Hello from a newbie :)

[melonpan]

Hi everyone

I've been a reader on this forum for a few months now. My name's Alice, I'm Italian but currently living in the UK. I've started making CP soap last year after attending a soap-making workshop that literally blew my mind. Who knew it would be my next hobby!

I've been soaping occasionally for the past year, that's until I stumbled on a thread on this forum explaining that Pyrex is not really recommended neither for the lye solution nor for the soap batter itself (I had been using borosilicate containers until that time! Imagine my surprise). I have now found some good stainless steel and #5 plastic jugs so I'm getting ready to start soaping again.

I'm really glad to have found this forum as it's a fascinating read every time.
Looking forward to talk soap

 

[GemstonePony]

Welcome!

 

[shunt2011]

Hello and welcome!

 

[Relle]

Welcome Alice

 

[KimW]

Welcome, Alice!

 

[lsg]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[linne1gi]

Welcome!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

(I had been using borosilicate containers until that time! Imagine my surprise).

Actually, Alice, Pyrex used to be made of borosilicate, which is fine for soap making, but it no longer is. It is now made of glass. Boo Hoo. I deeply mourn for my old 8-cup Pyrex that lasted 13 years before it had "an accident" and broke to pieces. Irreplaceable!

 

[linne1gi]

Actually, Alice, Pyrex used to be made of borosilicate, which is fine for soap making, but it no longer is. It is now made of glass. Boo Hoo. I deeply mourn for my old 8-cup Pyrex that lasted 13 years before it had "an accident" and broke to pieces. Irreplaceable!
View attachment 51311

Actually Borosilicate Glass is still being made. It can be difficult to find but it is out there. But it is still glass. Lye etches glass and over time the glass is weakened and will shatter. I had a Borosilicate Glass pitcher shatter - about 1 year after being used for lye. It was full of lye solution and let me tell you - It is no fun cleaning up lye solution and glass shards.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Actually Borosilicate Glass is still being made. It can be difficult to find but it is out there. But it is still glass. Lye etches glass and over time the glass is weakened and will shatter. I had a Borosilicate Glass pitcher shatter - about 1 year after being used for lye. It was full of lye solution and let me tell you - It is no fun cleaning up lye solution and glass shards.

That's interesting, @linne1gi. If you don't mind my asking, I'm curious... what caused it to shatter? I know there are Borosilicate Glass containers available at chemistry supply stores but they tend to be thin not thick like Pyrex.

ETA: Picture of 4-cup thick glass pitcher I bought at a garage sale. It looked like this when I got it a long time ago. 2004 or 2005. I think the owner must have been a soaper. I cherish it.

 

[IrishLass]

Welcome, Alice!


IrishLass

 

[linne1gi]

That's interesting, @linne1gi. If you don't mind my asking, I'm curious... what caused it to shatter? I know there are Borosilicate Glass containers available at chemistry supply stores but they tend to be thin not thick like Pyrex.

ETA: Picture of 4-cup thick glass pitcher I bought at a garage sale. It looked like this when I got it a long time ago. 2004 or 2005. I think the owner must have been a soaper. I cherish it.
View attachment 51323

It’s the etching. Each time you use it, it etches more. Almost like deep scratches that aren’t readily apparent to the eye. Then one time, it’s like the straw that broke the camels back, bam, it shatters. And yes, that pitcher is badly etched.

 

[melonpan]

That's interesting, @linne1gi. If you don't mind my asking, I'm curious... what caused it to shatter? I know there are Borosilicate Glass containers available at chemistry supply stores but they tend to be thin not thick like Pyrex.

It’s the etching. Each time you use it, it etches more. Almost like deep scratches that aren’t readily apparent to the eye. Then one time, it’s like the straw that broke the camels back, bam, it shatters. And yes, that pitcher is badly etched.

Thank you both for sharing details.
I got curious to see if there is a way to find out if your glass cointainer is borosilicate glass or not, but it seems it's not really something that can be checked and still have a Pyrex container to use.

 

[linne1gi]

Thank you both for sharing details.
I got curious to see if there is a way to find out if your glass cointainer is borosilicate glass or not, but it seems it's not really something that can be checked and still have a Pyrex container to use.

I imagine if you had an “in” at a lab, you could have it analyzed.

 

[Laura Vohs]

Welcome Alice!

 

[Michele M.]

This is something I know about! I got deep into research about the borosilicate Pyrex some years ago and learned something VERY handy: the company has a capital P on the Pyrex dishes that are made with borosilicate -- and those that are just glass always have a lower-case p! This applies to their baking dishes, etc. as well as their measuring cups and batter bowls. There are two ways I have seen the borosilicate dishes labeled: Pyrex (probably older) and PYREX (newer but now old too). It's just the letter P that must be capitalized to assure you are getting the borosilicate.

Non-borosilicate pyrex is often easily spotted visually if you know what to look for: glance at the edges -- the rim around the baking dish, mixing bowl or measuring cup -- and if it is NOT borosilicate you will probably notice a faint sort of bluish or greenish tint, but just at the edges of the rim. The borosilicate glass NEVER has the blue or green tint at the edges.

I have collected all the Pyrex I have needed easily by turning to eBay. You can -- due to the capital P -- easily spot the borosilicate dishes.

P.S. As long as I'm talking better and worse in old standby dishes, I should also mention Corning Ware. All the really special qualities of the original Corning Ware were left behind when -- sometime in the early '90s -- the company changed owners. At that time the NEW owner changed the trademark name to label all the dishes they have made since then using the moniker "Corningware" -- that is NO SPACE between Corning and Ware. For the true excellent-quality Corning Ware you must have the space in the middle. NOTE: There is one exception, and that is that more recently the company discovered that there are a lot of diehard fans that refuse to purchase the new faux dishes, so they started a "new" line of their dishes that made or makes the dishes the old way, and I have not researched this topic very far because the newly made good-quality dishes are MUCH more expensive than their inferior product AND more expensive than purchasing the vintage (which can not only be found on eBay, but also Amazon from time to time). Well, at least until recently. Apparently people out to make a killing with vintage Corning Ware are doing their best to up the prices on the good stuff, so some people will do better off looking for these wonderful dishes at local estate sales, etc. If interested in the topic of Corning Ware and its history with "pyroceram," check out this hobbyist's website: CorningWare 411

It would be interesting to learn whether any home soapmakers are using vintage Corning Ware for their lye solutions. My guess is that it could possibly hold up as well or even better than the good Pyrex dishes.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

@Michele M. - Good to know! I do shop estate sales when I have time, which isn't very often any more. I'm hoping to find a replacement for my 8-cup Pyrex (with a capital "P" haha).

 

[Michele M.]

@Michele M. - Good to know! I do shop estate sales when I have time, which isn't very often any more. I'm hoping to find a replacement for my 8-cup Pyrex (with a capital "P" haha).
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