What soapy thing have you done today?

[ackosel]

That's awesome! Got to use that valuable nap time wisely

The problem is, I'm the only one in this house who naps during nap time! Our children seldom nap after their first birthdays, but being old and pregnant zaps my energy, so I get to be the one to nap now!

I want to make a soap that requires a horizontal cut so I can try that feature of the Hercules. Maybe I'll try a 4-color divider swirl with one or two of my oil infusions. Decisions, decisions!

 

[Humblegoat]

I bought 32 pounds of lye for 2025. I'm pretty sure it's too much. But, sale

I bought 50 pounds of soy wax for free shipping. $100 cheaper than buying 25 pounds twice. I'm gonna make pretty shaving soaps

I bought iron oxides (red, yellow, blue, and black) to okay play around with.

Now to find an extension charm for the dining room to hold all these goodies

I too just bought 32 # of lye! My usual place that I got lye raised the shipping so high that it was unreachable. They said new regulations for shipping hazardous materials coming in 2025 so I stocked up. Ugh, I really really liked their lye, but I had to switch brands. Stocked up on a supply of oils and butters during a free shipping offer. Hopefully I’m set for the year!!

 

[bookworm42]

@Humblegoat and @ackosel where do you buy your NaOH from?

 

[Humblegoat]

WOW!!

Thanks for the video, I had some small slices that I could use but didn’t have a triangular piece. I’m kind of jealous of that cutter. But here’s what I came up with. I think maybe I’m going to pour some more hearts to use this way. First shot with some leftovers. Thanhs for the inspiration!!

WOW!!

@Humblegoat and @ackosel where do you buy your NaOH from?

I used to get it from Bulk Apothecary, clearest, purest, no dust ever!! Now I had to go with Amazon, DUDA Red hot devil which I’ve used before but didn’t like as much.

@Humblegoat and @ackosel where do you buy your NaOH from?

 

[MrsZ]

My husband and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary yesterday - New Year's Eve. He got me a Hercules soap cutting station! So today, guess what I'm hoping to do during nap time?!

Happy 19th anniversary!

 

[bookworm42]

I used to get it from Bulk Apothecary, clearest, purest, no dust ever!! Now I had to go with Amazon, DUDA Red hot devil which I’ve used before but didn’t like as much.

Dang! $150 for shipping for 50lbs that's steep and $75 for 8lbs.

 

[Humblegoat]

Dang! $150 for shipping for 50lbs that's steep and $75 for 8lbs.

I know, ships as hazardous materials. And suppose to go up in shipping?!! Had to go with Amazon prime. I need to check some restaurant supply places around here. No place for oils and butters I can find and I live in Denver!! I just cannot do drain cleaner lye, I know people do, but not right for me.

I know, ships as hazardous materials. And suppose to go up in shipping?!! Had to go with Amazon prime. I need to check some restaurant supply places around here. No place for oils and butters I can find and I live in Denver!! I just cannot do drain cleaner lye, I know people do, but not right for me.

@bookworm42 I just searched websites for restaurant supply, nada. Now I’m really going down the rabbit hole

 

[ackosel]

@Humblegoat and @ackosel where do you buy your NaOH from?

I'm guessing you meant your question for @justsomeguy, as I'm still buying lye in small, 2# containers. I got my last stuff on Amazon - Red Crown High-test Lye.

 

[bookworm42]

I'm guessing you meant your question for @justsomeguy, as I'm still buying lye in small, 2# containers. I got my last stuff on Amazon - Red Crown High-test Lye.

Thanks!
I've been buying the ones off Amazon from belle chemical but was curious as to where others were getting it in bulk for a good price.

 

[justsomeguy]

Thanks!
I've been buying the ones off Amazon from belle chemical but was curious as to where others were getting it in bulk for a good price.

I got mine from essential depot. $38 cheaper than my last purchase after shipping.

 

[Misschief]

Yay me!! Just made a batch of Just Peachy soap, made with Real Peach FO from Village Craft & Candle. It did accelerate a little but I thought it might so I was ready for it. It feels like it's been way too long since I made any soap even though I did make a batch of salt soap last week; from here on in, I'll have to make at least 1-2 batches per weekend.

And the pic of my Just Peachy soap. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and, surprisingly, I quite like the scent. I'm not usually a fan of artificial fruit fragrances but I'm enjoying this one.

 

[AliOop]

I know, ships as hazardous materials. And suppose to go up in shipping?!! Had to go with Amazon prime. I need to check some restaurant supply places around here. No place for oils and butters I can find and I live in Denver!! I just cannot do drain cleaner lye, I know people do, but not right for me.


@bookworm42 I just searched websites for restaurant supply, nada. Now I’m really going down the rabbit hole

For bulk NaOH, have you checked around for chemical supply stores? My area is nowhere near as populated as Denver, and we have three of them here. Their bulk NaOH prices are typically half the cost of purchasing anywhere else and paying for shipping.

In my area, the best price on coconut oil is always at Big Lots - less than Costco, Sam's Club, or Walmart, and far, far less than having it shipped from Webstaurant, Soaper's Choice, or the like. The BL price is typically 12¢ to 15¢ per lb. They no longer offer free shipping over $50, but for that price, I don't mind driving to the store.

I get all the free tallow I need from a friend who raises cows for custom butchering. Well, it's "free" other than the hours of labor required to render, clean, pack, weigh, and label it. But if I had to pay for it, the best local price for me is at US Foods/ Chef Store, which also has the cheapest price on RBO. I don't think they are in Denver, but there are multiple Webstaurants in Denver, which is typically comparable in price.

 

[Humblegoat]

I know, ships as hazardous materials. And suppose to go up in shipping?!! Had to go with Amazon prime. I need to check some restaurant supply places around here. No place for oils and butters I can find and I live in Denver!! I just cannot do drain cleaner lye, I know people do, but not right for me.


@bookworm42 I just searched websites for restaurant supply, nada. Now I’m really going down the rabbit hole

@justsomeguy

Happy 19th anniversary!

Congratulations!!

 

[ackosel]

Happy 19th anniversary!

Congratulations!!

Thank you!

 

[justsomeguy]

@justsomeguy

There's a restaurant Depot here

 

[Tammyfarms]

The oxide and ultramarine pigments that most of us use are manufactured pure versions of pigments that may be found in nature. Using manufactured pigments helps to ensure that you don’t end up with undesirable impurities in your tub or your lip gloss.

Some of the commonly-used micas are produced from manufactured pigments that have been combined with mined mica in an industrial process. Other micas are entirely manufactured.

Thank you, I had read that somewhere but wasn’t comfortable repeating it as I wasn’t sure where.

 

[justsomeguy]

I got my mold!

It's really really really well put together. Can't wait to wash and use it. It'll do 18 bars at a time no matter how they are cut (horizontally or vertically)

 

[ackosel]

View attachment 80446

I got my mold!

It's really really really well put together. Can't wait to wash and use it. It'll do 18 bars at a time no matter how they are cut (horizontally or vertically)

I've got a cutter that can handle that! We had a surprise visit from family yesterday, so I didn't get my soap made. Dr. appointment today. Maybe I can make soap tomorrow...

 

[ScentimentallyYours]

Over the holidays I donated soap to our church to raise money for the town’s food pantry, sold alongside the Christmas trees. It was the first batch ever of lard soap with a tip of the hat to our town’s history of pig farms.

Because Burlington also had Apple orchards, and because it is a very mild long lasting fragrance, I used Apple FO from Nurture. This turned out to be an outstanding recipe after the cure, so now added to my favorites for future soaps. Note on the label that after a discussion here at SMF, I decided to not include sodium hydroxide on the list because it is no longer in the soap. I suppose I might include it as the saponification agent for the oils in some future version, but didn’t figure out how to do that at the time in the space allotted.

Two batches were made with “locally sourced” lard , which I obtained from the butcher shop at our local supermarket and rendered myself. One batch was made with Armour lard. After curing, all bars were pure white. (See @Servant4Christ’ lardinator thread.)

I had the pig stamp made with an image I purchased with the piglet holding a happy new year sign, but I pasted our town name over it. I then sent the image to an Etsy person for an acrylic stamp.

Our house is built on a former pig farm, and so are a huge percentage of homes here in Burlington. After reading this article, I came up with the inspiration for a tribute soap to the town history. There were also dairy farms, and I’m sure at least a few people had goats! So there is room for two more themes in the Burlington Heritage soap for future fundraisers.

 

[Humblegoat]

Those look great @Humblegoat! Looks like a mantra swirl to me (I think that's the name of the swirl).

I just cut my tester soap and after some creative spackling to fill in the air holes, my kids dubbed it "colby jack soap"

@Servant4Christ yes. It will go on my list

For bulk NaOH, have you checked around for chemical supply stores? My area is nowhere near as populated as Denver, and we have three of them here. Their bulk NaOH prices are typically half the cost of purchasing anywhere else and paying for shipping.

In my area, the best price on coconut oil is always at Big Lots - less than Costco, Sam's Club, or Walmart, and far, far less than having it shipped from Webstaurant, Soaper's Choice, or the like. The BL price is typically 12¢ to 15¢ per lb. They no longer offer free shipping over $50, but for that price, I don't mind driving to the store.

I get all the free tallow I need from a friend who raises cows for custom butchering. Well, it's "free" other than the hours of labor required to render, clean, pack, weigh, and label it. But if I had to pay for it, the best local price for me is at US Foods/ Chef Store, which also has the cheapest price on RBO. I don't think they are in Denver, but there are multiple Webstaurants in Denver, which is typically comparable in price.

@AliOop i haven’t gone down the path of chemical supply stores yet. Struck out on restaurant supply, and haven’t tried Asian grocery stores yet. I’m wondering if the chemical supply store would actually have the 100% food grade. But I hadn’t thought about looking for rice brand oil! I think there’s gonna be a field trip day. We do have a US foods here.

There's a restaurant Depot here

@justsomeguy i checked the website and it looks like it’s blended into some cleaners. But no food grade.