G
Guest
Paul suggested that I post some pictures of my new mini-molds in use, so here's my slide show. 
I wonder if anybody else has looked at step-by-step pictures of soapmaking in books and websites, and also felt like they're some sort of voyeuristic sappo-sexual fantasy? :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: Here's your sapporn fix for today!
I began by lining the mini-mold with freezer paper. That's the measured lye up in the corner, just 2.4 oz for this 18 oz batch. I felt illogically safe as I made soap barefooted, no shirt, with just latex gloves, my reading glasses and my superior soapmaking knowledge and experience as safety equipment. :shock:
The palm oil has been melted and is now cooling down to the 120° that I prefer.
I've mixed the lye in my sink and it's also on its way down to 120°. This small quantity of lye cools more quickly than the usual larger amount.
Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble, the lye is in the fat!
Hit it with a stick!!!
More than a trace of a trace. Actually it's more than I prefer. I had wanted to get a good picture and the thin trace didn't photograph well.
I've poured the batter into the mini-mold.
And covered the top with plastic wrap. I doubt I would have had those bubbles if I had poured at light trace.
Now I've placed the top "squisher" piece (brown) on top of the plastic wrap. It's supposed to level the top and might even work if you pour the batter at light trace.
Time for the soap to go beddy-bye. I've placed the mold on a few folded bath towels on the floor of my junk room. That's my remote reading roasting thermometer probe on top, placed there so that I can a readout of the gel temperatures without disturbing the mold.
I've covered the mold with more bath towels and it's just 92° as saponification begins its peak activity.
Meanwhile, back at the sink, there really isn't much of a mess for a batch this small. I forgot to toss in the SB for the photo. The lye container is underneath the pan. Cleanup took only a couple minutes.
Now we're really gellin' a few hours later. I've never seen a gel temperature as high as 132°!!! I expect this may be a characteristic of palm oil.
Rise and shine! It's the next morning and I've removed the top piece.
After peeling off the plastic wrap and removing the screws, here's the soap!
The mold came off easily after I peeled up the tape. All that remains is to remove the freezer wrap.
Voilà, a 1 lb. logette!
And the palm bars after cutting. I don't know why I can't take a good photograph this morning. My good camera is broken and I'm shooting on my Sony shirtpocket camera. It's great for snapshots but not so good for critical photography. I'm hoping to get the new Canon XSi or maybe Canon 40D this summer. I bet with them even a know-nothing photographer can take good shots! :twisted:
By the way, the bars are already very hard, and have a SoapCalc hardness of 50. Palm is a great oil for adding hardness, conditioning and creamy lather to your soap recipes.
Here's a more color accurate image the palm bars, taken using my scanner. I had to Photoshop the color balance a bit and it's nearly right although not perfect, a kind of very pale, slightly yellowish color.
Well that's what it's like to make soap in mini-molds. These small molds are great for making small test batches, and particularly with the one-oil batches your soap is curing almost before you know it!
I intend to make one-oil soaps for all my favorite oils so I can see the color and feel the hardness of each, and also so I can experience the cleansing and lathering qualities for myself. I'm sure I'll have a much better understanding of oil characteristics when I'm done.
I wonder if anybody else has looked at step-by-step pictures of soapmaking in books and websites, and also felt like they're some sort of voyeuristic sappo-sexual fantasy? :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: Here's your sapporn fix for today! I began by lining the mini-mold with freezer paper. That's the measured lye up in the corner, just 2.4 oz for this 18 oz batch. I felt illogically safe as I made soap barefooted, no shirt, with just latex gloves, my reading glasses and my superior soapmaking knowledge and experience as safety equipment. :shock:
The palm oil has been melted and is now cooling down to the 120° that I prefer.
I've mixed the lye in my sink and it's also on its way down to 120°. This small quantity of lye cools more quickly than the usual larger amount.
Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble, the lye is in the fat!
Hit it with a stick!!!
More than a trace of a trace. Actually it's more than I prefer. I had wanted to get a good picture and the thin trace didn't photograph well.
I've poured the batter into the mini-mold.
And covered the top with plastic wrap. I doubt I would have had those bubbles if I had poured at light trace.
Now I've placed the top "squisher" piece (brown) on top of the plastic wrap. It's supposed to level the top and might even work if you pour the batter at light trace.
Time for the soap to go beddy-bye. I've placed the mold on a few folded bath towels on the floor of my junk room. That's my remote reading roasting thermometer probe on top, placed there so that I can a readout of the gel temperatures without disturbing the mold.
I've covered the mold with more bath towels and it's just 92° as saponification begins its peak activity.
Meanwhile, back at the sink, there really isn't much of a mess for a batch this small. I forgot to toss in the SB for the photo. The lye container is underneath the pan. Cleanup took only a couple minutes.
Now we're really gellin' a few hours later. I've never seen a gel temperature as high as 132°!!! I expect this may be a characteristic of palm oil.
Rise and shine! It's the next morning and I've removed the top piece.
After peeling off the plastic wrap and removing the screws, here's the soap!
The mold came off easily after I peeled up the tape. All that remains is to remove the freezer wrap.
Voilà, a 1 lb. logette!
And the palm bars after cutting. I don't know why I can't take a good photograph this morning. My good camera is broken and I'm shooting on my Sony shirtpocket camera. It's great for snapshots but not so good for critical photography. I'm hoping to get the new Canon XSi or maybe Canon 40D this summer. I bet with them even a know-nothing photographer can take good shots! :twisted:
By the way, the bars are already very hard, and have a SoapCalc hardness of 50. Palm is a great oil for adding hardness, conditioning and creamy lather to your soap recipes.
Here's a more color accurate image the palm bars, taken using my scanner. I had to Photoshop the color balance a bit and it's nearly right although not perfect, a kind of very pale, slightly yellowish color.
Well that's what it's like to make soap in mini-molds. These small molds are great for making small test batches, and particularly with the one-oil batches your soap is curing almost before you know it!
I intend to make one-oil soaps for all my favorite oils so I can see the color and feel the hardness of each, and also so I can experience the cleansing and lathering qualities for myself. I'm sure I'll have a much better understanding of oil characteristics when I'm done.
