From the 'Shaky City' of Christchurch

[GraciousGraphics]

Hi all.
I haven't made any soap, yet.... but may have to start soon.
I'm retired and bought a laser cutter/engraver as my hobby. One of my customers (she bought a cup-cake stand) asked about a soap cutter, so I designed and made that for her. Someone else wanted a slab cutter, so that was the latest job.

Thing is, while I can make these things, I have to rely on the customers to tell me what works, what doesn't, and what would be a good idea to add.

So I need to learn a lot more about soap making (I have no idea what 'trace' is!) and lurking here and asking questions seem like a good way to learn.
And who knows, 'may end up making soap too!

Thanks for reading,
Bob
p.s. I'm in Christchurch, New Zealand

 

[Susie]

Welcome! We are so glad to have you here! I have to warn you that making soap is very, very addictive. And once you use your own hand made soap, you are hooked.

Here is a video to get you started. She shows you what trace looks like:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWnqXTqZTvU[/ame]

Please do not hesitate to ask questions, we are happy to help you. It is much better to ask the questions before trying a recipe, than to ask us how to fix it afterwards.

 

[reinbeau]

I made a new soaper's blog post, I hope you find something helpful in it! Link

 

[dneruck]

Welcome! I'm from Christ Church too, but it's a parish in Barbados. I hear you guys have a street with a name similar to that of our island - Barbadoes Street ... and you're the place in the world with the most people with a surname of Ruck... Which also happens to be my last name.

I'm pretty sure you'll end up making soap lol. The video Susie posted is a good one, and you can find lots more on YouTube and lots of good info here.

 

[GraciousGraphics]

Thank you for the welcome everyone!\
I have yet to start on soap making, and it's possible I may never make any, since my interest is mainly in the mechanics of it i.e. the tools used such as molds, cutters etc.
Still, it seems to be an interesting hobby/pastime, so I should never say 'never' !

"dneruck", we do indeed have a Barbados Street in Chch. It's a one-way street, one of the four pairs of such roads around the CBD. The main RC church in Chch is on that street, and the quakes made a real mess of it!

One of the two people (so far!) who bought my soap cutter is returning it (for a full refund of course) because he says the cutting arm carrying the wire is too loose at the pivot end and so it doesn't have the accuracy he needs.
This is an example of why I should really give it a try, but it would involve a lot of work - just to get to the stage where I had a log of soap to try in the cutter...

So my next job is to fix that problem, fortunately he's given me a few tips and suggestions.

Many thanks for the links Suzie and Reinbeau.
Cheers, Bob

 

[Saponista]

Give it a try Bob, you will never look back. It doesn't need to be pretty or anything. Just a basic plain bar of soap. Once you have felt that wonderful lather, you won't be able to go back to store bought soap again and you will be hooked.

It really isn't a lot of work to make a basic log of soap. You just need some oils, lye, a cheap stick blender and a stainless steel pot.

 

[LBussy]

Welcome Bob! I have a friend that ended up moving there from Nebraska. She seems to like it a lot.

If you are currently on the mechanical side of soap making, you should really check out this gent's wares:

http://www.soaphutch.com/index.html

If that doesn't give you ideas I don't know what will.

 

[not_ally]

I agree, once you make your own soap you will never go back to store-bought. Plus, I think making soap would be a really good way to figure out how to improve your cutters/create a market, if you want one. I had no idea what I wanted in a cutter/splitter (now I have pretty specific ones ) until I made soap myself.

Edited to add: I don't think it will take too much work to try to make a couple of batches, and it is *really* fun. You may be an addict before you know it. And then you can make incredible molds/cutters for yourself!

 

[IrishLass]

Welcome, Bob! Hopefully it won't be too long before we turn you into a certified soapholic!


IrishLass

 

[newbie]

Can you post a picture of one of your cutters? There a number of people here who have their owns cutters, some bought and some made by themselves or a household member. It's possible some people could give your some feedback based on what they see but it's not that same a using it, of course.

Depending on your eating habits, you could tweak your cutter and then try it on a small brick of mild cheddar cheese, which can be about the same texture as soap. Or, if you are looking for someone to try one of yours and give you very direct feedback, I will most certainly volunteer!!

 

[Dahila]

Welcome to the forum, and please post the pic of your cutter

 

[newbie]

Here are some popular cutters. Two are of Budcutters (can find him on Etsy), a Tank (the black metal one), a loafcutter (labeled) and a few other flat ones. What does yours look like and just where did your customer have problems with its stability?

 

[GraciousGraphics]

....Hopefully it won't be too long before we turn you into a certified soapholic!

[Groan] That's what I'm afraid of! 'Start off with a simple recipe, then make 'just one more' with a different smell, then perhaps 'These will make good presents for relies, I'll make a batch...'

Can you post a picture of one of your cutters?

Sure can.

Or, if you are looking for someone to try one of yours and give you very direct feedback, I will most certainly volunteer!!

The reason I got asked to make them was because of the high freight cost to bring into NZ from the USA. Unfortunately, going the other way is even worse - for anything with a bit of weight to it, the cost to send overseas can be a lot more than the value of the item.

Here are some popular cutters. Two are of Budcutters (can find him on Etsy), a Tank (the black metal one), a loafcutter (labeled) and a few other flat ones.

Wow - that's some serious hardware there.:shock:

What does yours look like and just where did your customer have problems with its stability?

I'll attach a couple of pics.
The customer says that because the pivot point is 'loose' it allows the cut to start off twisted (i.e. not 90° to the back stop) and it's not until the wire is over half way through that it enters the guide slot behind the back stop. He suggests the pivot point for the arm should be bigger and tighter.
I'm going to see if the pivot could be higher too - then the brackets would have a larger area in contact with the arm.

 

[reinbeau]

Your picture is so small - can you post something larger? I can't see it at all.

 

[DeeAnna]

Ah, you need to be looking at single wire cutters, not multi wire. Kind of a different animal. This one by Bud Haffner works really well for me: https://www.etsy.com/listing/191983081/adjustable-single-wire-soap-cutter?ref=shop_home_active_2

I agree with your customer -- the pivot attachment is critical for keeping the cutter tracking accurately through the cut, especially at first before the wire is fully buried in the soap. You can see the large surface area between the arm and the blocks on either side at the pivot point to keep the arm as stable as possible. I can also tell you there's not a lot of slop in the fit between the arm and the blocks.

The front slot is not a guide for the wire -- it's just a reasonable sized opening in the fence to let the wire pass entirely through the soap loaf. By that point in the cut, no guide is really needed anymore.

If you need to test your cutter and don't have soap to use, you might try cutting firm butter or firm clay in large-ish blocks. If you're just "cutting air", you won't get accurate feedback on how the cutter will perform in soap -- some odd things can happen!

 

[GraciousGraphics]

Your picture is so small - can you post something larger? I can't see it at all.

Sorry about that - I haven't mastered this forum software yet!
I tried again with the same photo but was still too small, so instead I've uploaded a couple to the 'Photos/Miscellaneous' file area - hopefully that will work!

The first attempt failed because the photo was too big! I've now re-sampled it and cut some of the extraneous stuff around the outside - like our rubbish bins, LOL

Ah, you need to be looking at single wire cutters, not multi wire. Kind of a different animal. This one by Bud Haffner works really well for me: https://www.etsy.com/listing/191983081/adjustable-single-wire-soap-cutter?ref=shop_home_active_2

Arrgh! And here I was thinking I'd invented something !
My one looks a lot like that, but not as nice ;-)

I only have basic wood-working tools (saw, hammer and lots of nails) and to be honest I'm not much good at it.

'Spent my working life in precision sheet metal but being retired I no longer have access to all the machines used. Hence the laser-cutter, where accurate work depends on how well the machine is setup.

It looks like Bud's cutter makes use of HDPE - must see if I can get some to try in the laser.
Thank you for the link, and the photos posted by everyone - gives me lots to think about and many ideas for improvements.

Cheers from Chch, we had a couple more 'quakes in the last week - first ones for ages, no damage though, other than to nerves :crazy:
Bob

 

[Susie]

It really isn't a lot of work to make a basic log of soap. You just need some oils, lye, a cheap stick blender and a stainless steel pot.

Don't forget a good scale, gloves, and goggles. But, it really does not take much to get started. EOs and FOs are the largest cost after the initial outlay for basic equipment, and you can cut that initial cost tremendously by hitting the thrift stores.

 

[GraciousGraphics]

The front slot is not a guide for the wire -- it's just a reasonable sized opening in the fence to let the wire pass entirely through the soap loaf. By that point in the cut, no guide is really needed anymore.

So it's all down to the pivot really - it has to be just loose enough to allow the arm to move, but tight enough to ensure the arm stays on the 'straight and narrow' (the 'Yaw' of Roll, Pitch and Yaw) - and does not let the arm move sideways, or other than exactly vertical.

If you're just "cutting air", you won't get accurate feedback on how the cutter will perform in soap -- some odd things can happen! :smile:

Hmm, I'm starting to realise that now...
There are a few people in NZ who do 'kits' for newbies, so I may try that - but first I'll have to make a mold in order to pour a log to cut.

p.s. Admin: Is this forum - 'Introduction' - ok to continue the thread, or should we go to a different one?

Don't forget a good scale, gloves, and goggles. But, it really does not take much to get started. EOs and FOs are the largest cost after the initial outlay for basic equipment, and you can cut that initial cost tremendously by hitting the thrift stores.

Scales, gloves and goggles: tick... got all them.
EO's and FO's ? I'm guessing the 'O' is Oil, and maybe the 'F' is Fragrant ?

[Thinks]

'E' for Essential?

 

[LBussy]

So it's all down to the pivot really - it has to be just loose enough to allow the arm to move, but tight enough to ensure the arm stays on the 'straight and narrow' (the 'Yaw' of Roll, Pitch and Yaw) - and does not let the arm move sideways, or other than exactly vertical.

Exactly. I think from the pic your pivot is only as wide as the arm is thick. If it were me, and it's not, I might beef that up so the pivot is wider. That would reduce the impact of any "wobble". It's also possible a commercial hinge may be a thing to consider.

There are a few people in NZ who do 'kits' for newbies, so I may try that - but first I'll have to make a mold in order to pour a log to cut.

I've not seen any kits that were cost-effective. Most kitchens have everything you need save the lye. Olive oil, coconut oil and lard make one very nice bar soap.

EO's and FO's ? I'm guessing the 'O' is Oil, and maybe the 'F' is Fragrant ?

Yep, essential oils (generally "pure" source oils) and Fragrance Oils (mixes, may be synthetic). It's generally easier to get a nice fragrance oil which has a profile you like. Some people like single note soaps, some have to go to the extent of blending their own. I find a few PO's I like and I'm happy.

 

[not_ally]

"Olive oil, coconut oil and lard make one very nice bar soap."

This is so true, GG. I bought a bunch of different oils when I started CP'ing that are now mostly just sitting around. For me, the ones above are the go-to's.

And Susie is right as well, I'm not sure what you Kiwis have in terms of discount stores, but my cheap plastic safety glasses from the dollar store work as well or better than the expensive onion goggles I bought because I thought they might be somehow better.

I like FO's in CP, I know some people would never use them b/c they *do* contain artificial ingredients. But they don't irritate my skin and heck, my entire life is enveloped in cancer/whatever causing ingredients, I guess I figure those won't make them that much worse. Also some EOs are good and cheap (my favorite is litsea/May Chang).

Many of the smartest/most experiences posters here advise against using scents in your first few batches, but you know, they made it so much more fun for me.