Newbie with cloudy lye

[Jan Kates]

Hi @Jan Kates , welcome to the group. I love you are storing soaping stuff in your sewing studio. I have a sewing room but it is currently so stuffed full of soaping things and curing soaps to be given as Christmas presents that I could not actually do much sewing in there at the moment. If you don't end up with the time to make your soap you could always water your lye solution down until it was very, very, very weak and then pour it on the ground somewhere safe from animals. My first batch of liquid soap was such a disaster that I used it as a very effective weed killer.

LOL you make me feel better! I would love to fill my sewing studio with curing soaps. But first I have to make some. Sigh.

You can also store lye solution for ages in a liquid laundry detergent bottle (thoroughly cleaned) as long as it has a #5 or #2 in the triangle on the bottom (mine have a #5).
You have to label this really carefully. I rip the old label off and glue white paper over the bottle so there is absolutely no doubt what is in it, how much is in it and the ratio of lye/water used.

Hey thanks Penelopejane! I emptied one last night so will retrieve it from the recycling bin. I lov e this group already!

 

[penelopejane]

Hey thanks Penelopejane! I emptied one last night so will retrieve it from the recycling bin. I love this group already!

You will probably find that your friends and family eventually get sick of you talking soap 24/7 and relating it to everything you see. Then, you can come here and talk to us because we NEVER get sick of talking soap.

 

[Jan Kates]

You will probably find that your friends and family eventually get sick of you talking soap 24/7 and relating it to everything you see. Then, you can come here and talk to us because we NEVER get sick of talking soap.

They are sick of me talking all about quilts so they will welcome soap talk lol.

 

[penelopejane]

They are sick of me talking all about quilts so they will welcome soap talk lol.

I make quilts too! Well, I've made a few tiny ones and am working on (!!!) my first QS.

 

[Jan Kates]

I make quilts too! Well, I've made a few tiny ones and am working on (!!!) my first QS.

My goodness! If you have the patience to make tiny ones you can make QS ones no problem! so much less fiddly.

 

[penelopejane]

Ah but much, much slower. Of course I chose a tiny little 50mm square and a complicated abstract design.

 

[Jan Kates]

Ah but much, much slower. Of course I chose a tiny little 50mm square and a complicated contemporary design.

So a modern quilt? Pics please!

 

[penelopejane]

I've only done strips so far.

 

[SaltedFig]

SaltedFig where are you on the South Coast? Maybe we could catch up some time?

Not on the South Coast, but I reckon we could organise a gathering up your way

 

[SoaperForLife]

Just an F.Y.I. you can also use paper coffee filters to strain your lye solution. I put one into a stainless kitchen sieve and place it on top of an extra plastic juice pitcher. Pour a portion of the solution into the filter/sieve and when that drains, add more. Of course you wouldn't have anything to use for cleaning your oven after...

 

[Jan Kates]

Not on the South Coast, but I reckon we could organise a gathering up your way

We so should do that! I wonder how many soapers there are within a 200km radius of me. Where are you located?

 

[Jan Kates]

Just an F.Y.I. you can also use paper coffee filters to strain your lye solution. I put one into a stainless kitchen sieve and place it on top of an extra plastic juice pitcher. Pour a portion of the solution into the filter/sieve and when that drains, add more. Of course you wouldn't have anything to use for cleaning your oven after...

Coffee filter - brilliant! I love how these suggestions mean I am not Robinson Crusoe in the cloudy lye dept lol.

 

[SaltedFig]

Further, but willing to travel ... looks like there might be 3 of us already