premixing lye

[lovetolaugh]

Well, I was going to try to get a batch of soap done before work this morning but ended up running out of time. My lye is already mixed, question is, can I still make the soap after it has sat for more than 8 hours??? Thanks!

 

[cwarren]

yes you can ( do a search for masterbatching lye )

 

[jennikate]

I dont but many do masterbatch lye for convience sake.

 

[xyxoxy]

Sure you can!
I ONLY use lye that has been pre-mixed and is at room temp.

 

[IrishLass]

Sure you can!
I ONLY use lye that has been pre-mixed and is at room temp.

Same here. I've found that it can sit for weeks and weeks if sealed properly in a lye-safe container. As an experiment, I've gone as long as four months with the lye solution still being good to use.

IrishLass

 

[Guest]

Now, I know how to test my yeast to see if it is good before I use old stuff. What do you do to test if a lye solution is still good?

 

[Bukawww]

yes you can ( do a search for masterbatching lye )

I've done the search with ZERO help from it...that was 15 pages in.

I'd love to know more about this - what type of container is often used? How do you figure out how much more liquid to add to your recipe if you are using a 50/50 masterbatch lye solution?

I'm mixing it by batch now, but avoiding new batches as often just due to the logistics of littles running around and not wanting to mix more. I have no problem keeping a sealed container up high and out of their reach/interest, but mixing it is always the most stressful part for me.

 

[IrishLass]

Now, I know how to test my yeast to see if it is good before I use old stuff. What do you do to test if a lye solution is still good?

I don't know if there are more technical ways of testing, but the way I did it was to actually make soap with it!

I need to make a correction, though. My solution was actually two months old, not four (just checked my notes. Sorry about that. 8) Don't know where my mind was at.). In any case, it was still a considerable time and my batches soaped great and came out perfectly fine. No DOS, no funky things happening during soaping, no weirdness in my finished bars, etc.... To me, that was enough to show me that it was still good.


IrishLass

 

[xyxoxy]

I've done the search with ZERO help from it...that was 15 pages in.

I'd love to know more about this - what type of container is often used? How do you figure out how much more liquid to add to your recipe if you are using a 50/50 masterbatch lye solution?
...

Here are a couple of threads with some helpful explanations by IrishLass and Deda.
http://soapmakingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15949
http://soapmakingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16367

They don't specifically mention master batching but I think this is what you need to know.

 

[Bukawww]

Thank you SO MUCH - it was one of those concepts I was embarrassed to admit I didn't understand and even more embarrassed at how simple it was once it clicked

 

[xyxoxy]

Pre-mixing at 50% and soaping at 33% could not be simpler once it clicks. You're basically just swapping the calculations for the lye and water... sorta.

 

[Rich23s]

I've heard of people using detergent containers to store their lye batches (RT). How the heck do you clean those things out? I've been rinsing and rinsing with water, however can't seem to get all the detergent out of the container. Any suggestions?

 

[new12soap]

white vinegar, then rinse