Re: A Few Questions for Soapers

June 9, 2004

SW: Hi Ricci, have you started your hunt to find a lye vendor in your area?

Start with chemical places or janitor supplies. Call around, someone will

have lye for sale or will point you in the right direction. It tends to be pick

up only. Don't know any vendors in your area, but someone on this list might.

Get the pellet kind, the flakes do fly. What is ITMHP??

2): Sweaty Soap in Cello Wrappers. They will sweat. I use Thai Banana Leaf

Paper from a local art store to make a cigar type band wrapper, then use the

Avery Gold lables for the soap name, etc. Another do if you still want cello,

is to get some bags (majestic mountain sage has some nice ones) put your soaps

in there and cut a couple of slits down at the bottom to allow the soap to

breath, and let the scent out.

3: Packing soap or packaging soap?? I package my soaps in handmade paper,

tied with natural raffia, and labeled with the name on the front, my info on

the back. Yes, people want to pick the soap up and smell it, soap doesn't

transmit germs as a cream would. For creams, etc, I have one to sample out, and

use popsicle stick to let people try samples.

Again, lye soap needs to breath. PLUS if it's hot and humid, soap will sweat

period, no matter what. I store my soap in cardboard boxes from Uline, they

hold the soap nicely and are perfect for shipping. If you'd likd the item

number, let me know. I've been very happy with them. I sell at Farmers

Markets,

to I load the soap in the cardboard boxes and then into plasic containers for

travel.

If it's hot an humid, soap will just plain sweat. Melt and Pour will

melt...... I can't sell that outside. <can you say puddle> It will sweat more

if

it's wrapped in cello or plastic where it can't breath.

in Cambridge

Hi All -- Ricci from Georgia, and I have a couple of questions for

all the soapers. I make ITMHP lye soap, usually in 6 lb batches.

Here goes:

1. When pouring the lye granules (red devil)to weigh the amount, I

notice static from the container. Ergo, some granules have a

tendancy to jump onto anything nearby. So, I then wiped down the

outside of the containers with a fabric softener sheet. It helped,

but the granules then just jumped further. Okay, this is seems like

a silly thing to me -- but I don't want any lye jumping anywhere! Am

I the only one experiencing this? What do the rest of you do to

prevent this? Of course, I always have vinegar nearby.

2. Someone had asked a question earlier -- I think in this group --

asking how to prevent soap from " sweating " in a cello wrapper. I

never had that problem until last weekend. Can't find what the

suggestions were.

3. What have your experiences been regarding packing soap -- are you

finding people want the soap completely wrapped or not? People want

to smell the soap, regardless if I have samples out. Can't smell

through my wrap. Thanks for your suggestions -- sorry it's so long!

June 9, 2004

Oh man, scales. I ruined one of my scales by forgetting to put it in a

plastic food bag. Spilled an alkanet infusion on it, ruined it.

Hope everyone is putting their scales in plastic. Actually my problems were

solved once I found a vendor nearby where I could pick up lye pellets.

in Cambridge

Hi ricci,

I have recently started having that problem with my lye as well. Never have

before. I'm going to start putting my scale and bowl in the sink and weigh it

there<~Then just flush any remaining particles down the sink I guess? I tried

the dryer sheet too and it didn't help much.

sindy

June 9, 2004

In a message dated 6/9/2004 5:37:01 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

sssoap@... writes:

Sindy-- Thanks for your reply. Now I don't feel so weird about the lye

business. I'll have to do a little research to see if it comes in flake form

versus the tiny granules.

Hi ricci,

I have recently started having that problem with my lye as well. Never have

before. I'm going to start putting my scale and bowl in the sink and weigh it

there<~Then just flush any remaining particles down the sink I guess? I tried

the dryer sheet too and it didn't help much.

sindy

June 9, 2004

Ricci,

When weighing lye, I use the top 1/2 to 3/4 of a gallon water jug that I've

cut in half and use as a funnel.

Otherwise, you might consider using glass to measure since it doesn't seem to

cause the same electrical static. My scale can be zero'd out, so anything

can be used as a vessel.

Tina

www.essentialherbal.com

The Essential Herbal Magazine

by, for, and about herbie people and the things they love - HERBS

June 9, 2004

Ricci,

When weighing lye, I use the top 1/2 to 3/4 of a gallon water jug that I've

cut in half and use as a funnel.

Otherwise, you might consider using glass to measure since it doesn't seem to

cause the same electrical static. My scale can be zero'd out, so anything

can be used as a vessel.

Tina

www.essentialherbal.com

The Essential Herbal Magazine

by, for, and about herbie people and the things they love - HERBS

June 9, 2004

-- thanks so much for your reply! Hunting for lye -- oh boy, have I

hunted -- but need to continue researching. Most places I've contacted either

don't have it, or want to sell in 1,500lb quantities. Way to much for me.

Regarding the packaging -- the only reason I went with cello bags was to

enclose the entire soap, but still be able to see some of it. I want to change

the packaging. Can't have sweaty soap -- ugh. Thankfully, this only happened

to a few bars. Are you enclosing the entire bar in the banana leaf paper? I

happen to have lots of handmade paper (I'm a paper nut too). Let me know the

item number on the boxes you use.

ITMHP is for " in the mold hot process " . Basically, bring your soap to trace,

put in your additives (EO, herbs, whatever), pour into the mold. I have

pre-heated my oven to 170. Put the soap mold in the oven, cover, and let sit

for

12 hours or overnight. Ready to go the next day (technically). I still like

to let the cut soap sit for two days or so to harden up a bit more.

Thanks again! Ricci

In a message dated 6/9/2004 5:53:40 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Olatou@...

writes:

SW: Hi Ricci, have you started your hunt to find a lye vendor in your area?

Start with chemical places or janitor supplies. Call around, someone will

have lye for sale or will point you in the right direction. It tends to be

pick

up only. Don't know any vendors in your area, but someone on this list

might.

Get the pellet kind, the flakes do fly. What is ITMHP??

2): Sweaty Soap in Cello Wrappers. They will sweat. I use Thai Banana Leaf

Paper from a local art store to make a cigar type band wrapper, then use the

Avery Gold lables for the soap name, etc. Another do if you still want

cello,

is to get some bags (majestic mountain sage has some nice ones) put your

soaps

in there and cut a couple of slits down at the bottom to allow the soap to

breath, and let the scent out.

3: Packing soap or packaging soap?? I package my soaps in handmade paper,

tied with natural raffia, and labeled with the name on the front, my info on

the back. Yes, people want to pick the soap up and smell it, soap doesn't

transmit germs as a cream would. For creams, etc, I have one to sample out,

and

use popsicle stick to let people try samples.

Again, lye soap needs to breath. PLUS if it's hot and humid, soap will sweat

period, no matter what. I store my soap in cardboard boxes from Uline, they

hold the soap nicely and are perfect for shipping. If you'd likd the item

number, let me know. I've been very happy with them. I sell at Farmers

Markets,

to I load the soap in the cardboard boxes and then into plasic containers for

travel.

If it's hot an humid, soap will just plain sweat. Melt and Pour will

melt...... I can't sell that outside. <can you say puddle> It will sweat

more if

it's wrapped in cello or plastic where it can't breath.

in Cambridge

June 9, 2004