Where to get soap making equipment that’s not too expensive?

[Kaceera]

things such as an accurate digital scale, candy thermometer, immersion blender, stainless steel container for dry lye weighing, container for weighing lye solution, mixing bowl that would hold up mixing lye and oil together etc, plus the lye itself and oils?

Thanks!

 

[MelissaG]

Most of that can be bought from Walmart or a dollar store. Just make sure it's silicone or #5 plastic or stainless steel.

I LOVE my scale. I have a KD-8000 Kitchen scale and it is awesome. It was $50 when I bought it a few years back.

Immersion blenders are difficult. It should have a shallow bell that allows air bubbles out easily. Most people recommend Cuisinart though I think my current one is Hamilton Beach. The Bella ones from Amazon tend to be good too.

Always put water into the stainless steel container then pour dry lye into it and mix. I have two different sizes of stainless steel containers for that made for restaurants. If it's stainless you can weigh and lye them using that one container. Stainless steel is by far the best material for any of this and I even have a spoon specifically for it. Don't clean your pitchers, just rinse them very well with running water in the sink to avoid lye lint.

I have several cheap containers from dollar general for mixing lye/oils together. They have a spout on them and I think they cost me $3 each. They aren't my main bowls though, I use them if I want to make a bunch of colors or something. My main are Canbro containers. You can buy them lots of places, including webstaurant online and even amazon. You can buy lids for them but I never bother.

You will want stainless steel spoons, small medium and large. Silicone spatulas capable of handling high heat. Measuring implements like cups and spoons (you won't be using these to measure lye, but you will need them for other things like colors). I do recommend a stainless steel or plastic ruler. Starting out, it will help you measure bar size until you're ready to buy more expensive items.

I started cutting my soap by hand with frankly that's really annoying. It's hard to get consistent cuts.

Now I have a single bar cutter (runs somewhere between $100 and $150). I honestly want a multibar cutter but don't have they money at the moment (they run somewhere around $200-$300).

You will also need molds. Amazon has cheap silicone molds that are purple with a wooden bin to hold them for beginners. My absolute favorite mold is from Nurture Soap. I have their premium 5lb mold which is wood with a green lining and a lid, and I love it. I actually bought a second silicone liner for it.

The hardest thing is not buying every fragrance and color you see. It's very addictive lol. Well, that and the shipping costs are painful.

 

[BWt]

Hi @Kaceera is there a Goodwill store close to you? Visit as often as possible and watch the kitchen supplies. I found a scale, bowls, mixing spoons, stick blender, digital thermometer, and misc individual molds. The scale and digital thermometer both needed batteries. What could not go in the dishwasher was thoroughly cleaned with a bit of bleach or isopropyl alcohol wipe down.
Made my first batch of soap with a cut down cardboard box lined with freezer wrap.
Lye is available on Amazon. If you have a friend or co worker with prime membership ask them to order your lye and pay them the cost and then a few bars of soap for their help.
If it is acceptable to your personal preferences you can make soap with lard and coconut oil both inexpensive here in the U.S.
i have additional supplies on hand. Could fit a scale, stick blender, mixing spoons, two or three individual molds, and a digital thermometer into a medium sized mailing box. USPS costs 17$ to anywhere in US. These supplies cost me $23 at Goodwill. Message me if you are interested.
Be Well

 

[AliOop]

The posts above have given you great information. My only additional recommendation is NOT to buy a candy thermometer. The glass will not withstand the hot caustic lye solution. You can ask @Zing about his experience with that. Instead, buy a digital "gun" style thermometer, which are often used for bbq grills.

 

[Zing]

The posts above have given you great information. My only additional recommendation is NOT to buy a candy thermometer. The glass will not withstand the hot caustic lye solution. You can ask @Zing about his experience with that. Instead, buy a digital "gun" style thermometer, which are often used for bbq grills.

 

[Zing]

My splurges were on a stick blender and scale. Everything else is from the dollar stores, thrift stores, rummage sales, Craig's List, and Buy Nothing. Good luck and welcome to the forum!

 

[MelissaG]

Did it explode on you zing?

 

[dibbles]

I have had a KD-7000 scale since 2016 and it still works great. I bought the adapter as well so I don't have to use batteries. I also have a less expensive kitchen scale we use in the kitchen and out of curiosity one day I tested to see if there was any difference. The less expensive scale was just as accurate. I do like the KD-7000 for it's capacity and the fact that a large bowl or bucket doesn't make it impossible to read. You can probably learn to use any stick blender effectively, but after having one with a high/low speed option I will always look for that. I've never found one at a thrift shop. But now that @Zing has mentioned Buy Nothing, I should put out a ISO post there to see if anyone has one they want to get rid of.

Because most of the other things (bowls, spatulas, etc) has been covered, these are the tools I saved for (once I knew I was going to stick with this obsession). You don't need any of these things, but my favorites in the order I bought them are:
1. A silicone lined wood mold. I bought my first one from Nurture, and it is still my favorite. I have gravitated to the tall & skinny profile rather than the loaf though. My favorite T&S is also from Nurture.
2. A wire cutter. I was so frustrated with wonky shaped bars that this was my second big purchase. I ended up selling my first cutter and bought the Polaris from Custom Craft Tools. It's an investment, but worth every penny to me.
3. A soap planer. There are lots of options out there. If I get ash, it is only on the tops of my bars and it drives me crazy. There are ways to remove it, but it's so easy to just plane it off. It can also pretty up a side if you happen to unmold too early and the soap is still a little sticky.

 

[MelissaG]

I have had a KD-7000 scale since 2016 and it still works great. I bought the adapter as well so I don't have to use batteries. I also have a less expensive kitchen scale we use in the kitchen and out of curiosity one day I tested to see if there was any difference. The less expensive scale was just as accurate. I do like the KD-7000 for it's capacity and the fact that a large bowl or bucket doesn't make it impossible to read. You can probably learn to use any stick blender effectively, but after having one with a high/low speed option I will always look for that. I've never found one at a thrift shop. But now that @Zing has mentioned Buy Nothing, I should put out a ISO post there to see if anyone has one they want to get rid of.

Because most of the other things (bowls, spatulas, etc) has been covered, these are the tools I saved for (once I knew I was going to stick with this obsession). You don't need any of these things, but my favorites in the order I bought them are:
1. A silicone lined wood mold. I bought my first one from Nurture, and it is still my favorite. I have gravitated to the tall & skinny profile rather than the loaf though. My favorite T&S is also from Nurture.
2. A wire cutter. I was so frustrated with wonky shaped bars that this was my second big purchase. I ended up selling my first cutter and bought the Polaris from Custom Craft Tools. It's an investment, but worth every penny to me.
3. A soap planer. There are lots of options out there. If I get ash, it is only on the tops of my bars and it drives me crazy. There are ways to remove it, but it's so easy to just plane it off. It can also pretty up a side if you happen to unmold too early and the soap is still a little sticky.

I sooo want a proper soap planer and beveler. The stainless steel ones are just gorgeous and look so easy to clean. Just expensive. I have to agree with your list. Next on mine... multibar cutter.

 

[dibbles]

I sooo want a proper soap planer and beveler. The stainless steel ones are just gorgeous and look so easy to clean. Just expensive. I have to agree with your list. Next on mine... multibar cutter.

If I sold I might feel differently, but honestly I enjoy cutting soap. A friend who no longer makes soap gave me a multi bar cutter. I gave it back to her to sell. It really didn’t save me much time and took up a lot of space. It does make a satisfying though.

 

[basti]

The container I use to mix my lye solution in is a #5 plastic container that I got as a takeout container. So if you need one, I'd recommend ordering some pho from your local Vietnamese restaurant. Delicious lunch and a free lye solution container, two birds one stone

I measure out my dry lye in a clean yogurt cup or a clean cream cheese container. I also use these to portion out lye for layered soaps or sometimes even to mix small amounts of colors. As long as they're plastic code #1 or #5♻, it's safe to reuse the random bits of plastic you interact with on a daily basis.

I bought this single bar cutter for a steal at $16 and it gives me nice even cuts. (Would recommend using a scrap piece of parchment paper to 'glide' the bars through so you don't get Trial By Fire soap smears everywhere )

 

[MelissaG]

If I sold I might feel differently, but honestly I enjoy cutting soap. A friend who no longer makes soap gave me a multi bar cutter. I gave it back to her to sell. It really didn’t save me much time and took up a lot of space. It does make a satisfying though.

Oh I'm envious lol.

The container I use to mix my lye solution in is a #5 plastic container that I got as a takeout container. So if you need one, I'd recommend ordering some pho from your local Vietnamese restaurant. Delicious lunch and a free lye solution container, two birds one stone
View attachment 71754

I measure out my dry lye in a clean yogurt cup or a clean cream cheese container. I also use these to portion out lye for layered soaps or sometimes even to mix small amounts of colors. As long as they're plastic code #1 or #5♻, it's safe to reuse the random bits of plastic you interact with on a daily basis.

I bought this single bar cutter for a steal at $16 and it gives me nice even cuts. (Would recommend using a scrap piece of parchment paper to 'glide' the bars through so you don't get Trial By Fire soap smears everywhere )
View attachment 71765

Looks like a loaf cutter rather than a single bar cutter. But if it works...

 

[basti]

Looks like a loaf cutter rather than a single bar cutter. But if it works...

It does lol. Their loaf splitter looks identical, just taller and bigger. But the cutter wire itself is only an inch tall. It's nice to not have to measure things.

 

[dmcgee5034]

I’ll just add that for some things, I had them in my kitchen already and repurposed them. I also wasn’t shy about asking friends and family, and my mom who loves to garage sale, to keep their eyes open for great deals. I had a starter scale because I don’t weigh my portions any more, and a stick blender I decided I’d rather soap with.
I agree, @basti - perfect reuse and yummy lunch!

 

[Slather Batter]

things such as an accurate digital scale, candy thermometer, immersion blender, stainless steel container for dry lye weighing, container for weighing lye solution, mixing bowl that would hold up mixing lye and oil together etc, plus the lye itself and oils?

Thanks!

Honestly, if you’re on a tight budget, you’d be surprised at what you can find at thrift shops and dollar stores. Stainless bowl, measuring cups, spatulas,, plastic cups for measuring dry lye etc., sometimes even digital scales. You can even use an empty laundry soap bottle made from HDPE that will tolerate the heat. For the things you can’t find at those places, VEVOR has a lot of digital scales that are around $50 and will grow with you because of measurements. The rest outside of “specific” specialty ingredients - Amazon. Shipping is what gets you in this game. Also for lye, it can only be shipped ground. If you use Amazon they usually tack on shipping even with PRIME because it comes Fed-Ex. Essential Depot is a good source for lye. If you get a lifetime “Greener Life” membership, it’s 30% off on their website and 20% off their products on Amazon.