What soapy thing have you done today?

[Arimara]

I bought a rotary grater to get the ball rolling on making dry laundry soap. I also measured out the remaining coconut oil from my little bucket.

 

[lenarenee]

I was visited by the magic soap fairies:

Made a double batch of 70% lard soap - poured at 2:30, no gel, cut at 8:30!! Six hours???? :shock::shock::shock: I'm lucky if I cut this recipe at 36 hours!

 

[earlene]

Have you tried cutting with the mitre box and a paint scraper (large flat scraper about 6 inches (150mm wide). It's an even thickness (unlike a knife) and makes a big difference.

Penelopejane, this worked SO well! I cut two loaves of soap yesterday using the painter's knife (it seems to have a few different names, this tool :smile & mitre box. Thank you so much for your suggestion. It makes such a difference!

I switched to a bar thickness of 2 cm because it is easier with this mitre box to do 2 cm uniformly than to do 1 inch, and it's still just a bit over 3/4 of an inch, which feels just fine to me. See that sort of triangular hole in front of the knife in the photo? I put my finger there and push the loaf to that spot (on a piece of cardboard with one end folded up) and get a uniform width each time. Maybe my finger isn't the perfect 'stop' for the cardboard, but it's all I could think of at the time. I'd show a picture of that, but that picture is just too blurry.

These are 2 different soaps I cut yesterday. The one on the left, is the one I poured at a lighter trace, then SB'd the uncolored portion in the mold, just before pouring in the tinted portion. Not the best hanger swirl, but I am very new to doing hanger swirls. The one on the right I was too heavy handed with the SB and could not do the hanger swirl at all. I tried to do a spatula swirl, but obviously that didn't turn out. It just looks like it's got the measles. :think: Maybe it will look better as it cures. One can only hope.

 

[earlene]

I finally placed that order for the ROE that I've been planning to submit for a least a month. Deciding what to remove from my cart was the hardest part, but everything I ordered should arrive before our trip in July. Some of it this week, including the ROE.

And because I'm totally unhappy with the luxurious shampoo bar I made (as a shampoo bar, that is; I will use it as a body bar), I made some liquid shampoo. That took me the better part of the day. I used the paste I made last year, but then later decided LS was too much work and didn't want to mess with it again. Well, I'm glad I still had some.

 

[kc1ble]

Its been a busy weekend so this afternoon I finally got 2 batches of soap made. Just finished the last one, it was a slow mover finally. Now I think I have a recipe for SMF challenges. I'll post some pics tomorrow.

 

[dillsandwitch]

I acidently spilled the remaining lot of laundry liquid all over the laundry cupboard and floor last night right before going to bed. I threw a towel over the puddle and that is future Amandas problem to deal will. Will have to clean that up on the weekend and make more CO laundry soap

 

[Arimara]

I just made my first laundry soap using bar soaps. to date, I've only used liquid laundry soap. I think I prefer that latter process thus far. It was a little daunting grating that soap until I just decided to cut the bars, add my borax/washing soda mix and grind it up in my SB's food processor attachment. I'm too lazy for all of that.

 

[skayc1]

hand molded some strawberries.

 

[jules92207]

I'm working on some wedding favors for my cousin's wedding so I made a batch of those, also made raspberry lemonade and plumeria pear both with heart embeds.

I'm working on a new soap recipe to try Fannie & Flo's fabulous tallow they sent me to try. I'm so excited!!!! They also threw in some of their lard, what a generous lot! Super impressed already!

 

[Arimara]

hand molded some strawberries.

I so would try that if I could get my fingers to relay what my head envisions artistically.

 

[niclycha]

Started my rim for my rimmed soap
I used my 50/50 Masterbatch lye wow that was awesome to not have to fight with that static anymore yay

 

[niclycha]

This is how much I have Masterbatched

 

[penelopejane]

Penelopejane, this worked SO well! I cut two loaves of soap yesterday using the painter's knife (it seems to have a few different names, this tool :smile & mitre box. Thank you so much for your suggestion.
The one on the left, is the one I poured at a lighter trace, then SB'd the uncolored portion in the mold, just before pouring in the tinted portion. Not the best hanger swirl, but I am very new to doing hanger swirls. The one on the right I was too heavy handed with the SB and could not do the hanger swirl at all. I tried to do a spatula swirl, but obviously that didn't turn out. It just looks like it's got the measles. :think: Maybe it will look better as it cures. One can only hope.
]

Glad it helped! They get a bit thinner as they cure.
I SBd a mix to death and the texture ended up similar to your on the right. Am now wondering if over SBing affected it.
I usually SB to emulsion the hand stir the rest.

 

[TeresaT]

Yesterday I made a 500 gm batch of 4 butters & lard with goat milk. I used 50 gm each of coco, mango, shea and kokum butters plus 50 gm babassu & 25 gm castor oils then 225 gm lard. I added 14 gm goat milk powder to 50 gm of the water for my lye solution to dissolve it and added that after emulsion. Everything went great until I added the FO and over did the SBing. Ended up plopping pudding in my mold. I'm looking forward to cutting it.

 

[Arimara]

I rebatched 10 bars of soap. I messed up the last four when I unknowingly left the crockpot on high instead of low. I never set it that high. Anywho, all of th soap will be good to go in a few weeks.

 

[MySoapyHeart]

Today I made a batch of saltbars, with 35% salt. First time I have used that little so it will be nice to have something to compare, as I have only done a 50% so far.

Absolutely love them, but they really need the long cure to shine. Holding their scent really well too.

These saltbars were a colorful bunch. Like neon colorfull. Scented with Orange 5 fold, Ylang Ylang & Lavender. THAT is a combination I will use more, furr shurr - it was so lovely. (Paging Dr. Hfuhruhurr...)

And I love them. So fun! Individual molds, unmolded after 4 hours. Could have done it sooner, but were leaving the house for some hours and when I came back to the house (well, apartement really) smelled so lovely!

 

[earlene]

Opened a box from WSP that came today. I think I will be making soap tonight after my husband goes to bed. I have 3 more new molds. The Crafter's Choice 1 pound mold, a Goat's Milk mold and a dragon mold (trying for something to be more appealing for my grandson.)
Further diluted my liquid shampoo because it was too thick to easily go through the foamer. I will try it again later. I suspect I will be washing my hair a bit more often just to determine if I like this shampoo.

 

[Dahila]

6 pounds of laundry soap

 

[niclycha]

I cracked my rim aghhhh

 

[jules92207]

I cracked my rim aghhhh

This could be all the Geology classes I took in college, but it reminds me of California faults. ☺