Hello from Denver - So new, I haven't even soaped yet :)

[Meena]

Greetings! I am Meena, and soaping has been on my bucket list for 5 or 10 years (time flies). In a bookstore with my SO pre-Christmas, I saw an illustrated soap-making book and suggested it as a gift idea for me. Being the smart and clever SO that he is, what do you think Santa delivered??

My typical M.O. is to read/research/study for "a while" before plunging in. I don't have a space that can be devoted to soaping, and I have concerns regarding lye use in a rented apartment, so I likely will start 'slowly and small' using soap bases. In about a year's time, we hope to be in a house of our own, and then I will feel more free to work directly with lye... but please chime in and let me know if my concerns are unfounded, and/or how you are soaping in an apartment!


Learning a lot from you all in the last 2 days, and enjoying your personalities, loving natures, and sharing/caring! Happy to be here.

 

[lsg]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[IrishLass]

Welcome, Meena!

You are wise to have concerns because of the potential dangers lye presents, but there's no reason to be afraid just as long as you treat it with the respect it deserves.......just like you would respect bleach or any other potentially dangerous household chemical.


IrishLass

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Hi Meena! There's a few of us in the Denver area. I'm in Lone Tree, near Park Meadows. I have soaping supplies I need to use up. If you ever want to escape the apartment, come on down and you can watch how easy it is to make soap using lye. As Irish said, take precautions -- no worries.

 

[shunt2011]

Hello and Welcome!

 

[Loralei]

Hello, and welcome Meena!! I understand your concern over using lye, for sure - I once had a spill ruin part of my flooring... my suggestion, if you want to try soaping with lye in your apartment, would be to lay down some plastic (like a garbage bag) - so if anything spills, you can just collect it, and toss it..

Also, fumes - open window, use your stove vent, and get a respirator mask suited to chemical fumes.. and happy soaping!!

 

[dixiedragon]

Welcome to the forum! Here is a nice kit that has almost everything you need - all you need to supply is water, a pot, and a stick blender. Stick blender is optional but HIGHLY recommended!

Nothing wrong with M&P (melt and pour) but I don't think it will really teach you much about CP (cold process). For example, a lot of scents that work for M&P won't work for CP.

As we say here, lye isn't radioactive. Respect it, but don't fear it.

 

[jcandleattic]

Hi Meena! There's a few of us in the Denver area. I'm in Lone Tree, near Park Meadows. I have soaping supplies I need to use up. If you ever want to escape the apartment, come on down and you can watch how easy it is to make soap using lye. As Irish said, take precautions -- no worries.

I've been trying to do a smallish get together of about 10-12 of us (like a very mini convention) soapmakers to make soap, talk about the industry, what suppliers are the best, etc.,etc., for years. It has not worked out yet, but maybe once I retire and have more time I can devote more to it. I just wish retirement was around the corner for me. Unfortunately, I still have quite a few more years to go.

IF it ever happens I will be sure to let you know!!

@Meena - welcome. Whereabouts in the Denver area are you? I'm up north - close to Brighton.
Your concerns are not unfounded persay, I mean, lye is a caustic substance. But handled with care and working with a knowledge and respect for what it can do can alleviate those concerns and once you have that, it's not really as scary as it seems at first.

 

[Relle]

Welcome Meena .

 

[Meena]

Hi Meena! There's a few of us in the Denver area. I'm in Lone Tree, near Park Meadows. I have soaping supplies I need to use up. If you ever want to escape the apartment, come on down and you can watch how easy it is to make soap using lye. As Irish said, take precautions -- no worries.

Hello!! I noticed you already, so I was thrilled when you wrote! What a tremendously kind and neighborly offer -- which I will take you up on! Does this forum have direct messaging, where we can exchange info?

Welcome Meena .

oooh I love your bunny rabbit avi!!!!!!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

<<< Click on my avatar. That will take you to my Profile page where you can start a conversation.

 

[Meena]

@Meena - welcome. Whereabouts in the Denver area are you? I'm up north - close to Brighton.
Your concerns are not unfounded persay, I mean, lye is a caustic substance. But handled with care and working with a knowledge and respect for what it can do can alleviate those concerns and once you have that, it's not really as scary as it seems at first.

I'm in SE Denver.

I once had a spill ruin part of my flooring... my suggestion, if you want to try soaping with lye in your apartment, would be to lay down some plastic (like a garbage bag) - so if anything spills, you can just collect it, and toss it..

Really, the lye won't go through a plastic bag in half a second?? I thought about laying down a tarp or sturdy painter's drop cloth, but then thought they'd simply be useless...

Here is a nice kit that has almost everything you need - all you need to supply is water, a pot, and a stick blender. Stick blender is optional but HIGHLY recommended!

I saw someone using a stick blender in a video and was fascinated! I started looking at them, saw one with a 250 watt motor and another (KitchenAid) that didn't state the wattage. Figure the motor needs to be a bit strong to handle soap batter, right? What brand/wattage do you have?

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Mosey on over to the Beginner's Forum and find the Sticky "Beginner's Learn to Soap Online". Lots of good info there to get you started. Take a cuppa along and scroll down to Lovin' Soap Studio to get a handle on most of the stuff we talk about here.

Most of the equipment you need you probably already have in your kitchen, with the exception of a stick blender which you might find at a thrift store or Walmart, Target, etc. You can use a whisk to bring soap to trace, but a stick blender is faster.

LYE Look for Rooto "100% sodium hydroxide" (lye) locally at the hardware store or big box stores (drain cleaner). For very little expense, you can buy lard at the grocery store which makes a fine bar of soap all by itself. I wouldn't recommend 100% olive oil (Castile) soap to start with... it takes a long time to trace and requires a long cure.

Make a few 1 lb batches to get the hang of it.

This thread is a fun read about what pitfalls await Newbies:
What advice would you give to your beginning soaping self? - http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=62916

The best way to search SMF: GOOGLE
(type your keywords here) site:soapmakingforum.com
If you want to search for a phrase, put the phrase in quotes.
You can include individual words along with phrases

 

[dixiedragon]

I have a Kitchen Aid and a Cuisinart. I personally haven't never burned out a stick blender, but it has happened! Don't blend constantly, blend for 10 seconds, stir with the wand 2-3 times, then blend for another 30 seconds. I am typically a Cuisinart fan. I have a kitchenaid that works fine, but the wand joins the the motor by 2 little plastic clips, and one of the clips broke off. So I look for ones that aren't held together by clips. But most of the pictures dont' show you the join between the wand and the motor, so you have to look. Sometimes on Amazon there are pictures added by customers that will show it. But mostly I have to look in the box.

 

[SaltedFig]

Hello Meena ... sounds like you are surrounded by fellow soapers!