M&P is obviously not my thing :(

[Lin19687]

So I tried MP today. 1st one I thought I burnt it so I FO'd, Colored then dumped into a mold. what ever

Turns out that it wasn't burnt, just not fully liquid.
It took for EVER to melt.

My Microwave is in the kitchen and the soap room is down the hall.
I do Not like the rubbery feel, still getting clumps no matter how much I stir.

They look like color with white chunks in them

I don't think I will sell these at the market. It was a nice try and I am glad that I did try.

Now to sell the rest of the 17# of Shea MP I have.

I have no shame, these are how they turned out. Blue is the 1st one. Very sad looking but at least the little leftover I poured into molds looks ok

 

[cmzaha]

You can use an electric pot for melting your m&p if you are not close to the microwave. I know my daughter also used a crock in a pinch when here two melters were in use and she wanted to melt a different m&p. I really do not think they look all that bad and m&p does have a learning curve. I cannot do anywhere near the work my daughter did. Different m&p brands can vary in melt temp.

 

[Lin19687]

Ah thank you. The 3rd batch went slightly better then the first two. But it still makes me feel like I am in panic mode.
I think what throws me is the feeling of it. It reminds me of dried Elmers Glue

I am not sure what an Electric pot is... Like a small electric plate for cooking? I have one of those.
3rd batch I just cut and surprised how well it did turn out.

 

[BattleGnome]

If you have an electric plate, set up a water bath and melt your soap that way.

I like the marbled look you got in the blue soap and this latest batch looks better than most of my m&p.

 

[SunRiseArts]

Did you cut your soap in small pieces before you put in the microwave? The main reason you may have chunks is because either you did not cut in squares your soap, or the chunks were all uneven (combination of big and small). IMO.

What brand did you use? Not all brands are created equal, and if you mixed different brands, each one may have a different melting point, which means it will not melt all together at the same time.

I make a lot of MP, maybe I can help if you tell me your process, and what you used? Now if you have to run down a hallway, it might be that fast to start solidifying.

 

[dibbles]

I don't know if this is what cmzaha meant by an electric pot, but I have a similar one that I used for M&P. I just used it on about the lowest setting. It melted the soap base faster than a crock pot, which I also used (set on low) and that worked too.

 

[cmzaha]

I am sorry I did not clarify, but what Dibbles linked to works and so do chocolate melters

 

[Lin19687]

Ahhhh, ok I don't have one of those, I have 2 crock pots (one big, one small) and a 2 burner hot plate like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002D1FN6/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

TY all for the replies !!

I got Stevensen Shea, and actually cut the pieces like carrot shards with a Mandolin and knife work. WAY smaller then the chunks I saw on the videos. I cut up 8 pounds like that and man was my arm tired

I watched a ton of videos but none showed the different melting points during the melt. Or really how long but DID read about burnt and man did that scare me , lol. Just heat, short bursts and stir stir, heat, stir stir. They all had very fluid totally melted base
I would get it liquid with a few small chunks and stir all the way back to the soap room.
Stir a bit more, maybe it was cooling too much by then. Add FO, which did loosen it a bit, add color (mixed with Alcohol, nice trick) and pour.

I would love to be able to use the crock pot in heating but read you shouldn't do that, unless you are talking double boiler thing.
I have Salt Bars in here so I really don't want to add much humidity/moisture into the air.
I will try just the small CP on low later today.

That last swirl was a Hail Mary I think. Part of the bottom rose up while I poured the top. So I just poked my thin spactula up and down trying to put it back hahha. It is a kitchen spicy bottom with Blueberry cobbler on top. I have "2#" molds, but really they hold almost 4 # of liquid soap... which I just found out last night

If someone can point me to some better videos I would appreciate it. I had already searched ALL of the MP section on here before I even thought about doing this.

 

[Lin19687]

Wanted to add a pic of the shreds I did

 

[Kari]

Hmm I think if you're going to be melting that much melt and pour, the microwave isn't the way to go. The only person I've seen work in that big of a batch is Ariane Arsenault (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMsQ78CkU5UtkA73jGcom3A) and she has specialized equipment.

Your crock pots (on low) are probably the way to go. For what it's worth, I've gotten M&P up to 180 degrees Fahrenheit without harming the final product. I don't suggest you do that, of course - only that I screwed up my timing and the soap still turned out fine.

If you're working in smaller batches, I've found I have a much easier time doing m&p in a water bath. Just a big glass jar in a pot filled halfway up the jar with water and stuck on a burner at medium. I back it down to a simmer once it's boiling. (this is also how I melt my CP oils)

 

[Barmaid]

I use a large glass pyrex for my chopped M&P and a round cake pan to heat my water in. The pyrex fits in the cake pan with just enough room to allow the water to boil around the sides of the pyrex. I have a single burner I can plug in and use as my heat source, and I also have a Rival fondue pot that works very well to heat my water too! Crock pots can be used as is, cut the pieces small, as you did, leave it on low or medium and you can walk away for awhile coming back to stir every once in awhile. The crock pot is much slower, while the fondue pot heats very fast!

 

[cmzaha]

Check the melt temp of your Stephenson base, I know my daughter always mentioned it was more finicky than her Essentials by Catalina bases. She use to keep hers melted in 25lb melters and would dip it out. I will ask her if Stephenson's shea m&p will stay liquid at the proper temp in a crockpot. I am terrible at m&p but my daughter used to go through 2k lbs + a year.

 

[Lin19687]

Good to know ! I didn't realize it could be too much MP that was the issue.
I did hear that Stevensens was a bear to work with by some but no one said exactly what the reason was. That's a LOT of MP !
I will try the CP on low and see how it goes. I use the CP in the soap room and my computer is in here so I can keep an eye on it.

 

[Jamie Bell]

So I tried MP today. 1st one I thought I burnt it so I FO'd, Colored then dumped into a mold. what ever

Turns out that it wasn't burnt, just not fully liquid.
It took for EVER to melt.

My Microwave is in the kitchen and the soap room is down the hall.
I do Not like the rubbery feel, still getting clumps no matter how much I stir.

They look like color with white chunks in them

I don't think I will sell these at the market. It was a nice try and I am glad that I did try.

Now to sell the rest of the 17# of Shea MP I have.

I have no shame, these are how they turned out. Blue is the 1st one. Very sad looking but at least the little leftover I poured into molds looks ok

View attachment 30147

I actually really like the way the first one looks

 

[jackznanakin]

I went and bought a few crock pots from Goodwill and Salvation Army. Whenever I get more base in, I chop it up and put it in the crocks. I keep my bases in them so they are ready to go when I need them, just turn on low and they are melted fairly quick. I make a ton of Melt and Pour now and that has been way more helpful then the microwave which did take forever. If you absolutely don't like the look of your soap, the great thing is, you can just re-melt it along with some white and swirl it. Melt and Pour is very forgiving.

 

[Lin19687]

Good to know, thanks for the tip !
I bought new crock pots since it was only $25. I had a couple bad ones i got from the thrift store so Itry not to buy electric stuff from them now
I get tons of other good stuff tho

 

[jackznanakin]

Good to know, thanks for the tip !
I bought new crock pots since it was only $25. I had a couple bad ones i got from the thrift store so Itry not to buy electric stuff from them now
I get tons of other good stuff tho

Yes, I'll be honest, I never thought of the danger until you just pointed it out! lol Now I'm going to have to find some cheap NEW crock pots

 

[Lin19687]

I got mine at Kmart and Walmart has cheap ones too.