MzMolly65
Well-Known Member
sheesh .. some days I just shouldn't get out of bed.
I thought I'd master batch some oils and lye today; getting ready to make a bunch of soap this week.
Decided to follow another soaper who said she just mixed her lye right into the big master batch container. WELL ............. for me that was a mistake. My container is a repurposed bleach bottle and has a small opening so I was using a funnel and small scoop to gently pour the lye into the bottle containing the water, but with the small opening the steam starting clumping up the lye in the funnel AND then the bottle started getting hot enough the bottom was bowing out .. which made me feel panicky. I know the bottle is ok for lye water but I was afraid the heat might just split a seam or melt the bottom so I decided to finish mixing it in a bowl. The only SS bowl I have was currently holding the balance of the lye that needed to go into the mix. Grrrr ..... all I had for option was a large glass bowl.
I prayed hard and poured it into that, "please don't break, please don't break" (I'm sure you know that prayer). Once all the lye was in, I decided to hurry up and get it out of the glass bowl and poured it into the now empty ss bowl. *whew* disaster averted (so I thought)
All this back and forth in various containers is making me nervous. It's just upping the odds of an accident. (I never should have allowed that thought to enter my head because it opened the door for fate to step in)
Letting that cool, I went about master batching my oils.
Then I looked over and my lye has a crusty, white top all over it. Argh! Either the bowl had some unseen film on it or the SS is cheap and was starting to peel a bit but either way now the lye needs to be strained (more handling :evil: )
Sure enough .. I'm using a screen, lined with a coffee filter and I'm straining the lye directly into the funnel atop the bleach bottle but it's coming through the screen like thick molasses .. one .. drop .. at .. a .. time! My arms are getting tired, I'm getting impatient and I started shaking the screen .. trying to get the lye to move through just a bit faster so I can put it down for a bit ..... and .... whammy the funnel slips, the screen goes flying (thank God the bottle didn't tip). I jump back while spatters of caustic hell fire fly all over. I grab the funnel and quickly throw it into the sink full of water before it can tip the bottle over. I pick up the screen off the floor and throw it in same sink, grab a wet cloth and throw it on the floor, quickly slop that around with my crutch to lessen the risk of anyone stepping in it but now I'm on crutches on wet floor. Grab another slopping wet rag and throw it on the lye puddle on my counter .. mush that into the sink full of water. Survey the balance of the damage, take a deep breath .. and start cleaning up the mess.
Had to take all the burners off my stove, had to pull the stove out to get the dribble that ran down the side of the counter. Had to use a ton of water on everything in site to make sure I didn't miss one tiny spatter.
When hubby comes home he sure as hell better notice the screaming clean kitchen because it has been washed, washed, washed and washed again, every surface, every crook and cranny. Spring cleaning .. ya .. that's it .. I wasn't making soap or throwing lye around the house .. noooo, not me, I was spring cleaning!
Good grief, I'm done for the day. I was going to make soap or lip balm but no way am I tempting that nasty fate gremlin in my kitchen again today! I can just imagine what would happen with hot wax :-?
I thought I'd master batch some oils and lye today; getting ready to make a bunch of soap this week.
Decided to follow another soaper who said she just mixed her lye right into the big master batch container. WELL ............. for me that was a mistake. My container is a repurposed bleach bottle and has a small opening so I was using a funnel and small scoop to gently pour the lye into the bottle containing the water, but with the small opening the steam starting clumping up the lye in the funnel AND then the bottle started getting hot enough the bottom was bowing out .. which made me feel panicky. I know the bottle is ok for lye water but I was afraid the heat might just split a seam or melt the bottom so I decided to finish mixing it in a bowl. The only SS bowl I have was currently holding the balance of the lye that needed to go into the mix. Grrrr ..... all I had for option was a large glass bowl.
I prayed hard and poured it into that, "please don't break, please don't break" (I'm sure you know that prayer). Once all the lye was in, I decided to hurry up and get it out of the glass bowl and poured it into the now empty ss bowl. *whew* disaster averted (so I thought)
All this back and forth in various containers is making me nervous. It's just upping the odds of an accident. (I never should have allowed that thought to enter my head because it opened the door for fate to step in)
Letting that cool, I went about master batching my oils.
Then I looked over and my lye has a crusty, white top all over it. Argh! Either the bowl had some unseen film on it or the SS is cheap and was starting to peel a bit but either way now the lye needs to be strained (more handling :evil: )
Sure enough .. I'm using a screen, lined with a coffee filter and I'm straining the lye directly into the funnel atop the bleach bottle but it's coming through the screen like thick molasses .. one .. drop .. at .. a .. time! My arms are getting tired, I'm getting impatient and I started shaking the screen .. trying to get the lye to move through just a bit faster so I can put it down for a bit ..... and .... whammy the funnel slips, the screen goes flying (thank God the bottle didn't tip). I jump back while spatters of caustic hell fire fly all over. I grab the funnel and quickly throw it into the sink full of water before it can tip the bottle over. I pick up the screen off the floor and throw it in same sink, grab a wet cloth and throw it on the floor, quickly slop that around with my crutch to lessen the risk of anyone stepping in it but now I'm on crutches on wet floor. Grab another slopping wet rag and throw it on the lye puddle on my counter .. mush that into the sink full of water. Survey the balance of the damage, take a deep breath .. and start cleaning up the mess.
Had to take all the burners off my stove, had to pull the stove out to get the dribble that ran down the side of the counter. Had to use a ton of water on everything in site to make sure I didn't miss one tiny spatter.
When hubby comes home he sure as hell better notice the screaming clean kitchen because it has been washed, washed, washed and washed again, every surface, every crook and cranny. Spring cleaning .. ya .. that's it .. I wasn't making soap or throwing lye around the house .. noooo, not me, I was spring cleaning!
Good grief, I'm done for the day. I was going to make soap or lip balm but no way am I tempting that nasty fate gremlin in my kitchen again today! I can just imagine what would happen with hot wax :-?
