Recent content by Vintageliving

Chemisttree, thanks very much for your kind thoughts. It would be a great bridge to cross to go from my wee batches, to having consistency in large batches, and a very different realm. I'm happy in my frugal soaping for my own needs and to give to those near and dear. Your posts have been of...

Bobze, thank you for taking the time to post. My question is one of scientific interest. I like to find out about things, and be able to answer specific questions, and ask questions of others, when subjects arise. I asked the question on this forum, because I would like to know to know the...

Chemisttree, I ended up using a ratio of 1:1 for lye:water, and soaping at room temperature, which has made the whole process simple and easy. It works splendidly for the Castile and olive-castor soaps. I never did join the stick-blender folks, and still stir with a slotted, stainless steel...

Chemisttree, I have enjoyed experimenting with various ways of covering the soap, and have added bits of soap to the new batches. Your recommendation have helped, and my soap are turning out very nicely. I opted for simple and make mostly 100% olive or mostly olive with castor oil for grooming...

I have read some things such as reports of the Stefansson Bellevue experiment, or his reports of the Eskimos, and a few references to the research of Pennington, Kekwick, Donaldson, MacKarness, and their having patients on a dietary intake of low carbohydrate or very low carbohydrate, moderate...

Chemisttree, thank you! It'll be interesting to use the clay and see what it does.

Chemisttree, thank you very much. Next time I need to rebatch, I will enjoy experimenting.

Chemisttree, thank you very much for your interesting and helpful post. I appreciate your taking the time to write this. There is much to think about.

Chemisttree, thanks very much for your explanation. Some do pour into molds at very early trace. I have done it once, and that is the Castille-castor that developed so much ash and went rancid. (That is also the batch I left uncovered.) I may try a few bits of soap from the same recipe in a...

Chemisttree, thanks very much. I had a hunch that the lye becoming soda ash on the surface made it unavailable to become soap. Thank you, too, for your comments about the section of the post on the soaping forum about the crystals. It didn't sit right and I didn't know what to look up to...

Chemisttree, we use both saturated and unsaturated, depending on the recipe. Most of the time all goes well. But, the odd batch that goes bad is quite disheartening and expensive. We choose the oils according to their properties, also trying to keep them high in oleic acid to prevent the soap...

There are often posts on the soapmaking forums about using one's own soap before it is cured. Curing time for soaps made with oils that solidify at room temperature is four to six weeks. For 100% Castille (olive oil) or similar, the curing time is six months or longer. Of course, we all...

I posted this on thedishforum: On the German soapmaking forum, there are several posts noting that there seems to be a correlation between ash and oxidation of oils. Can you speak to the presence of ash and soap going rancid? And got this reply: Yes, I could see this being an accurate...

Thank you very much for your posts and help. Alxm, I don't know enough to know if the ash is always, indeed, the sodium carbonate formed from the lye soaking up carbon dioxide, or something else. We have all found that making soap in low humidity contributes to a successful soap...

On the German soapmaking forum, there are several posts noting that the presence of ash and the oxidation of oils(rancidity) often go together. When the ash appears in small amounts, I have not noticed any oxidation. When the ash develops over much of the surface of the soap bars, the soap...