Dollar Store Bags and Soap Fairies

[Deda]

Will who ever is missing their soap fairies please come get them!

Last month I ordered the Tradewinds Select Shades (Love 'Em)
I really didn't know how concentrated they were so I dove in and used some in what was supposed to be a lovely raspberry colored swirl. I was a little heavy handed - but they looked ok, not great, the color was a little intense. They've been on the drying rack mocking me every day.

Today I decided to rebatch them. (1st Mistake) You all make it sound so easy and your rebatches always look so nice. I've drooled over your pictures, read and reread every word I could find. It looked so easy.

I grated the whole lot up and tossed it in the crockpot, cleaned up and started to make breakfast. Eggs, bacon and toast. (2nd Mistake) Of course I unplugged the crockpot to use the toaster and for an hour I kept going back and stirring the never melting soap. Duh.

When my DH commented that things work better when they are plugged in (his 1st Mistake) I plugged it in and hit HIGH. (3rd Mistake) 30 minutes later I had dried soap stuck to the sides, Yeah!

I remembered a thread about ziploc bags and rebatching, so I grabbed a few and glopped the mess into dollar store bags (4th Mistake) and set it in a pot of boiling water. Viola! Within 30 minutes I had lovely hot pink gelled looking soap! I was practically dancing around waving my spoon and towel. I've never had a successful rebatch - ever.

Gently lifting the hot bag of soapy slime from the pot with tongs I noticed it was dripping. And my water was the most alarming shade of pink! My bag melted. Into the pot. Vanilla Black Raspberry soap sludge all over my kitchen counters, cook top, floor, sink, 4 lbs of slime.

I'm cured, I will never rebatch again.

 

[Lindy]

Oh Deda!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please don't give up on rebatching I'm sorry you had such a bad experience.....I do promise I'm not laughing or giggling or anything at all....

Next time you want to rebatch try this....grate the soap up, depending on how old it is you may want to add liquid. Put it into a bowl and place in the microwave on 30% power. Check it every 5 minutes or so. Once it starts to get really soft you can either just stir it off and on until it is like very thick pudding or you can use your mixmaster and whip the soap. If you choose to whip it, you will want to whip it until it starts to thicken and then place it back in the microwave. Do this until you're happy with the texture, at that point put back into microwave to soften it up again and then pour into your mold.

With the whipped rebatch you'll have soap that floats and looks great....

 

[abigtroutt]

Lindy sorry to hear about your rebatch trouble. I never have rebatched and while reading your adventure I was laughing thinking that would be what would happen to me if I tried.

 

[Deda]

Oh Deda!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please don't give up on rebatching I'm sorry you had such a bad experience.....I do promise I'm not laughing or giggling or anything at all....

Laugh away! Something positive should come from my shame!

 

[mandolyn]

Oh Deda!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please don't give up on rebatching I'm sorry you had such a bad experience.....I do promise I'm not laughing or giggling or anything at all....

Laugh away! Something positive should come from my shame!

Aaaah, Deda!! I'm really sorry for ya. Baaaaaad, nassssssssty soap fairies!!!

I'm not laughing either. You're such a wonderfully talented person, so I know it's not you!

 

[Tabitha]

When my DH commented that things work better when they are plugged in (his 1st Mistake)

LOL!

 

[ChrissyB]

I'll admit that I hate rebatching too, for this very reason. The only success that I have had with rebatching is with the whipped version.

 

[carebear]

as I recently posted somewhere - I'd rather amputate my own toes with kiddie scissors than rebatch...

I feel for ya!

 

[mandolyn]

as I recently posted somewhere - I'd rather amputate my own toes with kiddie scissors than rebatch...

 

[Deda]

as I recently posted somewhere - I'd rather amputate my own toes with kiddie scissors than rebatch...

Exactly!

OK, the soap may not be a total loss. I checked, its a big huge blob of pink soap. And it's hard! Maybe it didn't get too much water? I'm guessing if I can't cook some of the water out I can add a little salt. Another batch for the 'Personal Use Only' pile.

I'm going to try Lindys Micro Method. Let me tell you - it was like chunking up 4 lbs of hot pink Head Cheese! Ewww.

I have it in 2 Pampered Chef mix/pour things. If this doesn't work I will NEVER ever try it again.

 

[surf girl]

When my DH commented that things work better when they are plugged in (his 1st Mistake)

LOL!

My favourite line too!

 

[Lindy]

Oh Deda - Hot Pink Head Cheese???????

 

[kellistarr]

Oh Deda!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please don't give up on rebatching I'm sorry you had such a bad experience.....I do promise I'm not laughing or giggling or anything at all....

Next time you want to rebatch try this....grate the soap up, depending on how old it is you may want to add liquid. Put it into a bowl and place in the microwave on 30% power. Check it every 5 minutes or so. Once it starts to get really soft you can either just stir it off and on until it is like very thick pudding or you can use your mixmaster and whip the soap. If you choose to whip it, you will want to whip it until it starts to thicken and then place it back in the microwave. Do this until you're happy with the texture, at that point put back into microwave to soften it up again and then pour into your mold.

With the whipped rebatch you'll have soap that floats and looks great....

Lindy,

Next time I do a rebatch, I'm trying this whipped method. Sounds verrrrrrry interesting.

 

[digit]

Laugh away! Something positive should come from my shame!

If you insist............

Digit

 

[ilovethe80s]

This is what my rebatch instructions said

I'm sorry you had such a miserable rebatch experience! Here is a modified version of what my rebatch instructions said to do - the only thing I changed from it is adding a lot more milk.

Sometimes I have the soap grated, sometimes I just cut it up into really small chunks. I put it into my giant pyrex inside a pot of water (like a double boiler) and add whole milk. When I first got instructions on how to rebatch it said to use maybe a 3rd of what I actually use now. If I only use a little milk, the soap will be goopy to work with and rustic looking when it cures (which I don't like) but if I add more milk I can get it smooth and thin enough to swirl.

I let it simmer over medium/ low heat with the cover on, occasionally checking to stir and add a bit of milk at a time if needed. The longer I let it cook, the smoother it will come out. Usually I let it cook an hour and a half or so. If I see it getting goopy, I add more milk. Once it is almost the consistency I want, I add a little powdered milk and this will make it even more smooth. I add have been adding lot of milk lately and I was afraid that it would take forever to cure because of that but it doesn't.

I am a newbie so I make a lot of heinous soaps so I just keep rebatching over and over again. I love this method because it gives great results with minimum time hovering over the soap.

 

[Deda]

Re: This is what my rebatch instructions said

I'm sorry you had such a miserable rebatch experience!

It wasn't totally miserable. I learned 2 very important things.

1. I love the bright colors I can get from Tradewinds Select Shades. They so rock.

2. Rebatching is not for me.

I figured that the 4 lb batch of soap cost me $7.45, including FO and my usual recipe of RBO, Olive, Coconut and Palm. (Soapmaker is the greatest thing in the whole world.)

The cost, in time and dollars, or rebtching was WAY MORE. I was up until 2 am, trying to 'fix' the soap. In between stirs I was talking to my DD online. Around midnight I abandoned the microwave and tossed to glop into the largest cast iron pot I had and tried to heat it in the oven. DD was so supportive of my efforts. When I told her about using the cast iron she meekly replied, "I don't have any cast iron, maybe one day..." I was so sleepy and doleful, that grateful for her support, I bought her a Le Creuset pan online at Macy's.

So I'm estimating that the cost of tossing out a batch is roughly $28.00, if my time is worth $20.00 an hour.

My rebatching efforts were in excess of $120.00, not including the fry pan - just not worth it!

 

[Lindy]

Oh Deda - I am really sorry.....

 

[Deda]

I'm just going to live vicariously through all of everyone else's lovely soaps!

 

[digit]

Re: This is what my rebatch instructions said

My rebatching efforts were in excess of $120.00, not including the fry pan - just not worth it!

Okay.......I am not laughing anymore.

Digit

 

[mandolyn]

I'm just going to live vicariously through all of everyone else's lovely soaps!

Deda, you get 25 GOLD STARS for giving it you're best shot!!

There's no shame around here, either! A wise warrior knows when to make a retreat!