I've been reading the soaping forum for weeks and reread the basic instructions at least 25 times -trying to get the nerve up to get some supplies and just do it--I have a reputation for being a huge klutz -like an accident waiting to happen so I always avoid chemicals, chain saws,etc. But I know during the upcoming 'dry' season would be the best time for me to try this -so here are a few maybe off the wall questions so please bear with me: I've been dumping milk (the cat gets most of it) from one doe due to worming w/cydectin -it's been over 30 days now - I thought I would freeze some of her milk for soap before she's dry- is this ok or would there be enough residual to worry about? Do you pasteurize for soap? Which stick blender do you recommend? Where do these 'martha molds' come from? If I want to do this on my porch instead of in my kitchen what outside temperature do I need to stay above to avoid problems like with trace. Some of the gm soap I have used in the past smells nice until use then leaves a slight rancid odor on the skin -(no, not from anyone here!!) What causes this? Just don't want to make something I wouldn't use. Thanks for your help - several yrs back I did make melt n pour for a while so I have a couple books with lots of eo info and some recipies -I just never felt like I was making 'real' soap.
I think the milk would be fine for soap. I do not pasteurize mine. Freeze it in ice cube trays so you can easily get the quantity you need. I have a cheapie stick blender I got at WM and it has worked just fine. Martha Molds are plastic drawer dividers that Kmart used to carry but I believe they have been discontinued. THe thing that was nice about them was their size (worked well for soap) and their square corners. Don't know about soaping outside. As for the rancid smelling soap...it could be that they burned the milk sugars. My first few batches (unscented) smelled awful and that is what I did. I tried HP first. Now I CP and don't have that problem. I think you can HP with milk....*I* just don't know how to do it. LOL I still do not like the smell of my unscented soap. It doesn't smell 'bad'. I just don't like it. I think I am going to try Vicki's suggestion and just add a titch of tea tree oil to it next time.
I found Rubbermaid trays at Tru Value that I believe are like the Martha Molds. They are individual trays that are about 3x2x15. They are labeled as drawer dividers. What you're hoping for is sides that are straight up and down rather than slanted.
Do they hold up ok when heated? I bought those drawer organizer things from walmart but they can't take the heat.
Most bad smells left in soap is from oils or butters going rancid. Don't buy fragranced oils that you aren't going to use within one year because the carrier oils in them will go bad. Don't buy bulk oils or butters you can't keep in good condition, they will go rancid. Cut essential oils can go bad. GM soap right after cutting can have an amonia smell, let it cure, it dissapates. I do add an ounce or two of tea tree oil to my Just Soap, I can still call it unscented. It's just smells fresh, true unscented high butter soaps smell bad to me. Any stick blender will do, if you get a choice get one with a longer shaft...it's eaiser to soap in a deep bucket rather than in a wide bowl. Forget finding a martha mold, just tweak the recipe you have to fit the container you have. Fill the container with water to the level you are pouring your soap and weigh the water....then go to thesage.com click on the lye calculator, put your recipe back into it and then click recalculate...you can change it from the 7 pounds to any size you want. That recipe is a teaching recipe so it is the whole container of lard the whole container of coconut, and then weights to teach weighing and tarring of the sunflower oil. Remember that when we talk soap weight, we are saying a 7 pound batch of oils and butters...we do not count the lye and liquid, and you have to, or you will have more soap than your molds carry. And shoot, a good friend of mine soaps in wooden boxes that simply unscrew she lines with parchment. She fills them up to 1 and 1/2 inchs and pours, then takes apart the box, runs a pizza cutter down them to cut and she is done. Don't make this harder than it is. And it's why I love to do classes, everyone comes away with...dang I thought this was harder.... Soaping outside in the cold will make you go to trace really quickly. There is no reason to soap outside. It is soo much eaiser to soap at the sink, your bucket of soap in the left sink with your mold to the left...in the right sink your lye/liquid and your ingredients, milk, coloring, swirling cup, scent, lined up in order of use on your right. Gloves, goggles, long sleeves. Yes adding your lye to liquid makes it smell, but only right at the sink, not the whole house, even with my big batches, not even the whole area! Vicki
We tried the Rubbermaid trays, but the ones we used have slanted sides and they are starting to crack now, my brother is going to make us some wooden ones. I have to look to see how different things go when using wooden molds vs. plastic molds. Carolyn
I've only used the Rubbermaid trays twice. No problem with them as yet. I did put them in the oven, but it was only set to 175, then turned off. They are a little slanted, but it's pretty minimal. For what I need, at this point, it's working well for me.
We tried putting them in the oven at then temp, but they melted and what a mess, especially in my moms oven :nooo. (yes she has passed away, but my DD1 still lives there until we have the house ready for sale). But each oven is different and I think her oven is "hot". The only complaint we have heard from people is that the are a little to thick for the hand. I don't have a problem with the size, I guess some people just like to complain . I was trying to remember how many batches were made using them, without asking DD1 I am guessing at least 40 batches for each mold. I guess that isn't too bad. Carolyn
