Five most annoying things about master batching

[dixiedragon]

I would definitely put some Saran wrap over the oil, b/c it would be soooo gross if a mouse or something fell in there.

 

[songwind]

I would definitely put some Saran wrap over the oil, b/c it would be soooo gross if a mouse or something fell in there.

Seconded! I'm not sure how, but the first winter I was soaping the top came off one of my bottles of OO and a mouse got in. Then the temp dropped (Minnesota) and the oil solidified. Imagine my surprise when it warmed up and became clear again.

 

[commoncenz]

As far as stirring a big bucket of masterbatched oils, I use a paint stirring bit that you put in a drill/screwdriver. Attach the bit to the drill, put the stirring end in the oils, press the power button and stir. Easy peazy ... keep a rag or paper towel handy to wipe off the bit after you are don stirring.

Also, if you are going to use this method, I recommend purchasing a NEW stirring bit and designating it just for this purpose. You don't want to add any possible contaminants leftover from paint on a used stirring bit. Caution first.

The bits cost around $6.00 at Lowes and look like this:

 

[quiltertoo]

This is probably not the same as master batching. I have several lard containers that I saved . They are from the lard you can buy from Walmart. I always make the same size batch. So I line up about 6 of them and measure my recipe one oil at a time into each of them. Coconut into each, Lard into each ,olive etc. When I have all the ingredients in them I pop the lids on that came on them when I purchased the lard. When I am ready to make a batch of soap I use this same container to make my soap. Just pour the lye in buzz away. Been doing this for a year and it works great.

Mary Lou

 

[Neve]

Eeewww... I'm buying a cat.

I would definitely put some Saran wrap over the oil, b/c it would be soooo gross if a mouse or something fell in there.

 

[Neve]

Yes, hubby would love this... NOT. He gets pissy enough when I use his tools to do my DIY wood projects!

As far as stirring a big bucket of masterbatched oils, I use a paint stirring bit that you put in a drill/screwdriver. Attach the bit to the drill, put the stirring end in the oils, press the power button and stir. Easy peazy ... keep a rag or paper towel handy to wipe off the bit after you are don stirring.

Also, if you are going to use this method, I recommend purchasing a NEW stirring bit and designating it just for this purpose. You don't want to add any possible contaminants leftover from paint on a used stirring bit. Caution first.

The bits cost around $6.00 at Lowes and look like this:

 

[Neve]

I'm in Canada. Home Depot - 20 minute drive to the city. Lowes - 40 minute drive. My town - tiny little Home Hardware. And I hope this one sells lye, I haven't checked yet.

Oh, are you not in the US? Or do you not have a Home Depot, Lowe's or Ace nearby?

 

[Neve]

Awesome list. And I made a nice soapy mess today.

My spoons do bend in the ice cream and I hate that! I use an ice cream scoop unless I'm too lazy to get it out. I guess if I was wealthy I wouldn't buy my cutlery at Ikea huh.

Well, I don't master batch so...my five good things might be weird.

1) You tried something new.
2) Your hands are nice and moisturized from the oil.
3) You now know you need better spoons.
4) Now that you've master batched all that oil, you might as well go ahead and make soap!
5) You've learned that lids are important.

Re: the spoons. Having flatware that won't bend is something my dad considers a sign of wealth, leftover from his childhood. So he HATES spoons that bend in the ice cream, so when Mom buys new flatware, she always tries to bend it to test if it is strong enough. And she's passed that on to my sister and brother and I.

 

[songwind]

In the matter of master batched oils not resolidifying - is that true of formulas that are mostly hard oils?

 

[dixiedragon]

I hope not else I didn't really need to melt them today. I have no idea how I would melt oil in a giant plastic bucket. Not sure sitting in a sink of hot water would do the job.

The bucket is currently sitting next to a heating vent.

I would sometimes weight out my oils the night before and I don't remember them going solid.

I've done that! I did it with 72 degree coconut oil. The melting point of palm is 95 according to Google, so I don't know if you could keep the sink water hot enough. Maybe the bath tub?

 

[Susie]

This is probably not the same as master batching. I have several lard containers that I saved . They are from the lard you can buy from Walmart. I always make the same size batch. So I line up about 6 of them and measure my recipe one oil at a time into each of them. Coconut into each, Lard into each ,olive etc. When I have all the ingredients in them I pop the lids on that came on them when I purchased the lard. When I am ready to make a batch of soap I use this same container to make my soap. Just pour the lye in buzz away. Been doing this for a year and it works great.

Mary Lou

This is master-batching, just in smaller containers. Which is exactly what we are encouraging the OP to do. I save all my lard containers, also. I use them for lots of stuff, including making soap in.

 

[TeresaT]

Here's my master batched oils. I make 10# at a time and split into these containers. They hold 2# which is my go-to size batch. I do lose a few grams, though. My last batch was 31.75 oz instead of the 32 oz I put in there. I'm not quite able to scrape out every drop. But, I plug it into the SoapCalc and make the adjustments. I bought these at my local dollar store, but you can get them pretty much anywhere. They have larger sizes, too. I just didn't want to fool with those. I hope this helps to give you an idea of the possibilities. Personally, I love master batching. I've even figured out how to add 5 oz Shea butter to my 2-ish pound master batch. Just because I'm using a master batch doesn't mean I can't add extra oils, which I was originally afraid was going to happen.
ETA: sorry for the sideways photo. I used an iPhone.

 

[JayJay]

You can get paint mixing buckets from a hardware store. The 1 qt are good for 1 lb (500g) amounts and the 2.5 qt are good for larger. You can just pull off the lid and add your lye.

THey are fairly inexpensive.

How do you heat the oils once they are in the bucket? Are they small enough to fit in the microwave oven?

 

[Dharlee]

If you have a lot of harder oils, I would just add the lye at a high enough temp to melt them. Personally I soap at maybe 120ish for yh as t, but others might not. I just let them lye melt the oils and go with it..

This is a GREAT idea for master batching and one I know I will adopt.

 

[Neve]

LOL I'm vegetarian I don't have lard containers! I liked the idea of just one container... as long as it doesn't harden. It was super easy to pour out the right weight. The sink water was hot enough, I just had to leave it sitting there for 20 minutes or so while I did other stuff. Hoping it decides to stay liquid now. I figure I'll get about 6 batches out of it.

With something stronger than an ikea spoon for the solids, I'm sure the prep work could be done faster. What really freaked me out was weight out such massive amounts of oils and watching my supplies shrink to nothing!

 

[cmzaha]

This is probably not the same as master batching. I have several lard containers that I saved . They are from the lard you can buy from Walmart. I always make the same size batch. So I line up about 6 of them and measure my recipe one oil at a time into each of them. Coconut into each, Lard into each ,olive etc. When I have all the ingredients in them I pop the lids on that came on them when I purchased the lard. When I am ready to make a batch of soap I use this same container to make my soap. Just pour the lye in buzz away. Been doing this for a year and it works great.

Mary Lou

I do the same thing using 1 gallon hdpe buckets, the plus is they will fit in the micro if the oils solidify.

 

[Dharlee]

What do you do about the handles in the microwave? I guess they could be removed maybe?

 

[penelopejane]

Yes, hubby would love this... NOT. He gets pissy enough when I use his tools to do my DIY wood projects!

It is the chisels that are their most precious tools. Sad, really, not to share, I think.

 

[quiltertoo]

My husband is just the opposite. He loves Harbor Freight and never comes home empty handed. He could open a store with all the tools and accessories and gizmos he has in his shop. All I have to do is ask if he has something I need and sure enough he has it. If by any chance he doesn't he's off to Harbor Freight to get it for me. I think he is happy that I am using his tools because then he doesn't feel guilty about not having used them himself. A few of the tools he has given me are an infrared thermometer, a heat gun and small clamps to hold the silicon liner to the side of the mold. I just gotta love that guy.

Mary Lou

 

[kchaystack]

How do you heat the oils once they are in the bucket? Are they small enough to fit in the microwave oven?

The 1qt and the 2.5 are.