick trace (consistency per my notes was between brownie batter and cake batter--sorry I cook allot so that's my guide lol). Added in the pumice and stick blended until mixed good. Poured into my mold and covered with a piece of cardboard. At around 6 hours, the soap was hard, so I unmolded and cut. Hopefully it turns out to be what my husband was wanting, but we will see in a month or so.
Forgot to add the pics


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## traderbren

I'm curious to see how your hubs likes it! Looks great!


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## Bamagirl

traderbren said:


> I'm curious to see how your hubs likes it! Looks great!



Thanks!


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## Seawolfe

I too will be interested to see how it is with nasty black grease compared to plain pumice soap.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman

How much mechanic per pound of oils did you add? [emoji5]

Looks good. How is the smell?


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## Bamagirl

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> How much mechanic per pound of oils did you add? [emoji5]
> 
> Looks good. How is the smell?



 It actually isn't as strong as I was thinking it would be. I figured it would really smell like kerosene, but it isn't too bad. I got the lo-odor kerosene, so maybe that's why. The bar that he had tried before worked really well, but I think it smelled of kerosene more and since I didn't have the recipe, I read through these forums and found lots of info on the stain stick lol.


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## IrishLass

Waiting patiently to hear of the results! Thanks so much for sharing, Bamagirl- this on still on my 'to do' list. I have all the ingredients, I just need to actually do it! lol


IrishLass


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## Bamagirl

IrishLass said:


> Waiting patiently to hear of the results! Thanks so much for sharing, Bamagirl- this on still on my 'to do' list. I have all the ingredients, I just need to actually do it! lol
> 
> 
> IrishLass



IrishLass, I used most of the advice from the forum you linked to when I asked about the soap in an earlier thread. I copied and pasted most of the info onto my soapcalc recipe so I wouldn't forget it!


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## DeeAnna

Yep, I am also curious about what you think of this, Bamagirl. I know Mike in PDX shared his thoughts about this type of recipe, but I've not tried it myself to have an opinion.


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## Spice

I love white soap, yours looks great. The kerosene is to clean hands? First time I have heard of this, how interesting.


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## Susie

Kerosene or gasoline is often used straight out of the can to clean tools and hands that are full of engine grease.  Adding it to a soap with pumice makes a LOT of sense to me.


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## Bamagirl

Susie said:


> Kerosene or gasoline is often used straight out of the can to clean tools and hands that are full of engine grease.  Adding it to a soap with pumice makes a LOT of sense to me.



My husband has used kerosene and gasoline to clean his hands or tools too. And when my husband tried the soap with kerosene, it worked good. So, hopefully this will work well too.


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## nsmar4211

Ooooooooooooo right up my alley! Very interested to see how these perform!


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## notapantsday

I don't want to start a discussion, just for your information/consideration: Kerosene should not be flushed down the drain. Sewage treatment plants rely on biological processes to remove contaminations from the water and kerosene is not biodegradeable. Of course it's all a matter of scale and one person using kerosene soap will probably not cause much damage. But if we all did it...

Biodiesel may be an alternative but I haven't personally tried it.


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## DeeAnna

Yes, kerosene is biodegradable. Slowly, yes, but it degrades. In the tiny amounts used in a soap and the tiny amounts of soap that will end up in the sewer system, I honestly wouldn't worry about it. On top of that, the soap itself will emulsify the kerosene and make it water soluble, and that will help the kerosene biodegrade faster.

The problem with flushing large amounts of chemicals like kerosene (or biodiesel, solvent-based paint, gasoline, other solvents, etc.) down the drain is that these chemicals float on the top of the sewer water. If there is an ignition source, these floating flammable chemicals can cause serious fires. If these chemicals evaporate easily (gasoline, for example), explosive vapors can build up and may explode in a confined space like a sewer.


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## notapantsday

Kerosene is considered "inherently biodegradable". That's not the same kind of biodegradable as soap, synthetic detergents or other things that can be flushed down the drain. It's a slow process that cannot be completed at a sewage treatment plant.

Kerosene is also toxic to aquatic life, with long lasting effects. See here.

The fire hazard is not the only reason why we don't flush hydrocarbons down the drain - they can have a huge environmental impact.

As I said, it's a matter of scale and a little bit of kerosene won't cause noticeable damage. I just wanted to note that kerosene doesn't belong into the sewer without starting another discussion, but apparently your need to immediately contradict anything I say was too strong to resist the urge.


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## traderbren

I feel like I walked into something, but...

If you mention that kerosene shouldn't be flushed down the drain, but only for information purposes, then I positively welcome informed, civil discussion about it even if it contradicts your statement. There was no rudeness, only other facts. Those of us that are not privy to all the chemistry facts and knowledge can learn from hearing *all* facts. 

And now I have questions.

Does kerosene change at all when incorporated into oils that undergo saponification? Or does it remain kerosene in all its glory?


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## DeeAnna

NAPD ...your opinion of my words is duly noted.


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## nsmar4211

Many of the mechanics I know are not allowed to use the sinks to wash their paws, so they wash them in outside sinks/hoses (i.e. it goes on the ground and not the sewage). Wonder if that makes a difference?


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## Susie

notapantsday said:


> I don't want to start a discussion, just for your information/consideration:





notapantsday said:


> As I said, it's a matter of scale and a little bit of kerosene won't cause noticeable damage. I just wanted to note that kerosene doesn't belong into the sewer without starting another discussion, but apparently your need to immediately contradict anything I say was too strong to resist the urge.



You posted your thoughts on an open thread in the forum.  You don't get to decide who, or if anyone, gets to respond to your thoughts.  If you don't want responses, then just don't say anything.


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## CTAnton

I mentioned this thread to an herbalist lady friend of mine who suggested the possibility of using turpentine as opposed to kerosene...in her mind closer to a plant based product as well as with its own set of beneficial properties, as opposed to a petroleum based product...in my mind petroleum is a plant based product but thats just me...just throwing that out to you folks for feedback...


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## Bamagirl

CTAnton said:


> I mentioned this thread to an herbalist lady friend of mine who suggested the possibility of using turpentine as opposed to kerosene...in her mind closer to a plant based product as well as with its own set of beneficial properties, as opposed to a petroleum based product...in my mind petroleum is a plant based product but thats just me...just throwing that out to you folks for feedback...



I saw this mentioned in one of the threads I was reading. I haven't ruled out making some with turpentine, but wanted to try the kerosene as my husband has used it, so he knows it works well. I may try a batch with turpentine the next time I make him some hand soap and see if there is any difference and which he likes better.


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## DeeAnna

Bren ... I don't think kerosene consumes lye when the two are mixed together. It's not a triglyceride, so it doesn't make soap. A quick check on google doesn't show that it reacts otherwise w lye., so I don't think you need to worry about that....


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## traderbren

Thanks DeeAnna. 

Sorry for the left turn, Bamagirl. I'm really interested in your results since Hubby gets really dirty working on the hot rod, and we are almost out of the orange smelling gel cleaner he got from work and we can't find anywhere...


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## snappyllama

I have nothing useful to add except that this is a really interesting idea I'm filing away to try out someday. I've caught DH using straight gasoline to clean his hands as his great grandfather taught him to do after working on a car. He hasn't done any shade tree mechanic activities lately, but we are considering a move to a bit more land that will most likely involve tractors and such. 

Be sure to let us know how it all comes out so I can bum the idea from you and save DH's stubborn fingers.


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## cmzaha

I make a coconut oil and turpentine stain stick that works quite well.


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## Susie

I would think that turpentine would work as well as kerosene.


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## Steve85569

The entire turn on this thread got me thinking about several things.
I have never seen a SAP for any of the fuels or turpentine mentioned. That does NOT mean that they will remain unaffected by lye just that they don't by themselves make good soap.
As far as pouring canola oil or diesel or kerosene down a drain the problems are going to be very similar as to what they do in a sanitary sewer of drain field. These hydro carbons are digested by bacteria that live far enough underground that there is no ( very little) oxygen - anaerobic bacteria. Here in the USA we had problems with old fuel tanks leaking which was a large clean up project which I had a very small part in. The tests for gasoline were actually tests for lead . The "bugs " had eaten all the hydro carbons. Hungry little devils. They did not eat the lead or the benzine both of which can cause problems especially for children and the pre born.
Bottom line with any solvent or oil is to be cautious and aware as to how much goes down the drain pipe.

*I am VERY intrigued by the idea of mechanics soap and will most likely make a batch come spring when I can cure soap in the shop.
Thank you for posting this to the OP!
*


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## CaraBou

I think it is reasonable -- and important -- to discuss potential environmental effects. Can we rise above feeling slighted, and taking sides?  We pride our forum on being friendly because we know we are fully capable of that, and it is our intention.

Thanks for considering it.


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## MrsSpaceship

CTAnton said:


> I mentioned this thread to an herbalist lady friend of mine who suggested the possibility of using turpentine as opposed to kerosene...in her mind closer to a plant based product as well as with its own set of beneficial properties, as opposed to a petroleum based product...in my mind petroleum is a plant based product but thats just me...just throwing that out to you folks for feedback...



I often think I should be more mindful of things like this, but when I made a similar soap not to long ago (100% CO, 1% super fat) it really just boiled down to availability since I already had kerosene for lamps.


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## galaxyMLP

I'm sorry, I don't like the idea of cleaning skin with gasoline or kerosene. Using them on the skin has been linked to carcinogenic markers in mice.
 Here is an article with that info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/10750280/

Gasoline is especially bad and should never be applied to the skin. It naturally contains small amounts of benzene which is a known carcinogen (both in humans and in animals). Of kerosene and gasoline, kerosene is a much "safer" choice but I personally would still avoid it.

I still think this is a very interesting experiment but, I wouldn't use the soap myself. Yes, it's a very small amount so you're probably ok but there's that little part of me that worries!


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## Bamagirl

traderbren said:


> Thanks DeeAnna.
> 
> Sorry for the left turn, Bamagirl. I'm really interested in your results since Hubby gets really dirty working on the hot rod, and we are almost out of the orange smelling gel cleaner he got from work and we can't find anywhere...



One of the reasons I was interested in a mechanic soap was my husband says none of the commercial stuff they get now works well, he usually uses Dawn dishwashing liquid, because it works better than what is available now. I was a little leary when I found out there was kerosene in the soap, but my husband told me he has used kerosene, gas and even transmission fluid to get the grease off his hands on occasion and he wasn't concerned, so I decided to go forward with it. The soap is one week old today, and I am itching to let him try it out, but I am going to wait.



MrsSpaceship said:


> I often think I should be more mindful of things like this, but when I made a similar soap not to long ago (100% CO, 1% super fat) it really just boiled down to availability since I already had kerosene for lamps.



I was just the opposite, I had turpentine on hand, BUT I have been hoarding it for years as I can rarely find the medical grade anymore and it works so well when we get a puncture type wound to stop the soreness. Growing up, my mama always would grab the turpentine bottle when we got a deep cut and say "pour it on it or it's going to be sore" and boy does it work! I really didn't want to buy the gallon of kerosene since I only needed a little amount, but I went ahead and got it (at least now I have plenty to experiment with if this recipe isn't great  )


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## Susie

Bamagirl-I am not saying anything bad about your mother's home remedy, but modern triple antibiotic ointment (AKA Neosporin) will serve the same purpose.  Only it is available at every grocery store and pharmacy.  I would get the generic brand.


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## Steve85569

I really want to know what this is like once it has cured. Please do post the final results.


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## Spice

Bamagirl said:


> One of the reasons I was interested in a mechanic soap was my husband says none of the commercial stuff they get now works well, he usually uses Dawn dishwashing liquid, because it works better than what is available now. I was a little leary when I found out there was kerosene in the soap, but my husband told me he has used kerosene, gas and even transmission fluid to get the grease off his hands on occasion and he wasn't concerned, so I decided to go forward with it. The soap is one week old today, and I am itching to let him try it out, but I am going to wait.
> 
> 
> 
> I was just the opposite, I had turpentine on hand, BUT I have been hoarding it for years as I can rarely find the medical grade anymore and it works so well when we get a puncture type wound to stop the soreness. Growing up, my mama always would grab the turpentine bottle when we got a deep cut and say "pour it on it or it's going to be sore" and boy does it work! I really didn't want to buy the gallon of kerosene since I only needed a little amount, but I went ahead and got it (at least now I have plenty to experiment with if this recipe isn't great  )



Considering your hubby uses, gasoline, kerosene and trany oil now, I would think his skin is fairly thick, let him use the soap once....then again it could be the lye strong soap working more then anything else.:-? 
I would be scare of an explosion when kerosene/gasoline meets lye water. No?


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## DeeAnna

It's not going to explode. Like I said before, "...It's not a triglyceride, so it doesn't make soap. A quick check on google doesn't show that it reacts otherwise w lye...."


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## Bamagirl

One more week and its ready!


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## Bamagirl

My husband had to do some work on a vehicle this weekend, so he got to try out the soap. He said it was good, said it cleans as good as the "old" Gojo (from years ago, before they changed the formula) without the weird smell. He said the pumice amount was good and he didn't notice it being drying. It didn't leave a kerosene smell on his hands either, he said they just smelled clean. So I would give it a thumbs up! The only thing I noticed is that as he was washing his hands, there wasn't lots of lather, but he said it didn't matter to him. I am kicking around the idea of adding 5% castor for next batch to see if that helps any.


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## traderbren

Ooh! Great feedback!


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## The Efficacious Gentleman

I would be tempted to try adding sugar at around 3% of the oil weight before I change the oil makeup. That 5% for the castor would have to come from somewhere. 

Plus, ultimately it doesn't need to lather at all, rather it needs to clean very grubby paws, which it does.  It's not like a body soap where people expect to see bubbles to assume they are being cleaned - you can see the results as you use this mechanic soap and the grime is washed off


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## Bamagirl

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> Plus, ultimately it doesn't need to lather at all, rather it needs to clean very grubby paws, which it does.  It's not like a body soap where people expect to see bubbles to assume they are being cleaned - you can see the results as you use this mechanic soap and the grime is washed off



My husband said basically the same thing, he said he didn't care if it lathered, as long as it got the grease off of his hands. He took a bar with him to work today, so I will know more about how it's doing after a few days.


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## DeeAnna

If they're anything like my dad, the guys in the shop will let you know whether your soap works or not! They might be clueless about whether their socks match or getting their dirty clothes in the laundry basket, but they do care about getting their hands clean. I am intrigued to know what they think!


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## Susie

Also, the old Gojo did not lather.  But it worked.


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## TBandCW

I've never heard of kerosene in soap before either!  Can't wait to hear how it is.


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## Bamagirl

I just got a text from my husband saying the soap works great!!!! I can't even explain to y'all how happy that makes me?


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## BusyHands

You "guys are going to have me going to the hardware store before I pick up my son from daycare, just to get some kerosene so I can try this out!! My husband is going to kill me. Plus I just ordered some pine tar from Amazon to try that out. I hang with a rough bunch, plus I'm from the South


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## traderbren

Yay! I'm glad it's working so well. I think I just added it to my ever growing soap queue.


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## madison

would someone please tell me where do I buy the kerosene from? Is there any restrictions?


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## Bamagirl

madison said:


> would someone please tell me where to buy kerosene from?



I got it at Walmart Mart, in the heater section


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## DeeAnna

Or look for lamp oil in the hardware store or places like Walmart. It's usually deodorized kerosene. It will cost more than the larger cans of space heater kerosene, but you might not want a whole gallon or more of this stuff!


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## BusyHands

Good ol' "Wally World" !!!


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## Bamagirl

DeeAnna said:


> Or look for lamp oil in the hardware store or places like Walmart. It's usually deodorized kerosene. It will cost more than the larger cans of space heater kerosene, but you might not want a whole gallon or more of this stuff!



I had to buy a gallon, which is allot considering how little is used. But I also knew if it worked I'd probably be making a bunch.

Another quick update: My hubby still says the soap works great. He said the first day it didn't lather that great, but after that it started to make good lather :-?, I don't know why that would happen. Anyway he has let several of his buddies try it as well and he said everyone he has let try it really likes it! I don't think I will try to tweak this recipe, I think this will be my "go-to" mechanic soap recipe. Thanks for all the feedback and help I have gotten here.


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## DeeAnna

I sometimes see this "doesn't lather good, then lathers fine" thing with my soaps. I think sometimes there's a thin coating on the bar (soda ash? extra dry soap? ???) that just doesn't lather well and needs to be washed off.


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## kchaystack

DeeAnna said:


> I sometimes see this "doesn't lather good, then lathers fine" thing with my soaps. I think sometimes there's a thin coating on the bar (soda ash? extra dry soap? ???) that just doesn't lather well and needs to be washed off.



I find the same thing.  The first time I use a soap it takes more work to lather up.


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## Chefmom

DeeAnna said:


> I sometimes see this "doesn't lather good, then lathers fine" thing with my soaps. I think sometimes there's a thin coating on the bar (soda ash? extra dry soap? ???) that just doesn't lather well and needs to be washed off.



I also see this a lot.  I tell people never to judge a soap on its first use, but it needs a "warm up round".  I can't blame soda ash because a lot of my soaps are hot process and I've never seen ash on any hot process soap.  I have a observational theory that it is since the soap has lost the moisture during cure...it needs a bit more added back to give all the lather it can.  The only soaps I have used that don't improve after the first use are the ones that I press soap shreds and scraps together.  My junior theory is that the shreds retain more moisture within the bar, and some air pockets with moisture as well, and so they don't need that first use to absorb moisture to "get them going" so to speak.  I have also noticed that a bar that is solid lathers well, but the scraps that are shredded and pressed from that same recipe and batch seems to give more lather.  Nothing solid, I haven't done testing on it, but just an observation.


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## lenarenee

After weeks of drying out while curing, I think the bars need to absorb a little moisture in order to become more soluble.  I know my bars never lather at their potential until they've been used a few times.   If I take a used bar, and stick it back on a shelf for a couple weeks, it had to be "re-primed" all over again.


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## MySoapyHeart

DeeAnna said:


> Or look for lamp oil in the hardware store or places like Walmart. It's usually deodorized kerosene. It will cost more than the larger cans of space heater kerosene, but you might not want a whole gallon or more of this stuff!



Thank you for mentioning that DeeAnna
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




I want to try this one day and make for my brother who likes to do work on his car. I just wasn`t sure what to use (_I mean if your kerosene over there was the same kerosine type we have here in Norway._)
Turns out, I HAVE one of those deodorised kerosene bottles standing in my cupboard since we have an oil lamp we use when the electricity goes out from bad weather and wind. I can just use that!


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## Stacy

Regarding changing the recipe to chase the lather, keep in mind that if they're using it to wash really greasy hands then that in itself will work against your lather!

I'm really interested in trying this, thank you for posting your experiment.  I'm also curious about the kerosene vs turpentine both in efficacy and environmental concerns.

If anyone tries a turpentine version, I'd love to hear your thoughts!


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## kmarvel

Bamagirl said:


> I decided yesterday to go ahead and make the mechanic soap with kerosene. I researched this forum and spent many many hours reading and re-reading the posts. I jotted down many notes and finally settled on "how" I was going to do it. I took notes on the steps and wanted to share in case anyone else was interested. Sorry, I only took pictures of the soap cut and not pictures of the process as I was wanted to make sure I done things correctly. I used a cardboard Velveeta box with a plastic bag as a liner for my mold because I wasn't sure if the kerosene would linger or damage the silicone molds. I made a 21 oz batch following the formula on here of how to determine mold size. The batter fit almost perfectly, it came above the top a hair, but I just piled it up. I decided on a 70% lard 30% coconut oil and soapcalc gave me the following:
> 
> Water as percent of oil weight: 38%
> Superfat: 5%
> Lard-14.70 oz
> Coconut Oil: 6.30 oz
> Water: 7.98 oz
> Lye: 3.07 oz
> 
> Additives: 2.1 oz kerosene (10%)
> 1.35 oz fine ground pumice (thanks doriettefarm  )
> 
> I mixed my lye solution and let it sit. Then I measured out my oils and nuked them to melt. When they had cooled a bit, I used the laser thermometer and seen the lye was around 90 and oils around 125. I added kerosene to the oils and pulsed a couple times with the stick blender to mix it. Then I poured in my lye solution and alternated stick blending on low, stir, then high, stir for several minutes (didn't time it, but guessing around 7 minutes or so) until I got it to what I felt was a thick trace (consistency per my notes was between brownie batter and cake batter--sorry I cook allot so that's my guide lol). Added in the pumice and stick blended until mixed good. Poured into my mold and covered with a piece of cardboard. At around 6 hours, the soap was hard, so I unmolded and cut. Hopefully it turns out to be what my husband was wanting, but we will see in a month or so.
> Forgot to add the pics



I use cornmeal and dried coffee grinds along with the fine pumice for my scrubby soap.  The guys seem to like it and my gardener friends rave about it.


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## GingerL

I made a batch using Bamagal's recipe,but substituted turpentine for kerosene. My mechanic friend reports that it works well.


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## Bamagirl

GingerL said:


> I made a batch using Bamagal's recipe,but substituted turpentine for kerosene. My mechanic friend reports that it works well.




Glad to hear that! I am still making it using this recipe and my husband still says it works really well.


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## Ivanstein

For those of you worried about the skin effects of gasoline, kerosene, or turpentine...maybe Naphtha (lighter fluid) will be nicer while still keeping the solvent action.

Another thought would be citrus based degreaser, which works as well as gasoline to cut grease.

As a former mechanic, I can say nothing seems to work as well as good dish washing detergent or laundry detergent. Gojo works ok, but cleaning a petroleum based gunk off with a petroleum based cleaner still takes a good washing with normal soap after.

This recipe seems to mimic LAVA soap. I may try it for giggles.


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## DeeAnna

Please don't use naptha or gasoline. They are defined as flammable materials, meaning they have a low flash point and can ignite easily from a spark at normal room temps. It's really unwise to use flammable solvents for reasons of personal safety. That's the reason why I'm not attracted to the idea of making transparent soap that requires the use of high-proof alcohol -- alcohol is another flammable solvent.

If you want to do this type of soap recipe, stick with combustible solvents (meaning solvents that have a higher flash point, so they will ignite from a spark at temps higher than normal room temps) such as turpentine, mineral spirits, or kerosene.


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## Ivanstein

I would agree on gasoline. But Naptha isn't all that bad. It's used as shop solvent and there are usually a couple part washing stations in any given shop with 20-30 gallons of the stuff. Yes, it will burn, but it doesn't off gas vapors like gasoline and alcohol. It's a fairly heavy hydrocarbon so it's not (as) volatile like gasoline. 

It also smells better than kerosene in my opinion.

Do what you will, but personally, I wouldn't cut safety corners with any hydrocarbon during crafting.


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## TBandCW

Silly Stuff.......warning label on soap, caution, flammable...:roll:


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## Ivanstein

TBandCW said:


> Silly Stuff.......warning label on soap, caution, flammable...:roll:


Not silly...manly. if it's dangerous, it has to be good right?


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## earlene

I much prefer borax to all those flammables. My brother who is a blacksmith requested 'Lava-like' soap, but at the time I did not have any pumice, so a little research on some blacksmithing forums lead me to make borax soap for him to try until I could get some pumice to make the soap he wanted.

I later made him pumice soap and also a double whammy soap with borax and pumice. He loves the double whammy soap. My husband loves the borax soap. After working on our cars he used it and said a single washing got his hands cleaner (and not drying) than any of the mechanic soaps he has used before, including Lava, that orange soap paste stuff than comes in a can, etc.

So I suggest you try Borax soap and see how that does.  

I have worked with Naptha for mold making and I have to say, I did not like the fumes. Even outdoors, it was just awful working with it. And the odor stayed in the mold far longer than one would like. So those smelly flammables are not for me.


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## seven8soap

Kerosene? huh. My husband would probably use that stuff in all the wrong places. I'll have to look into that. He also sprays his hands with this plastic melting can of goo called Jolt, so kerosene probably wouldn't hurt. Nice soapies.


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## loveandlather

I was wondering this too about the Kerosene!  ^^


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## Steve85569

I still just use a salt bar.
Works good enough for me.
I have contemplated Bamagirl's recipe though.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman

I used a salt bar in a pinch the other day after changing the tyres and was really pleased. My next kitchen/garden soap will be a coffee salt bar


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## duhil

Hmm .. looks simple, but it is quite difficult to do by me, a beginner in making soap ..

Maybe from you, anyone can recommend a thread that discusses the basic techniques of making soap


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## The Efficacious Gentleman

duhil said:


> Hmm .. looks simple, but it is quite difficult to do by me, a beginner in making soap ..
> Maybe from you, anyone can recommend a thread that discusses the basic techniques of making soap




Check out the Beginner section of the forum and read back through. Very recently a lot of links to video guides were posted which might well help


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## Susie

Here, let me save you some time:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR6ttCSrLJI&t=69s[/ame]

There are four videos in this series, be sure to watch them all.

But you really, really need to read through *at least* 5 pages (including stickies) of the beginner section to avoid some common mistakes.


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## shunt2011

I agree with the others.  Start with the stickies and then on to the beginners section.  I think I read every post in the beginners section and others as well when I first joined the forum. Welcome to the forum.


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