The soap is out of the mold and cut! Here's a shot of me prying the two loaves apart, and a photo of the lard soap (crinkle-cut) and the tallow soap (smooth-cut). The tallow looks amazing already.

These twin batches have 4 ingredients each; the fat (lard or tallow), water, lye, and a little sodium lactate (a liquid salt added to aid in bar hardness).
#ColdProcessSoap #soap @soapmaking
#ColdProcess #soapMaking

Welp, that was an afternoon's work to be sure. 5.62 kilos (12.4 lbs.) of soap batter. It should get me about 40 bars once it is cut and cured. It will weigh about 4.3 kg once dry. That means that I made about 9 kg of soap batter since Saturday morning.

I'm worn out. It's a good thing I'm back at work in the morning!

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huh. I had NO right to expect this batch (I should call it 'Off to the Traces Peach') to have come out this nicely. I guess I jammed it into the mold with enough force to squeeze most of the air pockets out. Next question: will it dry crumbly? As with so many things soapy, time will tell.

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Almost ready to start the measuring...

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BTW, I'm looking for ~8 more soap testers. If you live in the USA & you're willing to fill out detailed surveys reviewing 3-8 bars of soap a year, you'll get thank-you packages of whichever soap you like the best. Please contact me through DM if you are interested.

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#coldProcess

This other batch tho; whoo!

1st time I've tried a wooden mold, & it stuck hard. I put it into the freezer to firm & shrink it & finally got it out. I used my soap miter box to take advantage of the soap being very firm and sliced it into approx. 7/8" slices.

This is a Bastille variant with olive, coconut, & castor oils with 2 types of salt. I'll start using this & sending it to testers in mid August.

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#SoapMaking
#coldProcess

I made two batches of cold process soap on Saturday, an experimental/learning batch with clay and pumice in it; it's still soaking wet, so I'll let it dry another day. It's in individual bar molds, so there's no rush to cut loaves while it's still soft.

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New interests; new reading.

This week's light reading includes "Soap and Cosmetic Labeling: How to Follow the Rules and Regs Explained in Plain English" and "Good Manufacturing Practices for Soap and Cosmetic Handcrafters," both by Marie Gale.

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First nine days of soap. Five batches, ~70 bars, an unknown, but less than zero, amount of cat hair.

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Big Box Soap is in the record books. This is an experiment in making a soap with only ingredients you can get at a couple of big box stores likely in your town in the US. This will be my last soap pour post for at least a couple days, but hey.... the unboxing and cutting is coming soon!

This is what 84+ ounces of freshly-poured soap looks like.
Coconut, canola, and olive oils. Lye from the hardware store.

#ColdProcess #SoapMaking @soapmaking

Just finished my first batch of Castile-style soap. I wanted to get a batch under my belt; I'm not sure it will be a favorite given the description of the way it lathers, but it's such a standard! It should be ready around Thanksgiving or Yule. The recipe is simple; olive oil, water, lye, salt, sodium lactate. I know some folks wouldn't consider it 'true' Castile, so I'm not claiming that name for it, but it's within the style range!

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I have a long way to go to where I want to be, but I cannot say I'm displeased about my second batch of soap. This is a blend of olive oil, coconut oil, and a little castor oil.
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Got Xmas soap wrapped & labeled! Just need to make holders for the lip balm and I can start putting the gifts together ^_^

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Soap making day was yesterday! Perfectly timed, I put the last soap from the last batch into the shower yesterday! Pretty easy. Two batches of cold processed soap a year meets all our shower/bath needs!
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https://pixelfed.de/p/ThunderHoney/507593505876604443

So, in spite of protestations from wrists (i did it in waves to give'em wee breaks), I have sliced & trimmed my soap ^_^

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Soap unmolded yesterday! Today, I slice & trim! ^_^

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Made soap today, yayayay!

Photo is at the beginning of the process ^_^

@woozle was the documentarian so there is apparently video. Lots of video ;D

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When I'm not working for the man I like to make #coldprocess #handmade #artisan #smallbatch #soap and take fancy pictures of it. I love incorporating things I grow in my garden.

This is Prairie Fog, smells like an #earlgrey #tea latte.

On November 22, I made my traditional goats milk soap for Xmas presents as I am wont to do. I was assisted by Z, my second youngest & chemistry expert* and here I give you the Finished Product as it were ^_^

*having graduated from college with a degree in chemistry

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Ohright, I made soap!

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