Equipment Question(s)

[souljasam]

The racks are here:
http://m.joann.com/wilton-3-tier-cooling-rack/xprd305829

And i dont see a 50% coupon on their site but you can sign up to the mailing list and they email coupons. Even if you forget a coupon and you ask they usually will ring up a coupon from behind the counter for you.

As i said tho wait for the wilton sale to end (tomorrow is the last day iirc). So you can get it for $5.50 instead of $8.99.

 

[heatherglen]

I forgot to say what I use for my curing rack! I found a plastic shelf unit like for a garage at Lowe's (they get a lot of business from me, I guess!). It's the four shelf unit with holes. The holes are kind of big, so I usually tear up paper sacks and set the soap on the paper. It's worked quite well!

 

[jcandleattic]

I didn't choose to use glass because of this B&B person you mention - who are you referring to? *confused* I know of more soapmaking people that use lye with glass than plastic. Not on this forum, though, which may be the difference? I haven't been here long though I've read posts on here for awhile. Oh, and this is NOT Pyrex. :-| And Anchor-Hocking is an American company (not sure about Pyrex, I don't have as much glassware as I'd like).

Anchor Hocking, Pyrex, non-specified glass, it doesn't matter it is all still glass and it WILL etch over time and it will eventually either break or explode due to the lye, regardless of how many soapers do it.
I say this so many times I feel like a broken record, but it bears repeating so often I feel like I have too.
Just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean that you should or that it's right. Just because others do something doesn't mean you should or that it is the correct way to do something.

 

[VanessaP]

The racks are here:
http://m.joann.com/wilton-3-tier-cooling-rack/xprd305829

And i dont see a 50% coupon on their site but you can sign up to the mailing list and they email coupons. Even if you forget a coupon and you ask they usually will ring up a coupon from behind the counter for you.

As i said tho wait for the wilton sale to end (tomorrow is the last day iirc). So you can get it for $5.50 instead of $8.99.

I have a set of this design and a set of the older design. The older design is MUCH sturdier and can hold more weight before bowing. The older design's surface is actually a crosshatch design, small squares. The current design has very few perpendicular supports so it bows and sags a lot faster, plus the metal just isn't quite as thick as it was on the older ones. They're usable, especially if you do only 2-3 lb batches. I save my 5lb batches for the sturdier ones.

I use plain old kraft paper folded to just short of the ends so I can still stack easily.

 

[WallFlower]

I use stainless steel bowls and a stainless steel pitcher for my lye water. Silicone spatulas and a silicone spoon with a stainless steel handle. I use a silicone mold with a wood box around it. I use an old "CD tower" with glass doors on it for soap right now. It's a tiny one so I can't put more than like 3-4 batches of soap in it at a time. I'd like to get something else, but in the meantime this is what I use.

And I agree, to not use glass of any kind. It may have been a youtube video I saw of a soaper making soap and the pyrex shattered and they mention how etched the glass had gotten from the lye and they will never use glass again. It will shatter and it can be dangerous, the lye water will get everywhere, and glass will get every where, it can get in your oils and then you'd have to throw out all that oil or risk some extra "exfoliation". A costly/dangerous situation. I'd rather skip that lesson myself...

 

[Candybee]

From my own personal experience I had a large pyrex measuring cup shatter on me one day. I wasn't using it for CP at the time. I had been making M&P soap in that glass for about 5 yrs before it finally broke. I was so surprized and had not imagined that such a sturdy popular brand of glassware would shatter on me but it sure did. So when seasoned soapers tell me that lye can etch the glass that tells me it weakens the glass and yes it will eventually shatter. Could take a few weeks or a few years but I would not want to be there if it shattered with a lye mixture in it.

 

[ocean_soul]

So....what's glass safe to use with? I have to ask because, well, after going through the effort of accumulating several glass measuring cups (because that's what all the books I read recommended) you can easily imagine my dismay when I first discovered that glass can etch and shatter over time due to the lye. *le sigh* I'll have to hit up the dollar store some time soon...

 

[cursivearts]

As someone mentioned PP#5 plastic and HDPE plastics are safe to use. I now have a Rubbermaid pitcher I use for mixing lye (they cost about 2 bucks) and a 5 quart paint bucket I got at Walmart for mixing the lye and oils, also cost about two bucks. (I make small batches, so it is the perfect size).

 

[kazmi]

I found most of the plastic bowls and pitchers at 2 of the dollar stores that I went to are not HDPE or PP#5. So be sure to check.

 

[thinkativeone]

Anchor Hocking, Pyrex, non-specified glass, it doesn't matter it is all still glass and it WILL etch over time and it will eventually either break or explode due to the lye, regardless of how many soapers do it.
I say this so many times I feel like a broken record, but it bears repeating so often I feel like I have too.
Just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean that you should or that it's right. Just because others do something doesn't mean you should or that it is the correct way to do something.

Sigh. I wear (we wear) safety goggles when I make soap. ETA: We also use the heaviest-duty grade gloves built for working with chemicals. Pets go in a closed room. I only add the lye to the water outside. Yes, I agree along the vein that if all X people are jumping off a bridge, you shouldn't too. That said, I am really just after an explanation. From what I gathered there are plenty of soapmakers that still do this because they may be under the assumption that it is fine with a certain TYPE of glass? I just would really like some clarification. It sounded like people were talking like glass production is different now, but old glass of a certain type is fine. For all I know, many use very old glassware.

Why specific types of plastic, as well? This is becoming very complicated, because it's hard enough to find real stainless steel (let alone cheap for dedicated equipment), now I have to find a specific type of plastic?? I have a BPA-free plastic pitcher I can use but no way of knowing what it is made of, I think. All I'm wanting is answers. I've only used this thick glass bowl twice. I'm fine with pitching it if I have to now, I just want some scientific reasoning as to why. And these soapmakers that use glass mentioned using stainless steel and plastic as safe as well. I wasn't totally unaware of glass sometimes having issues, hence the adding lye outside.

 

[ocean_soul]

So, went through my kitchen to see what plastic containers say they're PP 5 or HDPE and I discovered that the containers that my take-out arrives in would work perfectly for soaping...I mentioned this to my husband who eagerly concluded that we have to order out more often. lol!

 

[WallFlower]

Sigh. I wear (we wear) safety goggles when I make soap. ETA: We also use the heaviest-duty grade gloves built for working with chemicals. Pets go in a closed room. I only add the lye to the water outside. Yes, I agree along the vein that if all X people are jumping off a bridge, you shouldn't too. That said, I am really just after an explanation. From what I gathered there are plenty of soapmakers that still do this because they may be under the assumption that it is fine with a certain TYPE of glass? I just would really like some clarification. It sounded like people were talking like glass production is different now, but old glass of a certain type is fine. For all I know, many use very old glassware.

Why specific types of plastic, as well? This is becoming very complicated, because it's hard enough to find real stainless steel (let alone cheap for dedicated equipment), now I have to find a specific type of plastic?? I have a BPA-free plastic pitcher I can use but no way of knowing what it is made of, I think. All I'm wanting is answers. I've only used this thick glass bowl twice. I'm fine with pitching it if I have to now, I just want some scientific reasoning as to why. And these soapmakers that use glass mentioned using stainless steel and plastic as safe as well. I wasn't totally unaware of glass sometimes having issues, hence the adding lye outside.

A lot of soap makers think that "old pryex" is safe because it was "better made" but no glass is really safe. The lye will etch the glass over time causing it to deteriorate over time. It may not break the 1st time, or the 100th time, but you don't want to gamble when it will break.
Stainless steel of any kind is fine. I have some that are labeled "18/0 stainless steel", and others are just "stainless steel". They all work the same.

 

[VanessaP]

Sigh. I wear (we wear) safety goggles when I make soap. ETA: We also use the heaviest-duty grade gloves built for working with chemicals. Pets go in a closed room. I only add the lye to the water outside. Yes, I agree along the vein that if all X people are jumping off a bridge, you shouldn't too. That said, I am really just after an explanation. From what I gathered there are plenty of soapmakers that still do this because they may be under the assumption that it is fine with a certain TYPE of glass? I just would really like some clarification. It sounded like people were talking like glass production is different now, but old glass of a certain type is fine. For all I know, many use very old glassware.

OLD school kitchen glass was made of borosilicate which is lab grade glass which is hellishly expensive these days, comparatively speaking. However, glass is glass and it still etches (to my knowledge), just at a slower rate. Mixing your lye in glass is the equivalent of taking the leap off the bridge and wondering which time is going to be the time your glass finally explodes. While you wear gloves and goggles, do you really want to risk picking lye solution soaked glass out of the rest of the exposed skin on your body/face? Many many of the people who make soap don't realize or know the danger and even if we tried to tell them, they would probably resist, thinking "it won't happen to me".

Why specific types of plastic, as well? This is becoming very complicated, because it's hard enough to find real stainless steel (let alone cheap for dedicated equipment), now I have to find a specific type of plastic?? I have a BPA-free plastic pitcher I can use but no way of knowing what it is made of, I think. All I'm wanting is answers. I've only used this thick glass bowl twice. I'm fine with pitching it if I have to now, I just want some scientific reasoning as to why. And these soapmakers that use glass mentioned using stainless steel and plastic as safe as well. I wasn't totally unaware of glass sometimes having issues, hence the adding lye outside.

The specific type of plastic is because HDPE and PP5 are the plastics that can handle boiling/near boiling temperatures. Most pitchers sold in your general merchandise store like Walmart, Kmart, etc., are PP5 or HDPE. All you have to do is flip over the container and look at the bottom. If no number is listed, I would bypass it. If it says HDPE or PP or 5 (in a recycle symbol), then you're good to go. These also have a high resistance to lye. I store my lye masterbatches in airtight HDPE pitchers.

 

[thinkativeone]

Mixing your lye in glass is the equivalent of taking the leap off the bridge and wondering which time is going to be the time your glass finally explodes. While you wear gloves and goggles, do you really want to risk picking lye solution soaked glass out of the rest of the exposed skin on your body/face? Many many of the people who make soap don't realize or know the danger and even if we tried to tell them, they would probably resist, thinking "it won't happen to me".

Luckily before I read this I checked my plastic pitcher and an old coconut gallon container I had and both are suitable based on the past responses (5 and HDPE). I started looking at a bunch of our old plastic containers and found many others to be suitable as well.

I find it a bit demeaning being spoken to like I am not being safe, when I am. Especially since you don't know me, and I am certainly not one of these many people that would "probably" resist. Maybe it's the way they are being told! :cry: Anybody can get defensive if they are talked to like they are some kind of moron repeatedly! Again, I added the solution outside. We even wear masks much of the time. I wore protective gear, more protective gear and better quality than anyone else I know of that makes soap. *frustrated* I also, to repeat myself, only used this thick glass twice. It sadly gets relegated to destruction by my husband now. Enjoy your soapmaking!

 

[WallFlower]

Luckily before I read this I checked my plastic pitcher and an old coconut gallon container I had and both are suitable based on the past responses (5 and HDPE). I started looking at a bunch of our old plastic containers and found many others to be suitable as well.

I find it a bit demeaning being spoken to like I am not being safe, when I am. Especially since you don't know me, and I am certainly not one of these many people that would "probably" resist. Maybe it's the way they are being told! :cry: Anybody can get defensive if they are talked to like they are some kind of moron repeatedly! Again, I added the solution outside. We even wear masks much of the time. I wore protective gear, more protective gear and better quality than anyone else I know of that makes soap. *frustrated* I also, to repeat myself, only used this thick glass twice. It sadly gets relegated to destruction by my husband now. Enjoy your soapmaking!

I may have missed something but I don't think anyone was trying to put you down. We are all here to help. It can be hard to convey tone in text so it's possible someone just sounded off. We all start somewhere & we all learn new things at different points in our soapmaking journey.

 

[thinkativeone]

I may have missed something but I don't think anyone was trying to put you down. We are all here to help. It can be hard to convey tone in text so it's possible someone just sounded off. We all start somewhere & we all learn new things at different points in our soapmaking journey.

Thank you, solid points all around. I am really just happy that I don't have to go out and buy more "stuff" since we live in such a tiny place and more stuff just frustrates me to no end. I read a lot of soap books and different soapmaking blogs (the blogs were what eventually persuaded me to bite the bullet and start making soap, after being really afraid of how "scary" lye is for a year...embarrassing, I know) but there is always something new or a different take on something to learn. Only one example is since I've been here I found out, for instance, why my castile soap really reaches its peak at 4-5 months for me and that that's a normal thing. And also I've been encouraged to let it age even longer. Guess I'd better work on getting 4 jugs from Costco to make some more! You guys are going to steadily fill my place up with soap, I'm sure of it!

 

[VanessaP]

Luckily before I read this I checked my plastic pitcher and an old coconut gallon container I had and both are suitable based on the past responses (5 and HDPE). I started looking at a bunch of our old plastic containers and found many others to be suitable as well.

I find it a bit demeaning being spoken to like I am not being safe, when I am. Especially since you don't know me, and I am certainly not one of these many people that would "probably" resist. Maybe it's the way they are being told! :cry: Anybody can get defensive if they are talked to like they are some kind of moron repeatedly! Again, I added the solution outside. We even wear masks much of the time. I wore protective gear, more protective gear and better quality than anyone else I know of that makes soap. *frustrated* I also, to repeat myself, only used this thick glass twice. It sadly gets relegated to destruction by my husband now. Enjoy your soapmaking!

Trust me, that's me being nice. I wasn't trying to be mean. When I said you, that was more of a collective you. Not trying to point fingers at you specifically. The internet is a tough place to read tone. I am just blunt.

 

[MaitriBB]

Various HDPE containers from Lowe's that were the cheapest I could find while still being thick enough plastic that the batter won't eat it.

 

[jcandleattic]

Various HDPE containers from Lowe's that were the cheapest I could find while still being thick enough plastic that the batter won't eat it.

Glad you found what you needed but being "thick enough" really has nothing to do with whether or not the batter will eat through it or not.
It has to do with the chemical makeup of the plastic itself. That's why if it's not HDPE or PP5 it shouldn't be used. the lye in the batter or to make the lye solution will eat through it.

 

[Nevada]

This site show chemical resistance of a particular Plastic
Polypropylene is "number 5"
This site shows the max temp of a plastic
HDPE and PP (no. 5) are the only two that can handle boiling water