Good vessel to mix 8 cups of oil + lye water

[cayosusa]

I will be using a stick blender so it would be about 10 cups total. What type of mixing bowl, plastic jug, etc do you recommend to to mix that amount? Also what to mic approx 10 ounces lye water in? Can I use a two cup pyrex measuring cup for the lye solution?

 

[shunt2011]

I use a bucket (#2 or #5 in the triangle on the bottom) or even a plastic measuring bowl from the dollar store and for my larger batches or a large stainless pot. Depends on how many pounds. I don't measure by cups. All soap should be measured by weight preferably by grams for accuracy.

Glass should never be used. It can etch and explode.

If using someone's recipe or from a book be sure to run it through a soap calculator to avoid errors.

 

[artemis]

Handled mixing bowls from the dollar store are great for making soap. This sounds like a lot of soap for a beginner-- have you been making soap for very long?

If you convert your recipe to percentages and enter them into a lye calculator, you can easily adjust the size of your batch.

 

[cayosusa]

Used to make soap about 15 years ago - so considering myself a newbie. I think you are right - will definitely take your advice and cut it down.

 

[Jersey Girl]

I will be using a stick blender so it would be about 10 cups total. What type of mixing bowl, plastic jug, etc do you recommend to to mix that amount? Also what to mic approx 10 ounces lye water in? Can I use a two cup pyrex measuring cup for the lye solution?

Home Depot in the paint section. Plenty of room to not have to worry about splashing and very sturdy. Plastic measuring pitcher from dollar store for lye water.

 

[Obsidian]

I use dollar store mixing bowls with handle for the soap batter and the 4 cp measuring cup for lye.

If I'm making a big batch, I use a 2 gallon bucket I got from the grocery store deli.

I do like small paint cups for mixing different colors in. More room then disposable cups and easier to scrape out.

 

[TashaBird]

I use a bucket (#2 or #5 in the triangle on the bottom) or even a plastic measuring bowl from the dollar store and for my larger batches or a large stainless pot. Depends on how many pounds. I don't measure by cups. All soap should be measured by weight preferably by grams for accuracy.

Glass should never be used. It can etch and explode.

If using someone's recipe or from a book be sure to run it through a soap calculator to avoid errors.

Omg! How have I not heard of this exploding glass before? That’s terrifying! I’ve been mixing my lye in a Pyrex measuring cup!

I use a bucket (#2 or #5 in the triangle on the bottom) or even a plastic measuring bowl from the dollar store and for my larger batches or a large stainless pot. Depends on how many pounds. I don't measure by cups. All soap should be measured by weight preferably by grams for accuracy.

Glass should never be used. It can etch and explode.

If using someone's recipe or from a book be sure to run it through a soap calculator to avoid errors.

If I mix lye in plastic, won’t it melt?

 

[Obsidian]

If I mix lye in plastic, won’t it melt?

Not if its the right kind of plastic. Look on the bottom of the plastic container, you want one that has a 2 or 5 inside the triangle.

 

[BattleGnome]

It’s summer (for many of us) and all the stores have those gallon sized pitchers for koolaid and what not. I got mine for $1 on clearance at Walmart several years ago and it’s been a perfect lye pitcher for me. Just double check that it’s has the right recycling # in the triangle (#2 or #5). Having a pitcher with a lid is also nice in case you need to walk away to deal with a phone call or family member who can’t wait a few minutes

 

[TashaBird]

I’m glad I’ve been lucky I guess. I thought Pyrex was safe. Stainless, I assume is ok?

 

[Obsidian]

Yes, stainless is good. Make sure it high quality stainless and not just a cheap stainless coating.
I lucked out and found a stainless pitcher made for mixing chemicals at a yard sale. Still kicking myself I didn't grab the bigger one too.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I know I'm going to get static for saying this, but I used an 8-cup Pyrex -- as many soapers do -- for 13 years. At that time, Pyrex was made of borosilicate glass. The new Pyrex is plain glass and it broke in a clean circle around the middle the first time I used it when I put the hot container into cold water in the sink! Dumb! I now use a re-purposed 7-lb plastic bucket that held coconut oil for my oils. I still use my old 2-cup or 4-cup Pyrex to make the lye solution because I want to see it clearly before combining with the oils. I tried a re-purposed 32 oz plastic NaOH container (#5) and it warped badly.

Here's a pic of a 4-cup heavy glass pitcher I bought at a garage sale. See how badly the glass is etched? The owner must have been a soaper! I luv it!

Used to make soap about 15 years ago - so considering myself a newbie.

Well we've got a lot of Newbies here, so you're in good company! When you have time, please go to the Introduction Forum and tell us a little about yourself and your soaping experience so we can properly welcome you SMF. It also helps us to help you when we know more about you.

 

[TashaBird]

I know I'm going to get static for saying this, but I used an 8-cup Pyrex -- as many soapers do -- for 13 years. At that time, Pyrex was made of borosilicate glass. The new Pyrex is plain glass and it broke in a clean circle around the middle the first time I used it when I put the hot container into cold water in the sink! Dumb! I now use a re-purposed 7-lb plastic bucket that held coconut oil for my oils. I still use my old 2-cup or 4-cup Pyrex to make the lye solution because I want to see it clearly before combining with the oils. I tried a re-purposed 32 oz plastic NaOH container (#5) and it warped badly.

Here's a pic of a 4-cup heavy glass pitcher I bought at a garage sale. See how badly the glass is etched? The owner must have been a soaper! I luv it!

View attachment 47187

Ok. I’ve been using a 2 cup Pyrex for mixing my lye. Just made my 13th batch of soap. It’s a little etched, but it seems to be holding ok. I like it because I can see the sugar and lye dissolve. Now I’m kind of confused. Is it ok to keep using?
my apologies if this is high jacking the OP.

 

[JoeyJ]

The ultra-clear plastic jugs look good but also go brittle... even tho they are the right number underneath
Also have used oval-type 2 litre icecream buckets , clean 1L yoghurt pot, and margarine containers for sectioning off colours. I have used those bulk gravy or soup-mix buckets, like restaurants or cafes use, old lye buckets... actually started off using a 20 year old pyrex jug (I have stopped).

Have also used plastic buckets, and whereas a bit of depth is good, got soap burns where my arm accidentally touched the edge..so they have been repurposed to dirty soap equipment holders!

I know I'm going to get static for saying this,

...yep, what she said

Ok. I’ve been using a 2 cup Pyrex for mixing my lye. Just made my 13th batch of soap. It’s a little etched, but it seems to be holding ok. I like it because I can see the sugar and lye dissolve. Now I’m kind of confused. Is it ok to keep using?
my apologies if this is high jacking the OP.

Same, but I ended up finding a dark coloured icecream bucket was just as good for seeing lye flakes. Could you sit it inside a larger plastic tub while you stir so that if it does shatter you wont get burnt?

 

[TashaBird]

Same, but I ended up finding a dark coloured icecream bucket was just as good for seeing lye flakes. Could you sit it inside a larger plastic tub while you stir so that if it does shatter you wont get burnt?

I’ve been keeping it sitting on a folded towel. I could put Pyrex measuring cup with lye into something else until I can find something. I really like that Pyrex measuring cup for the lye. Oh well.

 

[Susie]

Pyrex is no longer a safe material to mix lye in. It just isn't. The day is coming when it will fail. Not maybe, it will. Hopefully it just cracks and all the lye runs out rather than a more "explosive" failure.

I use paint buckets or a stainless steel pot to mix my lye in, depending if I am masterbatching for multiple loaves or not.

Please make safe decisions, regardless of what good luck some certain people are having. You would think they would learn after the first cup broke, but apparently not.

 

[shunt2011]

Omg! How have I not heard of this exploding glass before? That’s terrifying! I’ve been mixing my lye in a Pyrex measuring cup!


If I mix lye in plastic, won’t it melt?

Pyrex is not made like it was years ago. I would absolutely not use glass. I had a glass pyrex measuring cup explode from being etched from making chai tea in it for a bit over a year. You can see the etching on the cup. It is irresponsible for anyone to promote it and extremely dangerous. Plastic won't melt as long as it's #2 or #5. I mix my lye in the tall plastic Ziploc containers. They have lids so after dissolving the lye I set the lid on it if I don't have a masterbatch made. I have stored the containers for several weeks with lye in them (Placed in a bucket just to be safe) with no issues. Glass is a big no for your own safety.

 

[artemis]

I’ve been keeping it sitting on a folded towel. I could put Pyrex measuring cup with lye into something else until I can find something.

Empty out your sink before soaping. Put your containers in the sink and mix up your lye solution right there. If anything goes wrong, there's a little protection of the lye solution already being in the sink and not spilling out over a counter top. I don't use glass for my lye, but I still mix the solution in my sink.

 

[SPowers]

Since starting almost 7 weeks and 13 batches ago I have been using an 'old' pyrex 4-cup measure for my lye. It seems ok but after reading all this last night, I ordered a polypropylene 1000 gr pitcher for the lye. It arrives tomorrow or Thursday... no sense in taking chances

 

[mtinetti61]

I will be using a stick blender so it would be about 10 cups total. What type of mixing bowl, plastic jug, etc do you recommend to to mix that amount? Also what to mic approx 10 ounces lye water in? Can I use a two cup pyrex measuring cup for the lye solution?

I mix my lye water in a deep rubbermaid container using a long plastic spoon. This keeps the fumes more inside the container than outside of it.