just a spoon?

[BJBJ]

I know, I know-you're gonna think I'm crazy...but maybe I could use the exercise?

I would like to know if anyone out there in this world of soapmaking does NOT use a stick blender? I understand how nice it is, and why it's really good to use one...am just wondering if anyone (quit laughing) only uses a good ole trusty wooden spoon (for the whole process...or a spatula)?

I DO actually have a reason...but it's a little silly.

 

[rubyslippers]

Not I - why torture yourself?

 

[cwarren]

I know, I know-you're gonna think I'm crazy...but maybe I could use the exercise?

I would like to know if anyone out there in this world of soapmaking does NOT use a stick blender? I understand how nice it is, and why it's really good to use one...am just wondering if anyone (quit laughing) only uses a good ole trusty wooden spoon (for the whole process...or a spatula)?

I DO actually have a reason...but it's a little silly.

I tried a mixer the first 10 batches because I saw someone on you tube.. I bought a stick blender cause it was cheap.. I never got trace like that ! hours vs minutes HUM

 

[PrairieCraft]

Ow, my arm. I don' think stirring would be the best exercise because it is too repetitive, it would likely end up irritating some muscles. Maybe keep a small weight or elastic band handy by your soaping materials and work out while waiting for your lye to cool

 

[NancyRogers]

If I'm trying to get to just a thin trace with fast moving oils or FOs then I'll use a whisk. Most of the time I just use the SB though.

 

[emilaid]

OK, I'm really curious!! What is your reason :?: :?:

I always use my SB for quickness and to save my arm falling off!

 

[BJBJ]

eh....

My reason REALLY is silly-so don't post about how silly....

I'm only in the planning stages until my product arrives, but I plan on using a sb in general. HOWEVER, one of my friends sorta challenged me-she mentioned that soap used to be made without electricity.

I was contemplating doing 1 batch with no electricity (from my house) and wanted to see what the specs are for doing it with a whisk or spoon only. (As I have gas stove, that doesn't count-and I will buy the water....) It's really more of a challenge than anything. (Cuz I wanna say I did it...once.Plus-I wanna give it to her for xmas ....you get the idea.)

But I am worried-everyone makes it sound like it takes HOURS and well, I like my arms being balanced. That whole 1 arm is giant and strong and the other fell off thing might be a problem. :shock:

 

[carebear]

about half the time I never pick up a stick blender. depends on what formula I'm using, what temps, and what FO or EO.

want to stir for an eternity? room temp olive oil and cool lye water. I'm talking days here.

want to stir for 10 minutes or less? pass on olive and lard (or keep them low), use warm oils and lye solution. want to stir for about 0.8 seconds use an FO that accelerates.

I now soap with both parts (lye and oils) at about 110 and I don't need the SB unless I want to move faster or to get my mixture smoother (sometimes it rices at tiny bit, or sometimes the colorant doesn't go in quite evenly).

Of course, if you heat your oils with an electric stove or microwave you are still using electricity. So if that's even out, then add piping hot oils to your mix (and avoid cocoa butter or PKO) and let that heat melt the oils, but that never worked well for me. Or light a fire...

Oh, and a whisk works WAY better than a spoon.

 

[valor]

I tried it for my first batch and I used soybean oil and olive oil (didn't know better). I was stirring for 4 plus hours. I didn't ever see anything beyond a thin, thin trace and my arm didn't fall off...tho I thought it looked a little buff-er

I kept that soap and it is going strong. No DOS and it still works great.

If I were to do it knowing what I know now, I would use different oils and add something like shea or aloe butter when I got trace (and or tired of stirring) to accelerate my trace just a touch. I use about 1-3 oz of it depending on my batch size and it works in the thickening dept. just make sure that you have everything set up to go (mold, fragrance, colorant etc.)

It might also give your friend a moment of pause if you tell them that you only stirred for 20 minutes. LOL

 

[xyxoxy]

In most of my recipes I generally use around 60% hard oils (Palm, CO, Babassu...) approx. 20% Olive and the rest other soft oils (Hemp, Grapeseed, Castor...).

For CP I soap cool with room temp lye mix and only heat my oils enough to melt them. I almost never need my SB. I keep it handy just in case but most of my batches trace in 5-10 minutes with a whisk (I would never use a wooden spoon). If things do seem to be taking too long the SB will get me to trace in just a few short bursts.

When I do HP I almost always use my SB since I can walk away as soon as I get to trace.

 

[BJBJ]

ok-so its doable...but definitely a whisk sounds like. And sounds like I should choose 1 simple color and I'm definitley going with the whole :"what? Naw only took about 20 mins stirring...and why yes I did join a gym..." :wink:

Thanks! I'm not sure its the way I'll always go-but this challenge, well, it'll make me happy to do it.

 

[LindyLou]

I tried using a spoon once and I had a very ruined, lye heavy batch (I also think I miss-measured, didn't use a lye calculator, :shock: ) so from then on, except one time, I use a stick blender. I used a whisk with a small one pound batch and about a 60 hard oils 40 soft oils ratio and it wasn't bad.

I took a Soapmaking class when I started from a women who has been at it for over 30 years and has a soap business. She had us all help stir the large batch she made by hand and it took about 30 minutes... She said she doesn't use an SB, at all. She also showed as how to hand calculate lye amounts by giving us SAP values for all oils used and we did the math longhand. NEVER AGAIN FOR ME, NOPE! I am math challenged as it is and she had us rounding up numbers for a supefat/lye discount, etcc... I think that's why I ruined my second batch! Never heard of a lye calculator until I found soaping board online and I am so glad I did...

Anyhow, I will stick with my trusty Stick Blender...

 

[tespring]

That is definitely going to be a challenge. My mom used to make lye soap with my grandma when she was a child without a SB or any other electric appliance and she said it would take days. They left it at night and started stirring the next day, then left it at night, and stirred the next day; on and off...until it got THICK not a thin trace as we do now. They used lard, lye and rain water then used it only for washing clothes. It can be done and I do not think that you have to stir it constantly from what my mom said. The only time they stirred it is when it looked like it separated, then they stirred it back together. Good luck!

 

[carebear]

it wont' be much of a challenge depending on your formula. 100% lard soap is a pain, and for that I'd not want to do by hand. but different formulas behave differently.

lard IS a SLOW TRACER, but I've never had my spoon-stirred soap take more than an hour or so - certainly not days. usually closer to 15 minutes.

 

[carebear]

I tried using a spoon once and I had a very ruined, lye heavy batch (I also think I miss-measured, didn't use a lye calculator, :shock: ) so from then on, except one time, I use a stick blender. I used a whisk with a small one pound batch and about a 60 hard oils 40 soft oils ratio and it wasn't bad.

that it was lye heavy was based on your mis=measurement and bad math! being lye heavy is based on the amounts, not the technique. using a stick blender or spoon wouldn't impact that.

 

[tespring]

it wont' be much of a challenge depending on your formula. 100% lard soap is a pain, and for that I'd not want to do by hand. but different formulas behave differently.

lard IS a SLOW TRACER, but I've never had my spoon-stirred soap take more than an hour or so - certainly not days. usually closer to 15 minutes.

I forgot to take into account that they made their own lye too. lol THAT is probably why it took so long.