Master batch oils lye

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zolveria

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Okay so after 8 years i have the need to master batch ..

I have one question? or perhaps 2

Using my original recipe. If it calls for 4oz of lye and I tripled my oils
Do keep a 50/50 lye solute or do I triple my lye also.

what is the shelf life of 50/50 lye solute.
 
Okay so after 8 years i have the need to master batch ..

I have one question? or perhaps 2

Using my original recipe. If it calls for 4oz of lye and I tripled my oils
Do keep a 50/50 lye solute or do I triple my lye also.

what is the shelf life of 50/50 lye solute.
Good morning! (and happy mother's day!)

Here are some vids I thought were pretty good. First, lye:

https://youtu.be/7-MGBLfMiLo

And one on oils:

https://youtu.be/yGYLP9Ht-Bk

(I thought there was an option to embed videos here?)
 
If you master batch, you then just take out what you need for that batch? Then you use enough lye for that particular batch. The most you can ever have is a 50% lye solution as lye needs the same amount of water to dissolve. If you use more lye than water when making your solution, it won't work
 
In regards to your first question, here's (another) good thread on master batching lye that explains things in more detail: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=26634

In regards to your second question of how long a 50% lye solution master batch lasts- a very long time- provided it is properly stored in the appropriate container and tightly covered, that is. I've let portions of mine sit for months and even as long as a whole year as an experiment, and they all soaped perfectly fine for me.


IrishLass :)
 
"...Do keep a 50/50 lye solute ... shelf life of 50/50 lye solute. ..."

Some geeky chemistry trivia for the day about solutes, solvents, and solutions:

Solute: The minor portion (or portions) of a solution. Even thought many solutes are liquids or solids, a solute may be a solid, liquid, or gas.
Solvent: The major portion of a solution. Even though many solvents are liquids, a solvent may be a solid, liquid, or gas.
Solution: A mixture of two or more ingredients. To qualify as a true "solution" the mixture must have two properties -- it must have a consistent chemical composition throughout (homogenous) and must be all one uniform solid, liquid, or gas (one phase).

Examples:

Mix sugar and water together to make sugar syrup. The water is the solvent, the sugar is the solute, and the syrup is the solution.

Add more and more sugar until excess sugar remains undissolved at the bottom of the container. The whole mess is no longer a solution because there are two phases present -- solid and liquid.

Mix oil and water together with a stick blender. The resulting emulsion may look like a solution, but it is not. There are two phases present -- a liquid oil phase and a liquid water phase. If you let the mixture stand long enough the two liquids will separate into two layers.

Add an emulsifier to the previous oil and water mixture. The resulting emulsion is still not a solution, because the liquid oil and liquid water still do not form a homogenous (consistent, uniform) mixture -- they remain as small separate droplets. The oil and water may not separate into layers due to the action of the chemical emulsifier, but the separate droplets are still visible under magnification.
 
"...Do keep a 50/50 lye solute ... shelf life of 50/50 lye solute. ..."

Some geeky chemistry trivia for the day about solutes, solvents, and solutions:

Solute: The minor portion (or portions) of a solution. Even thought many solutes are liquids or solids, a solute may be a solid, liquid, or gas.
Solvent: The major portion of a solution. Even though many solvents are liquids, a solvent may be a solid, liquid, or gas.
Solution: A mixture of two or more ingredients. To qualify as a true "solution" the mixture must have two properties -- it must have a consistent chemical composition throughout (homogenous) and must be all one uniform solid, liquid, or gas (one phase).

Examples:

Mix sugar and water together to make sugar syrup. The water is the solvent, the sugar is the solute, and the syrup is the solution.

Add more and more sugar until excess sugar remains undissolved at the bottom of the container. The whole mess is no longer a solution because there are two phases present -- solid and liquid.

Mix oil and water together with a stick blender. The resulting emulsion may look like a solution, but it is not. There are two phases present -- a liquid oil phase and a liquid water phase. If you let the mixture stand long enough the two liquids will separate into two layers.

Add an emulsifier to the previous oil and water mixture. The resulting emulsion is still not a solution, because the liquid oil and liquid water still do not form a homogenous (consistent, uniform) mixture -- they remain as small separate droplets. The oil and water may not separate into layers due to the action of the chemical emulsifier, but the separate droplets are still visible under magnification.


You are my most favorite geek in the world! I learn so much new stuff from you and you always manage to wake up the two or three brain cells still alive from my high school days.
 
I live in a very humid area, and just bought a 50 lb bag of lye. I've had concerns of it acting up with all the moisture in the air. Do any of you all have this problem and "master batch" because of that issue?

So interesting!
 
I live in a very humid area, and just bought a 50 lb bag of lye. I've had concerns of it acting up with all the moisture in the air. Do any of you all have this problem and "master batch" because of that issue?

So interesting!


That's a very good question. I live in a very dry climate and master-batch potions of my lye at a time purely for the sake of convenience- basically to avoid the hassle of having to mix a fresh batch of solution up each time I want to make soap (it's the most annoying soap-making task for me). I usually make enough up at a time for about 7 batches or so.

If I lived in a humid area, though, I think I would most likely master-batch all my lye all at once since I know from experience that my lye in solution form (properly stored) has a very, very long shelf-life with absolutely no diminishing of strength.


IrishLass :)
 
I agree with IrishLass and would masterbatch it up but it will take you a lot of 1 gallon containers. I have never really paid attention to how many gallons of 50/50 I get out of my 50# bags. I usually make up 3-4 gallons at one time. Check out this thread on masterbatching #7 will give you some insight on how many containers you will need. http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=55029
 

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