Candybee Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 I am going to start ordering the 50 lb pails and wanted to know... do I really need the pail opener? If I do, do I need one for each pail or can I use just one opener on all? I don't want to spend an extra $10 bucks on an opener(s) I don't need. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 You DO want a pail opener. The special plastic wrench will save your sanity. One wrench for all. I broke my first one somehow and could not wait to get the replacement! I tried pliers and mangled tops. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted May 30, 2016 Author Share Posted May 30, 2016 Thanks TT. Good to know. I may order 2 so I have a backup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 My first one lasted several years... Until I was not paying attention and didn't seat it right or something. You will be glad you got one. Those 6 gallon soap oil pails are wonderful. I planted my whole garden in them this year some spent pails hold glaze materials in the kiln room. Some have gamma seals to hold dog food and other things to keep things fresh. Two I use to reclaim clay trimmings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted May 30, 2016 Author Share Posted May 30, 2016 I was thinking of making master oil batches in the empties. But I like your idea of a garden using the pails. I usually save stuff like that because you never know what you could use it for. I am assuming the empty pails are stackable so I can store them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Yes, stackable, but still take a fair amount of space. The collection mounts quickly once you start buying in pails. i have master batched in them and use one often to pour back and forth into to help mix. it was sad, at first, to plunge the drill tip through a pail for the plants, but oh so worth it to not have to WEED! And the chickens don't scratch the tiny plants inside to bits I keep them mulched heavily to even out moisture. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Yes, as TT has said, the pail wrench is a MUST IMO. I didn't have one for a while and kept breaking nails and scraping skin off of my fingers, and swearing worse than a truck-driving sailor!! LOL Once I got one it takes less than a minute to open the pail vs. the 10-15 minutes of workout and frustration I had without it. TT and I are very much alike as in I've used the spent pails for gardening, and the bigger ones to masterbatch in, and storage for other things. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 My hubs used to laugh when I would fill them before a huge storm system was forecast. Laughed, that is, until one derecho ( http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/what-is-a-derecho/28089245) leveled our county And knocked our power out for a week. Those horses were pretty happy to have water as our electric well was useless. Flushing toilets were pretty sweet too 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted May 30, 2016 Author Share Posted May 30, 2016 (edited) Well I will definitely use them for masterbatching. I have a Lowe's 5 gallon pail but its a dark blue and I hate using it because I can't see the color of my oils against the dark blue. I am assuming the SC pails are white and that's what I want. I'm sure I can find several uses for them. I need a bigger pail to hold bulk sea salt for my salt bars. I have to buy dozens of lbs of salt during the year. Also, I toss my end pieces from cutting soap into a container but its not big enough for all the end pieces I produce during the year. Once I collect a whole bunch I sell them as guest soaps and they sell like hot cakes. But I need a big container for them. Plus I use large kitty litter containers to throw in my exotic butters or dry ingredient additives. Do the pails have handles like some containers do? Edited May 30, 2016 by Candybee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 All of the pails I've gotten from Soaper's Choice have been white and have handles. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 4 hours ago, Jcandleattic said: All of the pails I've gotten from Soaper's Choice have been white and have handles. Yup. Hoping they don't go back to the awful blue bags inside the pail for summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 I get those blue bags in the 10 lb boxes of butters. I just cut away the top part of the bags so its easier to scoop out butter. Not sure why they would need them in a sealed pail. I assume the pails are sealed if you need a special pail opener. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 1 hour ago, Candybee said: I get those blue bags in the 10 lb boxes of butters. I just cut away the top part of the bags so its easier to scoop out butter. Not sure why they would need them in a sealed pail. I assume the pails are sealed if you need a special pail opener. They used blue bags inside the pails during summer months last year to try to reduce spillage in transit. Even in sealed pails they would often seep or just plain leak in those uber hot UPS trucks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 (edited) Well I ordered my first pail today.... and a pail opener. I thought about the oils melting in the heat in transit so I just wanted to try one out first before I get anymore. Its been pretty hot here for the past week. In the upper 80's with a heat index of near or over 100. We get a lot of humidity and breezeless days that make the air feel 20 degrees hotter. Soaper's Choice also mentions on their site that they won't be responsible for melted oils. I never really thought much about it before so I was a bit taken aback. I have always bought my oils in the sealed jugs so I never thought much about them melting. I've had many oils shipped that melted in transit but the seal on the jugs never broke and never leaked and I have bought a ton of jugs over the years. Edited May 31, 2016 by Candybee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 Keeping in mind how UpS throws around those pails I is kind of a miracle they arrive as well as they do! 55 lbs tare weight suffers a lot more from hard landings than smaller amounts cushned inside boxes i live about 90 minutes from SC, so my pails do not travel far, but some like coconut oil arrive all liquid in summer. The worst I have had is a tiny bit of seepage. You could tell the pail was messed up as the box label was taped right to the pail and no sign of the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 Whoa! Okay that is pretty bad. I have a UPS driver in my area that sometimes gives me some long sideways looks when he delivers my soap oils or candle wax. He never says anything but I just get these looks. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted June 7, 2016 Author Share Posted June 7, 2016 Got my first 50 lb pail this past week. Opened it up today to make some soap. Thanks so much for telling me about the pail opener. Without it would have been near impossible to open. Once I figured out how to use it it was a snap... sort of. Those pails are heavy! The most of any oil I ever ordered before was 5 7lb jugs of CO. I can't get over how much 50 lbs of CO looks like! Although I bet I will go through this in just a few short weeks.... or less! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micayla75 Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 I have never purchased a pail opener and have never had any problems. Is it used to open it when the pail is sealed originally or after you have unsealed it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 51 minutes ago, micayla75 said: I have never purchased a pail opener and have never had any problems. Is it used to open it when the pail is sealed originally or after you have unsealed it? Initially, then also after, depending on how tightly you re-sell it. The recesses molded into the lids fit very tightly over the pail lip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted June 16, 2016 Author Share Posted June 16, 2016 I also find it does both... and at the same time. It unseals as it opens. I have to use the opener several times around the rim of the lid to unseal and open. But with the pail opener it is pretty easy. When I put the lid back on I press it down and hit it around the top a bit with the palm of my hand to keep it sealed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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