Angel91805

So, I'm been plugging numbers in all morning and figured I'd ask the experts before I start snatching at my hair....

I made a batch of HP this past weekend and it's a little drying on my hands. In a nutshell the recipe was:

Castor 10%

Coconut 20%

Lard 30%

Shea butter 20%

Soybean oil 10%

Olive 10%

5% superfat

Soap calc spit out these numbers:

Hardness: 41

Cleansing 14

Condition 55

Bubbly 23

Creamy 36

Iodine 61

INS 143

I like the bubbly and creamy. Now, which number should go up for a more moisterizing bar? The Condition? I've snapped in all sorts of different stuff this morning and can't seem to get anything above 58. GRRRR. What's a good number for a hard, bubbly, non-drying bar?? Yes, I know, I want it all. LOL.

When I find who started this soap addiction of mine, I might just slap her. <sigh>

Thanks!

Donna

A small world it is. I lived on Juliandra, sort of kitty corner to Dowell elementary. You are right by Terrace Hills jr high. I bet you are younger than me so I don't think we went to school together. lol

Oh, age aside, I doubt we went to school together! I went in Tampa, FL! LOL. We are near Terrace Hill...on the other side of Kenworthy.

I guess I'll go find out how to rebatch this....<sigh>

Donna

I don't know how it could have zap either. I'm so frustrated right now. It went through all the stages...I quit stick blending it (after about 7 minutes) when it got so thick I could hear my SB bogging down. Then it got so thick I couldn't stir it...then we had the fizzies around the sides and the island in the middle...then applesauce, mashed potatoes and then vaseline. Maybe the crock pot was too hot. Maybe I did scrape the sides when taking it out. Maybe a butterfly flapped it's wings in Tokoyo. I knew there wouldn't be air pockets in the mold cuz DH was slamming it for me after I'd plop some more in. The white botchy looking spots are definately zingy.

Small world, Brat. I live in Northeast not far from Rushing...we are off Kenworthy. Gotta love El Paso. I have mountain peak views from my living room windows.

ETA: It's a damned good thing I ordered some soap from Grumpy. Otherwise I'd never get to have soap!!

Hugs,

Donna

YEHAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

I'm gonna quit doing that when you all tell me to go lick it. Blech.

Man, CareBear...you got my hopes all up.....and now they are all crashed again. I did the "lick finger...rub on spot...lick finger" thing and my tongue just about crawled out of my mouth. Definate zappy. So, I licked another finger, rubbed on a non issue area and no zap there. Guess this will be another batch in the trash.

I swear I need an icon of the head banging on the wall. Could high altitude do this?? Man.... . I don't wanna play no more.

<sniff>

Donna

I swear, she's been living here for two weeks now.

I've had two batches of salt bars with scorch marks, one CP batch that I forgot the FO on and it's still sticky 3 days later....and now I've cut my first HP batch and I have LYE POCKETS! Shoot me. Please. Put me out of my misery. I took pics...figured I'd try to give Grumpy some porn....NOT! Can I chunk this back into the crock and rebatch it?? I got no tongue zaps.

I just don't see how this damned thing could have lye pockets! GRRRRRRRRRR. I stood there and stick blended forever. Could it be because I lifted the SB a little and some air got in there?? I was just trying to get the top part blended in too.

I was going to go try the salt bars again...but I think I'd better wait. GRRR.

Can I be Grumpy today??? Better yet....I want to be one of the other dwarves today....I want to be Bitchy. GRRRRRRRRR

Donna

You know...I'm liking the faster gratification of HP! LOL...

Let's see....I used 40 oz of oils and 1 1/2 oz of FO.

It was more steamy than smoky now that I think about it.

Wooooo....I'm gonna go wash the crock pot and maybe have another go at this!

Hugs,

Donna

So I gave up on salt bars for a few day................

So, I unearthed the extra crockpot and gave HP a go. I'll admit...I'm the Nervous Nelly type...had a bar stool pulled right up to the counter and perched my happy ass on it. And it really sucks when the glass lid frogs up and you can't SEE. You might know....I had to go to the bathroom and almost missed the applesauce stage. LOL. Damned bladder. So, I got it to a vaseline-y type stage, stirredd in my FO (Peak's Green Clover & Aloe)...pulled some out and colored it...blopped it back in, folded twice and plopped it in the mold. You know, a credit card (or in this case, hubby's debit card) is a perfect size for the Mr. DoRight Molds.

SO....now I have questions.....of course (did you really expect anything else?)

I have to wait 24 hrs to unmold, right??

Why did my FO smoke like mad?? It has a >200 flashpoint.

It doesn't smell like much at the moment....will the scent come back?

Woo hoo! Soap tomorrow!

TIA! Hugs,

Donna

PMing ya, Lindsay!

Thanks, Lindsay! I copied your post over to Word so I can save it.

I'm fairly "anal" too. :embarasse In fact, I'm taking a Business Math class and this week we learned about markup percentages based either on cost (to make) or selling price (if you got it wholesale and don't know the cost to make). Really interesting. Lots of wicked formulas too . I should preface that by stating that I am one of "those" math type people. Drives DH bonkers. Now...ask me how many times I failed chemistry in school...ROFL! That's probably why my salt bars won't comeout right.... HAHAHAHAHA

Hugs,

Donna

Oh geez.....I gotta go lick the salt bar? The things I do for you all!! (insert picture of cow w/ a salt lick.) OK...what's a lye zap supposed to be like anyway????

YEEHAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW....that's just evil. Sort of a soapy, salty, 9V battery-ish?? I swear I've licked everything (my tongue is threatening to leave me)....ok, not everything, just the salt bar from Sue (ok, the nub that's left) and the ones from Kris...and mine are a bit zingy compared to those. GRRRR. So, the FO rices and the lye gets clumpy and doesn't go and play nicely with others? (We really need the animated icon of the head banging in the wall....)

Sue....the lye is little crytally balls...no clumping ...sort of static clinging to everything. A real PITA. I made a batch of straight soap today (so proud, I made up the recipe! And then forgot the FO! GRR)...and it doesn't have any polka dotted issues. At least not yet...so I wouldn't think it's the lye.... and my pot is stainless steel 18/10. All my utensils are metal...got a few silicone spatulas, but didn't use those today. I'm mixing my lye in one of those heavy duty plastic pitchers...could that be the beast? The NON-Green Clover and Aloe batch today was mixed in a pyrex cup.

Man....I love this FO....but I could use it in scrubs if not a salt bar. <sniff>

Off to fire off an email and beg shea butter off of Soaper Supplies tomorrow...I used my last today in this batch.......I did, however, buy extra coconut and extra salt today....just in case....

Hugs,

Donna

SO! A pretty eventful day spent making soap and saltbars today. GRRRR. I made a pretty soap....and forgot the FO. GRRRR. Thought it was going too well. We'll see how that goes tomorrow when I unmold it....

Now...on to the salt bars. If you will remember, I had "issues" on Saturday with my salt bars....scorched chunks. I followed everything you wise ladies imparted to me. I made my lye water up like 3 hours before soaping...and it was room temp, my oils were cool too...didn't use the thermometer, but the shea butter was wanting to go convert back to solid. So, much cooler process. I did have what I thought was ricing....after the FO (Backwood's Sea Salt Breeze)....it looked like it wanted to curdle a bit. So, I grabbed a whisk and whipped the snot out of it. Well....I don't have scorched chunks...but now I have Chicken Pox! Same color as my scorched chunks from Saturday. Is it the FO???? DH thought it may be the lye, but I don't have any scorched marks in my other batch I made today. HELP! Should I just give up on salt bars with that FO? Could it be the non-iodide table salt?

Here's info:

distilled water, roebic lye (Lowe's), 80% coconut, 10% shea, 10% olive, 40 oz no-iodide table salt

Lye was room temp, FO was room temp, colorant room temp, oils room temp

And here's some pics..... GRRRRRRRRRR

Guidance....I need guidance!

Donna

Edited to add one more thing.....the "chicken pox" crap goes through the parts that were colored too...and there is NO FO in the colored part....yeah, I know, hard to see it, but it's colored....I had Select Shade "issues" too. So, I don't know if it's the FO or not!

... First off, I see a price tag of $12.00 OMG, this craft is expensive, lol, and no reading glasses with it.

Pam...while I'm not interested in the kit you have, thank you for offereing it by the way (I just don't do kits)....I had to comment on this sentence you wrote.

Did you click on the link to the mermaids that I stitched?? Let me break down the cost of it....

$26.00 Hand dyed fabric

$12.00 Pattern

$16.91 10 packs for seed beads and margarita beads

$12.95 4 spools of metallic braid

$ 7.20 20 skeins of DMC cotton thread

$75.06 total before taxes and shipping (for the fabric)

This is about the normal pricing for a design of this size. I have one mermaid pattern that I haven't started yet, where just the beads alone are over $80. Not including fabric, pattern, threads, metallics. Add to that 350 hours to actually stitch it.....

Just to frame one of these pieces is between $200-$400. Why? You normally need either triple mats so the beads do not sit on the glass or spacers...and you need to use conservation acid free mounting boards/mats, etc....the fabric needs to be pinned to the boards w/ stainless steel pins, or laced...and to find a framer that laces is like finding a needle in a haystack!... and then all sealed up happy happy so no dust or moisture can get in. It's pricey. LOL

I am working on a pattern now (it alone was $28) and the "specialty kit" for it was just shy of $202. (And I have 7 more of those "kits" waiting for me to do!) Why's it so pricey? The threads are 100% pure silk.

So, yeah, cross stitching can be an expensive hobby! My DH used to balk at the prices (now I just don't tell him!)...but these peices are heirloom quality...and if taken care of will be around for generations.

Hugs,

Donna

You know....we really should hate you.

Dayum but those are some nice looking soaps! Between those and the soap porn that we are waiting for and the ones on your site....if I just send you my CC, will you send me one of each?? I swear I've almost talked DH into a log of your Acid Trip just because it's a work of art! ROFL.

You , Grumpy!

Donna

If you are growing that large (YEAH, YOU!)...what about distilling your own tap water?

I didn't look too much (it's late and my eyes are crossing) but I found a countertop distiller at Amazon.com for $99-ish. It only does 4 gallons a day, don't know if you need more than that though. Seems to only do 1 gallon every 5-6 hrs though.

Donna

You know....I was thinking the same thing Dagwood and I have no idea. I'm hoping Rena will pop back in since she uses these.

Actually, I hadn't thought about the label so much as I was wondering about adding 50% and the preservatives not being affected. But, then again, I have one of the bases from Soaper's Workshop and that will hold more than 50% (can't find the sheet at the moment..maybe 120%?) before the preservative is affected....and then again, that is sold as a condensed base.

Donna

AJ....I hear you on the glasses....once I switched to stitching on linen and evenweaves, I marched right into the pharmacy and bought reading glasses. Figured I'd save the strain now. LOL.

Grumpy...those are adorable..I've seen them at the shop here. I just love the sarcasms. Hehe

Tammy! Those are beautiful fabrics! Where've you been hiding all this time? I'm going to PM you in a few...

Thanks everyone, for your kind words!!

I am pretty proud of my stitchings. I don't mean that to sound boastful, it's just that I stitch one stitch at a time, normally while watching TV...and when I'm done I stand back and go "WOW, that is beautiful!" Not so much because *I* did it...but the designer that designed it. Eh...that probably came out worse that I intended it to...if you all could just step inside my head for a minute, you'll see what I'm trying to type!

Hugs,

Donna

I'm zero help here....

I've never heard of them until now...and I'll be dipped if I can find a spot to register so I can see the prices. Um.....no. And I'm definately not going to spend more time searching for the "register" button. Guess their prices must be really good........

Donna

I sent them an email and asked and this was the response I got. I'm liking the sounds of these!! I did get the body splash too, but I haven't played with it yet.

"Hi Donna,

Yes, the bases are fine to use as-is. You CAN add things, if you wish, and

we have no specific recommendations. Some of our customers will add water, Sweet Almond Oil, Jojaba Oil, or many other items. You can add up to approximately 50%, by volume, before you need to add additional

preservatives.

Please let us know if we can help in any way."

Rena,

Do you add anything to these bases, other than scent/color, or just use as-is?

Thanks!

Donna

Those are gorgeous, Brenda! Now I want a bottle...that Amazing Grace one right there on the left...where should I send my address??

Thanks for the D'oh moment....never thought about putting a clear label over a white one. DUH! Still cheaper than a "waterproof" label!

And like Lynn....where are the bottles from if you don't mind? I like that style better than the ones I got from WSP...but I've only been able to find them in frosted not clear.

Thanks!

Donna

Aren't we the evilest bunch?? I tell you....I was in your spot only a few months ago.

I have a Misty Creek 16 bar slab....and have used it once. Yesterday. Love it. Yes, you have to line it, but with their template (ingenius really), it's easy peasy. I also bought 2 four pound log molds from ebay and Mr. Doright...haven't used them but Grumpy swears by them.

Eugenia...did you have luck with your mold from Candles and Woodcrafts? I bought a 1 pound loaf (to play with) off ebay and I had an ugly experience. No communication after 4 emails and then mysteriously my item got lost in the mail...but before the allotted day to send me a replacement she went ahead and sent the "replacement". Yeah, the first never showed up. And not pretty. The mold is not square at all and the lid doesn't fit it. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Just my of course, and my experience.....

Donna

If so, what do you stitch??

I learned how to x-stitch about <cough> 25 yrs ago but only avidly picked it back up about 4 yrs ago. Cross stitching is my obsession! I normally stitch larger pieces....20x12ish. I recently had one piece win 2nd place in a showcase of cross stitching, so I was very proud. Here's my winning mermaids....

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2623875440053333153Sqjuaw

Here's a link to my photo albums....just ignore the last two albums.

http://community.webshots.com/user/angel91805

Hugs,

Donna

Well, it's neither here nor there, but I don't think that is a SFIC lotion base. I bought a sampler of all their bases and those list of ingredients do not match the ones I have from SFIC...which is neither here nor there...

Most bases I have seen say 1% per gallon....so for 8 oz would be about 2ml or 3/8 -ish of a teaspoon or about 40 drops.

BCN has a great table...which I'm reading off of... http://www.candlesupply.com/BBfochart.html

Hope that helps!

Donna

ROFL! Beats the hell out of me! That's why I was asking. I'd be happy to send you a bar if you'd like to see it 'first hand'. Otherwise, into the trash they are going. <whispers> It's kind of hard though to put it in the trash...this being my first batch and all, I'm kind of attached. I'm sure I'll get over it though.

Just in case that particular soap fairy was still hanging around today....I took it easy and stirred FO into a shower gel base!

Hugs,

Donna

Oh CareBear! Here's to super quick thinking!

I'm glad you are OK w/ no lye burns on Itsy or Bitsy! Sorry I couldn't contain myself. The visual you have going here is amazing!

Donna