Welcome to the wonderful world of melt and pour soap making. Glad you found this site, full of helpful people and tips.
I use
http://www.soapgoods.com for my melt and pour base (SFIC). They are in Georgia. I looked quickly at the supplier you mentioned in Florida and their prices for bases seem higher than other vendors. Of course, you need to do the math, including the shipping, to see what your "real" costs are. I only use low-sweat base, being in the very humid northeast. Originally, that was to be my "summer" base, but I've switched to it year-round. The only difference in the formula is that there is less glycerin used in making it. It is slightly more expensive, but has been well worth it to me. It doesn't sweat at all. Really
I've not ordered base from Soap Goods since shipping rates went up this week. I generally order 72 pounds of soap base at a time, and shipping had been (FEDEX Ground) $36 for that quantity. Soap arrives at my door within three days. Looks like that shipping has now gone up to around $49 based on a quick look just now.
A couple of other quick things. You didn't mention if you would be selling your finished soaps or whether these would be for your home use only. If you plan to sell, you MUST look into insurance. There are several old threads here that talk about how important it is and how to find it.
Also, there's a recent thread about soap making in Florida with the changes based on some recently passed legislation. I didn't read all of those comments carefully (since I'm not in Florida), but you probably should. Feels onerous to me.
Melting tip - I do not have a stove top, so I rely on a microwave to melt my bases, butters and most oils. I NEVER use full power, even in short bursts, since it's too easy to boil or burn bases, making them useless. Overheating base is the surest way to wind up with what is commonly known as "glycerin dew" (that's the nice name for it) -- when you get glycerin rising to the top of finished soap after a few days/weeks. It can be washed/wiped off, but I've eliminated it completely by heating soap bases at lower power settings.
Thermometer - an absolute essential tool. I use a digital "point and shoot" thermometer. I couldn't make soap without it, especially for layering. multi-color and embeds. For the bases I use, anything above about 160 degrees gets tossed (that's what I get for being impatient at times). All bases have different melting points. Most manufacturers, if you ask them, will tell you the temperature their bases melt at.
Hope that helps.
Connie
http://www.soaprhapsody.com
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