Teach Soap

Damn it. I knew my big mouth would get me in trouble..................or worse yet, left out.

Wow, you were all very busy while I slept!! HA!!!

Ok, so this is what I am hearing....
1- get a new scale
2- don't trust the recipes, use a lye calculator
3- Get some castor oil
4- stop substituting...until you know what you're doing
5- never talk brownies
6- beware of supersoaper...but not his soap talk, just his side chatter
7- always trust soapbudy

Last question do you think my 7% superfatted rookie soap has a chance at being useable?

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

one correction: never subsitute unless you run the subsitution thru a soap calculator, even if you are an experienced soaper.
And if you use soap calc it will give you conversions for grams with each recipe, and room to write notes because it can be amazing how you will need look back on them from time to time.

Soap making is a little different than say... making brownies.... there being a little off or changing the oil won't make a difference.

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

I used to like you guys.....until you started warning newbies about me. I only know a few things well: winemaking, football, chemistry, biology, physics, cooking, soapmaking, philosophy, and history. And in that order. Think of how boring threads would be if "only" soap were discussed. Threads would be half the size, half as many, half as informative, and half as entertaining. Yeah....I used to like you guys.

And oh yeah....get some new lye.

Silly supersoaper... We still love you! And we still love the brownies, which I have decided I will make my hubby for V-day. I'll even frost them!

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

I check my scales before and after I measure my lye. I measure in grams for batches under 4 pounds, and always verify that my scale is accurate. Five quarters is equal to 1 ounce. If the quarters weigh the same before and after the lye is measured, it gives me a sense of security that I measured correctly. Particular attention is necessary to remember to change grams to ounces and back again. Just an idea for you. Oh can we have semi sweet fudge frosting on the brownies?

Hi hope2soap, welcome to the addiction! I have a second book to recommend to you. It's called Smart Soapmaking by Anne Watson. It's actually a really short book but packed with really useful information (and good recipes too). I was floored when she said don't worry about temperatures it will still become soap! And she was right. I love to experiment and push the envelope so this book was right on for me.

Have fun!
Erin

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

It's Norma Coney's "The Complete Soapmaker" that says to add the water to the lye. And then she says "Don't make the mistake of adding the lye to the water." But she does mention that for safety's sake you should avoid splashing when adding the water to the lye. Other than that major error, it's a good book.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

That's scary. It multiplies the corrosive strength of the lye to the 10th power.....and beyond. Yeah....push the envelope. I like that one.

She's definitely not anywhere near as bad as Nancy Today. Other than the way she says to mix the lye water, she's spot on about safety, measuring, etc. I just crossed out that paragraph in the book and made a reference to see Alicia Grosso's Everything Soapmaking book for the correct way to mix the lye solution.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Thanks for letting me know about the books. Right now I have Alicia Grosso's book. Last night I ordered "The Soapmakers Companion" Susan (?) Miller Cavitch. I had also read about [i]Smart Soapmaking[/i], maybe that one is next. I need to get my head around the chemistry, then I will feel better...any suggestions for a book or class on that? I have looked at the local community college for a chemistry class, or a food chemistry class. Do the soapmakers conferences cover that topic....I am getting way to into this for only having made two batches! As Citymouse wrote...welcome to the addiction!!!! I'll spend $1000 before I make a succesful batch of soap. I think it must be the Lye, it messes with the mind and has a silent addictive quality...that's only a hunch though, I'll let you know if it's true after I take my chemistry class! LOL!