What soapy thing have you done today?

[Misschief]

Soap-on-a-stick TIP: When that happens, leave the stick in the batter and walk away for 5 full minutes... set a timer if you have to. When you come back, the batch will be going into gel and it's easier to stir and pour into the mold. Another tip I've heard of but never tried is to add an ounce or 2 or 4 ounces of COLD water, depending on the size batch; stir it in and get ready to pour once thoroughly mixed. HTH

Good to know, Zany. Thanks for that.

I'll be cutting it today (still not quite awake) but here's the naughty soap from yesterday. The original intention was a drop swirl. Yeah, that didn't work out very well. I may actually try again today.

 

[Rune]

Hi Rune,
No worries... resins/rosin have a high melt point so adding to 130°F / 54°C lye is not "boiling" and somewhat necessary to get the resins to melt enough to be liquid; soap oils were also 130°F / 54°C (if I heard correctly) when combined with the dual lye solution. Then processed in 170°F /77°C oven, turned OFF before the batch (insulated with towel wrap) was put into the oven. The essential oils (myrrh & thyme) were added the next morning when the gelled soap had cooled to 78°F / 25°C. HTH

I think that must be another video. In the video at the top of page 366, she has the resins added to the water before the lye is added, so it will heat up a lot. And then she is hot processing it on the stove. So it must be way hotter than 130 fahrenheit or 54 celsius. And the essential oils that are present in the resins will evaporate along with the steam. That's why they are essential oils, they are made that way. We have a better word for them in norwegian; eteriske oljer, which means ethereal oils or etheric oils. So they fly off in the air. And with high heat, they really start to fly.

Maybe she is using the resins most for color. And maybe she believes in skin benefits too. I don't believe too much in such things when it comes to soap. I wonder how those marvellous oats can pull moisture to the skin when they are all washed down the drains? No, I don't believe too much, no.

She did say in the video that the scent of the resins does remain.

Aha! Okey. I missed that. But I got bored and fast forwarded here and there. Thank you!

 

[Misschief]

I took pics of my cut soaps this morning. The one with the shells is "On the Beach". The others are Lemon Poppyseed and what was supposed to be the Precious Metals soap. I'm not entirely unhappy with how it turned out but it sure doesn't look like it was supposed to.

 

[SunRiseArts]

Beautiful soap!

 

[mulline]

A simple HP rebatch

 

[Kerry K.]

Smelled various oils for my next soap. Am going to try osmanthus with tonka bean, because I read they go together. Usually I combine the oils in a 1 ml vial to see if they go together, then mix the whole thing up the day of soaping.

 

[loriag]

Got distracted while soaping today, added an ingredient I did not mean to but am just so in the habit of, than couldn't remember if I added castor oil, after I molded of course and set to rest. So weighed everything to try and figure it out. Ended up adding 4% more castor, will see how this one turns out. Oh well at least it is not a big batch if it does not.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

...We have a better word for them in norwegian; eteriske oljer, which means ethereal oils or etheric oils. So they fly off in the air. And with high heat, they really start to fly...

True, Rune, but resins/rosin and essential oils are not the same thing and the heat of the lye solution as well as the increased heat during saponification help to melt the hard resins ...but neither reaches the "boiling" point, which is what I was really referring to.

This discussion really deserves its own thread...

 

[amd]

I made 3 batches of bubble scoops and 2 batches of soap over the weekend. Had coffee with a fellow soapmaker on Saturday morning, which was a fun 2.5 hours. I washed some soap dishes. Followed up on potential sales on FB posts. I really need to get better at that. I found these table cloths that are insanely expensive, but looked so nice on another soaper's setup. I told my hubby if he bought them for me that would be my anniversary/Christmas/birthday presents for the next year. I only need 3 of them, so that seems reasonable, yes? I don't have much on the to-do list for this week. Just prep for a show on Saturday and masterbatching oils. Might squeeze in a test batch or two of FO's from BCN. Mostly I will be working on the hutch project because my husband is tired of it taking up space in his workshop.

 

[cmzaha]

I made 3 batches of bubble scoops and 2 batches of soap over the weekend. Had coffee with a fellow soapmaker on Saturday morning, which was a fun 2.5 hours. I washed some soap dishes. Followed up on potential sales on FB posts. I really need to get better at that. I found these table cloths that are insanely expensive, but looked so nice on another soaper's setup. I told my hubby if he bought them for me that would be my anniversary/Christmas/birthday presents for the next year. I only need 3 of them, so that seems reasonable, yes? I don't have much on the to-do list for this week. Just prep for a show on Saturday and masterbatching oils. Might squeeze in a test batch or two of FO's from BCN. Mostly I will be working on the hutch project because my husband is tired of it taking up space in his workshop.

How are your labels going to look on a busy tablecloth? I like my labels and packaging to stand and let them add the color. But of course that is just my opinion, and if you use crates/wood in your display they could work. Of course I set up 7 tables normally and at some markets 10 so those would be quite un-affordable. I will say they are neat looking but I would think one could tire of them easily, especially since displays tend to be ever evolving

 

[amd]

How are your labels going to look on a busy tablecloth? I like my labels and packaging to stand and let them add the color. But of course that is just my opinion, and if you use crates/wood in your display they could work. Of course I set up 7 tables normally and at some markets 10 so those would be quite un-affordable. I will say they are neat looking but I would think one could tire of them easily, especially since displays tend to be ever evolving

Good point about how the overall appearance looks. One would have to be very careful which cloths to use. The soaper that shared her setup with these cloths (I think she has the light pine) has a very colorful products and neutral wood displays so her products really pop. (On Instagram @1904apothecarylane) I'm 99% sure my husband isn't going to buy them for me, so I think I'm safe I mostly thought to share the table cloths in case anyone else would use them. Or be like me and just like to look at them, 'cuz really $180 in table cloths for 3 tables is not a reality I live in.

 

[SoapAddict415]

I really miss my Crafters Choice #1504 1 pound molds. I have no idea what happened to them so today I looked into replacing them. The price has gone from $9.95 each to $14.95 each plus shipping [emoji14]. That's a little too pricey for me right now so I've been online looking for an alternative. Then my fragrance oils arrived today from Wellington [emoji1]! I now have everything I need to duplicate an order of cinnamon scrub soap that a coworker has been asking me for since February. I made it for her as a Christmas gift and she keeps telling me that different members of her family want "every bar I can make". I've got a feeling that it's really just her lol. I'd give her more for free because I like doing stuff like that but if she's willing to pay for a full batch, who am I to argue [emoji6]?

 

[Lin19687]

@amd Have you looked into the Fabric store in your area?

Since my thing is Rustic, I was looking for a 'wood' fabric but they didn't have any.
I am thinking of just getting Burlap around the bottom and thin Wood laminate flooring for the top. It clicks together so taking it apart is easy to move/store I would put velcro at corners to help keep it in place.

I have dark wood trays for the soap to sit on, so I am looking for a lighter color.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

I found these table cloths that are insanely expensive, but looked so nice on another soaper's setup. I told my hubby if he bought them for me that would be my anniversary/Christmas/birthday presents for the next year. I only need 3 of them, so that seems reasonable, yes?

YIKES! This is just practical ole me, but I highly doubt those tablecloths are going to return any real sales value for the $$$ spent. For an idea on where your $$$ might be better invested, you might want to take a cue from this thread...
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/first-farmers-market-day-of-the-summer.70367/#post-703420

 

[amd]

I'm not looking to invest, thanks. It was meant to be an "ooh look at this" humorous mention (hence the comment that I suggested my husband buy them for me in lieu of three gifting occasions). I'm pretty happy with my setup, although it could use some perking up, but not at that price tag. I already overspent for the racks I already use that I bought fairly cheap at $50 each but now need more and can't find them for less than $90. ("Fairly cheap" in reference to the price that I find them at now, not in general.) Sigh. I'll work on making myself clearer and opt out of sharing stuff like this in the future.

 

[MuddleDesigns]

Made another soap in my Pride series. Panoramic Horizon is the title this time. Really loving the swirls! Another 18 bars!

 

[Jimmy271]

I made a huge stock of soap and place order here for by the best packaging boxes supplier company online in USA.

So I had made Easter egg soaps for the kids (mine and nieces and nephews). I just used regular Easter Eggs from the store, the soap is not releasing very well at all. But each one is colored differently, I only have one completely out of the mold. So here it is.View attachment 29374

wow how beautiful this is looking. Do you produce for own use or sale purpose?

 

[Lin19687]

}thanks{

I got no soapy things done today

 

[shunt2011]

Can you all Delete the posts when you delete the User? The links are still active. Not sure if they are spam/scam or not but just noticed that the link still works if you hover over it.............. not that I am clicking on it

I got no soapy things done today

What are you referring to. I don’t see anything wrong on this post.

 

[msunnerstood]

Now that im done moving, I placed a new fragrance order. Being the impatient person I am. Im currently making liquid soap paste because my fragrance doesnt come until tomorrow.