FunFlames

K... when you get done laughing at my next question can some one please help.... Here goes.... how in the world do you use that soap calc?? I tried putting stuff in and I am NOT succeeding! LOL I wanted to put in the 6.5# lard, 12oz lye and 32oz water to see what it said.... I failed! LOL Is there a tutorial on how to use it? I know.... I am a sad sad case! LMAO

The 12oz sounds a lot better. Thanks for that link, I bookmarked it for future use. I am getting a bit excited now to do this. It will be a first. :D :D :D

Thanks Vio... I will have to read her recipe for my self and the directions to see if it makes a bit more sence. I know we have used it on skin with no problem.... so I would guess that she did something a bit different. Well this experience is really getting me on the fast track to learning about soap making. So all is good! LOL

I need to do more reading and research. I need to figure out what some terms mean and play with the calcs. Yes, my Aunt wants to duplicate Gram's soap. I asked her last night and she does have the "how to" directions Gram left. With the safety knowledge I aquired from this board we should be able to get it done. She isn't in a huge hurry as she just found a few more bars. So it gives us (me) time to gather more info. thanks again for all the help Danielle

Dang.... I had to stick my eyes back in my head as I read what you bought!! Have fun and good luck!! Keep us posted on your adventure!

gloworm, thanks for the info, that was the missing piece!! jbren, thanks for that link. Hopefully with all the info we should be able to get this underway.

Vio, actually between my Mom and Aunt they have all her stuff.... My Aunt has the actual recipe.... directions too I am sure... she was just asking me about the lye amount. We have no little ones and she has no animals.... so we are safe there. My animals are not allowed in the kitchen. Thank you so much for all the help and info! I am going to print this out and let my Aunt read it. This might end up being a joint effort. Again Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!!!

Since I am still testing wicks.... I can't comment on the HT... but the CT is wonderful. I am testing Mocha Java and it is very good. I have a bit of a hard time testing HT here anyway cuz my house is so open. If I get a great MP then I will move it to a room to test HT. 6006 gets great reviews and people like the HT of the 415 so I am hoping and assuming that the two together will ROCK!!

I personally wanted the most soy possible but a great looking candle. I tried another mix first but couldn't get rid of the frosting. I am testing a 80/20 mix of 415/6006. Makes for a pretty candle with NO frost. I am testing in a 3.5 inch apothecary jar. I first tried a CD20.... not so great. I just now fired one up with 2 CD8's. I really didn't want to double wick, but if it makes a great smelling candle then that is more important. NO valid reason for not wanting to double wick either!! LOL HTH OH, both waxes are close so I can pick them up.

Thanks for all the replies...My Aunt is trying to follow Gram's recipe. Easier said than done! Once in a while we would use it on our hands or feet if they were really snarky. Feet mostly grassy from fresh mowed lawn. Hands greasy from working on cars. I know if we rubbed too hard on the clothing it would take the color out. I have one bar here that I keep wrapped and displayed with alot of my Gram's other stuff. I know she would make it and leave it in the mold for a long time in the basement. So from what I read that is CP correct?? I will have to play with the calculators and see what I come up with. Vio, I think you are right about the Red Devil lye. It sounds familiar. Maybe I can research that and see what I find also. Again thanks for all the help Danielle

Hello, I have never made soap (other than M&P) so I have no idea about this. My Aunt has my Gramma's original "lye soap" recipe. The problem is... my Gram had a "not so informative" way of keeping recipes. You know the handful, pinch, a bit, smidge measurements. Her soap recipe is.... 1 can lye 1 qt cold water 6 1/2 # grease with that amount of water and bacon grease, can anyone give me a better idea of how much a "can of lye" might be. Thank you all for any info you can give. Oh this soap is used for laundry stains by our family.

I never got frost when I was using it! You must have the majic touch with the frost fairy!! I ended up switching to my own blend that is about 80%soy, 20% paraffin. I am loving it so far. Beautiful, no frost, great throw. I am working on wicking right now. SO far so good.... Happy testing

Not sure how I missed typing it, but I do have the watermelon margarita in my cart also. I think I need to go back and read some more scent descriptions. I need to fill in the gaps I have in my FO list. Thank you for all the suggestions!!

I am placing an order with Backwoods... after reading the FO reviews I have put these in my cart... Amazon Teakwood Backwoods Blue Black Irish Cucumber Mint Grammy's Strawberry Jam Huckleberry Blues Hummingbird Pumpkin Cornbread Are there any other must haves I have missed? TIA

The directions are right. I heated to that temp, added color then added FO before i poured. All very close since I poured around 125. (you can vary the directions if you want) There are many many posts on this board about the HT of this wax. Some people have gotten it to work for them, but more of us moved on to another wax. I never got a "great" ht with this wax unless I let it cure for months. Have fun testing.... you might be able to get it to work for you. It does make a beautiful candle!!!

I too found 415 to play the best with paraffin. It even played better than Ecosoya pure. I know this is not your mix but it might give you a starting point. I mixed 6006 with 415 50/50.... worked great but I wanted to try to get the highest soy without frosting so I did a 70/30 mix. It also worked good, no frosting. IGI told me that the 6006 is under 50% soy.... so I guessed and figured it as a 70/30 blend... so if I did my math right on my 70/30 blend I ended up with close to a 80/20 blend. I think any less paraffin than that and the frost fairy's will come out to play. HTH

415 is a pure soy. The mix seemed to keep the beauty of the CBA but add the better scent throw of the 415. Get a small amount of the 415 and give it a try. 415 is also called EZsoy.... you might be able to find it closer to you under the different name. http://www.craftserver.com/forums/search.php?searchid=997548 this will give you more info.

CBA and GB415 play very well together. If you do a search for CBA you will get more info.

Thanks Susan.... I really didn't have a goal in mind as much as I was going to experiment. I know people use beeswax and figured I'd give it a try. I am still working on my blend. I might add it to my pure soy and see what I get. Just kickin' ideas around. Again, thank you for the info. I really appreciate it! :smiley2:

Where did you get them from?? I rec'd an inspirational stone flexible mold from Scottcrew Ent and I love it. I use soy in it without a problem. I just pour in the wax, let it set up and unmold. HTH

They also send free samples if you want before you buy. I agree with the great customer service.

Hello all, I have been thinking about trying some beeswax in my wax blend. My problem is I have NO idea about beeswax. There are many different kinds and I am not sure which is commonly used as an additive for candles. There is refined, natural unrefined, yellow, white. I am so confused. Can someone please point me in the right direction?? TIA Danielle

Did you pour today also? I am a bit confused. It amazes me how different a wax can act in different areas.... I never got frosting, always got a beautiful candle but had to wait a very long time to get a decent HT. I hope you get it!! It's great when things work!! If you aren't pleased with the HT give it a little time. Good Luck

Thanks for the answers!! I was thinking 5-7 days would be reasonable. I'd rather not use an FO if I have to wait weeks for a great HT. If I find some that are wonderful at 24 hours I'll be thrilled. Thanks again Danielle

I have searched and found much info, just not what I wanted. My question..... how long do you let 415 cure before testing for HT. I did see a post that someone waited only 24 hours. I guess I am trying to find an average. TIA Danielle