New member from Illinois (nowhere near Chicago)

[Arthur Dent]

Since this is The Thread That Won't Die, I thought I would post a couple more photos.
I really like Hazel's Basic Shower Bar recipe, as do several of our friends, so had to make another batch a couple of weeks ago. I decided to try a round mold this time. I saw some pretty disastrous results online by folks who thought they could get by without liners, so I picked up some vinyl shelf liner (no adhesive backing) and cut to fit my pvc pipe. It worked like a champ.

 

[Mellifera]

I personally am in New York, nowhere near New York. But I'm originally from near Chicago.

There are lots of good soapy sites and books out there. soapcalc.net (or any of the other calculators) are your friend--remember to run the recipes through a calculator, just in case there's a typo. Don't want soap that's too harsh--it'll put you right off.

Welcome!

 

[Arthur Dent]

Yes, I run everything through SoapCalc, even if it's a recipe I have used before.
I have spent some time in upstate New York, West Chazy it was. Beautiful country. That was many years ago.
Thanks for the welcome.

 

[Hazel]

Your soap looks great and I'm glad to hear people like the shower bar. Thanks for the tip on using vinyl shelf paper as a liner. I'd never have thought of it. :grin:

 

[Arthur Dent]

I tried parchment paper and waxed paper, but just couldn't get either of them to behave for the length of the 2' long mold. They just wouldn't stay in place, so I knew I needed something with a little more "body" to it. The shelf paper worked great. The cured log just slid right out of the pipe with little effort, and the vinyl peeled off the log with no problems. A little action with a wash cloth and it's ready for the next batch.
Now I just have to figure out how to make straight and even slices. I have seen some folks using miter boxes, I might try that.

 

[ca_soap]

Looks really good! As for the straight even slices, a miter box with a straight edge (wide blade putty knife works best) works well but you will find if the cutting tool is too thick it just mushes through and if it is too thin it will flex giving slight curves. I tried everything I could think of and finally invested in a wire cutter and that solved the problem.

Also another tip if you are looking for oils check these guys out. You are in the same area as I am and their prices are good and their shipping rates are great for our area, not to mention if you order today it will be on your doorstep tomorrow. So far everything I have tried from them has been really great quality.
http://soaperschoice.com/

 

[Arthur Dent]

Thanks for the link! Someone else had suggested them to me as well, but I hadn't looked at their site until now.
Do you have a favorite supplier for essential oils? I have looked at them at the Neighborhood Co-op in Carbondale, but they are pretty pricey there. I like my soaps un-scented, but Wife is starting to "suggest" that I need to explore some scent options.

 

[ca_soap]

My personal preference for essential oils and fragrance oils is brambleberry. The down side is they are in Washington state and they are slow to ship. No big deal so long as you know this ahead of time and plan accordingly. I have had terrible luck with EOs and FOs from essential depot, however I use their lye exclusively. I have recently started ordering some EOs and FOs from wholesalesuppliesplus.com, they have a $40 minimum order though but that usually isn't a problem for me and have only ordered FOs that I can't get through brambleberry. I have had good luck with bulkapothecary.com as well but haven't used their products as much as brambleberry's. Brambleberry also ships all their EOs and FOs in glass bottles which is something I prefer as well. Some say it doesn't make a difference but I am old enough to remember how much better a soda tasted out of a 16oz glass bottle vs today's plastic bottles and how much better milk tastes from a glass bottle vs a plastic jug.