lye calculator

[keriw]

Is it just me or are lye calculators difficult to use? I truly just don't understand them and feel "stuck" using two basic recipes. Is there s lye calculator for dummies???

 

[Hazel]

They are confusing at first. Which lye calculator are you using?

I use soapcalc.net. It has a section on how to use it which is helpful.

http://www.soapcalc.net/info/helptext.asp

 

[sosocal]

I was bamboozled by soapcalc at first but immediately felt comfortable with Brambleberry's soap calculator.

 

[keriw]

Thank you...I will check those out. What do you enter if you are using Crisco????

 

[carebear]

Is it just me or are lye calculators difficult to use? I truly just don't understand them and feel "stuck" using two basic recipes. Is there s lye calculator for dummies???

Some lye calculators do differ on the amount of lye (slight differences) and the amount of water (large differences, sometimes).

The lye amount may differ because the SAP of an oil is not set in stone - oils have some inherent variability and the actual SAP will vary within a range. Calculators may use different numbers within that range.

Water - well that's more of a matter of what one is comfortable with. I know different calculators look at it differently, but I find it easiest to go by the concentration of the lye solution (lye:water ratio) - beginners often use a 28% (about) solution, whereas experienced soapers sometimes go much higher (use less water).

 

[keriw]

Okay, so I have gone to Brambelberry's calculator and see vegetable shortening (yeah!!!), but when I want yo enter my coconut oil...what one do I chide?!! I have an organic, refined product ... and as far as shea butter goes...same question...which one do I pick? It is a 100% pure/natural product from Ghana...help!!'

 

[carebear]

the right coconut oil is almost always the 76 (that's the melting point, in Fahrenheit).

I'm moving this thread to the soaping area!

 

[debbism]

Thank you...I will check those out. What do you enter if you are using Crisco????

This one does list crisco

http://summerbeemeadow.com/content/lye- ... pe-resizer

and you can resize a recipe to fit your mold. I just input the percentages (as if i was doing 100 oz), calculate, then re-size at the bottom of the result page. Works like a charm.

BUT that being said, I always run the resized recipe through soapcalc or MMS

 

[IrishLass]

If you use SoapCalc, it has Crisco listed- both the old and the newer formula with palm (as well as Walmart shortening). Brambleberry seems to just have a listing for 'vegetable shortening'.

For shea butter, just click in shea butter. I haven't seen a calculator (yet) that lists multiple kinds of shea butter, although SoapCalc has a listing for shea oil (fractionated) as well as shea butter.

SoapCalc may seem daunting if you have never used a soap calculator before, but it really is super easy and intuitive to use once you read their tutorial.

IrishLass

 

[carebear]

AFAIK there is just "shea butter" - the only one that doesn't fit this is kpangnan which is sometimes called "golden shea" (or pain-ya) but is a different butter altogether: http://www.everythingshea.com/sheabutter.htm

 

[debbism]

AFAIK there is just "shea butter" - the only one that doesn't fit this is kpangnan which is sometimes called "golden shea" (or pain-ya) but is a different butter altogether: http://www.everythingshea.com/sheabutter.htm

I had no idea there was a "golden shea" so I followed your link and read more (SAP value of 191 so you can use http://www.soapguild.org/lyecalculator/lye-calc.php and add golden shea and its SAP to a recipe) to find it has many lovely qualities AND is safe to use if you have a latex allergy where shea is NOT safe for those with the allergy.

I love this forum! Another new butter to try!!!!

 

[IrishLass]

Brambleberry seems to just have a listing for 'vegetable shortening'.

For shea butter, just click in shea butter. I haven't seen a calculator (yet) that lists multiple kinds of shea butter, although SoapCalc has a listing for shea oil (fractionated) as well as shea butter.

Okay- I'd like to take back my two statements above. Upon further perusal of Brambleberry's calculator, I realized they have it set up so that you can only read it alphabetically when you read the oil list in a horizontal manner as opposed to vertically. Most others are set up vertically and so it's just force of habit for me to read lists vertically instead of horizontally. Anyway- as it turns out, they do have more than one listing for shortening, and they also have 2 listings for shea (refined and unrefined), which do seem to have different sap #'s.

My sincere apologies if I caused any confusion.


IrishLass

 

[carebear]

I have never seen different SAPs for refined v unrefined shea. Interesting.
Messing about I can see that on brambleberry the SAP for the unrefined is the same as the sole number on soapcalc.net.

 

[Padamae]

I recently bought soaomakwe 3 the values in.it is different than I am.used too. I plan on doing two batches one with soap calculated values aand one with soapmaker three. My guess in.the end it will be about the same.

 

[IrishLass]

Messing about I can see that on brambleberry the SAP for the unrefined is the same as the sole number on soapcalc.net.

Yep, you're right. Very interesting.

Brambleberry doesn't list the actual SAP #'s (at least as far as I can see......and at least not yet :wink: ), but when I type in on Brambleberry's calculator a 1 lb recipe using 100% unrefined shea with a zero superfat, the amount of lye called for is slightly higher than the lye needed for the exact same recipe that uses regular shea instead of unrefined instead (a difference of .08 oz).

IrishLass

 

[carebear]

great minds... tracks...

(me too!)