I made some soap using cherry blossom FO and White Tea FO, 50/50. OMG - YUM! Smells sooo good.
What soapy thing have you done today?
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That looks so cool! Can I ask what the long stick in the middles are for? Looks like maybe a pull through implement for kaleidoscope soap.
Yup, those are pull-through tools. I saw the rubber-band trick (to keep them centered) on a YT video.
I can’t stand fiddling with the condiment bottles that most folks seem to use to squirt the batter in, so I just poured from a long-nosed pitcher down the center stem. We shall have to see how well that panned out. If it didn’t, then I’m probably done with pull-throughs.
That's what I do.
Oh good - then there's hope!
I won't know whether it worked for me until later tonight or tomorrow when I unmold.ETA: on a hunch, I looked up BB's current Strawberry FO in the hope that it was the same, or a replacement for, the Sweet Strawberry that I used. When I put in the search terms "accelerate" and "accelerated," lo and behold, it brought up reviews from 5+ years ago that mentioned ricing and severe acceleration. There was also a response from the BB rep who mentioned that this "Sweet Strawberry" was not recommended for CP and referred to other reviews that had apparently mentioned these issues.
I share this because BB has a very user-unfriendly habit of discontinuing EOs, and then removing all reference info for that FO from their website. Apparently it may be possible in some cases, like mine, to find the reformulated/renamed FO and locate some older review. That may help people (like me) who have tons of older EOs from destashes that require some sleuthing to find usage rates, reviews, etc.
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Oh - I will never use those condiment bottles. I use two funnels - one longer, and one with a cut off funnel. I start the pour with the longer funnel resting on top of the tube, with the metal rod going up through the centre of it. then pour my alternating colours down that. Once I get near the top, I switch it out for the shorter funnel so i can fill to the top. My tubes are 35cm long but i usually fill to just 30cm ( about a foot).
I am going to make another batch of ZNSB today, but in a wooden mold lined with freezer paper because I've never use a wooden mold or freezer paper and want to try both. That un-challenge has me checking all sorts of things off my bucket list!
Maybe I will try that next time. I have plenty of funnels lying about for some reason. And I can see where the funnel would hold the center rod in place, without having to fuss with rubber bands to keep it centered. Nice!
Welp, I ran out of lye (more is on its way) so I had to move on to something else on my list of things to try. I decided to recalculate the recipe to use up the full amount of lye I had left and added 25% of my oil weight in powdered soap scraps to do the Ciaglia method and poured it into a Pringles can lined with freezer paper. I've always wanted to try the Pringles can thing! My only concern is that I didn't realize until after the pour that I forgot to duct tape the bottom. I pray the lid holds it all in because I am not moving it until it saponifies!
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I may need to try the funnel trick. When my 12'/30 cm cylinders are sitting on the kitchen counter, I'm too short to see into the cylinder, which makes it near impossible to center the batter coming out of a squeeze bottle. Or, I should just go ahead and cut one of the cylinders in half.
Today, I learned that freezer paper is hands down way better than parchment for lining molds. Not a single side wrinkle. Just good ole fashioned uneven cutting!
Also: when combining the Ciaglia method and ZNSB recipe from @Zany_in_CO, you'll need to unmold and cut way earlier than expected. I unmolded and cut these at 9hrs and the edges crumbled a bit when cutting and they were rock hard.
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I've been quiet but busy making soap. So far, I've made a batch of salt soap, a batch of Goat Milk & Lavender, and today I made a batch of Patchouli & Orange. I'm planning on making some ZNSC tomorrow, scented with one of the fragrance oils I bought from @Saponificarian. I'm just trying to decide on design.
Not only can I not see into them up on the counter, it is very awkward and almost impossible to pour evenly with my hands up that high. The holder stand that my husband made increases the height by another few inches, too.
I did put mine on a lower surface for pouring. A double-stack of some storage tubs in my soap room was the perfect height for me. The bonus was the cleanable surface for the inevitable drips.
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Hi,
I've been away from the forum, busy with family and holidays. But I really want to make some more soap. I've been watching videos to re-familiarize myself with the process. I'm going to make the olive oil soak because I also cook a lot and need it for removing smells from my hands.
With family here for Thanksgiving and weddings, they each with home with a bar. I also made lotion bars for a baby shower. 30 bars and the question I asked about shipping worked out fine. The bars arrived unharmed and my college roommate said they were the center of attention.
Happy 2023!
I've been away from the forum, busy with family and holidays. But I really want to make some more soap. I've been watching videos to re-familiarize myself with the process. I'm going to make the olive oil soak because I also cook a lot and need it for removing smells from my hands.
With family here for Thanksgiving and weddings, they each with home with a bar. I also made lotion bars for a baby shower. 30 bars and the question I asked about shipping worked out fine. The bars arrived unharmed and my college roommate said they were the center of attention.
Happy 2023!
Getting ready, to teach a good friend how to make soap. Was able to get most supplies at the $ Store. Keeping it simple, basic trinity with oo, co, lard.
To start off the New Year with a clean slate, yesterday I straightened up and reorganized my soap room, and today I washed soapy dishes. I also used this great tip from this video by the Soap Gal (start at 2:36) to use the dregs in mica containers to create colored salts (for decorating bath bombs or making bath soaks, etc.).
I wish I had seen this sooner, since I consolidated duplicates and threw out six or seven mica containers about a month ago. Oh well. I managed to salvage a sole mica container, and now I have some crazy pink salts.
Hopefully some of you may benefit from this tip before tossing out used mica containers.
I wish I had seen this sooner, since I consolidated duplicates and threw out six or seven mica containers about a month ago. Oh well. I managed to salvage a sole mica container, and now I have some crazy pink salts.
Hopefully some of you may benefit from this tip before tossing out used mica containers.
Today has been me frantically getting things ready for my mp shop to reopen. I closed it after the USPS Christmas deadline to just completely avoid the "omg I need this bar of soap by Christmas" rush and to spend my days not worrying about getting packages shipped out.
Last minute packaging... photo editing... spilled an entire bottle of fragrance oil over myself... googled how to get fragrance oil out of x surface... cleaned x surface...
Not quite soapy thing but I'm planning on testing out some syndopour and making a lotion bar tonight. Yes, just one. I'm sure I'll be an addict soon, but I want to see how it goes before I commit.
If I didn't have a NY dinner tonight, I'd maybe sit down and make some cold process since I haven't had time. But once the initial burst of orders is shipped off, I'll finally have some free time. Maybe see what the new monthly challenge is, since I think I'm eligible now
Last minute packaging... photo editing... spilled an entire bottle of fragrance oil over myself... googled how to get fragrance oil out of x surface... cleaned x surface...
Not quite soapy thing but I'm planning on testing out some syndopour and making a lotion bar tonight. Yes, just one. I'm sure I'll be an addict soon, but I want to see how it goes before I commit.
If I didn't have a NY dinner tonight, I'd maybe sit down and make some cold process since I haven't had time. But once the initial burst of orders is shipped off, I'll finally have some free time. Maybe see what the new monthly challenge is, since I think I'm eligible now
…. promptly heads over to my DH to show off what @AliOop DH made her… possibly with a claim that all DHs of soap makers should be making them one
Love the sweet set up! Counter height and holds your molds steady - awesome!
Last minute packaging... photo editing... spilled an entire bottle of fragrance oil over myself... googled how to get fragrance oil out of x surface... cleaned x surface...
@basti! what did you do to clean that up? Oh my gosh! Similar threads
