Mechanic Soap

[CTAnton]

I mentioned this thread to an herbalist lady friend of mine who suggested the possibility of using turpentine as opposed to kerosene...in her mind closer to a plant based product as well as with its own set of beneficial properties, as opposed to a petroleum based product...in my mind petroleum is a plant based product but thats just me...just throwing that out to you folks for feedback...

 

[Bamagirl]

I mentioned this thread to an herbalist lady friend of mine who suggested the possibility of using turpentine as opposed to kerosene...in her mind closer to a plant based product as well as with its own set of beneficial properties, as opposed to a petroleum based product...in my mind petroleum is a plant based product but thats just me...just throwing that out to you folks for feedback...

I saw this mentioned in one of the threads I was reading. I haven't ruled out making some with turpentine, but wanted to try the kerosene as my husband has used it, so he knows it works well. I may try a batch with turpentine the next time I make him some hand soap and see if there is any difference and which he likes better.

 

[DeeAnna]

Bren ... I don't think kerosene consumes lye when the two are mixed together. It's not a triglyceride, so it doesn't make soap. A quick check on google doesn't show that it reacts otherwise w lye., so I don't think you need to worry about that....

 

[traderbren]

Thanks DeeAnna.

Sorry for the left turn, Bamagirl. I'm really interested in your results since Hubby gets really dirty working on the hot rod, and we are almost out of the orange smelling gel cleaner he got from work and we can't find anywhere...

 

[snappyllama]

I have nothing useful to add except that this is a really interesting idea I'm filing away to try out someday. I've caught DH using straight gasoline to clean his hands as his great grandfather taught him to do after working on a car. He hasn't done any shade tree mechanic activities lately, but we are considering a move to a bit more land that will most likely involve tractors and such.

Be sure to let us know how it all comes out so I can bum the idea from you and save DH's stubborn fingers.

 

[cmzaha]

I make a coconut oil and turpentine stain stick that works quite well.

 

[Susie]

I would think that turpentine would work as well as kerosene.

 

[Steve85569]

The entire turn on this thread got me thinking about several things.
I have never seen a SAP for any of the fuels or turpentine mentioned. That does NOT mean that they will remain unaffected by lye just that they don't by themselves make good soap.
As far as pouring canola oil or diesel or kerosene down a drain the problems are going to be very similar as to what they do in a sanitary sewer of drain field. These hydro carbons are digested by bacteria that live far enough underground that there is no ( very little) oxygen - anaerobic bacteria. Here in the USA we had problems with old fuel tanks leaking which was a large clean up project which I had a very small part in. The tests for gasoline were actually tests for lead . The "bugs " had eaten all the hydro carbons. Hungry little devils. They did not eat the lead or the benzine both of which can cause problems especially for children and the pre born.
Bottom line with any solvent or oil is to be cautious and aware as to how much goes down the drain pipe.

I am VERY intrigued by the idea of mechanics soap and will most likely make a batch come spring when I can cure soap in the shop.
Thank you for posting this to the OP!

 

[CaraBou]

I think it is reasonable -- and important -- to discuss potential environmental effects. Can we rise above feeling slighted, and taking sides? We pride our forum on being friendly because we know we are fully capable of that, and it is our intention.

Thanks for considering it.

 

[MrsSpaceship]

I mentioned this thread to an herbalist lady friend of mine who suggested the possibility of using turpentine as opposed to kerosene...in her mind closer to a plant based product as well as with its own set of beneficial properties, as opposed to a petroleum based product...in my mind petroleum is a plant based product but thats just me...just throwing that out to you folks for feedback...

I often think I should be more mindful of things like this, but when I made a similar soap not to long ago (100% CO, 1% super fat) it really just boiled down to availability since I already had kerosene for lamps.

 

[galaxyMLP]

I'm sorry, I don't like the idea of cleaning skin with gasoline or kerosene. Using them on the skin has been linked to carcinogenic markers in mice.
Here is an article with that info:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/10750280/

Gasoline is especially bad and should never be applied to the skin. It naturally contains small amounts of benzene which is a known carcinogen (both in humans and in animals). Of kerosene and gasoline, kerosene is a much "safer" choice but I personally would still avoid it.

I still think this is a very interesting experiment but, I wouldn't use the soap myself. Yes, it's a very small amount so you're probably ok but there's that little part of me that worries!

 

[Bamagirl]

Thanks DeeAnna.

Sorry for the left turn, Bamagirl. I'm really interested in your results since Hubby gets really dirty working on the hot rod, and we are almost out of the orange smelling gel cleaner he got from work and we can't find anywhere...

One of the reasons I was interested in a mechanic soap was my husband says none of the commercial stuff they get now works well, he usually uses Dawn dishwashing liquid, because it works better than what is available now. I was a little leary when I found out there was kerosene in the soap, but my husband told me he has used kerosene, gas and even transmission fluid to get the grease off his hands on occasion and he wasn't concerned, so I decided to go forward with it. The soap is one week old today, and I am itching to let him try it out, but I am going to wait.

I often think I should be more mindful of things like this, but when I made a similar soap not to long ago (100% CO, 1% super fat) it really just boiled down to availability since I already had kerosene for lamps.

I was just the opposite, I had turpentine on hand, BUT I have been hoarding it for years as I can rarely find the medical grade anymore and it works so well when we get a puncture type wound to stop the soreness. Growing up, my mama always would grab the turpentine bottle when we got a deep cut and say "pour it on it or it's going to be sore" and boy does it work! I really didn't want to buy the gallon of kerosene since I only needed a little amount, but I went ahead and got it (at least now I have plenty to experiment with if this recipe isn't great )

 

[Susie]

Bamagirl-I am not saying anything bad about your mother's home remedy, but modern triple antibiotic ointment (AKA Neosporin) will serve the same purpose. Only it is available at every grocery store and pharmacy. I would get the generic brand.

 

[Steve85569]

I really want to know what this is like once it has cured. Please do post the final results.

 

[Spice]

One of the reasons I was interested in a mechanic soap was my husband says none of the commercial stuff they get now works well, he usually uses Dawn dishwashing liquid, because it works better than what is available now. I was a little leary when I found out there was kerosene in the soap, but my husband told me he has used kerosene, gas and even transmission fluid to get the grease off his hands on occasion and he wasn't concerned, so I decided to go forward with it. The soap is one week old today, and I am itching to let him try it out, but I am going to wait.



I was just the opposite, I had turpentine on hand, BUT I have been hoarding it for years as I can rarely find the medical grade anymore and it works so well when we get a puncture type wound to stop the soreness. Growing up, my mama always would grab the turpentine bottle when we got a deep cut and say "pour it on it or it's going to be sore" and boy does it work! I really didn't want to buy the gallon of kerosene since I only needed a little amount, but I went ahead and got it (at least now I have plenty to experiment with if this recipe isn't great )

Considering your hubby uses, gasoline, kerosene and trany oil now, I would think his skin is fairly thick, let him use the soap once....then again it could be the lye strong soap working more then anything else.:-?
I would be scare of an explosion when kerosene/gasoline meets lye water. No?

 

[DeeAnna]

It's not going to explode. Like I said before, "...It's not a triglyceride, so it doesn't make soap. A quick check on google doesn't show that it reacts otherwise w lye...."

 

[Bamagirl]

One more week and its ready!

 

[Bamagirl]

My husband had to do some work on a vehicle this weekend, so he got to try out the soap. He said it was good, said it cleans as good as the "old" Gojo (from years ago, before they changed the formula) without the weird smell. He said the pumice amount was good and he didn't notice it being drying. It didn't leave a kerosene smell on his hands either, he said they just smelled clean. So I would give it a thumbs up! The only thing I noticed is that as he was washing his hands, there wasn't lots of lather, but he said it didn't matter to him. I am kicking around the idea of adding 5% castor for next batch to see if that helps any.

 

[traderbren]

Ooh! Great feedback!

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I would be tempted to try adding sugar at around 3% of the oil weight before I change the oil makeup. That 5% for the castor would have to come from somewhere.

Plus, ultimately it doesn't need to lather at all, rather it needs to clean very grubby paws, which it does. It's not like a body soap where people expect to see bubbles to assume they are being cleaned - you can see the results as you use this mechanic soap and the grime is washed off