Second Batch! What do you think?

[Ganiggle]

LOL i totally peeked... probably while you were typing this! My first batch seems alright. I half-mutilated it getting it out of the molds. i really don't like these plastic molds. I want my wood one right now! lol. So some of the fancy decoration parts of the mold... like a flower, half crumbled into the mold. But oh well. It's really white, creamy and opaque looking and as long as it works like soap, I'll be happy. I'm going to try to take a picture later today soon as I'm done my articles.

Haha, you know what? I actually have a military NBC (Nuclear Biological Chemical) suit sitting around here somewhere complete with gas mask. I should put that on to soap!

You know we will need to see pictures of your NBC suit on complete with the gas mask of course. :shock:

kitn

Totally! What else do you have lying around???

Well the NBC suit is probably the weirdest thing. I bought it for when the Supervolcano explodes. The one under Yellowstone. Well that, and just so I could say that I have one hahaha.

 

[artisan soaps]

..

 

[Ganiggle]

I've got a big bar in the shower at the moment with chunky oats throughout, and a heap embedded on one side (I pushed them into the top of the soap while in the mold) - and it's lovely .. I bet yours will be too!

With the stick blender, it also helps to have a narrow but deep pot .. I started making soap in a large stock pot and because I was making small batches I needed to hold it on an angle to immerse the SB .. That was how I stupidly splashed raw soap on my face!! It was only a teeny tiny splash and I attended to it appropriately (and then some), but it blistered bad :cry: and I was convinced I'd scared myself for life .. Thankfully that was not the case, but it looked nasty for a week ..

So learn from my mistake .. Always keep the SB fully submerged and level when in use - practice in plain water so you get used to the suction effect .. And if making a small batch, use a narrow but deep soap pot :roll:

I alternate between using a whisk and the SB when I soap now .. I find the whisk helps break up any bubbles the SB creates :wink:

Yeah the stock pot that I have been using isn't that great for small batches. there ends up being maybe an inch of liquids at the bottom which makes it impossible for using the SB. i'm working on finding a thinner container to soap in but I haven't found anything yet. Would a juice pitcher work?

 

[artisan soaps]

..

 

[Guest]

I use a 5 qt crock pot for cp and hp, it works great for cp as a good place to warm your oils and has high/low enuf sides that my stick blender always works well and safely

 

[Milla]

For a 1lb batch (approx 500g) I use a medium glass mixing bowl and the SB is immersed. I keep it flat and on the bottom. It's the perfect size. I blend with the SB and then I'll use my spatula to stir and get rid of bubbles and I keep doing that. I feel bad because I also have used my small glass mixing bowl and my two casserole dishes for HP!! :shock: Now i have nothing for cooking food in! Luckily I have plastic mixing bowls for food still and I never cook casseroles anyway. In fact, I'm putting those tings to good use finally.

 

[tincanac]

I started using a deep narrow bucket. I always get freaked out by the SB cos it sucks itself down when you turn it on and almost seems to posess your hand. The first time I used an SB - I blended in a wide glass mixing bowl, the soap didnt splash me but it did sort of hose-spray the sides of the bowl and the kitchen wall. Once I switched to the bucket (purely out of necessity cos I didnt have anything to put the raw soap mix in), I cant seem to find anything else that I like as much to blend soap in. It's deep, the walls dont taper and the soap doesnt splash at all.

I only use the SB now when I want the soap to come full trace real quick, otherwise for swirls/marble and the like, I think the efffect shows up better if your soap is like pancake batter trace.