I was that kid! My poor husband!Oh my gosh, I need to tell my husband about this!
Side note……so any of us here who are Gen X all had that kid in our elementary school class who was obsessed with Star Wars…..well, I married that kid.
What soapy thing have you done today?
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Blue1969
Well-Known Member
Blue1969
Well-Known Member
Mrs. Zing also married that kid! And wouldja believe it, I married her even tho' she had never ever seen a single movie in the entire series!!!! Ever!?Oh my gosh, I need to tell my husband about this!
Side note……so any of us here who are Gen X all had that kid in our elementary school class who was obsessed with Star Wars…..well, I married that kid.
Wow!! and you still gave her a chance! Were you able to convert her?
Servant4Christ
Well-Known Member
I diluted the rest of my first ever LS paste. I made a couple adjustments and it went much better this time around. It is beautifully transparent. I'm not sure if I'll need to thicken it or not because it's still warm when I touch the jar but I've decided not to thicken until after I add fragrance and see how the soap reacts.
The Force knows I tried. I tried my best, okay? Seriously, one of the single most generous gifts Mrs. Zing gave me was a weekend of all 9 DVDs (look it up, kids) and we shared a weekend Star Wars-a-thon.
I cut the last of my 48 pounds of soap made over the past 6 days. Much love for my new cutter that does loaves, slabs & bars as this task would have taken a much longer time to complete without it. All are now curing on my shelves with a fan on them to speed the process up, and will be ready to be labeled & put on store shelves when I get back into town mid-June. I need to go on a holiday, and good thing I am doing exactly that next week
Have ordered more essential oils in 1 litre sizes & other raw materials as I am burning through some of them quite quickly.
Have started all new batches of natural colorants & scent extraction mixtures, infusing into almond oil by the litre....Himalayan rhubarb root, indigo naturalis, brazil wood, fusic (? and I'm too tired to check), beautiful chocolatey smelling coffee beans, Madagascar vanilla beans in castor, smoked paprika, chlorella, safflower, yellow dock & so on.
My dirty soaping tools are still sitting on my kitchen counter, waiting for a wiping, then a scrub & a final de-oiling with some isopropanol, which I find very helpful in removing excess oils & other residue. My bucket-o-dirty-rags are sitting outside on my stoop, waiting to be washed. Everything can sit there until I feel inclined to begin the clean-up of the aftermath. In the meantime, I feel I have accomplished a fair amount in the last week, especially since I've managed to squeeze this into my regular work schedule & gardening.
Have ordered more essential oils in 1 litre sizes & other raw materials as I am burning through some of them quite quickly.
Have started all new batches of natural colorants & scent extraction mixtures, infusing into almond oil by the litre....Himalayan rhubarb root, indigo naturalis, brazil wood, fusic (? and I'm too tired to check), beautiful chocolatey smelling coffee beans, Madagascar vanilla beans in castor, smoked paprika, chlorella, safflower, yellow dock & so on.
My dirty soaping tools are still sitting on my kitchen counter, waiting for a wiping, then a scrub & a final de-oiling with some isopropanol, which I find very helpful in removing excess oils & other residue. My bucket-o-dirty-rags are sitting outside on my stoop, waiting to be washed. Everything can sit there until I feel inclined to begin the clean-up of the aftermath. In the meantime, I feel I have accomplished a fair amount in the last week, especially since I've managed to squeeze this into my regular work schedule & gardening.
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Wow! Awesome job! And congratulations on your new cutter toy!I cut the last of my 48 pounds of soap made over the past 6 days. Much love for my new cutter that does loaves, slabs & bars as this task would have taken a much longer time to complete without it. All are now curing on my shelves with a fan on them to speed the process up, and will be ready to be labeled & put on store shelves when I get back into town mid-June. I need to go on a holiday, and good thing I am doing exactly that next week
Have ordered more essential oils in 1 litre sizes & other raw materials as I am burning through some of them quite quickly.
Have started all new batches of natural colorants & scent extraction mixtures, infusing into almond oil by the litre....Himalayan rhubarb root, indigo naturalis, brazil wood, fusic (? and I'm too tired to check), beautiful chocolatey smelling coffee beans, Madagascar vanilla beans in castor, smoked paprika, chlorella, safflower, yellow dock & so on.
My dirty soaping tools are still sitting on my kitchen counter, waiting for a wiping, then a scrub & a final de-oiling with some isopropanol, which I find very helpful in removing excess oils & other residue. My bucket-o-dirty-rags are sitting outside on my stoop, waiting to be washed. Everything can sit there until I feel inclined to begin the clean-up of the aftermath. In the meantime, I feel I have accomplished a fair amount in the last week, especially since I've managed to squeeze this into my regular work schedule & gardening.
Servant4Christ
Well-Known Member
I've been playing mad scientist with my LS. I've discovered my favorite way to thicken is not with salt water, but with sodium lactate. It works amazingly well.
Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
A & H Washing Soda does an amazing job of cleaning tools and rags.
1 tablespoon in 16 oz. hot water.
Allow to soak for 5 minutes.
Oil & wax rises to the surface. Can be skimmed off and the solution can be saved for another use.
A & H Washing Soda does an amazing job of cleaning tools and rags.
1 tablespoon in 16 oz. hot water.
Allow to soak for 5 minutes.
Oil & wax rises to the surface. Can be skimmed off and the solution can be saved for another use.
Thank you! That is something I hadn't even considered, despite the fact that I buy the stuff in massive quantities, along with borax, baking soda & white vinegar. I don't use fragranced laundry soap or fabric softener & use a lot of washing soda, borax & vinegar in my laundry to prevent an overload of chemicals coming into contact with my skin, so this is another perfect use for these raw materials I have sitting in large buckets!
On another subject, lord how I DETEST dryer sheets
Those things are pure evil, for the health as well as for the environment. They should either be completely overhauled in terms of manner of manufacturing or completely banned.Wow! Awesome job! And congratulations on your new cutter toy!
EDIT: as I was dragging my 50 pounds of bokashi spread out on my tarp up my mountain of a driveway to get it into the moving sun - I am feeling like all the things I need to do before going on holiday will never end - it suddenly dawned on me that I made 48 pounds of soap AND cut it using only ONE 16 pound mold & my trusty new cutter. My Custom Craft tools molds still haven't arrived, shipped over 2 weeks ago I do believe, so it had to be done. THAT suddenly impressed ME, and I am not often easily impressed
When I'm in the midst of the tornado, getting things done, I lose track of the ways I'm making everything happen. I just motor through using what is available to me until tasks are complete, which is when the huge sense of accomplishment comes, perfectly done or not, although that IS also part of my MO LOL That last batch of soap scared the hell out of me. Thought I was going to have to scrap it, then cut it open & breathed a sigh of relief & actually smiled 
Although I am in no way religious, I do pray from the heart to those who I believe assist, support & work with me, and know for a fact it brings results. Our tree brothers & sisters lent a huge hand in making that last batch happen as the batch was in their honour. We all have a team working with us, if we are willing to connect & communicate with them, as well as give permission for them to assist us 
•••••
As much as I exhaustedly patted myself on the back after actually completing this task, I don't intend on repeating the experience
This is me moving-me-arse-quickly to make sure I can fulfill what I promised to local businesses. In a small community, especially when you know many people personally, word gets around quickly if you flake out on commitments made without a VERY good reason. THAT goes against everything I feel is right. In general, I take commitments & promises seriously.That cutter rocks my world, I swear
Best $200 I ever spent in relation to soap making equipment, I do believe Thank you again to Martha from Soap Girl Equipment. Beautifully made, high quality soap making gear that woman puts together!
Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
We all have a team working with us, if we are willing to connect & communicate with them, as well as give permission for them to assist us
Indeed. Where would we be without our silent helpers. I don't give them permission... it's enough that I keep them scrambling. I too have that same relationship with me, myself and I. When no one else is around, who else can give us that well-deserved pat on the back.
Something I have noticed over the years is that we have been taught, directly and indirectly, to NOT recognize or applaud our own personal achievements, waiting for someone else to do so - outside approval & cheering. There is absolutely no shame in telling ourselves JOB WELL DONE, CHICK / DUDE, as well as sharing the joy generated from this with others.
Always give your helpers permission, as they require that to step in & give you a hand. They're just waiting on the sidelines to get your ok. You are the boss
One thing I have learned is that when you get the first shipping notification from CCT, it means that they have started working on the tools/molds you have ordered - not that it has actually been shipped. It can be a few weeks from that time for everything to be completed and on its way. Worth the wait IMO.
My CCT mold arrived a bit ago but couldn't make soap due to Life Circumstances. Well! I finally used it today I've been anxiously circling my oven like a teenage boy on Thanksgiving even though it's only been a few hours. Patience young padawan...
But, I can't help it. The acrylic is so fun to look through, seeing the ungelled soap darken as it gels
Let's hope there's no future update where I cry about how I wrecked my soap trying to unmold it
I've been anxiously circling my oven like a teenage boy on Thanksgiving even though it's only been a few hours. Patience young padawan...But, I can't help it. The acrylic is so fun to look through, seeing the ungelled soap darken as it gels
Let's hope there's no future update where I cry about how I wrecked my soap trying to unmold it
Thank you for the heads-up on that as I now know for future orders, although I placed a fairly large order so I think it will be a while before I buy from them again, especially since Soap Girl Equipment has been coming through for me again & again, and gets my packages to me within a couple of days of shipping. Thank you again Martha
Alex from Custom Craft Tools had emailed me yesterday saying she had been tracking my package as I paid for the most expensive shipping option. I myself hadn't bothered doing this as I find I then unnecessarily stress about things. I had my one large mold to work with for larger batches & made do in the moment, although I am looking forward to having those extra molds!
Apparently, my order has been sitting in customs since May 2nd, which given the state of the country I live in, is not surprising. At all. The term 'gong show' comes to mind....as well as 'bureaucratic cesspool' & 'corrupt, dirty buggers'....all done within the official 'laws' and under the heading of 'official duties', of course
Gotta say, when I got home from a 'city trip' yesterday, the smell coming from all those soaps curing on my shelves which greeted me when I walked in the door was amazing
Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
Awww.
Servant4Christ
Well-Known Member
I just made another batch of @earlene's blacksmith soap because I've had multiple requests for more from friends who have been test driving it for me. I used my new technique for fully dissolving the borax this time, and it worked like a dream. I also switched to a recipe with lard just to compare and WOWZA did it take longer than usual to get a good enough trace to keep all that pumice suspended! I could've swirled it to high heaven if I'd have had the forethought to do so. I can't wait to cut it tomorrow and see if the texture/look are any different than my first batch.
Servant4Christ
Well-Known Member
Cut at the 12hr mark and I like the texture much better, but in the future I will use honey instead of the sugar I used this time around. The difference in color is astounding. Sugar if you want to color it, honey if you're leaving it natural.
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