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culpepper

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 638
Location: Kent

Posted: Fri Dec 31, 04 1:15 pm Post subject:
I found sodium hydroxide in boots yesterday in a white bottle labelled caustic soda its shelved with borax and water softeners.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28235
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Dec 31, 04 1:44 pm Post subject:

culpepper wrote:

I found sodium hydroxide in boots yesterday in a white bottle labelled caustic soda its shelved with borax and water softeners.

Sounds like you have a more useful Boots! The one round here is totally useless compared to what I recall Boots being like.

jema

quilter1

Joined: 30 Dec 2004
Posts: 6
Location: Connecticut, USA

Posted: Fri Dec 31, 04 2:30 pm Post subject:

I know we have to be careful, drano does not work well in soap.
I must share, my batch yesterday has alot of soda ash, I took it out of bed to soon. I "should" have waited 48 hours, I didn't. We just moved to CT from southern Calif. and keeping the house heated is something new for me. I let the temp drop to much last night. I guess if we did not have failure learning new things would not be fun! I am going to let this dry a month or two and see what I get.
Terri

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Wed Jan 05, 05 9:49 pm Post subject:

Well, I've had a go, and so far have escaped unscathed (I think)

I made the egg and lemon shampoo bar from melinda coss's book. The caustic soda and beeswax came from my local hardware store, olive oil in large quantities from spain, and the rest of it was 'normal' stuff - lemon oil, egg yolk, creamed coconut and a vitamin e capsule. I guessed at the tempatures a bit, and the essential oil quantities, as my scales aren't accurate enough to weigh 2.5 grams of anything!

I used half an old milk carton for a mould (I only made half the quantity) and wore my old ski-glasses and rubber gloves. I washed everything up in diluted vinegar, and put the soap in a cardboard box wrapped in towels in the spare room. It was a bit disapointing actually, after all the warnings I'd been expecting fireworks, and there was hardly a fizz.

I'd have taken pictures, but himself was out (on purpose so he wasn't underfoot!) and had taken the camera with him. It now looks like cooling lemon curd, only a bit more honey/beeswax coloured.

My only tips would be to make sure that you replace any gone kitchen light bulbs in advance if you are going to wear dark glasses, and find some little moulds (planning on plastic egg trays or icecube trays next time) to use up any odd bits. I had to go hunting for something last minute, as there was some left, but not enough for the second carton mould I'd prepared. Ended up with the tin my swiss army knife came in. It's handily quite soap shaped too!

Tommorow I'll cut it up into bars, and try and forget about it for a month. and then we'll see if it's worked, but so far, so good.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 05 8:44 am Post subject:

quilter1 wrote:

Hmmm... Is that the cause of soda ash, the soap cooling too fast? I've left batches in the near arctic conditions of our back hall in November, and never had a great deal of soda ash. Sometimes get a light covering, but I get that as often if I leave the soap in the airing cupboard.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 05 8:47 am Post subject:

wellington womble wrote:

....and find some little moulds (planning on plastic egg trays or icecube trays next time) to use up any odd bits. I had to go hunting for something last minute, as there was some left, but not enough for the second carton mould I'd prepared. Ended up with the tin my swiss army knife came in. It's handily quite soap shaped too!

I use takeaway cartons, the little plastic microwaveable ones. You can pick them up in a lot of kitchenware shops really cheaply, and they're about the size of four good bars of soap.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28235
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 05 8:54 am Post subject:

Cab wrote:

I use takeaway cartons, the little plastic microwaveable ones. You can pick them up in a lot of kitchenware shops really cheaply, and they're about the size of four good bars of soap.

I know a tastier way of buying the cartons

jema

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 05 7:42 pm Post subject:
I made my first batch today, after threatening for so long. I have made a simple soap, and set it for the first 24 hours in a pringles tube. I will cut it into bars tomorrow, ready to fully cure.

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 05 7:46 pm Post subject:
Did you do from scratch, with the wood ash, Alison, or buy in the caustic soda?

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 05 10:13 pm Post subject:
Caustic soda. I wanted to get the right reaction, and the wood ash method is a bit hit and miss for the saponification, when you are not sure what it is supposed to look like. It was very easy, and only took about an hour from start to finish, including washing up afterwards. When I have my bullock killed I will render the fat for the tallow and then I have a few more recipes to try out.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Thu Jan 06, 05 10:52 pm Post subject:

Mine hasn't set yet - it's harder than it was, but it's like warm room temperature chocolate it at the moment. It's a lovely colour and smells wonderful, though. So I have high hopes of a little patience! The book says 24 - 48 hours in general.

What's the significance of wrapping it up in towels? It doesn't seem to be at all warm.

Pringles tube is a good idea, alison - I'll remember that for next time. When's your bullock going?

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Fri Jan 07, 05 8:31 am Post subject:
Not sure when he is going. The freezer is ready, but I think it will be in the next couple of weeks. Just can't decide whether to send one or two!

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Fri Jan 07, 05 8:40 am Post subject:

wellington womble wrote:

What's the significance of wrapping it up in towels? It doesn't seem to be at all warm.

I think that it stops the soap drying out too fast and unevenly.

wellington womble

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 15051
Location: East Midlands

Posted: Fri Jan 07, 05 10:19 am Post subject:
In that case I might take them off. It still hasn't set, but then patience has never been my strong point!

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Fri Jan 07, 05 10:41 am Post subject:

wellington womble wrote:

In that case I might take them off. It still hasn't set, but then patience has never been my strong point!

When you say it hasn't set, what's the texture like? Is it stil kind of runny, or is it semi-solid?

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