Largest batch of HP soap ?

[Lion Of Judah]

Greetings :
1st off let me introduce myself,my name is Janeau,and i'm new to this forum. I am also a newbie to saponification, as of this moment i have two CP batch under me belt , i have also been researching and reading as well as watching videos from since the start of the year. hopefully i can do the craft and science proud.

I was talking with a fellow newbie and she bought it to my attention that there is no information or videos on how to make large batches of "Hot Process " soap and that there was no tutorial on how to break down a large batch into say 5 lb molds that you can scent and color each one differently . Any one know of how you would go about making large 20-30 lb batches and breaking it down into smaller molds , would it get hard in the pot while trying to scent and color one portion for the smaller mold?

 

[Sanctuary]

Hello Janeau,

I really haven't made 20-30 pounds at a time...but I have made 5 lb. loaves...although not in the crockpot. I would think that if your pot holds 5 lbs of ingredients you would be able to make a 5 lb. loaf.....so....I would think that it could be done. I began with small loaves, but the wooden molds that I have now were made for me and make 5 lb loaves....which gives me 14 bars....so....I hope his helps you....Good Luck.

:angel:
Sanctuary

 

[IrishLass]

The most I've ever done is 5 lbs total at a time. When I do HP, I make it in my oven in a big stainless soup pot. I can only make as big of a batch as my oven can hold, which is nowhere near 20 to 30 lbs, I can tell you that.

For really big batches like that, it sounds like you'd need something like this: http://www.soapmelters.com/Soap-Making- ... rs-s/3.htm

A word to the wise, though: Since you are new, start out with small batches at first until you have your recipe/formula down to a science - 1.5 to 2 pounds is ideal for those new to the craft. That way, if things don't go as envisioned (which often happens when first starting out), you won't have wasted too much.

It's also good to keep in mind that bigger batches behave differently than smaller batches. More heat is generated, etc... so you'll definitely want to have your ducks in a row before attempting really big batches.


IrishLass

 

[Lion Of Judah]

Thanks for the reply Sanctuary and Irishlass :

the whole jest of it all is to try create a big enough HP batch that reduce the need to make 3-5 single 5lb batches one at a time . now in my frame of mind { its funny when you making a mistake that it seems so right at the time/ but at least in the mind no material gets wasted } if you make say about 20 lbs of HP batch in a pot that you may be able to take out 5lbs at a time and scent and color and put it in a mold without the other 15 lbs going bad [ something similar to CP where you can go to light or medium trace and take some out and do different things and still get a usable material.] because to me its still in the pot warm and not hard so a little superfatting and a couple turns with a stick blender you can whip in color and scent and put it in the mold .
i haven't done HP as yet so its just a thought , my friend is trying to find a way to mass produce HP soap just like it can be done in CP method or something close to it.
sounds plausible ?
thanks again for your replys

 

[Lindy]

Okay so the first challenge you are going to have is getting a crock pot big enough to hold that amount of ingredient. I do melt up that amount of oils in one stock pot so I only have to use one pot for the oils but then I weigh out what I need for my batch, have lye ready in individual amounts for the appropriate amounts so that it makes it really easy to do up each 6 lb batch that I need (my logs hold 6 pounds each).

So I pour out the amount of oil that I need into a pail, add my lye and then proceed as normal and repeat for as many batches as I am making that day. When I HP I only make enough for the mould I am using because otherwise I would need a second crock pot to keep the soap hot enough while fragrancing so I can get it to pour properly.

Usually if you are going a 20 - whatever size batch you have a super large cube mould that is going to hold that amount of soap all in one scent. That is a whole other kettle of fish though....