Deanna, I have a question...

[DeeAnna]

I'm in the midwestern USA and willing to do either -30% or -35% lye excess if that would help. A good friend and I went to Costco this weekend (my first time!) and I bought the famed 6 L of Kirkland olive oil. So I can even do a proper OO recipe. I ship all the time for my small home-based business, so I'm quite willing and able to do international priority mail if folks want to do a swap.

Where are you, Seven?

 

[soap_rat]

Would it also be fairly simple to make recipes for both 30%and 35% superlye, for example 300 g each, then make up a 600g batch at 30% superlye, pull out half to stay at 30% and then add the extra lye to make the other half 35%? (keeping some water out of it as well for dissolving the lye)

 

[Alaska beauty]

Why do you need to do %? 1 oz of lye need minimum 1 oz of water to be dissolve. or . 1 gr of lye need minimum 1 gr of water to be dissolve. If you want to do Castille with strong lye you will have wonderful aged soap right away (HP) or in couple weeks (CP). Just be ready- it's will be like 100% coconut "sea" soap- stiff right after trace.

 

[FlybyStardancer]

Looks like super gel from powder milk. I have same problems long time ago from yogurt powder. It was looking well mixt, but at ended in one corner and create a gel pound. I re-cook mine. How is PH on top and bottom?

What do you mean by "super gel"? I didn't notice anything to do with the soap going through gel phase. There's no rings of partial gel, and while it did experience a color change, there was nothing that looked like gelling to me going on. I don't have anything to test the pH, and I haven't tried zap testing it.

So sorry :-( Maybe you can trim the brown stuff off and make mini soaps/guest bars?

What looks brown in the pictures is actually amber. The lighting in my kitchen is REALLY bad. Entirely artificial, with yellow covers. The only way I can come close to true colors is if I can get it close enough and time it right for a shot with the aquarium lighting spilling over it (which some of the early shots of the loaf top had).

As far as the size goes... Even with cutting off the bottom, I could probably get three mini bars out of it! Those slices are thin (about 3/4"), but huuuge. It filled up a large tissue box.

 

[DeeAnna]

AB -- "...Why do you need to do %?..."

I get the feeling you might be missing the point because you may not know the full context of this thread. We're exploring a specific type of soap recipe that is outside the normal "rules" for soaping. The -30% and -35% we're talking about is a negative superfat (or superlye or lye excess), not the lye solution concentration.

SoapRat -- "...Would it also be fairly simple to make recipes for both 30% and 35% superlye..."

Hey, I think that's a really good idea. I wonder if it would be possible to make one 50% lye solution, enough for both recipes, and just measure out different amounts -- one batch of oil gets a little more lye solution to make the -35% version and one gets a little less to make the -30% version? Would keep a person from having to handle dry lye but once. If we are stirring by hand mostly (or entirely), then doing two smallish batches at one time should be do-able.

Stardancer -- Your pocket of dark amber goo looks similar to the pocket of lighter amber goo that my "homely" first batch has. The goo was definitely soft and runny at first and was much zappier than the solid soap around it. Almost two weeks later, the goo is still like soft taffy, but no zap.

Your goo pocket is closer to the bottom and is more defined and larger than mine, but otherwise the whole thing looks pretty familiar. I suspect it is where the emulsion "broke" and the lye water separated from the oils. I'm living with the bars as is, but if my gooey area was lower in the bar like yours, I might be tempted to do a little trimming.

 

[AnnaMarie]

What do you mean by "super gel"? I didn't notice anything to do with the soap going through gel phase. There's no rings of partial gel, and while it did experience a color change, there was nothing that looked like gelling to me going on. I don't have anything to test the pH, and I haven't tried zap testing it.



What looks brown in the pictures is actually amber. The lighting in my kitchen is REALLY bad. Entirely artificial, with yellow covers. The only way I can come close to true colors is if I can get it close enough and time it right for a shot with the aquarium lighting spilling over it (which some of the early shots of the loaf top had).

As far as the size goes... Even with cutting off the bottom, I could probably get three mini bars out of it! Those slices are thin (about 3/4"), but huuuge. It filled up a large tissue box.

Lol! Sorry about the color mix up! And if the bars are huge, well, all the better
So glad you're hanging in there with all of us!
Cheers!
Anna Marie
Ps- if you haven't already tried it, some boiling water might take the Amber stains off your cutting board. I use boiling water when my wood utensils and boards get stained.

I do believe I'll try to do a split 30/35 batch this week- maybe tomorrow. I'll need to check my costco oo supply first.

 

[Alaska beauty]

By Super Gel - I mean milk powder react with lye on it's own, burn it and make a hole. ( In my case )

 

[FlybyStardancer]

DeeAnna--would I be able to do anything with the trimmed parts? I'd hate for it to go to waste! And even with the odd bottoms, they're still balancing nicely on them for curing. I have them standing on that end in a cardboard box with a piece of freezer paper on the bottom, and they stayed upright until I accidentally gave them a big jar when setting down the box. lol

AnnaMarie--Thanks for the tip! Do you just pour the boiling water over it, or scrub in the boiling water, or what?

Alaska Beauty--that's interesting. I haven't heard of milk doing that with lye.

 

[AnnaMarie]

I wonder if the trimmed parts could be used for laundry soap??? Maybe when they are dry they can be grated up and combined with washing soda and a few drops of essential oil for laundry?

On the boiling water tip, I start by pouring a kettle of boiling water over the affected area and go from there depending on what happens. If I'm getting out red stains then I usually don't need to scrub. For stained wooden spoons I might actually boil them for a bit (especially if blueberry is involved). If you feel some scrubbing is warranted then I would try some salt or baking soda. I scrub carefully when boiling water is involved . Lemon juice is a natural bleaching agent as well. You could always try a paste of lemon juice, Dawn, and baking soda (my homemade soft scrub). Hopefully, one of these tips will work for you!
Cheers!
Anna Marie

 

[FlybyStardancer]

Tonight's load of laundry is the last of the storebought detergent, so I can switch to the liquid laundry soap I made weeks ago. lol I don't trust my machine to be able to dissolve powdered laundry soap, and I'd never remember to heat up water inside to dissolve it. Heh (My laundry machines are out in the garage.)

I'll have to see if any of it works! And being careful around boiling water is a given.

 

[AnnaMarie]

Lol! One would think the being careful around boiling water is a given, but sadly we have been trained to cater to those who don't use the brains God gave them :roll: I really didn't think you needed the caveat as you seem quite intelligent to me. It was more or less out of the old CYA habit :-D
Cheers!
Anna Marie
Ps- just put in an order with BB. Looking forward to fun goodies and more soap!

 

[FlybyStardancer]

Well, there's also the Genius Ditz folks too. lol I definitely have my own blonde moments!

Yay for fun goodies! I'm planning on trying to HP bar soap for the first time tomorrow. We'll see if I get it done! lol Won't be one of this recipe a gain, not for a bit at least. I'm running out of places cure soaps! I also need to figure out a storing situation for the ones that have been curing a month...

 

[ilovesoap2]

i believe that 85 yr old woman use this soap on her skin for many years w/o a problem. that's all i needed to know

I have a love/not so love relationship with this soap but dang if I'm not waiting to use it on my face lol...any chance for good skin at 85.

 

[krunt]

Regarding AnnaMarie's soap which had a 20% lye excess, but still got gooey...
Assuming I was looking at the right recipe, yes, it had the excess lye, but it did not have the excess water. Perhaps not enough water was the reason it still got gooey? Perhaps if it had've had the excess water, it would've been non-gooey? I was under the impression it is a combination of high water amount and excess lye (or, at the very least, the exact amount of lye to saponify all the oil) that resulted in the non-gooey soap. But perhaps I am wrong about that.

I have been considering trying this recipe with just 10% excess lye, but still with the large water amount, to see how it comes out.

 

[seven]

AnnaMarie and DeeAnna.. i am far away from you guys (Indonesia). and while you guys are lucky to have priority flat rate envelopes/boxes, we have no such thing here. everything is weigh by 500 gr, and the rates are ridiculously expensive i can go on and on about our crappy postal system but i think i better spare you from it.

i was gonna join last BB swap but didnt coz they say it's gonna cost me 40 bucks. for 40 bucks, i can get 2 sacks of lye, 25kg x 2.

 

[DeeAnna]

Krunt -- Yep, thanks for catching that. There were two changes in the "gooey" recipe -- lower superlye and less water -- and you might well be right that it's more about the high water content than the high superlye percentage. We don't know for sure at this point, so I agree that the it's worth doing a -20% superlye, high water content batch.

Stardancer -- "...would I be able to do anything with the trimmed parts?..." Sure! Rebatch them with other soap scraps, grate them for laundry soap, use them with new soap batter to make "confetti" soap. Or mini handwashing soap bars for the sink if they test zap free and mild. I grated a bunch of odd little bits in my food processor and they're going into my homemade laundry soap. I saved some larger curls that I may use to make confetti soap.

Seven -- That purely sucks! I see your point. Bummer.

 

[AnnaMarie]

Well, I was going to make a split batch today, but I have a cut of fabric and new pattern staring at me. Stick blender vs Pfaff- who will win???

 

[soap_rat]

I'm imagining a robot war between your two machines, AnnaMarie!

 

[btz]

Flip a coin, AnneMarie . It's a fun way to choose.

 

[ilovesoap2]

Thanks, AnnaMarie .
There is confusion in the web but because whoever wrote it mixes two concepts. Like you can see that is the method of grandmothers , a bowl and a stick and turning for hours until the stick is left standing in the batter. This soap is made from recycled oil ( here in Spain we have plenty of olive oil, fry in 3 liter fryer oil used and changed every 20-30 days ) Realising that used oil, took advantage to make soap with that amount of soda because it was the soap washed when no detergents. It is a great soap today is highly coveted because it leaves very white clothes.
It also happened when the kids are old enough to have pimples on your face , but only used in that area. As you will understand if you use that soap with that amount of soda leaves a hard soap, excessive cleaning, few bubbles (but in this special case is not fulfilled what the calculator makes since to cure the better over time, has a lot of foam ) but the conditioning is very low : this indicates that it is not a cosmetic soap, please do not use it regularly you 're doing a peeeling !
So far I think all clear and now I commented that when they speak of soap bought in Sevilla ( I am from Sevilla) is a soap with the same ingredients (no recicled oil) but different formula and it is the best.
I put a photo of my mother with soap that formula. you'll see that are crude soaps and cleaning because they are dissolved in water used to clean the floor, especially marble.
I've laughed a lot because reading the web says "Bragas Limpias" (traduction: Clean panties) hahahahahaha She will be the cleanest village woman and this is because we often put people nicknames. 8)
AnneMarie I only know of two other types of experiments I did, one that is the laundry soap with percarbonate (6 l de aceite, 6l de agua, 1Kg de sosa, 1Kg de percarbonato) and Savon noir, maroccan or beldi that I put it on this site
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=42736

Not sure what happened to the image
My soap now looks just like this. I will wash a white shirt with it today and see how that works out.