What soapy thing have you done today?

[ScentimentallyYours]

bayberry wax is something I will have to look up

Bayberry wax could be used in a hot process soap. Don’t even think of trying it in cold process because you will get soap on a stick faster than anything you’ve seen! I looked into Bayberry wax specifically to re-create Benjamin Franklin’s Crown Soap recipe. I have one more experiment to conduct using KOH instead of NaOH in a boiled soap recipe, which could be the closest to the actual soap created by Ben’s sister, Jane. You can read how I fell down the rabbit hole here. I ended up making two other versions of Crown Soap that started with CP, but had to be transferred into an HP method due to seizing.

Outside of experimenting with re-creating a historic soap, I recommend saving Bayberry wax to make candles, possibly mixing it with beeswax. As far as natural candles with natural fragrance, they are hard to beat!

 

[Vicki C]

I have been rendering lard and tallow and making soap for a wholesale customer who provides the pork fat and suet. He had a freezer fail and brought me 20+ pounds of pork fat (which included a lot of back fat, which is kind of a pain to deal with) and some pork kidney fat, and a bunch of suet. I have been liking this project, but mid-summer, in my busy market season, is not the time to deal with fat rendering, so I’m going to have to tell him after this that he needs to render it himself or find someone else to do it. His customers are loving the soap, which is nice.

 

[Jorah]

Bayberry wax could be used in a hot process soap. Don’t even think of trying it in cold process because you will get soap on a stick faster than anything you’ve seen! I looked into Bayberry wax specifically to re-create Benjamin Franklin’s Crown Soap recipe. I have one more experiment to conduct using KOH instead of NaOH in a boiled soap recipe, which could be the closest to the actual soap created by Ben’s sister, Jane. You can read how I fell down the rabbit hole here. I ended up making two other versions of Crown Soap that started with CP, but had to be transferred into an HP method due to seizing.

Outside of experimenting with re-creating a historic soap, I recommend saving Bayberry wax to make candles, possibly mixing it with beeswax. As far as natural candles with natural fragrance, they are hard to beat!

I had a bayberry candle when I was a boy, and loooooooooved it! I was hoping to come up with a bayberry scented soap, but my first batch smelled nothing at all like the candle I remember from so long ago, and I'm wondering now if this might be a way for me to get my scent fix.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

some pork kidney fat,

I'm wondering if you aware that this is the source of "Leaf Lard"? Instead of $2 per pound, it sells for $8 or more a pound.

Leaf lard is a special type of lard that comes from a leaf-shaped portion of fat around a pig's kidneys. Considered the choicest lard available, leaf lard is softer and creamier than other types of lard. It's prized for its smooth consistency and is commonly used for baking. The best way to obtain leaf lard is through your local butcher or by rendering the fat yourself.

Source https://www.webstaurantstore.com/blog/3068/what-is-lard.html

 

[SSC Oregon]

No soaping done this week but I'm learning about Benjamin Franklin crown soap!
I picked up a summer job. The lady was desperate (no employees!) and she's always been good to me, she was begging and i told her - I've got a lot going on.
I told her about my business, and the co op. This will be a good way to get out there locally. I've been a hermit for a few years. Lol She also agreed to let my daughters work with me, so....we will see how it goes!

 

[VikingChick]

I submitted my Soap Challenge soap yesterday! I almost chickened out; I was so intimidated. Actually, they look alright compared to the others! I don’t expect to get even one vote, but that’s honestly ok. I’m happy that I pushed myself out of my comfort zone.

YOU GUYS!! I GOT 7 VOTES!!! And I didn’t even vote for myself!!

 

[Savage Daughter]

YOU GUYS!! I GOT 7 VOTES!!! And I didn’t even vote for myself!!

 

[Vicki C]

I'm wondering if you aware that this is the source of "Leaf Lard"? Instead of $2 per pound, it sells for $8 or more a pound.

Leaf lard is a special type of lard that comes from a leaf-shaped portion of fat around a pig's kidneys. Considered the choicest lard available, leaf lard is softer and creamier than other types of lard. It's prized for its smooth consistency and is commonly used for baking. The best way to obtain leaf lard is through your local butcher or by rendering the fat yourself.

Source https://www.webstaurantstore.com/blog/3068/what-is-lard.html

Yes - they have been providing leaf lard but this last batch was half back fat, with skin.

 

[Zing]

Can I share a story? I manage a social service agency in a thriving and challenging inner-city neighborhood. We contracted with a young man, Alonzo, who works for a local peace-keeper organization who helps with crowd control and the occasional grumpy client. These men are active in the community, prevent violence -- and look like you don't wanna mess with them. Alonzo is 6'5". Today was Alonzo's last day on the job, so I packed a gift bag with some of my Spring Clean soaps and a lotion bar.

Truly, honestly, I was anxious about how he would recieve this gift, so I just said, "A hard-working man like you deserves to be pampered." First he said, "I never get gifts! Thank you!" When he saw my name on the label, he freaked out and couldn't stop smelling the bars. I showed him how to use the lotion bar. We parted and I got back to work.

Not 10 minutes later, several of his coworkers approach me and explode my phone, "hey, how do I get some of that lemon stuff?" "I want that Spring thing!" Evidently 'Zo is my new sales rep, LOL! Have a good weekend,

 

[Zing]

YOU GUYS!! I GOT 7 VOTES!!! And I didn’t even vote for myself!!

As we said in Chicago, vote early, vote often! Congrats!

 

[Jorah]

I've mentioned in other threads that I have the common variety* red-green color blindness, and for me one of the side-effects is that I rarely notice color; I generally have to consciously decide to focus on colors. Anyway, in soap making, one of the results is that I haven't noticed if I have DOS on my soap very often. Thanks to folks on this thread I've realized that I got some DOS where my soap was drying on metal shelving (I've put a stop to that!) and as @QuasiQuadrant mentioned in the DOS thread, @AliOop helped me learn that even leaving the soap on painted or bare wood can cause problems, so now everything is on wax paper or parchment paper.

Anyway, my wife is usually the one who notices orange spots, and she says that my almond oil soap (one of the first bars I made back in April (and the one I'm showering with right now, and loving), has the worst problem with the spots. I can't tell if this might be poorly-blended honey, poorly-blended beeswax, actual DOS from bad oil, or what. I'm keeping it for me, so I'm not worried about it, but this soap is so nice, I want to share it with people! (once I fix the ugly spots).

Anyway, I've finally used up the last of the grocery-store almond oil that I got in April and am about to break into a fresh bottle from BB. I'm hoping that the batch I make today won't have the problem. If I can make an un-spotty version consistently, I think this may be the first custom soap I put up for sale.

If I can isolate what's causing the spots, I can focus on fixing them. It is tempting to make many changes at once, but I know that's not the right testing approach, so I'll make today's test batch with the same recipe as my first two almond oil and honey batches, but new oil. If there are still spots, my next test will be to leave out the melted beeswax. If that doesn't solve it, I'll try getting a different honey, although we have SO MUCH HONEY in the house as the result of a previous hobby of my wife's (mead making) that I was hoping to use the old honey in my soap to start chipping away at it.

Anyway, this weekend's 'soapy things' list is overly ambitious, but that's just how I roll with my to-do lists.

1. Weekly weigh-in on my Cure Cards.
2. Make a test batch of my almond oil and honey soap with new almond oil.
3. Make my next experimental high-honey recipe. This is a re-do of the 8% batch from last weekend that I ended up rebatching.
4. Make my third batch of 72%-with-madder-root, making sure to blend the powder with water this time (oh, and with a bit less of a water discount).
5. Try to clear out more space on my workbench.
6. Send out invitation surveys to my testers.
7. Set up a packing-shipping station on my dining room table.
8. Pack a batch of test bars to send to my business mentor in Kansas on Monday.
9. Start learning Soapmaking Friend and put in my raw materials inventory.
10. If I have time, I'll start drafting my feedback survey so my testers have somewhere to give me feedback.
11. If I have time, I want to make one more another pumice batch, this time using the Blacksmith recipe I've seen mentioned here to learn about borax use. I've already started using the pumice-and-charcoal soap in my workshop, and I like it!
12. I have Monday off from work, so I should probably see about setting up the open-source shopping cart on my soap site. I already had someone try buying soap on the site, though it isn't set up yet!

Soaps mentioned in the post:

Pumice and charcoal.


The rebatched honey soap.




This soap (with the bee 'medallion') was my second batch of almond oil and honey.



Finally, these are from my first almond oil and honey batch. This is based on a recipe in Anne L. Watson's Smart Soapmaking book. These bars lather like crazy when used with a shower scrubby, and I love them, ugly as they may be. I swear my minor skin issues have started clearing up since I began using this soap in the shower a few weeks ago.






-=-
*Anomalous trichromatic. If you're interested, read more here: Red-Green Color Blindness - All About Vision

 

[ScentimentallyYours]

I had a bayberry candle when I was a boy, and loooooooooved it! I was hoping to come up with a bayberry scented soap, but my first batch smelled nothing at all like the candle I remember from so long ago, and I'm wondering now if this might be a way for me to get my scent fix.

I’ll say bayberry wax is not a good way to go to get the bayberry scent @Jorah. In fact, I tried to add to the scent with EO, which made seizing worse because eugenol was a constituent of the EO. Do you remember what fragrance oil you used to get the Bayberry sent? I have some Lebermuth Bayberry from the Chemistry Store to test later this week.

I have a question for you. Were the candles you remember pure unadulterated Bayberry wax, or did they have fragrance added, or were they Bayberry scented candles?

I'm wondering if you aware that this is the source of "Leaf Lard"? Instead of $2 per pound, it sells for $8 or more a pound.

Leaf lard is a special type of lard that comes from a leaf-shaped portion of fat around a pig's kidneys. Considered the choicest lard available, leaf lard is softer and creamier than other types of lard. It's prized for its smooth consistency and is commonly used for baking. The best way to obtain leaf lard is through your local butcher or by rendering the fat yourself.

Source https://www.webstaurantstore.com/blog/3068/what-is-lard.html

I rendered some wonderful tallow from suet in 2021. I believe suet sold in the grocery stores here in New England is leaf fat from cattle. It was much nicer to work with than plain old beef fat.

 

[Jorah]

I’ll say bayberry wax is not a good way to go to get the bayberry scent @Jorah. In fact, I tried to add to the scent with EO, which made seizing worse because eugenol was a constituent of the EO. Do you remember what fragrance oil you used to get the Bayberry sent? I have some Lebermuth Bayberry from the Chemistry Store to test later this week.

I have a question for you. Where the candles you remember pure unadulterated Bayberry wax, or did they have fragrance added, or were they Bayberry scented candles?

I've no idea. I think my mom must have bought it for me at a gift store on one of our very rare vacation trips... or she may have bought it for a holiday and I absconded with it. We're talking about half a century ago... ;-) the memory is a bit blurry.

 

[dmcgee5034]

[*]Send out invitation surveys to my testers.

Hey @Jorah, that’s a heck of a list! You got this!
I don’t know if you have your survey designed, but I’ll share in case it’s helpful. I made this survey when I started and my friends and family helped me so much! It’s kinda silly and funnily worded (that’s me!). I know I always appreciate not having to start from scratch, so I thought I’d share with you in case it’s helpful.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VJYFFLQ

 

[Jorah]

that’s a heck of a list! You got this!

Thanks for the encouragement! I know a lot of this will still be waiting for me next weekend, partly because of the parts you can't see (housekeeping, laundry) and partly because... 'long list, duh.'

don’t know if you have your survey designed, but I’ll share in case it’s helpful.

I really appreciate this generosity. It has given me food for thought, and if you don't mind, I'll share my first draft when it's ready.

 

[ScentimentallyYours]

Hey @Jorah, that’s a heck of a list! You got this!
I don’t know if you have your survey designed, but I’ll share in case it’s helpful. I made this survey when I started and my friends and family helped me so much! It’s kinda silly and funnily worded (that’s me!). I know I always appreciate not having to start from scratch, so I thought I’d share with you in case it’s helpful.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VJYFFLQ

Fantastic survey, @dmcgee5034!!! What about the category “I have no idea about soap qualities because the bar is on display on account of it being too pretty to use.” If soap isn’t rather plain, I have a hard time getting friends and family to actually use it. Perhaps sending your survey would prompt them to try it as well as pay attention to the quality?

Love what you did with the survey!!!

 

[dmcgee5034]

Fantastic survey, @dmcgee5034!!! What about the category “I have no idea about soap qualities because the bar is on display on account of it being too pretty to use.” If soap isn’t rather plain, I have a hard time getting friends and family to actually use it. Perhaps sending your survey would prompt them to try it as well as pay attention to the quality?

Love what you did with the survey!!!

Thanks for the positive feedback on the survey, @ScentimentallyYours!

LOL, the sniffers versus the users is quite a dilemma!! I had a family member picking out soap ask me “which one will make my bathroom smell the best” because they plan to just set it there for looks and sniffs!
AARRRGGGHHHHH - use it!

Check out the sign in my soap room…..

 

[Jorah]

Check out the sign in my soap room…..
View attachment 73912

Love the sign!

 

[dibbles]

YOU GUYS!! I GOT 7 VOTES!!! And I didn’t even vote for myself!!

Congratulations!!!

 

[ScentimentallyYours]

I've mentioned in other threads that I have the common variety* red-green color blindness, and for me one of the side-effects is that I rarely notice color; I generally have to consciously decide to focus on colors. Anyway, in soap making, one of the results is that I haven't noticed if I have DOS on my soap very often. Thanks to folks on this thread I've realized that I got some DOS where my soap was drying on metal shelving (I've put a stop to that!) and as @QuasiQuadrant mentioned in the DOS thread, @AliOop helped me learn that even leaving the soap on painted or bare wood can cause problems, so now everything is on wax paper or parchment paper.

Anyway, my wife is usually the one who notices orange spots, and she says that my almond oil soap (one of the first bars I made back in April (and the one I'm showering with right now, and loving), has the worst problem with the spots. I can't tell if this might be poorly-blended honey, poorly-blended beeswax, actual DOS from bad oil, or what. I'm keeping it for me, so I'm not worried about it, but this soap is so nice, I want to share it with people! (once I fix the ugly spots).

Anyway, I've finally used up the last of the grocery-store almond oil that I got in April and am about to break into a fresh bottle from BB. I'm hoping that the batch I make today won't have the problem. If I can make an un-spotty version consistently, I think this may be the first custom soap I put up for sale.

If I can isolate what's causing the spots, I can focus on fixing them. It is tempting to make many changes at once, but I know that's not the right testing approach, so I'll make today's test batch with the same recipe as my first two almond oil and honey batches, but new oil. If there are still spots, my next test will be to leave out the melted beeswax. If that doesn't solve it, I'll try getting a different honey, although we have SO MUCH HONEY in the house as the result of a previous hobby of my wife's (mead making) that I was hoping to use the old honey in my soap to start chipping away at it.

Anyway, this weekend's 'soapy things' list is overly ambitious, but that's just how I roll with my to-do lists.

1. Weekly weigh-in on my Cure Cards.
2. Make a test batch of my almond oil and honey soap with new almond oil.
3. Make my next experimental high-honey recipe. This is a re-do of the 8% batch from last weekend that I ended up rebatching.
4. Make my third batch of 72%-with-madder-root, making sure to blend the powder with water this time (oh, and with a bit less of a water discount).
5. Try to clear out more space on my workbench.
6. Send out invitation surveys to my testers.
7. Set up a packing-shipping station on my dining room table.
8. Pack a batch of test bars to send to my business mentor in Kansas on Monday.
9. Start learning Soapmaking Friend and put in my raw materials inventory.
10. If I have time, I'll start drafting my feedback survey so my testers have somewhere to give me feedback.
11. If I have time, I want to make one more another pumice batch, this time using the Blacksmith recipe I've seen mentioned here to learn about borax use. I've already started using the pumice-and-charcoal soap in my workshop, and I like it!
12. I have Monday off from work, so I should probably see about setting up the open-source shopping cart on my soap site. I already had someone try buying soap on the site, though it isn't set up yet!

Soaps mentioned in the post:

Pumice and charcoal.
View attachment 73905

The rebatched honey soap.

View attachment 73906


This soap (with the bee 'medallion') was my second batch of almond oil and honey.

View attachment 73907

Finally, these are from my first almond oil and honey batch. This is based on a recipe in Anne L. Watson's Smart Soapmaking book. These bars lather like crazy when used with a shower scrubby, and I love them, ugly as they may be. I swear my minor skin issues have started clearing up since I began using this soap in the shower a few weeks ago.

View attachment 73908




-=-
*Anomalous trichromatic. If you're interested, read more here: Red-Green Color Blindness - All About Vision

Are you using a chelator like sodium citrate in your Almond Oil soap @Jorah? According to SMF soap calculator Almond oil has 18% linoleic acid, which may be high enough to make it vulnerable to DOS. The amber spots appear to go throughout the soap. Is there any way to find out if it’s clumped honey?

If the Almond oil soap has DOS, it goes throughout the soap, which is what the pic looks like to me. There isn’t a good way to correct the problem in your finished bars. DOS will continue to get worse, then the bars may even get rancid. I had this happen 20 years ago when I made soap with grapeseed oil.

Let the almond oil soap age longer before sending it out and see if the discoloration continues to develop. If you make new batches, make them small for testing and be sure to use a chelator.

that those are honey spots.