Teach Soap

Just getting started, have read and read , and read, now eyes won't read anymore, and I need to know : my recipe is and old one,
LYE SOAP
ONE CAN LYE
TWO QUART LARD
ONE HALF CUP BORAX
ONE HALF CUPAMMOMIA
ONE QUART WATER

ADD lye to water(hot water makes it disolve faster ) stir ,with wooden spoon, let cool
Have lard melted enough to pour,, add to water,follow with BORAX and AMMONIA , let stand ,for 24 hours, break into pieces.
Now my question is I got POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE in FLAKES , (http://www.aaa-chemicals.com) KOH
how much do I use, to equall ONE CAN LYE ?

Also can I subtitute waste vegtable oil for the lard ?
thank you for the info .

You need sodium hydroxide for cold process soap. Potassium hydroxide is used to make liquid soap. There are many sites with good recipes. Yours sounds like a recipe for laundry soap. Never add lye to hot water. Use cold liquid always. Try a small batch of soap first, then branch out. Always weigh the ingredients, don't use volume measurements. The following link has good recipes.

http://www.millersoap.com/soapallveg.html

Always run any recipe through a lye calculator before using to make sure the amounts are correct for the ingredients.

http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp

lye and ammonia together sound like a recipe for disaster. don't use a wooden spoon it will break down and leave little wooden pieces in your soap. I wouldn't use that recipe if I've never made soap before. I mean this in the nicest possible way , welcome to soap making.

By 'waste vegetable oil', do you mean as in used?

That looks like an awful recipe. You don't need borax or ammonia. Go take a look at Kathy Miller soap online for a better recipe. Always run any recipe through a lye calculator as recipes on the net can be off. NEVER add lye to hot water! Lye will heat up the water all by itself.

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

I ran this through soap calc for 2 quart of lard (64 ozs.)
For this size recipe you would need 16 to 24 ozs. of water and 8.3 ozs. of lye for about a 7% superfat.

I would resize this recipe for 1 quart of lard, which is 32 ozs.
For this smaller recipe you would need 8 to 12 ozs. of water and 4.1 ozs. of lye for a 7% superfat.
Lard is considered an oil on soap calc.

Get yourself a stick blender. Over time that wooden spoon will splinter and those splinters will end up in your soap. Make sure that you are NOT using a teflon or aluminum pan. Use a plastic pitcher for the lye water and stainless steel pot (or a large plastic bowl) for your oils.

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

_________________
Shieh Design Studio
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http://soapandrestless.blogspot.com

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

but used, as in USED??! French fries, fish, chicken all cooked in this oil, and then you would use it make soap with?? People don't make soap out of used oils....DO THEY??! I fully admit I'm a newbie myself, maybe there's something I've missed....but I surely wouldn't want to wash my body with soap made from dirty oils!

I would never substitute used vegetable oil for the lard. That oil has become oxidized due to heat and you will most likely end up with DOS and the soap will smell bad. (dreaded orange spots from rancid oils). Stick with lard. You won't find a SAP value for used cooking oil at any soap calculators.

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