How to get solid oil out of container

[Jen74]

Hey everyone. I have been getting my oils from soapers choice. The palm kernel comes in a box and is solid. Also their Palm oil comes in a plastic container with a small hole at the top. It is solidified though so I usually have to wrap a heat pad around it to soften it up. Not sure how to soften the palm kernel in the box though. It's hard to scoop out because it's so solid. Any ideas??? I try and avoid using silverware ( spoon) to dig it out because I always hear to never let metal touch the oils or it can make them turn rancid. Been using a plastic spoon but it's not easy and takes forever to chop away at it. I need ideas...

 

[TheGecko]

Stainless Steel is okay to use. You just don't want use anything with aluminum.

You can use a good old fashioned ice pick, or a cleaver to chop it up. Holly at Missouri River Soap used a mini, hand-held jack hammer to break up a 50lb block of Cocoa Butter (I can't find the video now).

 

[Serene]

Stainless Steel is okay to use. You just don't want use anything with aluminum.

You can use a good old fashioned ice pick, or a cleaver to chop it up. Holly at Missouri River Soap used a mini, hand-held jack hammer to break up a 50lb block of Cocoa Butter (I can't find the video now).

I am so going to go looking for that video hahaha. I hope its still up!

 

[Relle]

Hey everyone. I have been getting my oils from soapers choice. The palm kernel comes in a box and is solid. Also their Palm oil comes in a plastic container with a small hole at the top. It is solidified though so I usually have to wrap a heat pad around it to soften it up. Not sure how to soften the palm kernel in the box though. It's hard to scoop out because it's so solid. Any ideas??? I try and avoid using silverware ( spoon) to dig it out because I always hear to never let metal touch the oils or it can make them turn rancid. Been using a plastic spoon but it's not easy and takes forever to chop away at it. I need ideas...

You asked this question in June last year and these are the replies you received from members.
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/thr...bout-getting-oil-out-of-this-container.84244/

 

[earlene]

I have been searching for that video of Holly using a mini jack hammer. I'd really like to see that. No luck so far, but I found this 'chocolate chipper' mentioned here: The Best Tool to Break Up Cocoa Butter (for easier melting)

And this video:



I also buy from Soapers Choice. I prefer the PKO flakes. No breaking apart necessary. I've never bought solid palm kernel oil, but breaking up Cocoa Butter is difficult, and does take a lot of muscle, so power tools are sounding more and more attractive for those larger blocks of solid fats!

Also, I purchase the no-stir palm oil (aka palm shortening) from Soapers Choice and the last time I bought it, it came inside a very thick blue plastic bag inside cardboard box. Other than the weight of it (for lifting onto the worktable) scooping the shortening-like palm oil was not difficult on a very warm summer day. Even so, it did take a long time to separate it all out into smaller containers, which makes it easier on me when I later make soap. In the winter it would probably be a lot more solid, though.

To melt solid oils that come in a 7-lb plastic bottle so that I can pour the oil, this is what I do: Set the jug inside of another container just large enough so the the jug with oil cannot tilt over on its side. Place both into my kitchen sink, then fill the outer jug and the kitchen sink with the hottest water possible. For hard oils with a lower melting point, it does not take too long or require refilling the sink with more hot water before the oil melts. But with harder oils, it can take longer and require pouring out the cooled hot water and refilling the outer container and the sink with hottest possible water. The reason for the outer container that won't allow the jug to tip over on it's side is because if I put the jug directly in my sink, the jug flops over on it's side and oil leaks out into the water as it melts.

 

[TheGecko]

I have been searching for that video of Holly using a mini jack hammer. I'd really like to see that. No luck so far, but I found this 'chocolate chipper' mentioned here: The Best Tool to Break Up Cocoa Butter (for easier melting)

I also buy from Soapers Choice. I prefer the PKO flakes. No breaking apart necessary. I've never bought solid palm kernel oil, but breaking up Cocoa Butter is difficult, and does take a lot of muscle, so power tools are sounding more and more attractive for those larger blocks of solid fats!

Also, I purchase the no-stir palm oil (aka palm shortening) from Soapers Choice and the last time I bought it, it came inside a very thick blue plastic bag inside cardboard box. Other than the weight of it (for lifting onto the worktable) scooping the shortening-like palm oil was not difficult on a very warm summer day. Even so, it did take a long time to separate it all out into smaller containers, which makes it easier on me when I later make soap. In the winter it would probably be a lot more solid, though.

To melt solid oils that come in a 7-lb plastic bottle so that I can pour the oil, this is what I do: Set the jug inside of another container just large enough so the the jug with oil cannot tilt over on its side. Place both into my kitchen sink, then fill the outer jug and the kitchen sink with the hottest water possible. For hard oils with a lower melting point, it does not take too long or require refilling the sink with more hot water before the oil melts. But with harder oils, it can take longer and require pouring out the cooled hot water and refilling the outer container and the sink with hottest possible water. The reason for the outer container that won't allow the jug to tip over on it's side is because if I put the jug directly in my sink, the jug flops over on it's side and oil leaks out into the water as it melts.

I sent a message to Holly, but I think I found it a Lowe's Kobalt Air Hammer w/Chisel. They also have the Craftsman Air Hammer if you want a different color. LOL

I've seen the Chocolate Chipper and considered it, but I just don't have the wrist strength that I once had. I even tried using my vintage Salad Master to shred the chunks, but so much static electricity was created in the process, that when I went to put the shredded CB in another container...there was this 'poof' noise and suddenly it was snowing Cocoa Butter and wasn't that a mess to clean up!

One of the problems I had with constantly reheating the 7lb bag of PO was that by the time I got down to the last quarter of the bag it was starting to get really 'grainy'. I had thought about the sink, but I didn't want to wait an hour for it to melt down so what I ended up doing with the next bag was melting it only about halfway...slurry...then just kneading the bag really well.

Then came my brilliant (heavy on the sarcasm) idea to purchase a 35lb bucket and melt it down and put into zip lock bags. The idea was sound, the execution...not so much. I didn't realize just how much 35lbs was. Two 5-qt stocks pots mostly filed and a 20-qt stockpot only filled halfway 'cuz that was all I could safely move and I've still got plenty of PO left in the bucket and no place to put the melted PO. So I put the big bucket in the sink with hot water, supplemented with three kettles of boiled water to get it melted enough to then pull out every large bowl and casserole dish to put it into. Then I could wash the bucket out, put the melted PO in and started melting the rest. Then I had to wait for the PO to cool down enough to fill 1 gallon freezer lock bags three-quarters fill, then clean out the bucket again so I could store the bags inside it. By the time I got down...there was PO everywhere! It was on the stove, the counters, the floor and there was a ton of dishes to do! Never. Ever. Again.

I've switched over to No-Stir RSPO. It's a little spendy buying it in 5 lb buckets instead of a 50lb box, but I haven't been making a lot of soap lately, but eventually I will have enough buckets to be able to break down and store 50lbs.

 

[TheGecko]

Heard from Holly. It's unlisted which is why we couldn't find it. Makers Vlog 4 | Power Tools Starts at about 7:20, demo is at 9:30.

You will need an air compressor, but they aren't all that expensive and given how quickly it works and if you use a lot of Cocoa Butter, worth the investment.

 

[earlene]

Heard from Holly.

Cool. Don't know that I will buy it, but it's not all that expensive & I gave Hubby an air compressor for his birthday a few years back, so that's not problem, other than I'd have to move to the garage to use it. Still it's cool to watch it in action! Here's it at the 9:30 mark (in case someone does not want to do all the fast forward stuff)

Thank you, @TheGecko and thank you to Holly @ Missouri River Soaps (if she sees this) for that fabulous idea.

 

[JackieB]

Regarding the cocoa butter - I melted down the huge chunk and poured it into small individual soap molds. Much easier to handle.

 

[lsg]

You can set the container with palm oil in a sink of hot water to melt it. Then pour it into Zip-lock bags or smaller containers with lids.

 

[bookworm]

I wait for hot summer days.

The cocoa butter (25kg packed ina thick blue plastic bag in a box), I chip at using my extra large, heavy Wusthof knife. Use a rubber mallet to bang the knife , it breaks it down quickly.
Then I pack the small chunks into buckets, wearing gloves. (First for hygienic reasons, and also because it melts quickly and hands get so oily)
It takes time though. But once done, so easy to use.

The PKO comes in a 15kg chunk, packed like the cocoa butter. I leave the box outside (in the shade if it's too hot) for a few hours, it melts, I pour into buckets.
I do the same with Coconut oil & Palm oil.
I check every so often on the oils, and try and shake it up , as it melts.