773 or 850? I'd like to make pine tar soap for a friend to try but not sure which one of these I should get, or maybe there's another brand that is comparable? I've read that the Auson brand is the way to go and that it smells better than the common US brands, but who knows? I've never smelled pine tar of any brand. Lol
Which Auson pine tar?
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I use the Special Kiln Burned Pine Tar.
Thank you!
More pine tar questions:
1. How much does 100ml of pine tar weigh? Grams preferred. I'm drawing a blank on how to convert this morning.
2. Has anyone used pine tar in Zany's ZNSC recipe with faux seawater? I cannot decide which of my favorite recipes to use the pine tar in!
More pine tar questions:
1. How much does 100ml of pine tar weigh? Grams preferred. I'm drawing a blank on how to convert this morning.
2. Has anyone used pine tar in Zany's ZNSC recipe with faux seawater? I cannot decide which of my favorite recipes to use the pine tar in!
No clue.
2. Has anyone used pine tar in Zany's ZNSC recipe with faux seawater? I cannot decide which of my favorite recipes to use the pine tar in!
That's what I put mine into. It came out kinda rustic due to my impatience...
Oooo, I love the look of that @justsomeguy! I think I'm going to try it when my pine tar gets here.
@justsomeguy Did your pine tar soap using Zany's recipe turn out softer or was the faux seawater enough to keep it hard? I just tracked my package and my pine tar should arrive tomorrow! I'm so excited!
It's not as hard as ZNCS, but it's pretty hard. I had to smash it into the mold cause it was soap on a stick quick which might've contributed to the softness
Hmmm, maybe I should try pine tar in a lard based recipe first. I don't want soap on a stick.
Highly recommend this method https://classicbells.com/soap/pineTarSoap.asp
(Scroll to the bottom.) The basic idea is mix half your oil (without the pine tar) with lye - it will be very lye heavy. Then add the second half of the oils with pine tar pre mixed in. This gives you a little more time - not a lot - to pour it into the mold.
(Scroll to the bottom.) The basic idea is mix half your oil (without the pine tar) with lye - it will be very lye heavy. Then add the second half of the oils with pine tar pre mixed in. This gives you a little more time - not a lot - to pour it into the mold.
This is the process I followed kinda sorta.
I've read the Classic Bells info many times over the last couple years and @justsoneguy you guessed it: I've been watching Elly's videos for about 3 years now and now I'm so excited I'm finally getting to try her method to make my own pine tar soap, just with a different recipe since cocoa butter and bees wax just aren't part of my regular arsenal. I've been debating on whether I want to incorporate the pine tar into my favored ZNSC or a lard-based recipe because I happen to have way more lard on hand and it's cheaper to replace than olive, right now! Seriously, though, my only real concern is how the lard recipe will cure with the pine tar. Lard usually takes a longer cure, but will the soap still get hard enough with the added pine tar? Also, I tend to keep pine tar at 40% in my usual recipe due to the slight fatty smell that only I seem to smell. By jumping to a higher amount of lard (50%), will the pine tar scent override the piggy smell even after a long cure? I'm sure hoping so.
Seriously, though, my only real concern is how the lard recipe will cure with the pine tar. Lard usually takes a longer cure, but will the soap still get hard enough with the added pine tar? Also, I tend to keep pine tar at 40% in my usual recipe due to the slight fatty smell that only I seem to smell. By jumping to a higher amount of lard (50%), will the pine tar scent override the piggy smell even after a long cure? I'm sure hoping so.
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I use lard in my pine tar recipe, and it hardens up just fine. With my home-rendered lard and regular recipe, there's no piggy smell ever, but it's definitely there with the store-bought lard.
But once I add 20% pine tar to any recipe, that's all I can smell. Not my favorite, since I don't get the campfire vibes that others smell; to me, it's road paving crew.
YMMV.
But once I add 20% pine tar to any recipe, that's all I can smell. Not my favorite, since I don't get the campfire vibes that others smell; to me, it's road paving crew.
YMMV.I ordered the Auson brand kiln burned so maybe mine will smell different than what you used? No idea. This will be a first for me. I might smell it and decide there's no way am I soaping with that! 
Tracking shows my PT is out for delivery today so we'll see.
Tracking shows my PT is out for delivery today so we'll see.
Fortunately, to me, pine tar is a little bit like neem oil. I am not crazy about the smell out of the can, but once it’s in the soap, it’s fine, especially if you use any scent that blends with it.
I love the smell right out of the can as well as in the soap. I grew up loving the smell of patchouli but never knowing what it was called until I started making body butter in 2020 so
I'm planning on unscented because we have a friend with two teens who are currently battling plaque psoriasis. I've also had multiple friends and family members ask if I make a pine tar soap. My goal is to formulate and make a soap for them to try that I'm comfortable gifting by Christmas.
Nice! My husband ended up liking neem better than pine tar soap for his psoriasis, but I know others who feel the opposite. Have fun making and experimenting!
Auson pine tar really does smell like campfire smoke. I'm particularly fond of their Dalbrand Tratjara (Dale Burned Wood Tar) #773 since I understand it's a "limited edition" product. A good alternate is Akta Tratjara (Genuine Wood Tar) #850, which can be a bit cheaper and easier to find. I've used them both. Either one works fine in soap, and IMO they both have the same aroma to my nose.
The other brands -- Farnam, Bickmore, etc. -- smell more like burned tires or hot rubber. I've used these brands too and they also work fine, but if you want "campfire smoke" aroma, Auson pine tar is definitely the winner.
The other brands -- Farnam, Bickmore, etc. -- smell more like burned tires or hot rubber. I've used these brands too and they also work fine, but if you want "campfire smoke" aroma, Auson pine tar is definitely the winner.
Sounds like it makes quite a difference based on which brand is purchased. I will make a note to order some Auson brand once I use up this jar of Bickmore, which really does smell like road paving to me. Blech.
Saponificarian
Well-Known Member
I love the Auson brand. I still have half of the 3 litres of the Dalbrand Tratjara (Dale Burned Wood Tar) that I bought 3 years ago.
