Reheating Oils

[Peachy Clean Soap]

ohhhh - thank you for the detailed post. I'd never thought of using a simple seeding mat - which we have already and which uses very little electricity. Thank you!

P.S. I'm also know for retelling a story. My Hubby just listens and laughs, because my stories are usually funny. He says once he got used to it, he enjoyed being reminded of my comical adventures.

@amd - not going to sugar coat it - I am a bit jealous of your boiler platform!

Perfect for our CP soap' I had look on amazon for one, they aren't expensive I was surprised. I need one in my arsenal of soap tools.

 

[Talispa1]

So with you MB you should keep in mind some of the basics. Storing your oils and fats in cool temps and with little air in air tight containers will help them from oxidizing and going bad. While some oils have amazing shelf life, others would go bad faster in warmer and open air situations. I would suggest that after you melt down and mix everything, pour it into airtight containers that are close to a normal batch size for you and that still fit inside a microwave. That way you can store them in a cool basement until you want to use them. Then you can pop them into a microwave for a minute or 2 to get it all liquid again. Doing this should maximize your self life of your MB, save energy from running a warmer, and guard any possible separation of your oils.

 

[TashaBird]

So with you MB you should keep in mind some of the basics. Storing your oils and fats in cool temps and with little air in air tight containers will help them from oxidizing and going bad. While some oils have amazing shelf life, others would go bad faster in warmer and open air situations. I would suggest that after you melt down and mix everything, pour it into airtight containers that are close to a normal batch size for you and that still fit inside a microwave. That way you can store them in a cool basement until you want to use them. Then you can pop them into a microwave for a minute or 2 to get it all liquid again. Doing this should maximize your self life of your MB, save energy from running a warmer, and guard any possible separation of your oils.

Good idea to store in close to size containers, at least at first. Everything I use is stored in a cool (cold) basement, that’s where my soap shop is set up.

 

[The_Phoenix]

Soap Gal has a really god video about her fats MBing process. The 9:20 mark is particularly informative. She keeps her CO in a drum with a warming belt to keep it fluid for when she measures it out for a batch.

Also, you got this, @TashaBird!

 

[TashaBird]

Here’s another question. What about mixing micas? The way I do it now is, while I’m nuking my hard oils I scoop a T of my liquid oils to mix with the micas. Long time ago I tried this with the oils all mixed together and they hardened in my little cup. Could I reduce my SF from %5 to %4 in the MB and then add liquid oils to the micas as needed?

 

[amd]

Mix your micas with glycerin. Typically they'll be in such small amounts that it really doesn't add anything if you mix with oil separate from your soap oils - but I suggest glycerin because it's easy to mix larger qty's of colors and always have dispersed colors on hand without concern for oil going rancid. I keep mine in the 2 oz travel bottles with the disc cap (although I really only use them for adding mica swirls on top of soap, as I live life on the edge hahaha)

 

[TashaBird]

Mix your micas with glycerin. Typically they'll be in such small amounts that it really doesn't add anything if you mix with oil separate from your soap oils - but I suggest glycerin because it's easy to mix larger qty's of colors and always have dispersed colors on hand without concern for oil going rancid. I keep mine in the 2 oz travel bottles with the disc cap (although I really only use them for adding mica swirls on top of soap, as I live life on the edge hahaha)

Oh interesting. I don’t really want to mix large quantities of mica ahead of time. But if I do, this sounds like a good idea!

 

[TashaBird]

So today I heated all my fats/oils and mixed, then divided them into 5 smaller containers. They cooled and hardened slightly while I did other things. I had to heat them back up to 120 just to get them clear again. This was warmer than I wanted to soap, but I was nervous for them to cool back down to my usual 90. This caused acceleration with my FO and my whole plan went kapooey.
So, reheating this MB of oils in small amounts proved trickier than I’d hoped. Any ideas?

 

[TashaBird]

Ooh! I did have a friend give me a gift of $ and request I buy soaping supplies. So, I got to order some more goodies from my favorite NS! Yay!!
Bought a few more ingredients to make another batch of lotion bars and some balms.
And, my new custom piece for my wire cutter came. It’s a guide that is much taller so it won’t gouge my round soaps.

 

[Tara_H]

Mix your micas with glycerin.

What a great idea! I've accidentally ended up with a ridiculous amount of glycerine, will definitely be doing this! Do they need to be airtight, or just protected from spilling?

 

[Talispa1]

So today I heated all my fats/oils and mixed, then divided them into 5 smaller containers. They cooled and hardened slightly while I did other things. I had to heat them back up to 120 just to get them clear again. This was warmer than I wanted to soap, but I was nervous for them to cool back down to my usual 90. This caused acceleration with my FO and my whole plan went kapooey.
So, reheating this MB of oils in small amounts proved trickier than I’d hoped. Any ideas?

TashaBird - the reheating can sometimes be tricky. I work with a lot of butters and hard oils. I found that I had been way over heating them to get the batches clear. Reheating to a lower temp will require a lot of stirring and might be an option if you have a stick blender to break up the large chunks. That’s just too much work for me. I just nuke it to get it clear and the wait for it to cool back down to a workable temp. Through some experimentation, you can find out at what temperature your recipe will start to coagulate. I have found that most of my recipes can be cooled down to much lower temps without any side effects. I can even use Steric acid in some recipes at under 90 degrees. Because the reaction is exothermic, even if your fats start to skim over, adding the lye mixture will add the heat to melt over again.

 

[TashaBird]

TashaBird - the reheating can sometimes be tricky. I work with a lot of butters and hard oils. I found that I had been way over heating them to get the batches clear. Reheating to a lower temp will require a lot of stirring and might be an option if you have a stick blender to break up the large chunks. That’s just too much work for me. I just nuke it to get it clear and the wait for it to cool back down to a workable temp. Through some experimentation, you can find out at what temperature your recipe will start to coagulate. I have found that most of my recipes can be cooled down to much lower temps without any side effects. I can even use Steric acid in some recipes at under 90 degrees. Because the reaction is exothermic, even if your fats start to skim over, adding the lye mixture will add the heat to melt over again.

I was on the right track, I should’ve just waited a little longer. Hopefully its not too terrible.
I don’t use any butters, so it only hardened to a gel like consistency. And with the layers i was doing, if I’d waited a little longer the 120 in the small size would’ve cooled quickly. I was nervous and added the lye too soon. Thanks for the reassurance!

 

[amd]

Do they need to be airtight, or just protected from spilling?

Just protected from spilling. When I make my travel size bottles (so 2-3 oz bottles) I'm only filling them up halfway. It was a bit of a trial and error for me to figure out the right amount of glycerin and color to use to get a consistency that could be squeezed out of the bottle and still give a good amount of color.

 

[TashaBird]

It’s been a long time coming, but I’m finally (almost) ready to master batch. Does this container look like it would work ok? I like being able to see how much/if it’s separated. I like the bottom spout. Scooping and pouring sound extra messy. And, I like the easy of access through the top, for cleaning and filling.
Would polypropylene work ok? When I first melt my hard oils and add my liquids they’re about 95. Hard oils about 100F.
Carlisle 220930 Break-Resistant Beverage Dispenser, 5 Gallon, Clear
by Amazon.com
Learn more: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029SED3G/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_8YJZTV1AZ8AJ6RJ0KK4A?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[KimW]

Cool container!! Doing some research, it looks like it would work fine. Citations below.

My only concern would be moving or sliding the container when loaded as it looks like it would have a tendency to bend/shift and then possibly develop hair-line cracks or weak points not easily noticed. But still a really cool find!

I rarely MB'd more than 2 gallons of oils, so hopefully someone else with experience in larger amounts will chime in.

Overview, including temperature ratings (Operating temp up to 180/160F):
https://www.carlislefsp.com/food-bars-and-accessories/beverage-dispensers/220930https://www.marlinwire.com/blog/7-need-to-know-polypropylene-material-propertiesPolypropylene is rated excellent for resistance to fatty acids (page 3):
https://www.prinsco.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/HP-Chemical-Resistance-Tech-Note.pdf

 

[TashaBird]

Cool container!! Doing some research, it looks like it would work fine. Citations below.

My only concern would be moving or sliding the container when loaded as it looks like it would have a tendency to bend/shift and then possibly develop hair-line cracks or weak points not easily noticed. But still a really cool find!

I rarely MB'd more than 2 gallons of oils, so hopefully someone else with experience in larger amounts will chime in.

Overview, including temperature ratings (Operating temp up to 180/160F):
https://www.carlislefsp.com/food-bars-and-accessories/beverage-dispensers/220930https://www.marlinwire.com/blog/7-need-to-know-polypropylene-material-propertiesPolypropylene is rated excellent for resistance to fatty acids (page 3):
https://www.prinsco.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/HP-Chemical-Resistance-Tech-Note.pdf

Thanks for that useful link!

 

[The_Phoenix]

I use a spoutless container that’s similar. I’ll be curious to see how it works for you. I’ve had my eye on one but the issue for me would be how I’d fill my bucket from the spout.

I mb a decent amount of fats and there is some separation but I sb the whole thing to make sure it’s all incorporated. I scrape the sides and bottom too just in case.

I prefer to melt my hard fats on the stove. While they are heating up and melting, I weight my liquid fats into the big container. When the hard fats are hot enough, I pour them into the container with the liquid fats. I like to sb the whole thing together just for a minute. And that’s really it.

Don’t overthink it. And what’s the worst that can happen?