hand stirring your first batch?

[reflection]

i think i'm going to get the waring SB but am still thinking about hand stirring my first batch of the 100% coconut oil, 20% SF recipe just so the whole process will be a bit more relaxed.

33 oz coconut oil, 76 degrees
4.83 oz lye NaOH
12.54 oz distilled water

do any of you have any idea how long this would take to hand stir? i will make either 1 or 2 lbs. not sure yet. i can handle hand stirring 1 hr no problem, 1 1/2 hr i'll be getting a bit tired & bored and 2 hrs would be the absolute maximum of hand stirring for me.

ok, here's the soap calc. i'm assuming 4.83 as opposed to their 4.84 oz lye is okay, right? (eta: oh, it calculated fragrance which i won't be adding but it is still 4.84 when i recalc it.) conditioning is only a 10. hmm, maybe i do need to up the SF but i thought this is the amount usually done for this soap?

 

[topofmurrayhill]

do any of you have any idea how long this would take to hand stir? i will make either 1 or 2 lbs. not sure yet. i can handle hand stirring 1 hr no problem, 1 1/2 hr i'll be getting a bit tired & bored and 2 hrs would be the absolute maximum of hand stirring for me.

ok, here's the soap calc. i'm assuming 4.83 as opposed to their 4.84 oz lye is okay, right? (eta: oh, it calculated fragrance which i won't be adding but it is still 4.84 when i recalc it.) conditioning is only a 10. hmm, maybe i do need to up the SF but i thought this is the amount usually done for this soap?

It's doable. 100% CO traces slower than I expected before trying it, but I remember once having to do it by hand for some reason and it was okay.

Don't worry about the conditioning number. It doesn't really mean anything and it will lead you astray trying to learn to formulate your own recipes.

 

[Arimara]

IS the soap meant yo be cold process? If not, that recipe is fine but if so, you have quite a bit of water. I found 3 to 5 pulses help to kick start things.

 

[wearytraveler]

I'm still very new to this (started in May and have only 9 batches under my belt) but I pulse for a second or two till I reach the point where it's past emulsification and just before light trace then use a balloon whisk to continue and mix in scents.
Also, since I'm not much into colors I have taken (since batch No. 5) to SBing right in my mold. This leaves me no concerns about fast moving FOs. Maybe I'm going against the grain but it works for me!

 

[reflection]

It's doable. 100% CO traces slower than I expected before trying it, but I remember once having to do it by hand for some reason and it was okay.

Don't worry about the conditioning number. It doesn't really mean anything and it will lead you astray trying to learn to formulate your own recipes.

actually, i saw someone here said using soapcalc to come up with recipes isn't a good idea and to go by oil properties & fatty acid profiles instead. i did start looking into all that last night and it's pretty interesting. i'm sticking to my recipes though as i trust that experienced soapers who've made these soaps know what they are talking about. humans over computers.

IS the soap meant yo be cold process? If not, that recipe is fine but if so, you have quite a bit of water. I found 3 to 5 pulses help to kick start things.

i'll be doing the crock pot method, CPHP.

 

[topofmurrayhill]

i think i'm going to get the waring SB but am still thinking about hand stirring my first batch of the 100% coconut oil, 20% SF recipe just so the whole process will be a bit more relaxed.

I forgot to fully address what you said about mixing times. It should take way less than an hour.

Forgive me if this is obvious or already covered, but by "hand stirring" we normally mean a whisk. Let's call it a brisk whisk because you want to emulsify the ingredients well and help keep things moving along. It's still possible to splatter.

You can use any kind of whisk, but if it's metal it should be a high quality one that won't rust.

 

[reflection]

I forgot to fully address what you said about mixing times. It should take way less than an hour.

awesome

Forgive me if this is obvious or already covered, but by "hand stirring" we normally mean a whisk. Let's call it a brisk whisk because you want to emulsify the ingredients well and help keep things moving along. It's still possible to splatter.

You can use any kind of whisk, but if it's metal it should be a high quality one that won't rust.

i have an oxo metal whisk. dang thing is rather large so i thought it was cheap but maybe it is good being oxo brand. is a long stainless slotted spoon okay too? that is what i was planning on using.

 

[Arimara]

actually, i saw someone here said using soapcalc to come up with recipes isn't a good idea and to go by oil properties & fatty acid profiles instead. i did start looking into all that last night and it's pretty interesting. i'm sticking to my recipes though as i trust that experienced soapers who've made these soaps know what they are talking about. humans over computers.
.

It's good to know which oils have what properties and what not (soft, brittle or hard) but soapcalc is not bad to use for making a soap recipe once. In truth, you won't really be able to make a well balanced recipe until you get a feel for how the oils and butters you may want to use behave when soaping. I started out with recipes formulated via soapcalc purely for seeing how they'd be. Now, 10 months into soaping, I have a better idea for what soaps I may continue to make what ideas to let fade in the winds.