What size stainless steel pot do I need?

[soapmakingnewbie]

I just joined and I am new to the soap making business. So far I have made a couple of small batches. If I wanted to scale up and make a 40lb batch, what size pot would I need to meet and warm the oils?

Thanks!

 

[violets2217]

Wow that’s a lot of soap. I’ve made some big batches but never that big. That’s 640 ounces. 20 quarts. I’m sure there are stock pots out there big enough.

 

[Quanta]

If you're new to soapmaking, I would recommend you only make small batches for a year or two before you think about scaling up and selling. Once you know what you're doing, then you can think about making enough to sell. And I agree with @violets2217 - 40 pounds is a lot of soap. I would only make that much if it was for a very large wholesale account (like a grocery store), and you'll only get one of those if you've been making soap for a while and you have a proven product. Most people who sell their soap do so at farmer's markets and craft fairs, and at those it's more typical to see variety instead of all one kind of soap, which seems to be what you're aiming for. Even a ten or twelve pound batch is pretty big for someone selling at farmer's markets. Making many smaller batches seems to be more common, with each scented differently and with different designs.

The soap making process is different once you start making in bulk. 40 pounds of soap is going to be difficult to make using the same process most of us use to make soap at home in our kitchens or basements, so you'll need to think about more industrial equipment. That only comes after a lot of success as a smaller maker, and success isn't instant. It will be years before you need to start thinking about how to make 40 pounds of soap in a single batch.

I don't mean to discourage you, I only want you to know what you're getting into. For now, enjoy learning how to make soap, enjoy creating, enjoy using soap you made yourself. Work your way up to scaling up and have fun in the process.

Good luck, welcome to the forum, and don't be afraid to ask our more experienced members questions you may have.

 

[soapmakingnewbie]

@Violets thanks for pointing that out. I wasn't sure how much of a bigger pot you would need in case it expanded when combining ingredients.

@Quanta Thanks for the welcome!!! I will definitely take that under consideration.

Thanks!

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

Hello & Welcome'

 

[violets2217]

I wasn't sure how much of a bigger pot you would need in case it expanded when combining ingredients.

I would want a little more space for mixing and to contain splatter. If that’s what you mean by expanding... also on a side note... do you have a stick blender big enough to reach the full pot? That much soap would probably fill a five gallon bucket to the top...if my math is correct... and I’ve used an attachment on my drill to mix stuff in a five gallon bucket. But I don’t know if that would be enough for the batter to reach emulsion. Also if your making that much soap at once please make sure it is ALL mix well. I’d worry about everything mixing and reaching emulation and not having unsafe lye pockets in the finished soap. Well good luck with this monumental endeavor!

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

@soapmakingnewbie
love your enthusiasm "In The Soaping World" for New Soapers just starting out' you'll want to make small soap batch's just a 1 pound or smaller amt of soap' Just as a baby learns to crawl before walking & walking before running' running before Flying' holds true for making soap' Paitiance is a virtue!!. Take A deep breath' Set back & learn all you can about soaping' your first & most important step you've made is "Finding This Group" we are a huge family of Crazy Soapers w/ a ton of knowledge' you'll be blown away on how much you will learn here. We have a "Soap Calc Thats easy to understand as-well . Enjoy Your Ride' It Will Take You Places You Could Only Imagine. Looking forward to seeing your pictures of your beautiful soap creation's.
Happy Soaping .

 

[TheGecko]

I just joined and I am new to the soap making business. So far I have made a couple of small batches. If I wanted to scale up and make a 40lb batch, what size pot would I need to meet and warm the oils?

I totally get being really excited about making soap, but you really need to slow down. First of all, by your own admission, you're only made a couple of small batches and if your Joined date is an indicator, those batches haven't even had time to cure properly to know if your recipe is any good. Speaking as someone who started selling just six months after my first batch of soap...no. My story is that I wasn't planning on selling, but my soap had tested well and an opportunity came up to do a local Craft Fair. I didn't even get halfway through the first day when I realized that I had no business selling soap. I had a good mind you, I still use the same recipe, but you really need a good year to know your recipe. I keep two bars of soap on my desk...both are unscented, both are uncolored, both made from the same recipe...they only difference is that they were made a year apart. And it shows in the texture of the soap...the first soap looks grainy and color is uneven...the second bar looks as smooth a silk and so creamy.

I'm not sure you realize that 40lbs is a lot of soap. Forty pounds of oils/butters, plus water and lye (33%), and fragrance (6%)...works out to be around 60lbs of batter or 190 5oz bars of soap. Even if you're talking about 40lbs total batch weight, that's 128 5oz bars. The largest retail slab molds that I have seen hold around 25lbs (regular) to 32lbs (tall & skinny) and there is a reason for that...you have to move that sucker!

I Master Batch...that means that I pre-make my oils/butters and my Lye Solution (separate containers). I Master Batch 40lbs of oils/butters at a time, but not all at once...partly for weight, partly for safety (hot oils). And I store my MB'd oils/butter in a 5 gal food-safe bucket set on wheels (bought after the first time I tried to move the bucket). The only time I lift that bucket is when I can't use a ladle anymore to scoop with and then I pour into a 1-gal bucket, wash the 5-gal and start over.

Highly, HIGHLY recommend that you first learn how to crawl, then cruise the furniture, then walk. If you try to run right now, it'll be smack dab into a wall.

I probably should mention that 25lb to 32lbs slab molds run about $150 to $175, plus your going to need a slab cutter...that's about $100 (or more).

 

[Quanta]

I would want a little more space for mixing and to contain splatter. If that’s what you mean by expanding... also on a side note... do you have a stick blender big enough to reach the full pot? That much soap would probably fill a five gallon bucket to the top...if my math is correct...

More than a five gallon bucket. Oil is lighter than water, which means that it takes up more space when you measure it by weight. Off the top of my head it's something like a tenth more.

and I’ve used an attachment on my drill to mix stuff in a five gallon bucket. But I don’t know if that would be enough for the batter to reach emulsion. Also if your making that much soap at once please make sure it is ALL mix well. I’d worry about everything mixing and reaching emulation and not having unsafe lye pockets in the finished soap. Well good luck with this monumental endeavor!

That's exactly what I meant by industrial. There's no way you could use a household size stick blender for a batch that size. Restaurant equipment suppliers sell great big two handed ones that would be more suitable (with a great big two handed price to match). Paint stirrers (drill attachment type) would work in a pinch but since they are just a paddle with no shear, it will take a lot longer to reach emulsion. With a batch that size, it will take a LOT longer.

@TheGecko brings up a good point about having to pour it fast. You'd have to know that your batter will stay fluid for a long time to make sure you can fill the last mold as easily as the first. I would use four molds and forget about swirls or other designs and just do a single color per batch.

 

[TheGecko]

@TheGecko brings up a good point about having to pour it fast. You'd have to know that your batter will stay fluid for a long time to make sure you can fill the last mold as easily as the first. I would use four molds and forget about swirls or other designs and just do a single color per batch.

The largest single batch that I have made to date is 14 lbs of oils/butters. First time I did it, I mixed it in a brand new dish pan and the divided it among seven molds...six soaps. I had 2-1lb three layers with hanger swirls and different scents, 1-2lb two-color drop swirl, 2-2lb two layers with a mica line single scent, and 2-4lbs two-color drop swirl and different scents. Almost screwed the last two as my batter had hit medium trace heading towards pudding and I started to panic...both had a white base, one was Lemon Verbena with a Yellow swirl and the other was Lilac with a Purple Swirl. I spaced that I needed to divide the batter into two bowls, add the FO, then separate for TD and color. Just as the tickle of Lemon Verbena hit the batter, I went "OH SH--!" and caught the rest in a measuring cup before my hand could catch up to my brain. I was so frazzled and exhausted afterwards I said 'never again'. Not that I don't make large batches anymore, I just tend not to split them among so many different soaps.

 

[earlene]

I just joined and I am new to the soap making business. So far I have made a couple of small batches. If I wanted to scale up and make a 40lb batch, what size pot would I need to meet and warm the oils?

Thanks!

Some links for your regarding soapmaking in huge quantities like you are talking about. The expenses can be quite high when going industrial sized.

https://www.modernsoapmaking.com/blog/production-soapmakinghttps://www.soapmelters.com/https://soapequipment.com/https://www.discountsoapequipment.com/LyeTanks
A video by Ariane Arsenault, who does huge batches like you are talking about. Some of her equipment is massive.


With only a couple of small batches under your belt, it may be rather soon to start investing upwards of $10K on industrial sized equipment, but I am including these links to show the kinds of things you would need, and they are definitely not cheap.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I just joined and I am new to the soap making business. So far I have made a couple of small batches. If I wanted to scale up and make a 40lb batch, what size pot would I need to meet and warm the oils?

I laugh because in all my years (17) of being on forums or groups that is the first time anyone asked how to go from a being a Beginner to wanting to make industrial size batches! It just cracked me up. 40 lbs oils will yield approx 175 bars (5 oz.) of soap!!! The question I'd be asking myself is exactly where do I intend to sell that much soap?

That being said, you've received lots of excellent advice. I love your enthusiasm. Take your time. You have lots to learn. Dreaming big is never a negative. I wish you all the best on your soapy journey!

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

But certainly don't get disheartened- this is a soapmaking forum, first and foremost. Selling might be part of it for some people here, but certainly not for everyone (by the way, there was a sticky post saying that business posts shouldn't be here in the beginner section, for the reasons others have stated) and so when people are justifiably unsupportive in your request for help in selling at this stage it does not mean that they would do the same with actual soaping questions.

So please don't feel attacked. But apply your situation to pretty much any other business and let me know how it sounds. "I've taken a couple of photos, can you pay me to photograph your wedding?" "I've baked a couple of loaves of bread, how do I make 50 a day for selling?" - if someone said that sort of thing you might suggest that they slow down a bit, right?

And actually learning to make great soap for a while will also help you with this sort of question anyway - if you use a certain size pot for a certain size batch for a while, you'll get a feel for how it fills it and how much extra space you need etc

 

[amd]

If I wanted to scale up and make a 40lb batch, what size pot would I need to meet and warm the oils?

Do you know how big 40lbs is? Maybe check out The Soap Gal on YouTube. She no longer posts regular videos, but she has several videos showing her large scale production. I haven't watched the videos in a while, but I think she works with 25lb batches (I could be wrong about that, like I said, it's been awhile). You'll be able to see the equipment needed and the investment. Not for the faint of heart. ETA: or the new to soapmaking.

 

[KimW]

Love what everyone has said, especially @The Efficacious Gentleman and @TheGecko.
Before I realized you posted in the beginner's forum, my first thought was, "Why 40lbs"?

Is this based on the amount of oils you have now? A mold you have now? A recipe? Something else? Just curious.

 

[Tara_H]

The poor OP has probably been scared off by now! But I'm sure they got the message...

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

The poor OP has probably been scared off by now! But I'm sure they got the message...

Not sure that it should be a hindrance - no one has been mean or anything, and if someone is scared off by people giving very good advice just because it's not what they want to hear.......

 

[amd]

I'm actually hoping the OP will pop on and say it was a typo... that they meant 4lbs! That's a more reasonable amount for a beginner request - and makes more sense if they're intending to gift to a group or just want to keep themselves stocked for the next year and a half.

 

[KimW]

I'm actually hoping the OP will pop on and say it was a typo... that they meant 4lbs! That's a more reasonable amount for a beginner request - and makes more sense if they're intending to gift to a group or just want to keep themselves stocked for the next year and a half.

Ah! You might be right. Oh dear. What if it is and they never noticed and just think we're all poo-pooing their dream?! Awe naaaaahhhhooooo.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

They did use the phrase"soapmaking business" - might have meant that as soapmaking in general rather than an actual business, but even then they can say "sorry, I meant 4lbs not 40! Dear me, no, I'm not making massive batches for selling having only made a few small batches so far. Sorry for the confusion" or something like that