My Big Project...

[donniej]

I openly admit that I'm extremely jealous of the work that many of you post here. The talent in this forum absolutely amazes me. But what I might lack in artistic ablities, I hope I make up for with knowledge of metal fabrication and industrial machinery.

You might have guessed, these pics are of a soap production plant that I'm working on. I hope that it will be complete in 1 or 2 months, I already have 4 months invested. My goal is to make a very inexpensive, all natural soap, both liquid and bar. I have access to a steady supply of both used cooking oil and raw glycerin from local BioDiesel makers. These will be my main ingredients. I have 5 years experience with working with used cooking oil and processing BioDiesel. I have about 2 years experience making soap from both raw glycerin whole oil.

This is for purifying used cooking oil. It can process 500 gallons per day and can hold 1,500 gallons.

The oil can be pumped from the 3 vertical tanks to the mixing tanks. The tank on the right is for liquid soap. This is a serious mixing tank that I still can't believe I have. It was last used for making leather dyes and is food or pharmacuetical grade. The one on the left is for bar soap. It has an open top (for scooping out) and big 2" pipes on the bottom, which should be great for pouring the soap into molds. Both are stainless steel and will hold ~120 gallons each.

Right now I only have one small mold that I made for samples to give away. It makes two 4 foot loaves, totaling 90 bars.

Here's some bars drying...

This is the inside of the bar mix tank. The propellor is driven by a 1700rpm, 3/4hp motor. The shaft and propellor are stainless steel.

The other side of the building has containers for storing materials and finished liquid soap and my work shop. The square white containers are 275 gallon each.

This is my work shop. Being on a tight budget, most of my equipment needed repair or to be built from scratch.

And this is me

Thanks for reading!

 

[candledoll]

What a set up!!

 

[Godiva]

Well aren't you cute! And that is some set up! Like your Fight Club poster on the wall, too.

 

[candice19]

Holy moly! wish you the best of luck and success!

 

[donniej]

Thanks everyone!
When I explained to people what I was going to do, so many people asked "like in Fight Club?" that I had to get the poster

By the way, despite the fact that the oil is pumped from tank to tank, this is still a handmade product. Nothing is automated, all materials are measured by hand, checked by hand, the bars are unmolded by hand and packaged by hand.

 

[Guest]

WOW, that is quite the fantastic set up . It sounds like you have thought of everything possible. Way to go , and I wish you great success with your business.


Kitn

 

[Guest]

Man that is pretty awesome!

 

[rubato456]

:shock: jawdropping! best of luck! what a great set up!

 

[LJA]

Dang! Impressive! Looks like you put a ton of work into that. Congrats and good luck with your new venture!

 

[ChrissyB]

DonnieJ that's fabulous. Looks like you have got every avenue covered. You weren't a science major by any chance were you?
Your soap looks great! Where do you get your used oils from?
And love the poster...I was trying to find one on ebay but I just to settle with a pic of Brad Pitt instead...gee life's hard

 

[Galavanting Gifts]

Oh my good golly goat!!! :shock: that is awesome, man I gotta be getting my husband to get me a setup like that lol, he gave me a power saw for our anniversary, a jigsaw for my birthday, imagine the look on his face when I ask him for something like THAT!

 

[Guest]

oo that was a very interesting post. Do you have a team that will be helping you or is it a solo project? I'd help out if I lived closer

Good luck with the soap factory!

 

[AshleyR]

That is really cool!!!

 

[donniej]

DonnieJ that's fabulous. Looks like you have got every avenue covered. You weren't a science major by any chance were you?
Your soap looks great! Where do you get your used oils from?

I went to the community college just long enough to be 1 credit short of an associates degree in Liberal Arts. I have no formal science education. I do however constantly research (on forums like this) and have learned a lot that way.
I get about 50 gallons of oil per month from a nice old bar in center city. Most of that I use for fuel for my truck. I have several other places lined up and will start picking up their oil very soon.

Oh my good golly goat!!! :shock: that is awesome, man I gotta be getting my husband to get me a setup like that lol, he gave me a power saw for our anniversary, a jigsaw for my birthday, imagine the look on his face when I ask him for something like THAT!

I thought I was the only one who had a girlfriend who loved getting tools as gifts. She has a degree in woodworking and was a cabinet maker before going back to be a teacher.

oo that was a very interesting post. Do you have a team that will be helping you or is it a solo project? I'd help out if I lived closer

I'm solo. As I start producing, I expect to hire 1 or 2 part timers to package it. I could have looked into getting a packaging machine but this way it's still all hand made.

 

[topcat]

Wow!!! :shock:

What a wonderful setup donniej, and congratulations on taking this path for your income. Do you have a big enough retail market base for your soaping endeavours, or will you grow that once production is up and running?


Tanya

 

[donniej]

My prices will be low enough that I should be able to compete with crappy old store bought bars... so I'm hoping I can sell to plain old big store retailers. That's my hope anyway...

 

[ChrissyB]

Good luck Donnie. It sounds like you have sound business ideas behind you.

 

[vivcarm]

Good luck and all the best.

 

[eucalypta]

Extremely cool!
I admire what you are doing - and hurray for your GF

luckily i have three daughters and a son, who all enjoy working with tools as a hobby, thus tools are as natural gifts as nailpolish would be

Good luck to you

 

[cassy]

Wow

That is amazing. Are you married? ha ha..