Homemade Vanilla Stabilizer?

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So here are my current results using sodium thiosulfate crystals, the first photo with the darker ring is the day of cut. Second picture 2 days later, and latest one today, a week after cutting. I did plane them at some point but I think they are now back to the point they would have been regardless. I am also attaching a picture of how dark the fragrance is supposed to discolor to. This is similar to a prior experiment where the fragrance did not discolor the soap to a dark brown but did to a dark beige

252C4DFD-A061-45DB-A4C3-CE9575D039A0.jpeg
 
@glendam that is some good results. I think the combination of thiosulfate/metabisulfate might be the key to unlocking this mystery and some incredible $$$ savings.

I got my sodium metabisulfate on Amazon. The brand that I got is the same one that most brewing supply companies sell. I will post the link.

This is the best deal I could find and it should last a long time. Compared to the cost that some of you are paying for VCS, this should be a huge cost break.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016DUKX0W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_TEVLFb2Y33YGB?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
 
This is the best deal I could find and it should last a long time. Compared to the cost that some of you are paying for VCS, this should be a huge cost break.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016DUKX0W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_TEVLFb2Y33YGB?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Thank you! I was just looking at the one from make your own, it is cheaper ($3.50 a lb) but with the shipping it would be more costly. It would make sense if I was buying more things from them. Which incidentally, I did place an order from them for citric acid a few days ago, but they are unable to add items to orders once placed!
 
Rats, I too just placed a big (for me) order of oils and other stuff from Make Your Own (aka SaveOnCitric, aka ChemistryConnection - why do they have so many names, haha?). It probably wouldn't have changed the shipping much, if at all. I still need to use up the VCS that I have from Bitter Creek, but would love to have this on hand when I'm ready to use it.
 
Rats, I too just placed a big (for me) order of oils and other stuff from Make Your Own (aka SaveOnCitric, aka ChemistryConnection - why do they have so many names, haha?). It probably wouldn't have changed the shipping much, if at all. I still need to use up the VCS that I have from Bitter Creek, but would love to have this on hand when I'm ready to use it.
Same here! I could have gotten their metabisulfate, but my mind was on bath bomb making stuff!
 
Rats, I too just placed a big (for me) order of oils and other stuff from Make Your Own (aka SaveOnCitric, aka ChemistryConnection - why do they have so many names, haha?). It probably wouldn't have changed the shipping much, if at all. I still need to use up the VCS that I have from Bitter Creek, but would love to have this on hand when I'm ready to use it.
Make your own sells on eBay and most of the time I get it faster than from their website. It is where I got my EDTA.

So if I am understanding this correctly, the actual color looks more like the last bars? If so, that's pretty amazing for the first try of a homemade solution! Of course you don't want the off-white or the shading if possible, but I'm guessing that you are going to nail this down. Great job!
The pictures are horrible but once I get my new lighting box tomorrow, I will get some better pictures and by then we will see what 48 hours shows.

When I get back from the Dr tomorrow, I am going to make an orange/chocolate FO soap. The chocolate has 6% vanillin from save-on-scents, with the description saying medium brown.
 
Last night I made a chocolate FO soap with 6% vanillin using the 50/50 metabisulfate mix.

Today I'm going to use a 30% thiosulfate, 30% metabisulfate solution. I guess that it is a 3,3:1

I believe that the suppliers who sell VCS are using this blend. Because when I mixed the 2 together it had a very slightly green hue to it, which is exactly the color of the VCS I use from aztec candle. It is still clear, just a tint of green if you like. However I am not sure what ratio they are using.

I'm going to use a FO with 9% vanillin that turns dark brown today and I will post those pictures tomorrow.
 
That’s great, Todd! So appreciate you doing all the heavy lifting on this one.
You are all very welcome. I love figuring out how to make something on my own.
Here's the batch from last night. In person, it is whiter than the picture but not a bright white. However I'm not sure if the off white color is being caused by the vanillin or other FO ingredients. I think it may be my mica. I'm using a different white mica than I used before the experiment. Plus the chocolate FO was very orange /red color and that could be affecting it.

I will know a little bit more tomorrow, when the test batch is done.

The picture is bad. That band at the bottom, is not on the soap in person. I have a new photo shooting box and the lights are not bright enough.
 

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Thanks for all of this Todd. The initial picture of the orange chocolate looks promising for sure.

eta: also meant to say that the soap is very pretty!
 
The soap is definitely very pretty!

@Jersey Girl thanks for the heads up on that! I’ve been thinking of getting a respirator to use when master batching my lye anyway (and for being outside during fire season, too).
 
The soap is definitely very pretty!

@Jersey Girl thanks for the heads up on that! I’ve been thinking of getting a respirator to use when master batching my lye anyway (and for being outside during fire season, too).

Definitely get one. I was thinking of you when I read it. Apparently it is a very fine powder which is easy to inhale unknowingly.
 
Last night I made a chocolate FO soap with 6% vanillin using the 50/50 metabisulfate mix.

Today I'm going to use a 30% thiosulfate, 30% metabisulfate solution. I guess that it is a 3,3:1

I believe that the suppliers who sell VCS are using this blend. Because when I mixed the 2 together it had a very slightly green hue to it, which is exactly the color of the VCS I use from aztec candle. It is still clear, just a tint of green if you like. However I am not sure what ratio they are using.

I'm going to use a FO with 9% vanillin that turns dark brown today and I will post those pictures tomorrow.
How are you dissolving the metabisulfate? 1:1 with water or different ratio. And the thiosulfate. I have just gotten in the thiosulfate and ordered the metabisulfate. I would like to try this and will also post results.
 
How are you dissolving the metabisulfate? 1:1 with water or different ratio. And the thiosulfate. I have just gotten in the thiosulfate and ordered the metabisulfate. I would like to try this and will also post results.
I dissolve the metabisulfate at 30% of what ever amount you want to make. For example, 10 ounces of water and 3 ounce of metabisulfate.

For the sodium thiosulfate, you can dissolve it at 1:1 but I settled on a 25% solution.

For the 2 together, I dissolved 30% of each with 10 ounces of water.

3oz of thiosulfate and 3oz of metabisulfate in 10 ounces of water. I hope this makes sense to you. I'm terrible with ratios.
 
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