Glass or plastic? Mixing your lye. And making a mess.

[artisan soaps]

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[artisan soaps]

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[holly99]

Here's a 32 oz pitcher on Amazon but does have a solid handle. Does this look good?

http://www.amazon.com/Rattleware-32-Oun ... 411&sr=8-7

Looks good to me, as does the price!

Ok cool! I just about finalized a big amazon order a few minutes ago. I'm glad my soap brain took over first!

 

[SoapieCP]

Hi Soapers
Just a quick note from bitter experience....
If using plastic, be cautious of static when pouring in the Lye for weighing. The static produced by plastic containers sends the little lye granules flying all over inside the container.
Pyrex, Ceramic and stainless steel containers don't have this concern thankfully.

Have fun soaping
X

 

[MagiaDellaLuna]

Hi Soapers
Just a quick note from bitter experience....
If using plastic, be cautious of static when pouring in the Lye for weighing. The static produced by plastic containers sends the little lye granules flying all over inside the container.
Pyrex, Ceramic and stainless steel containers don't have this concern thankfully.

Have fun soaping
X

You can wipe your plastic containers down with an anti-static drier cloth or a cloth soaked in fabric softener and then wrung out.
It dramatically reduces the amount of static and prevents the flyaway granule syndrome.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

I've been using a glass batter bowl and now I don't want to! I like the idea of stainless steel but a quick search doesn't reveal much for me. I doubt I'd find anything at Walmart/Target etc. The frothing pitcher sounds nice but the ones I saw have solid steel handles so wouldn't that get pretty hot?

So now what? :?

What about a stainless steel saucepan that doesn't get used much? You could get one from second hand store.

 

[holly99]

A saucepan would definitely work but I know I'd personally prefer one with a pour spout. I have seen those also but new they are more expensive than the frothing pitcher that I found online. I'm just going to get the pitcher since I'm making an order from there anyway.

This is really a good thread for safety info. I soap downstairs away from the kitchen so I don't need any lye spills. :shock:

 

[MagiaDellaLuna]

I have an assortment of stainless steel jugs, but my current favourite is a 4.5 L stainless steel tea kettle which I found on auction.

 

[Absinthe]

Currently the only things I use are the two pots I have. I have no problem pouring the lye water into the fat pot without a pour spout. I pour slowly and gently and couldn't imagine a scenario where a lye spill would happen. However if it did I would be over my glass topped stove and it would clean up pretty quickly with paper towels and vinegar.

As for the temperature of a all steel mixing cup I would not be too concerned. If it were really an issue you could use a silicone grip on it. However, like the lady in the Chinese restaurant told me, when I asked her why the tea cups had no handles, if it is too hot to hold the cup it is too hot to drink. The lye in my pot gets to about 160 F at the absolute hottest so far. However, I never pour it at that temperature so I don't need to hold a 160 F handle. I like the pot better because it is deeper and wider than a mixing cup would be. It cools faster and allows for less splashing. It does not have a handle guard so is steel through out, and I never get any heat to the handle at all. I would be concerned with the smaller steel mixing cupt because they are narrower and perhaps would cool more slowly. But that is just my gut reaction to them.

 

[artisan soaps]

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[holly99]

A saucepan would definitely work but I know I'd personally prefer one with a pour spout. I have seen those also but new they are more expensive than the frothing pitcher that I found online. I'm just going to get the pitcher since I'm making an order from there anyway.

This is really a good thread for safety info. I soap downstairs away from the kitchen so I don't need any lye spills. :shock:

If you're not near a water source when you soap how about having a bucket of water & a spray bottle filled with vinegar at the ready, just in case .. Plus a few old towels - better safe then sorry

I actually have a sink down there in the same room, it just isn't a sink that I can set my lye pitcher down in. I do have a spray bottle with vinegar too. So if I get the stainless steel pitcher going then I should be good to go.