Catherine Love~ Ramblings from my Heart and Home

Questions for the soapmakers....

OK all you soapmaking experts, I have some questions :) 

1.  Go ahead and laugh, but I have to know this...  just how bad are the fumes from the lye???  Remember, I live in an apartment.  Can I get away with opening up the windows and front door and not cause problems for myself or have a visit from the police to see just what I'm "cooking"??? 

2.  Ideas for a place to store the soap until it's ready- I'm thinking I can use the bottom pantry shelf- or have dh hang a shelf in our storage room outside.  Anyone have ingenious storage solutions???

3.  Recipes for making small batches of castille soap.  The books I have all make big batches of soap- I'd like to start out with a small batch or two.  Anyone care to share their favorite recipe, book or website links with me? 

I'll probably have lots more questions, but I'd better wait until someone gives me the answer to #1 first ;)  !!! 

Thanks in advance for your advice :) 

Not that bad

8:40 AM, Thursday, March 9, 2006 .. Posted by spinninggrandma

The fumes are not that bad ... I used to make soap in my trailer (ok, mobile home) and just didn't hold my head over and breath!!! You just stand back a bit while you are putting the lye and the water together ... once it's stopped smoking, the fumes won't over whelm you!

I used to put my soap box in a darkish room on a tv tray - it wasn't that big a batch ... I covered it with a blanket to hold the heat in for a while longer than if it was uncovered. No special place needed.

As far as reciepes, I can't help, sorry. I've just moved (in October) and haven't found all my books yet. Good luck!!!

Lye

9:16 AM, Thursday, March 9, 2006 .. Posted by Soapyspinner

Always make sure that you never mix your lye into water inside. Do this outside and don't lean over the top of the container. The fumes disipate in just a few minutes. A very good web site for beginners is http://millersoap.com/
Hugs,
Christy

soap making

8:00 PM, Monday, March 13, 2006 .. Posted by marmieto12

I mix my lye on the porch, no matter what time of year it is. If this isn't possible, just keep your face away from the mix. The smell won't alarm your neigbors :) I use a pitcher and this seems to work great. I use ABS 3'' pipe cut into 12'' long pieces. Use end caps & on the bottom I use plastic grocery type bags, wrapped tightly with rubber bands. I double my recipe and use 2 pipes. I place the pipes into a 6 gal bucket, wrapped in old towels. I then pour my mixture into pipes. cover with cap, and extra towels. For the 24-48 hours it cures in my closet with a blanket surrounding the bucket. I then take the pipes put in the freezer for a couple of hours..the soap will slide out. let it sit for a bit, use a sharp knife and slice into 3'' or so pieces. I then put the slices to harden in a cool place. We have a basement pantry with stainless shelves, turn every few days. You can use it in a week. The longer it sits the harder it becomes and will last longer. I too recently moved, and will need to look for recipes. There are great ones on the internet..for safety wear goggles. Happy soap making, you will never go back to store bought!