bc.gold 3,403 #1 Posted January 10, 2023 (edited) Tittle says it all, My unscented soap is becoming popular. The downside this soap still contains the glycerine, working with chemicals I wash my hands at least 20 times or more during the day and my hands have become soft as a baby's butt. The neighbourhood woman have become jealous. While mixing I try to get some oxygen mixed in. Once I'm satisfied with the oil I'll filter it through the felt hat to remove any solids that did not sink to the bottom overnight. Filtering will also improve the colour. Edited January 10, 2023 by bc.gold 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SylvanLakeWH 25,562 #2 Posted January 10, 2023 So what's the process? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bc.gold 3,403 #3 Posted January 10, 2023 (edited) Due to the fact each jug of restaurant oil differs in animal fat content I no longer use a particular recipe. Using room temperature oil, if it has a lot of animal fats you may have to heat the oil a bit. I pr-mix the lye in water free of chlorine, for 16 litres of oil I use one medium coffee carafe of lye into 1.5 litres water add the lye slowly in small increments do this outside the solution gets very hot and fumes come off. Adding all the lye at once will cause the water to erupt. Rubber gloves and eye protection. Stir lightly to get the lye dissolved, let the solution cool down before using. A paint paddle on M18 drill, while mixing the oil add a small addition of lye water, keep the drill at medium speed. Mix the first addition for a minute let it rest to cool for two minutes then repeat this procedure more than likely before the lye water is all used up the oil will turn into a pudding consistency this is called trace. Lifting the paddle out any reacted oil will leave a trace onto the surface then gradually meld into the reacted oil. If you want to add scents to your soap this is the time to add them. When trace appears do not add any more lye water, your soap is ready to put into moulds, the soap overnight will harden up, de-mould and size your bars then put the soap onto a shelf for curing, aging improves the quality. Sodium Hydroxide will make hard bars. Potassium Hydroxide derived from wood ash makes a soft soap, the homesteaders kept it in a wooden keg and ladled it out for laundry and cleaning purposes, Any soaps that I make that do not cure properly I use for laundry. Sometimes will use my hard soap grated, I can not swear by this, apparently you'll know when your potassium hydroxide water solution is ready to make soap is when an egg will float. Use the same personal protection as this is very caustic. I've been using potassium hydroxide as an economical source to create hydroxides from certain metal solution's . If your saving kitchen grease, salting will clean it up. Edited January 10, 2023 by bc.gold 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bc.gold 3,403 #4 Posted January 10, 2023 Here I'm using chlorinated city water loaded with calcium. First boiled the water to expel the chlorine, then added about 12 small prill's of Sodium Hydroxide upon cooling the calcium had precipitated out. I've run out of lye, restock my inventory next week. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bc.gold 3,403 #5 Posted January 10, 2023 This is what trace looks like, poured the soap into shallow cardboard box's lined with plastic. Let the soap cure for a month or longer, just like good scotch whisky it'll improve with age. Rinsing out the pail, we have suds. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bc.gold 3,403 #6 Posted January 11, 2023 Four months ago paid $37.99 for 3 kg of lye, today the same product $54.99. Left it on the shelf paid $12.99 for 500 grams just to complete this batch. Lye is made from common table salt the most abundant element of the earth, what gives. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bc.gold 3,403 #7 Posted January 11, 2023 19 hours ago, bc.gold said: Four months ago paid $37.99 for 3 kg of lye, today the same product $54.99. Left it on the shelf paid $12.99 for 500 grams just to complete this batch. Lye is made from common table salt the most abundant element of the earth, what gives. I'm thinking a lot of folks placing their fortunes into crypto lost big time when Sam Bankman's FTX filed for bankruptcy, 8 billion of client funds reportedly missing. And now we the public will pay the burden of their foolish investment choices,. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bc.gold 3,403 #8 Posted January 11, 2023 (edited) Picture showing trace, soap did not set overnight. That was what is refereed to as a false trace put the incomplete traced soap back onto the pot added a bit more lye water, now I have what looks like a thick pudding. You'll also see that the colour has improved. Yesterday while pouring the false trace into the box, it found water level, nice smooth surface, the true trace has to be manually smoothed out. I'm not trying out for any fall fair awards, what you see is what you get. If your worried of having a lye heavy soap, I think I could have just added water with sodium chloride ( table salt ) for the sodium deficiency. Besides smoothing out just adds to the utensils to be cleaned later. HISTORY OF SOAP Edited January 11, 2023 by bc.gold Share this post Link to post Share on other sites