New member from Illinois (nowhere near Chicago)

[Arthur Dent]

Hi all from Southern Illinois.
I'm new here and thought I would post a quick intro.
Wife and I made a couple of batches of lard based CP soap about 15 years ago and it didn't turn out very well. We were working from an old book at the time. The soap was usable, but we weren't exactly inspired to make any more.
I'm not really sure what prompted our renewed interest, but we have been pouring over new soap making resources, including this forum, for the past month or so, and are just about ready to try a new batch. We have industrial and health care backgrounds, so are fully aware of health and safety protocols.
We plan to start off with a basic 3 oil unscented soap and go from there.
I am looking forward to participating in the forum here, you all seem like a friendly and helpful bunch.

 

[lsg]

Welcome to the forum. I always use SoapCalc lye calculator before trying a recipe.

 

[shivani]

All the best!!

 

[dixiedragon]

Good luck!

Here's the tip that somebody gave me as a newbie that I am ETERNALLY grateful for - put your scale in a Ziploc bag. You can still use it while it is in the bag and it is safe from spills!

 

[shunt2011]

Hello and welcome. Good luck to you!

 

[ourwolfden]

Welcome!

 

[Feather]

Being in the same state as Chicago will in no way hinder you from making good soap. Proof of that is that there are clean people north, south, east, and west of Chicago, though not many that are east of Chicago, not for very long, people can only swim in that big lake for so long, you know?

I live just north of Illinois and I live in the Illinois Vacationland. We make soap here too. Lots of clean people everywhere. Just sniff around a bit, you'll agree, generally sniffable people everywhere.

Mix a little lye and water and oil and do it with one of the many soap calculator spreadsheets and you'll make some good soap. People here are generally helpful and they smell good too. Go ahead, give them the sniff test.

 

[dixiedragon]

Feather - I am HOWLING.

 

[Hazel]

Hello and welcome! You said the lard soap didn't turn out well. Why did you think it didn't turn out well?

BTW, a towel is a massively useful thing to have on hand when making soap.

 

[soap_rat]

Hello!

I'm picturing you trying to make soap, hindered by a paranoid android commenting over your shoulder.

And I'd love to know more about your lard soap that you didn't like, as I may try lard sometime soon.

 

[Arthur Dent]

Yes, I know where my towel is at all times, ha ha!
Well, it was 15 years ago, but if I recall correctly, the soap we tried to make separated somewhat and didn't smell very good. Looking back, I think the lard was probably a bit old. I don't remember the formula, and we no longer have the book we were using. I do remember that we were stirring it by hand with a wooden spoon... and we stirred, and stirred, and stirred. It never did reach trace, we finally got tired of stirring and poured it in the mold and hoped for the best.
This hasn't turned me against lard as an ingredient, I'm sure the problem was poor technique coupled with old lard and some not so clear instructions.
Thanks for the "scale in a ziplock bag" tip. I already use this trick at work when mixing epoxy, so had already planned to do this.
I threw in the bit about Chicago because as soon as we mention Illinois, most people assume we live in or near Chicago. That got old years ago, so I always give the disclaimer upfront.
I once had a client at work call up and say something like "Hey, I'm going to be in your area next week, I'll drop in. How do I get to your place from O'Hare (airport)?"
My answer was, "Oh it's easy! Rent a car at the airport, find I-57, and drive south for about 6 1/2 hours." He lost interest at that point.

 

[soap_rat]

Living in Chicago, if you just named a town in IL I would have googled your town to see how close you are!

What do you make using epoxies? Do you do casting and mold-making by any chance?

 

[Arthur Dent]

If you Google Carbondale Illinois you won't be too far off.
We build small electrical control type transformers for industry, so we basically put a transformer in a container then fill with epoxy to seal against moisture or tampering, or for high voltage insulation. Our parts weigh anywhere from a few ounces up to a couple of hundred pounds. We once made a couple of parts for Uncle Sam which weighed about 600 pounds each, but that was by far the exception to the rule.

 

[Hazel]

Yes, I know where my towel is at all times, ha ha!

Then doubly welcome to a frood like you! Words of wisdom from the front of the HGG which will work well for soaping, too. "Don't Panic!"

I don't think it was poor technique. Several people have mentioned lard slows trace. So, I think maybe it was just using 100% lard and stirring with a spoon. A stickblender is your friend! It really cuts down on the stirring time. However, the not good smell might have been from it being old lard. I've used lard in quite a few batches and I've never had it smell bad.

I use lard at 30% and I haven't had any problems with it. I don't know if this will help you any but one of my favorite recipes with lard is the one below with a 5% lye discount. It makes what I consider a nice bar for the shower - mild with good lather. It's actually so nice (IMO) that I've even used it on my face.

30% lard
30% olive oil
25% coconut oil
10% sunflower oil (I use high oleic)
5% castor oil

You don't have to use sunflower and castor. You could just up the olive to 45%. However, that's going to change the lather a little bit but I don't think it affect it too much.

 

[yadonm]

Welcome. You'll find lots of useful information and a lot of crazy people in this Forum.

 

[ca_soap]

I'm just up the road from you about 40 miles, if you need any assistance hit me up.

 

[Arthur Dent]

Thanks everyone for the nice warm welcomes! It's always nice to meet new friends, and a double bonus to find a frood who knows where his, or her, towel is.
I am always amazed when I join a forum and discover members who are within driving distance, that's pretty cool!
Thanks also to Hazel for the recipe, as I have been looking for a nice shower bar. I don't have the high oleic sunflower oil, and am reluctant to use "regular" sunflower oil, so I might just try upping the olive oil. I don't currently have the castor oil, but might find some shopping over the weekend.
I do have a stick blender, Wife got me a real nice Cuisinart one for an early Christmas gift, much nicer than one I would have bought for myself. Hopefully I'll find some containers fit to use as molds today or tomorrow, then I'll be set. Like many, I'm starting out just using stuff I can find locally. If we find we enjoy this, then we will start ordering stuff.

 

[Hazel]

I don't have the high oleic sunflower oil, and am reluctant to use "regular" sunflower oil

Why are you reluctant to use regular sunflower oil? I used to buy it at Wal-Mart and never had a problem with it. It has a one year shelf life (check the best by date and buy the freshest you can find). BTW, sunflower has a high vitamin E content which helps to slow oxidation. However, I still kept it in the frig. But as I said earlier, you don't have to use sunflower. Also, you can find castor oil at Wal-Mart in the pharmacy area. I think it's only a 4 oz bottle and it is expensive buying it this way. It's not necessary to have castor and many soapers never use it. I like it since it helps to stabilize the lather, boost bubbles and add a little creaminess.

You can use a shoebox or a cereal box for a mold. Just line with freezer paper. If you decide you like soapmaking, I can recommend Columbus Foods/SoapersChoice
as a good source for oils. And lucky you! They're in Illinois so shipping would be better for you. Although, I'm not saying they'll always have the best prices.

 

[ca_soap]

I built my molds, not much to them, one 4 foot 1x6 and 2 feet of 1x4 with 4 bolts with wing nuts and life is good. Built it for under $10. As for oils, I use a lot of lard and I get my lard from a local meat packer for $.80/lb and it is some of the best I have found. Castor oil, I love it, doesn't take much and it adds to the lather. I buy it by the gallon as it is cheaper than picking up the little 4 oz bottles here and there

 

[Hazel]

I buy it by the gallon as it is cheaper than picking up the little 4 oz bottles here and there

I also buy it by the gallon but I recommended looking for the 4 oz bottle since Arthur Dent mentioned he wanted to purchase locally at first. Plus, it might not be an oil he will want to continue to use. I love what castor adds to my recipes (especially the boost in conditioning and bubbles) but not everyone likes castor. It's better to spend a few bucks on a small bottle and find out you don't care for it. Then you've not paid for a gallon plus shipping and have all that oil go to waste. Also, I suggested boxes because he and his wife could get started quickly without an investment in supplies. I don't want them to spend out more money than needed and then find they don't like soapmaking. When I first started out, I used oils from Wal-Mart/grocery, old utensils and a silicone bread mini-loaf pan I found at Goodwill. I wasn't sure if I'd like soapmaking so I started out cheap.

Hopefully I'll find some containers fit to use as molds today or tomorrow, then I'll be set. Like many, I'm starting out just using stuff I can find locally. If we find we enjoy this, then we will start ordering stuff.

I had another suggestion. You can also use yogurt or cottage cheese containers as molds. Really anything that is flexible so you can get the soap out will work but it's best to use ones made with PP#5. These are heat resistant. If you're not sure about a container, pour boiling water into it. It will be all right to use if it doesn't warp.

A few other things I meant to mention. Lye will eventually cause wooden spoons to corrode and over time, they may splinter. It's best to use stainless steel or silicone utensils. Another thing is lye will cause microfissures in glass and cause it to shatter. Use stainless steel or PP#5 plastic for the lye solution. In a pinch, HDPE #2 plastic will work but it's not as heat resistant.

I know I'm forgetting something else I meant to mention. :think: