Thermometers

[thinkativeone]

I have the wrong type of thermometers. :shock: Not sure how I thought it was a different material, so after this use they are being pitched! Or maybe I just will not use them at all and just pitch them. Probably. Guess I will have to wait to make soap again. :thumbdown:

Anyway, please recommend the best thermometer. I will have to buy two of course, one for the oils and one for the lye/water solution. I have seen differing comments on thermometers out there so I am a little lost when it comes to this. I definitely want something that will last the longest, though. (What is the lifespan on thermometers? Is there such a thing as lifetime thermometers or close)

 

[Relle]

I have the wrong type of thermometers. :shock: Not sure how I thought it was a different material, so after this use they are being pitched! Or maybe I just will not use them at all and just pitch them. Probably. Guess I will have to wait to make soap again. :thumbdown:

I can't help with thermometers as I soap at RT. You won't have to wait to make soap again if you use that method, I've haven't used a thermometer since I made my first batch of soap many moons ago.

 

[Lotus]

What kind of thermometer do you use, though? I use a stainless steel (most thermometers of this type are) probe thermometer. And having two isn't really that big of a deal. You'll get some saponification action on your thermometer but really you can use the one, interchangeably. Really, it's not that big of a deal, as I've noticed or researched. Whatever you have is most likely to work.

 

[thinkativeone]

I fear to mention what I have as people might start throwing things at me. Let's just say they will be going the way of the bowl I used to have, so to speak... I do not wish to invite a mercury explosion. I've seen the stainless steel therms you're talking about, but there's candy therms, meat therms (vegetarian here) so I'm just plain lost as to what's best. That infrared thermometer looks intriguing! Looks like something like that wouldn't need to be washed with all the other soaping supplies...

Now, soaping at room temp is also interesting but if I were (I'm not right yet but will be) using hard oils or butters I just don't know. But then I don't know about CP at RT at all.

 

[Ruthie]

If you want to try RT soaping but are concerned about your hard oils melting, there are solutions. You can try thermal transfer. That method uses the heat of your lye mixture to melt your hard oils. Just mix your lye and water and while it is hot pour it in to your oils. The heat from your lye mix will melt your hard oils. My "go to" recipe is 75% hard oils, so sometimes even the lye is not enough to melt them all. I've found 2 solutions to this. I can put my soaping mixture in a sink of hot water to finish melting. Or I can measure and melt my oils ahead of time, let them return to room temperature, then go ahead with the thermal transfer method.

 

[chicklet]

I bought a cheap "instant read" from Walmart when I first started. I don't use one now but I did find it helpful during the learning process.

Also, unless you're using a very old thermometer, you don't have much to fear from the mercury. It's used in very tiny amounts these days and not likely to be a health hazard. That's not to say you should keep using your thermometer when there are other alternatives like the cool temperature gun, but I thought I would point that out.

 

[cursivearts]

I have to admit, I very rarely use my thermometer these days, unless I am trying to soap cooler, to keep trace thin for swirls. Half the time I forget it. I was so convinced, when I first started soaping that my temps had to be within X amount of degrees of each other. Now, I generally just make sure my lye isn't super hot and I have yet to have a batch of soap completely fail. I have had a couple of overheats, but it has always been with milk soap and overinsulation. I would like to get an instant read thermometer for the times I do use it, though.

 

[three_little_fishes]

I started RT recently and love not having to use thermometers. When I did use them I just had a couple of cheapies from the kitchen section at walmart.

 

[kazmi]

I have a infrared thermometer but since doing RT I rarely use it. Just used in yesterday to check temp after adding lye to tea ice cubes to make sure it wasn't going to get any hotter. If you do want to use a thermometer I would recommend an infrared. One less thing to have to wash at cleanup

 

[OliveOil2]

I don't use a thermometer any longer, but when I first started I did purchase two stainless steel ones from amazon for about $10 each. I was meaning to use both, but one never came out of the package, I just used one in the lye first, and rinsed it off. Maybe that wasn't the right thing to do, but never had any problems. I ended up giving the unopened one to my sister. If I am not soaping RT then I just wait about an hour and a half or longer and I am set.

 

[jcandleattic]

I can't help with thermometers as I soap at RT. You won't have to wait to make soap again if you use that method, I've haven't used a thermometer since I made my first batch of soap many moons ago.

Same here.

 

[Birdie Wife]

I use an infrared one too, no more hovering over lye mixture trying to read a digital display one lsss thing to worry about!

 

[thinkativeone]

Hmmmm, wow. I had no idea so many people soaped at RT. I guess it does make sense that you would add the lye mixture while hot. I suppose hot, but once it has cooled down some? How do you gauge that, then? Very, very interesting. I am just afraid I would ruin my castile.

The infrareds look seriously cool. I agree, kazmi, one less thing to wash sounds amazing. If I did not get an infrared I would want one without a battery - any ideas? I think my husband may find the infrared thing pretty cool though!

 

[three_little_fishes]

Hmmmm, wow. I had no idea so many people soaped at RT. I guess it does make sense that you would add the lye mixture while hot. I suppose hot, but once it has cooled down some? How do you gauge that, then? Very, very interesting. I am just afraid I would ruin my castile.

I just pour once my lye is clear. I don't use any ingredients that are prone to more overheating though (ex. honey). If I did I might wait for it to cool a bit.

 

[jcandleattic]

Hmmmm, wow. I had no idea so many people soaped at RT. I guess it does make sense that you would add the lye mixture while hot. I suppose hot, but once it has cooled down some? How do you gauge that, then? Very, very interesting. I am just afraid I would ruin my castile.

The infrareds look seriously cool. I agree, kazmi, one less thing to wash sounds amazing. If I did not get an infrared I would want one without a battery - any ideas? I think my husband may find the infrared thing pretty cool though!

I masterbatch both my oils and my lye, so both are at RT when I soap.

But like I said, even when I soaped when both my oils and lye were freshly mixed, I never took the temp with a thermometer. I soap in ss bowls and would just feel the bottoms of the the bowls. If they were both comfortably warm to the touch, then I was good to go. Never had any problems doing it this way either.

 

[meeplesoap]

I use an infrared thermometer for the most part. Point and shoot!

 

[three_little_fishes]

I masterbatch both my oils and my lye, so both are at RT when I soap.

But like I said, even when I soaped when both my oils and lye were freshly mixed, I never took the temp with a thermometer. I soap in ss bowls and would just feel the bottoms of the the bowls. If they were both comfortably warm to the touch, then I was good to go. Never had any problems doing it this way either.

I've got to learn about masterbatching lye.

 

[jcandleattic]

I've got to learn about masterbatching lye.

It's easy.
What I do is mix up a 50% solution (1 part water to 1 part lye) in 2-4lb increments in a big white hdpe tub. Let it cool, then store in an air tight (cleaned out) hdpe laundry jug.
Then when it comes time for soaping, I weigh it out the amount I need, add the extra water the recipe calls for (I soap at a 33% solution) and add it to my weighed out masterbatched oils.
Easy peasy...
By doing it this way, I can literally make a batch of soap from start to finish in about 25 minutes, give or take a few...

 

[Relle]

Hmmmm, wow. I had no idea so many people soaped at RT. I guess it does make sense that you would add the lye mixture while hot. I suppose hot, but once it has cooled down some? How do you gauge that, then? Very, very interesting. I am just afraid I would ruin my castile. QUOTE]

I don't add my lye hot, all I do is make it up and let cool for an hour and then ready to go, in the mean time I line my mould, get my colours, scent weighed, weigh my oils and then the solid oils I melt, add to the liquid ones then add the lye, never had any issues.

 

[thinkativeone]

Thanks for all the responses. I am seriously considering an infrared, but the cost is a little bit of a deterrent so I just don't know yet. Anybody use a stainless steel thermometer without a battery?