crock pot question for HP soap making

[kala1983]

so one of the biggest issues I had with getting started, was actually getting a hold of a crock pot specifically for soap making...
but now that I have one I want to make sure I can use this....you see its a older crock pot...and the interior is not metal its I think ceramic I am wondering can I use this for hot process soap making? is the lye going to be to hard on it?

if the lye is too hard on it are there any recipes I can use that do not use lye in in them?

 

[Obsidian]

Is it ceramic lining? If so then its fine to use, its what I have and use often.

 

[DeeAnna]

Yes you can use a ceramic crockpot as long as there are no chips or cracks in the pottery.

Soap cannot be made without lye. If you cannot use lye, then look at creating melt and pour soaps. They use a premade soap base so you do not have to deal with lye.

Hope this helps.....

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Thinking about it, I don`t know if I have seen a crock pot that's not ceramic! Maybe I'm just behind the times on crockpot technology?

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[Seawolfe]

I've only ever seen ceramic liners in crockpots.
I just got a new smaller crockpot, and I notice it runs much hotter than my big older one. Which is fine, but needs to be watched more carefully.

 

[kala1983]

lol I was not entirely sure and it seemed odd question but the crcok pot seems in good condition if that truly is the case I am going to try to get started on making some stuff tomorrow so i can have some stuff to sell...me and my girlfriend are going to setting up a table at a booth on earth day and I hope to make and sell some soap there if I can.

 

[DeeAnna]

Is this your first batch of soap ever? Or do you have some previous soap making experience? Just curious.... There's a lot more to the craft than it seems at first. Looking back on my first batches of soap, they were perfectly safe and acceptable, but that soap was not remotely the same the quality of the soap I make nowadays. I've learned so much and come so far since then. I cringe to think if I'd sold those first batches.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I would also say that if you are just starting out, selling in April might be a stretch.

Regardless of selling, soaping is great fun. A good place to start is with 20% coconut oil, 40% lard or palm and then 40% olive oil. Run it through a lye calculator.

I say a good place to start because, as you use your soap, you might well find things that you don't like about it - but you need that baseline first of all if you want to know what the changes do.

 

[Susie]

They have been a member since 2010, so I am going to assume they have made soap before, but maybe not HP.

The second post sounds like you are planning to make the soap AT Earth Day to sell.(to me, anyway) But HP requires a 4-6 week cure also to be at its best(despite what certain YouTube videos proclaim). So if you are planning a soap making demonstration, and sell the product, you might want to sell previously made HP soaps. Just explain to folks that your newly made soap needs to cure before being used.

 

[Cuardach]

They have been a member since 2010, so I am going to assume they have made soap before, but maybe not HP.

The second post sounds like you are planning to make the soap AT Earth Day to sell.(to me, anyway) But HP requires a 4-6 week cure also to be at its best(despite what certain YouTube videos proclaim). So if you are planning a soap making demonstration, and sell the product, you might want to sell previously made HP soaps. Just explain to folks that your newly made soap needs to cure before being used.

I have been making hot process soaps for years and have never had to cure it, ever. I have been selling CP and HP soaps in my shop and the advantage to hot process soap is not needing to cure it.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Then your customers are likely to be getting a poor deal on the hp soaps

 

[shunt2011]

I agree with Craig, if you are selling soap without curing then you are doing your customers a real dis-service. Freshly made soap HP/CP will not be at it's best or last. Especially HP as more water/liquid is required. Therefore more evaporation needed in most cases. I cure all my soap 4-6 weeks before selling. I want my customers to have the best product I can.

 

[Susie]

I have been making hot process soaps for years and have never had to cure it, ever. I have been selling CP and HP soaps in my shop and the advantage to hot process soap is not needing to cure it.

I have a challenge for you, if you choose to accept it. Take a bar(or end cut) out of your next HP batch. Set it aside for a month. Then take a brand new piece of HP soap of the same recipe. Use the new soap on one arm, then use the 1 month old soap on the other arm. Come post your findings here.

 

[kala1983]

sadly yes I did join the forums around 2010 but I do not have a ton of soap making experience but I hope to get some practice with doing so...and beside my girlfriend has been doing this for a long time and she has offered many many times to assist me in...starting off which should help me but I will try to give myself a better set time for my experience since that does sound like a good idea.

 

[Susie]

OK, so .... see the comments that say you are not ready to sell soap? They are so right! You need LOTS of trial and error time, along with cure time before you are ready to sell soap. You should be ready to sell on Earth Day 2016, but not 2015. You have lots of soap to make between now and then. If your GF wants to sell at Earth Day, you can help, but not soap made by you unless you use her recipe and have her direct supervision every second while making it. But even then, soap made at Earth Day will not be ready to sell on that day. They need some cure time.