Just out of curiosity...

[trishwosere]

A couple of questions if I may.

1/ Why do I need to use glass 'sugar' thermometers as opposed to the pointy ended stainless steel ones (the ones with temp showing in a dial on the top)?
-probably plainly obvious but I don't see it lol.

2/ The gloves needed to make soap do they have to be the strong 'washing - up' type OR can I use the surgical latex type??

Thanks again (sorry to be a pest)
Trish

 

[paillo]

i don't use thermometers any more, learned quickly to be able to feel the containers and gauge the temps. but when i was using them, the pointy ended ones you describe worked just fine. don't know why you were told that you have to use the glass ones -- i don't think that's the case at all.

i use the surgical gloves, and prefer the nitrile ones over the latex ones. even though the surgical gloves are 'disposable', i use them over and over again. the pair i'm using now has endured at least a dozen batches of soap. hth!

 

[LadyM]

You just feel the containers? What??! Now that is impressive!!!

I use the pointy end thermometer and haven't had any problems.

 

[trishwosere]

i don't use thermometers any more, learned quickly to be able to feel the containers and gauge the temps. but when i was using them, the pointy ended ones you describe worked just fine. don't know why you were told that you have to use the glass ones -- i don't think that's the case at all.

i use the surgical gloves, and prefer the nitrile ones over the latex ones. even though the surgical gloves are 'disposable', i use them over and over again. the pair i'm using now has endured at least a dozen batches of soap. hth!

Many thanks paillo, with regards to the thermometers it's what was written in a couple of soap making books i bought...just goes to show don't believe everything you read lol .The nitrile gloves I can see being a problem getting, I live in the UK and unless they're called something different over here then I haven't seen any of them...latex it is!

 

[ToniD]

I ditto the thermometer info paillo gave you, and I might even hypothesize that the glass ones are not a good idea. Lots of people say that lye can etch glass, even the heat proof pyrex type, eventually causing it to break. :?: Just a thought.

 

[spicyjem]

I too use a pointy end thermometer. My wife bought it at Target for like $15.00, and it works instantly. It's digital, and even has an alarm on it, so you can set it to beep when your water/lye solution drops down to a certain temperature:

http://bit.ly/fPizGW

The pointy metal end extends on a cord, so I can safely put it into something, while the digital read out is separate and away from whatever is being measured.

I just make sure to clean it really good when I am done, and in my case, I don't use it for anything else like food.

 

[kelleyaynn]

I don't use it for anything else like food.

If the thermometer is steel, and you wash it off really good, there really isn't any reason you can't use it for food again. I use my kitchenaid mixer bowl, which is stainless for soapmaking and cooking. The metal will not absorb anything. I just make sure I wash it REALLY well. AND put it in the dishwasher, so it gets cleaned twice. I do the same thing with the stainless pot I make my lye solution in. If I made enough soap to sell, I would probably invest in separate equipment, but I double duty the things that I can, just to save money and storage space. I don't use my plastic lye measuring bowl for anything else!

 

[calico21]

I think they say to use the longer" washing up" type gloves to protect your forearms, but i either wear long shirts or I have a pair of forearm protectors from when i was a spot welder that come in handy on hot summer days. (They look like a pair of really heavy socks with the toes cut out. Hint :wink: ) And the latex gloves work fine, but I do dispose of them each time.

 

[trishwosere]

Dunno why I didn't think of looking for the nitrile gloves on the well known internet selling site(not sure if advertising is allowed lol) ...and they do sell here the UK so excellent, thank you both

 

[trishwosere]

Thank you ALL very much for your advice, this site truly is a newbies dream...thanks

 

[kelleyaynn]

Oh about the gloves - I made a bunch of batches with the disposable gloves, but got little lye pinpricks around my wrists. I switched recently to a close fitting dishwashing type of glove, and my skin is much happier.

 

[busymakinsoap!]

I use a glass thermometer for my lye solution and digital pointy one for my oils.
I prefer the glass one. Its much easier to hold with golves on (for me my hands are quite small and I drown in gloves) and you dont need to push any buttons.
My digital also takes slightly longer to read, whereas the glass is almost straight away.
Also the glass ones are fairly durable and completely water tight, my digital one got a bit of oil in it and now the screen is fading.
And lastly :wink: .......the shape of the glass one is fantastic for leaving in a pot (I have a big one), they just attach to the side, whereas the digital is short and falls in to mix (hence the oil in the screen) if left unattented.

The comment ToniD made in regards to glass etching is worry though....

 

[trishwosere]

I use a glass thermometer for my lye solution and digital pointy one for my oils.
I prefer the glass one. Its much easier to hold with golves on (for me my hands are quite small and I drown in gloves) and you dont need to push any buttons.
My digital also takes slightly longer to read, whereas the glass is almost straight away.
Also the glass ones are fairly durable and completely water tight, my digital one got a bit of oil in it and now the screen is fading.
And lastly :wink: .......the shape of the glass one is fantastic for leaving in a pot (I have a big one), they just attach to the side, whereas the digital is short and falls in to mix (hence the oil in the screen) if left unattented.

The comment ToniD made in regards to glass etching is worry though....

Thanks SpicyJem, Kellyaynn and busymakinsoap...there's pro's and cons I suppose it all comes down to personal choice, but I understand what you mean about the glass ones busy, I saw some on ebay and they had a pen type catch on...so I'll go for them first

 

[soapbuddy]

I don't use a thermometer except for lotion making. With that said, lye will etch the glass thermometer over time. I have a laser thermometer and love it. No touching anything.

 

[Dragonkaz]

I like the stainless steel thermometre with the dial top. The stainless ones I use have clips on them, making them easy to attach to the sides of my pots.

Gloves ... I have thicker long ones and latex disposable ones. In the hot weather, I use the thicker ones with cotton gloves under them and I use the disposable ones when my skin isn't sweating in the heat of the day.

 

[trishwosere]

I like the stainless steel thermometre with the dial top. The stainless ones I use have clips on them, making them easy to attach to the sides of my pots.

Gloves ... I have thicker long ones and latex disposable ones. In the hot weather, I use the thicker ones with cotton gloves under them and I use the disposable ones when my skin isn't sweating in the heat of the day.

Thank you Dragonkaz, could you tell me where you bought your therm's from please?

 

[Dragonkaz]

The thick gloves come from Bunnings - a DIY enthusiats shop wtih loads of hardwares, plants and that type of stuff. The disposables I buy in the cleaning section of my local supermarkets ... Woolworths and Coles.

 

[judymoody]

I don't use a thermometer except for lotion making. With that said, lye will etch the glass thermometer over time. I have a laser thermometer and love it. No touching anything.

Me too! My husband bought one of these for a different purpose and I love it. Point it and instant readout. I use it for liquid shampoo and syndet bars and very occasionally when soap making.

I use the elbow length kitchen gloves as form fitting as is comfortable. The disposable kind that end at or near the wrist just don't cut it for me.

 

[trishwosere]

can you tell me the name of these types of thermometers and also where to buy them from? thanks