Master batch

[Nicolesica]

You can't necessarily expect a blend of fats to stay fully liquid and thoroughly mixed after you stop stick blending. That's not something you can know until you experiment with the particular blend of fats you have.

Yes, the solid fats can crystallize out of a blend of fats. Mine do, so I don't make a big container of blended fat for my soap making. I masterbatch a large bucket of fats and then divide the warm, well blended fats into portions sized to make single batches of soap.

It's hard to say what YOUR fats will do. If you're making a blend that contains fats that are typically solid at room temperature, I would never assume they'll stay liquid indefinitely. You'll need to test your particular blend of fats to see how they behave.

Hmm.. good point. I was going to store the blend in an old laundry tub, but now I think I’ll store them in a large microwave-safe container. Just in case.

 

[AliOop]

My last MB was 17,000g and included hard and soft oils. As noted in my prior post, above, the liquid oils definitely separate on top, with much of the thicker stuff on the bottom. Because it is too deep for my SB, I whiz it all up before measuring, using a paint-stirring attachment on a drill. If I were selling, I'd get one of the large SBs with the extra long shaft, which do a better job of mixing due to the higher shear factor. But as a hobby soap maker, I absolutely cannot justify the expense for something I would use 1-2x month, max.

I suppose you could give your laundry jug some good shaking before dispensing the oils. But if your recipe has any significant amount of hard fats, it will be too viscous to dispense at room temp. If I had to do it over again, I would have saved the extra $10 I spent to get a container with a dispensing spout, and just go with the regular large bucket + lid. If I were planning to put the mix into smaller containers, I'd start with a cheap 5gal bucket from the hardware store, and then decant into smaller plastic containers with tight-fitting lids from the dollar store, Wally world, or the like. But that's me, and YMMV.

 

[Nicolesica]

My last MB was 17,000g and included hard and soft oils. As noted in my prior post, above, the liquid oils definitely separate on top, with much of the thicker stuff on the bottom. Because it is too deep for my SB, I whiz it all up before measuring, using a paint-stirring attachment on a drill. If I were selling, I'd get one of the large SBs with the extra long shaft, which do a better job of mixing due to the higher shear factor. But as a hobby soap maker, I absolutely cannot justify the expense for something I would use 1-2x month, max.

I suppose you could give your laundry jug some good shaking before dispensing the oils. But if your recipe has any significant amount of hard fats, it will be too viscous to dispense at room temp. If I had to do it over again, I would have saved the extra $10 I spent to get a container with a dispensing spout, and just go with the regular large bucket + lid. If I were planning to put the mix into smaller containers, I'd start with a cheap 5gal bucket from the hardware store, and then decant into smaller plastic containers with tight-fitting lids from the dollar store, Wally world, or the like. But that's me, and YMMV.

My last MB was 17,000g and included hard and soft oils. As noted in my prior post, above, the liquid oils definitely separate on top, with much of the thicker stuff on the bottom. Because it is too deep for my SB, I whiz it all up before measuring, using a paint-stirring attachment on a drill. If I were selling, I'd get one of the large SBs with the extra long shaft, which do a better job of mixing due to the higher shear factor. But as a hobby soap maker, I absolutely cannot justify the expense for something I would use 1-2x month, max.

I suppose you could give your laundry jug some good shaking before dispensing the oils. But if your recipe has any significant amount of hard fats, it will be too viscous to dispense at room temp. If I had to do it over again, I would have saved the extra $10 I spent to get a container with a dispensing spout, and just go with the regular large bucket + lid. If I were planning to put the mix into smaller containers, I'd start with a cheap 5gal bucket from the hardware store, and then decant into smaller plastic containers with tight-fitting lids from the dollar store, Wally world, or the like. But that's me, and YMMV.

After all of the info regarding the fats and oils separating, I decided to get this. Each holds a little over a gallon, has a pour spout and is squat enough to fit in my microwave. And for less than $20 for two, I dont feel guilty at all! Buddeez 00251-2 2PK Store and Pour BPA Free, Plastic Food Storage Containers - 21 Cup, White https://a.co/d/hCVzUks

 

[Nicolesica]

After all of the info regarding the fats and oils separating, I decided to get this. Each holds a little over a gallon, has a pour spout and is squat enough to fit in my microwave. And for less than $20 for two, I dont feel guilty at all! Buddeez 00251-2 2PK Store and Pour BPA Free, Plastic Food Storage Containers - 21 Cup, White https://a.co/d/hCVzUks

 

[AliOop]

Nice find!

 

[TheGecko]

@DeeAnna response reminded me that I should have been more thorough in my own response. My recipe is 60% Hard Oils...I use Palm/Coconut Oil and Cocoa/Shea Butter. Once I melt the Hard Oils and combine them in my bucket with my Soft Oils...the Oil mixture will stay fluid for several hours because of the heat of 40lbs of oils, but eventually the Hard Oils will cool and start to solidify. But because they have been mixed with Soft Oils AND because I keep the bucket in my kitchen, they never fully harden again. Unless your husband is having a bad day and decides to be a jerk and put your bucket in the garage...in January...with below 32F temps. It wasn't a fully solid mass, but it was fairly close. I was able to get the drill to break it up into chunks, but there was no way I was going to be able to make soap with it since I didn't know exactly what was in the 'chunks'. I ended up sticking the bucket in front of the heater until it was a slurry and then I was able to thoroughly stir it up, making all the oils, butter and stearic acid was even distributed. FYI - He has never done that again.

The only way you are going to know how your Oils will react to be MB'd...is to make up a small batch and leave it overnight. And you're going to want to do it at different times of the year unless you are storing your MB in a controlled environment. I store my bucket in the kitchen. We don't use the oven very often and are home most of the time, so it doesn't get above 80F in the house. During the winter it can get colder, but rarely drops below 50F...again, we are home most of the time and even though we turn off the heat at night, we're in Oregon. In fact, given that my husband in a night owl, the heat is only off for maybe four hours before I get up and turn it back on.

 

[johnnyusa]

I spent so long today measuring stuff i don't even get to make soap until tomorrow. I'm tired and don't really like working on Saturday.
I like DeeAnna's summation from 5-gallon air-sealed buckets measured into 1-gallon mason jars for a quick melt in my double boiler.
U guys ever noticed how easy it is to clean pine tar off glass if one sprays the Dawn detergent w/ a few squirts off 99% rubbing alcohol?
Wouldn't it be nice to have two oil heaters from SoapEquipment.com of different sizes; one for storage and the other measured out for a batch?
I don't see a spigot or anything and i wonder how the soapmaker is supposed to get the hot oil out of SoapEquipment.com's 125 gallon oil/wax heaters.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I like DeeAnna's summation from 5-gallon air-sealed buckets measured into 1-gallon mason jars for a quick melt in my double boiler.

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