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MtnDon
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# Posted: 10 Feb 2012 22:23
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I recently made my first batch of home made soap and wondered if anyone else does?
I made a batch of all vegetable oil soap; canola, olive and coconut, water and lye. I must say that I think it turned out good.
I actually made a half batch, one half the recipe. Cold process, not too difficult at all.
soap in the glass dish I used for a mold
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soap after 24 hours; just removed from mold
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soap cut into rough bars
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2012 01:41
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To recycle your soap scraps into new bar soap, place 2 cups of grated soap scraps in a saucepan and cover them with water. Let them soak for 24 hours, giving them a stir every now and then. Next, bring the pan to a boil, remove it from heat and add a tablespoon of vegetable oil for each cupful of soap soup. Pour the mixture into molds?milk cartons work great. After they've hardened, you can cut them into smaller bars, but let them cure for two weeks before you use them.
i make semi homemade soap.
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2012 01:42
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Quoting: MtnDon I recently made my first batch of home made soap
looks grand!!
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2012 12:57 - Edited by: Just
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audit please ,,, how many $$$ per bar.??? don
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hattie
Member
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2012 13:17
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Soapmaking is something I've always wanted to do. I did do it once before (many years ago) when daughter and her friend were doing a science fair project. Her soap was pretty authentic and involved rendering down fat (the smell just about drove our dog nuts). When it was done, they did a survey at their school comparing it to ivory soap. The homemake soap won, hands down.
Can you give us a detailed recipe MtnDon - Please?
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MtnDon
Member
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2012 16:13
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My rough cost estimate is that the half batch recipe ingredients cost about $US 12.00, or somewhat less. The half recipe made what was pictured, about 4 pounds by weight. That will decrease a bit as the soap dries and hardens.
I did not make it as an effort to save money. I decided to make soap so I could get away from the fragrances and other chemical additives found in commercial soap.
It is possible to add fragrances, which is normally done just before placing the mix into the mold. There are methods and instructions online. Attached is a pdf document relating my experience, the recipe, and notes on what I consider basic important things to know.
The process of the oil and lye combining is called saponification. Once complete the lye is all consumed if the ingredients were accurately weighed. One of the by products of saponification is glycerin. Glycerin is good. A trace amount is left on your skin. Glycerin attracts moisture from the air. That makes your skin feel softer.
Trivial factoid: Glycerin is removed i from the soap in the commercial process. It is extracted as it is more valuable by itself. The soap companies then use the glycerin in making lotions and creams for dry skin, that they sell at designer prices. The dollar drives everything.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2012 16:15 - Edited by: MtnDon
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Basic ingredient list
Full recipe
36 ounces canola oil, by weight
36 ounces olive oil, by weight
16 ounces coconut oil, by weight
24 ounces cold water, by volume
12 ounces lye crystals, by weight
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2012 16:43
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less than a buck a bar, not bad don. my give it a shot, wonder if beaver fat or bear fat would work ??
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hattie
Member
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2012 19:21
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Thanks for the recipe MtnDon....This looks like it could be lots of fun. I might just give it a try if I can find all the ingredients I will need.
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MtnDon
Member
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2012 20:25
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Ace Hardware stores should also carry 100% lye as drain cleaner.
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MtnDon
Member
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# Posted: 11 Feb 2012 22:05 - Edited by: MtnDon
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Quoting: Just beaver fat or bear fat
Looks like bear fat when rendered to be tallow is a perfect replacement for lard. See SAP Chart here. Look for an lard recipe on that site.
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 26 Feb 2012 22:56
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this is not as good as MtnDon's soap but i do sort of make it.
i save all my left overs and soak them in water when i get a big bunch.let them get really soft and expanding in the water.then i blend it all up in the blender.then i add some oil or shortening in the sauce pan and add my mixture on medium high and stir...till sort of thick.then i pour the mixture into a greased container and let dry.here is a picture of my latest batch.i wil take a biscuit cutter and cut out round soaps n decorate them for our guest bathroom.all the left overs from cutting...i will add to blender with water and make a hand soap...
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exsailor
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2012 12:00 - Edited by: exsailor
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Just,
Our pioneer forefathers used all kinds of animal fat for many things including Soap making. I don't reckon there was much access to coconut oil in Appalachia, maybe olive oil if they could find it. Seeing as they refined their lye from wood ashes, I can't imagine they went in for a lot of extra ingredients. KISS worked then better than it does now.
Can't say for sure but oil rendered from Bear fat is supposed to be one fine lubricant. Maybe it isn't the same grade of refined whale oil, which was used in machine shops for ages. Supposedly Bear oil works its way through the slightest of cracks. Course never having any to test, I can't verify that factoid. I would say make a test batch of soap just Bear oil, water and lye. I would be interested in testing it myself. I will have to ask a bear hunter I know for the fat from his next kill, if he will part with any.
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Seto
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2012 12:11
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I have given it a try a couple times, my woodash lye has been too weak to make a good soap, can't buy the powdered stuff here due to laws against it. just spent some time making more lye and will give it another try
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exsailor
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2012 12:43 - Edited by: exsailor
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Seto,
Having read The Foxfire series I know it does take a lot of wood ashes to make lye. Have you tried to concentrate your lye water, by boiling? Get a hold of some litmus paper, so you can guage your realtive base intensity, from start to finish. Also did you add water and your lye to the fat for make soap? You may have diluted it with any extra water, sorry for the side track.
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 27 Feb 2012 12:50
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exsailor
we usualy leave it in the bush I have seen it 4 in thick .
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Seto
Member
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# Posted: 28 Feb 2012 16:44
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exsailor, I had boiled it down but not enough, I used the old time chicken feather test. i did not add water, i just didn't boil it down enough.
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