Soap Making Redux | Lye: Little Pot of Horrors

As I mentioned in my earlier post mixing of lye was the scariest part of making lye.  I wanted to have a singular post on sharing my observations on that. Containers:  I see that people suggest using different kinds of container for mixing lye:  plastic, shatterproof glass, stainless steel.  I want to offer some commentary on that.

  1.  Plastic:  Because of the extreme heat given off, I would be wary of using any kind of plastic as the heat could leach out chemicals from the plastic (much like the admonitions of using plastic in the microwave).  Further, if you are new to soap making, the wrong choice of plastic, whose properties you may not be aware of under extreme conditions, could result in a melt down and a potential breach in the container.
  2. Mixing lye:  Some say use plastic, metal or wood.  I used a very long handled stainless steel spoon.  I feel that using a whisk is the right implement though and will do so in future.
  3. Glass: Pyrex when subjected to extreme heat conditions will shatter.  Having a Pyrex container in an ice bath when the lye is boiling away is one such condition.  I've had a Pyrex dish shatter by placing a cooler dish in a hot oven.  It contained only cornbread mix--not a deadly caustic chemical mixture such as lye.  I think that there is too much risk involved to use this container.  Yes, I've only had one Pyrex dish break on me in regular cooking in 3 decades, but it happens.
  4. Stainless Steel:  This is a two thumbs up.  It cannot breach, leach or break. And if you saw the rate of descent of that pot in the snow bank, you would understand why I wrote this post.  I used an asparagus pot.  It's tall and deep, and I felt that there I could handle it easily and that there would be no sloshing.  Would I use my pot to steam asparagus after dissolving lye?  A resounding yes. What possible danger could be lurking in stainless steel?  However, I did put a vinegar solution in everything touching the lye to ensure neutralization. And put everything in the dishwasher.

Measuring container for lye:  Another scary thing that I mentioned in my previous post was the electrical charge of the lye beads and the clear plastic cup that I used.  The beads actual went places that they were not supposed to go (on the stainless steel table).  Now these were maybe 20 or so beads (think head of a pin small), but one is too many.  My expectation is that my measuring cup should not interact at all with the contents--electrically or chemically.  Because of the static, I had some stray beads in my cup.  I will use a different vehicle in the future. I believe this to be the properties of the clear, hard, clear plastic. It's winter, and the air is dry.  I'm confident that in the summer this would not be a problem.

Measuring lye:  I read one place where measurements for lye were given using measuring cups v weight.  I would recommend using a weight scale. I have no baseline experience to give such advice except my cooking experience and the importance of lye to oil measurements.  It can be used for your soap making, and you will appreciate it for your baking needs as well.  It is so much faster to weigh ingredients than measure. If you are worried about having to look up values, put the weight values on the container in which you are storing your dry ingredients.

My bars of soap are very hard this a.m.  I attribute that to the addition of the beeswax.

My husband used some soap this a.m. and was very pleased.  I'm hooked!


Soap!

Today I took my maiden voyage into soap making.  My goal here is not to tell you how to make soap, merely document my experience today.

I was given some handmade soap which I found to be quite luxurious.  I then became curious as to how soap was made; I did my internet immersion (and I would suggest you do so as well); purchased basic supplies from Bulk Apothecary; and did other things to make time for this project.  Today, I found enough time to make the soap.  As I don't want my first batch of soap to be ready in 2+ months using cold process, I elected to use a hot process vis a vis the crockpot.

There are lots of recipes online for soap.  I wanted to do something with oil that I had on hand:  coconut oil (76deg), grape seed oil, olive oil, canola oil.  I also had some yellow beeswax for another project that I'll tell you about some other time.

Soap making is like baking--it is a science and requires basic ratios of stuff to make it work.  Old hands will say they wing it, but when you wing it, you are successful because you've got lots of experience. SoapCalc is an easy interface (a marvel really!).  It is a measurement and diagnostic tool that will allow you to dial in your ingredients to get a 'soap bar quality' that meets your needs.

After an inordinate amount of time futzing around with percentages of oil yielding sub-par overall qualities, I laid out all of my oil ingredients in Excel and input the profile of each ingredient so that I could eyeball where changing proportions would move the needle on the profile elements.The table shows the qualities of the oils that I had planned on using(from SoapCalc). SoapCalc also has a downoadable Excel file that you can find here. I messed around with the ratios until I was able to get within the recommended ranges.  I'm high on cleansing and low on creamy.  The INS is at 160 as an ideal (according to the calculator), so I feel that I'm okay.  This is after all a maiden voyage.

Once you have your percentages to get to the ideal soap profile, you have to decide on your yield.  I decided 3 lbs.  It turns out that is about 2 loaf pans worth.  Below is the SoapCalc recipe using the ingredients I selected. As a note:  I think that I have too much coconut oil and that this percentage might be overall drying according to about.com which I think has a great overview of soap making.   And...in lbs, ounces and grams!



 I have an electronic scale, and I measured everything precisely. The scariest thing about working with this stuff is the lye. (I've worked with many noxious chemicals, but not one that burns instantly through your skin). Here's a good recap of precautions to use.   I used a clear, plastic cup, but I noticed that the static electricity made some of the granules (little that they are) jump about onto my table. Much like those little beads in bean bags--they have much static electricity in them.  That was a surprise. (Note to self--use a different measuring vehicle!)

I mixed my lye to water in a stainless steel container (an asparagus cooker which is very tall and narrow--perfect for keeping the noxious elements nestled below casualty level!) sitting in snow outside.  Lye to water  or "L" before "W" is a necessary step.  Otherwise bad things can happen.  Noxious fumes were released, and I stood well away.  No breeze today, so no danger there. It began to boil and the container got very hot and started sinking in the snow.  Yep....that hot. I have a post on the container.....

After mixing my oils together, including my beeswax grains which were floating around whole,  I realized that I had no idea what the melting temperature was for beeswax.  Well...it is higher than the oil melt point at 144.  My crockpot temperature was much higher (235F) than the 170F top end recommended for bees wax.  However, I don't think that there were any ill effects from this.  Why did I used wax?  I needed it as a hardening agent.

To determine if saponification, the process of the lye turning the oils to soap  (why isn't this word "soaponification"?!), has been reached there is something called a zap test (touch tongue to cooled sample).  Personally, I would prefer a less 'tongue on' approach.  I bought some pH strips just now on Amazon.

I see admonitions about not using your soap making tools as anything else.  However, I used stainless steel tools, and I can see no way these could be compromised. What was left in the crockpot was soap, so I'm unsure how this is a problem.  Silicone based spatulas or molds and any plastic items should be fully reserved for soap and nothing else.

I had some annatto seed powder, so I dumped a couple of teaspoons in for color.  I ladled the soap into silicone loaf pans that I put inside glass loaf pan for stability.  I bought these at a salvage store, so they were very cheap.

All in all it was an interesting project.  I'm looking forward to making more batches--and developing a feel for doing it naturally v. having to ape the directions.  Below is a picture of a finished bar up close.  It really is a lovely color, and I will certainly use this again.  I have a concern that the whitish spot on the lower third may be a spot of incomplete saponification. 


It was a cool day and I put the containers on the deck to cool.  They hardened quickly, and I cut them withing 4 hours of making them.  I did a test run of a piece of soap, and I'm very happy with the lather and feel. 

Update:  I've been using this soap to clean--yep clean!  It has very good cleaning properties.

Other post-post comments--safety thoughts.  I have my safety monitor vest on--

  • Pouring lye mixture into oils:  pour lye over a spoon to prevent plopping. (Of course you have your safety glasses and gloves on.)  I've seen this done in many videos, but no commentary about it.
  • Immersion Blender:  One should use great care in using the immersion blender.  I have a larger crockpot, so my mixture was shallow.  I used the lid as a shield between me and the blender until it thickened.
  • Fumes:  Beware of the fumes from a covered crockpot that you uncover (as well as your lye mixture initially).
  • A watched pot does not burn:  Uhm....my 3rd soap batch boiled over.  Enuf said.

Salvage Store and Other Stuff

The salvage store nearby is a great place to find great bargains on 'stuff'.  Because the inventory turns over so quickly, there are always great finds.  But you have to get it quick or it is gone, though I have noted a few things that have languished for some time--largely due to the expiration date to be far too long in the past even for the most intrepid risk takers.

Post holidays (Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Valentine's day), there are always confections available at extraordinary prices.  Let's face it, confections will last 10 years, so if it is one month out, I don't call that intrepid risk taking.

My recent visit yielded these fabulous Lebkuchen cookies.  Below is from the German website (this was an imported product. Great for the tastebuds, not for the waistline--the cookie is 1/3 ground nuts.  Though not too sweet it has an amazing 'tooth'.  I'm hoping there will not be any of them there my next visit..  If you see these anywhere, get them.

The store also had San Marzano peeled tomatoes in the 6lb can (imported from Italy).  It said "with basil."  I'm not a big fan of 'with basil' tomato products, so I only bought 2 cans.  Well the product had real basil in it, not basis 'flavor'.  I made some marinara sauce , and I have to say it is a product superior to any that I've had.  On my next trip back, sold out. Sniff!

I'm on post holiday detox now, having eaten indiscriminately over the holidays.  The older one gets the greater one pays for those indiscretions!

January is almost over, and I will have reached my goal of having dug out of 2015 'stuff'.  It feels good.

Henry Worsley | Explorer

It was only yesterday that I learned who Henry Worsley was.  Sadly, in past tense, as he attempted a centenary trek across Antarctica.  Solo.  Unaided. Unfinished.  He was airlifted out and died from bacterial peritonitis. He was just 30 miles shy of his goal after trekking 71 days in an inhospitable area.

You can read a summary of Worsley's trip here at Explorer's Web News.  There is a website http://shackletonsolo.org/diary/ ; however that is not functioning this a.m.. though it was accessible yesterday.  Either it has been taken down or mobbed by interested people such as myself.  Nevertheless, you can view the Twitter account here (where they note that they are trying to restore the site).

My interest is not morbid.  Rather, Shackleton's journey 100 years earlier, captured in Lansing's book,  Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage is book is listed in my profile as one of my favorite books. As one Amazon reviewer titled his review, "Just When You Think Things Cannot get Worse, They Do" such is the book--and such was Worseley's experience.  Surprising, not one man was lost was lost over the Shackleton voyage. The feline and canines did not fare well, but that could not be helped.   If you are too ADHD or time strapped to read the book,  I would encourage you to read a good summary of Shackleton, the man and his frigid adventures here.

I was moved by Lansing's account of the extraordinary resilience of the men, both in body and spirit; the exemplary courage, leadership and sheer force of will practiced by Shackleton.  While any of the vignettes of getting trapped in the ice, trekking across mushy snow, having to kill and eat your beloved dogs, dispatch your feline to the Netherworld, crossing the channel to get to Elephant Island, sailing to South Georgia Island and then trekking three days across mountains to get to the whaling station and then finally having 3 false starts prior to rescuing the men three months after landing would be adventure enough...they endured all over 24 months and 22 days.

So with this important story to my personal (soft, flabby, comfortable) voyage through life, I, too, was moved by Worsley's adventure.  With Shackleton, there was the benefit of the team.  With Worsley, it was just him and the harsh elements.  Ultimately, his body failed.

These tales are hardship and perseverance against insurmountable odds are instructive--and a reminder that not all prevail.  That Worsely was stricken just 30 miles short of his goal reminds of the cruel twist of fate at worst--an indifferent Universe at best.

Nevertheless it reminds that it is not the end point that matters so much but rather the intention, courage, perseverance and hope that we have at all points previous.  Not all endeavors undertaken are successful--and it is a false conceit held by some that one can succeed so long as they have enough of this, that or the other.  Success, as any wise person would tell you, oft-times requires a bit of luck along with the necessary but happy (when one is motivated by one's work) drudgery.   Perhaps it is luck, not fate, that is fickle.  Sometimes it runs out or simply never showed up to the party.

As one crosses whatever line of demarcation of an event and is faced with a disappointing (tragic, even) outcome, one must ensure that there were no coulda-woulda-shoulda's.  If not, then fate must be accepted as it is--impersonal, objective. If so, then the fault lies solely with us.

Godspeed Henry Worsley to your next great adventure in the Universe.



Snow! Birds!

Our area, just east of Richmond,  received significant snow:  10"  The nature of this storm is that there were very narrow bands of this system that yielded sign

It is dry, powdery, but occults the ground, so the birds are relying, gratefully, on handouts.  While most head to the grocery store for bread and milk (nary a pint to be had at my store from accounts, I didn't need any), we head to Southern States to ensure that our feathered friends can get an easy meal to make it through the snow covered food table.

We have several hanging feeders, but we have to be mindful of ground feeders.  Mourning doves and juncos are ground feeders, while the titmouse, cardinals, ever-greedy finches, chickadees, downey woodpeckers will eat at the feeder (if a !#$^%$^#%$^ finch will move).  As I write, the @!#^%$^$%^ finches have been replaced by the #Q!^%$%&&^%& black birds or crows that descend out of the sky like a black plague.  Oh well...I guess they need to eat too.

To accomodate ground (or horizontal surface) feeders, you can clear a spot on the ground, or use carboard or plywood over snow, turnover a trash can etc, that will yield a horizontal surface.  Clear off your deck rail or underneath your patio table.  If you put seed down, they will come.  Also, underneath your vehicles is a nice protected spot--particularly accessible with taller vehicles likes trucks/suv's.

I make a slurry of fats (shortening, bacon, peanut butter) by mixing whatever is on hand, microwaving and mixing with millet mix.  I stuff it in suet holders or onion bag, or simply put it on a deck table or rail.  I have dogs, so putting it on the ground is a guarantee that that it will get snarfed up.

 

Friendship

As part of my non-resolutions, I'm cleaning up, clearing out, and making a non-vow to maintain. I have my handy Brother Ptouch...it is invaluable in labeling folders that allow you to see type v. scribble.

I wrote the following to one of Mark's classmates about friendship.  I write it here to memorialize it so that I can throw away the piece of paper.

Friendships.  We are certainly buoyed in the turbulent sea of life through our friendships.  Few relationships are richer than that of a true friend.  They help us reflect without judging us; make no demands on us; lend an ear to hear our troubles; lend a hand when we stumble or need help; and truly lean in to give us the emotional suport and physical fortitude to meet life's many challenges.  Spouses come and go; our pets die too quickly.  However, it is our friends that remain constant--our bridge to the past--our anchor in the present--and a guaranteed friendly face in the future.  I tell young people that the delight in getting older is that their friendships deepen--and that is truly one of the greatest blessings that can be bestowed upon us.

Draw!

One of my non-resolutions is to teach myself to draw--with heavy reliance on instructional materials.  Outside of elementary school--decoupage, fingerpaint etc--I've never had any formal art instruction.  Stick figures are a stretch.  Though I have looked at at taking some locally-offered drawing instruction, classes are for more of the leisure class or student, and they don't work with my schedule.

So, I hit the digital landscape and found several things in my typical uber-immersion deep dive into a new land.  I'm not bothering to learn how to paint yet; I simply want to learn how to see and train my kindergartner hand to draw.

My immersion has fortified my spirit.  I was under the impression that folks picked up a pencil and started to draw--eye to hand, hand to pen, pen to paper.  However, in watching many videos, I see that professionals use guidelines to help ascertain proportion etc.  Believe it or not, that alone was enough to get me going.

I purchased Accurasee proportional tool, which you can find here.  You can also download a grid program that will grid over pictures to help you map proportions.  I've elected an in-between method using center horizontal, center vertical and two diagonal lines on my reference photos and using the Accurasee proportional tools.  With this tool and my nascent drawing skills, my dog looks like my dog, cat looks like a cat.  No googly eyes.  No alien-esque feature. 

Whether a crutch or a help, there are many opinions.  I figure that if professional artists use it, then it is good enough for me.  Like any endeavor one embark's opinion, there are many conflicting opinions.  Essentially we have to be the final arbiter.

I like the help.  It eliminates alot of frustration, and it is teaching me to see proportions and angles and how all the parts work together.

The Colors of Noise

While my preference is to have a book in hand, I do have some books that I've downloaded from Amazon and read through their cloud reader.  One way to be part of the family while still concentrate on the reading while in the midst of others watching TV is to don some headphones.

Unfortunately, I cannot listen to music and read the stuff that I'm trying to understand--even if I'm trying to only get a glancing blow of understanding.  (Currently I'm reading David Bohm's Wholeness and the Implicate Order; if I get 10% of it, I will feel like I've achieved something).


Data below shamefully co-opted from here: 

Colour                 Range                    Sounds like

Violet               15-30KHz           Gas escaping, angry snake
Blue                   7-15KHz            Light breeze, aerosol, hihats
Green               3kHz-7KHz         Bacon frying, acid on concrete
Yellow              1kHz-3KHz         Rain, distant waterfall
Orange            500Hz-1KHz        River, city ambience
Red                 250Hz-500Hz      Airplane cabin, train/car interior
Brown              50Hz-250Hz       Thunder, distant plane/rocket
Black                   0-50Hz            Explosion rumble, near infrasonic, subbass


If you have a set of headphones and wish to dissolve outside noise, may I recommend a 'deep brown' or smoothed brown noise for your consummption.  Here's one of my favorites



Youtube is replete with several rendition.  Brown noise sounds like riding in an airplane, though I see this description relegated to red noise.

In honor of David Bowie's passing, donning some ear phones and listening to some brown noise and pretending to be Rocket Man and remembering this great talent would be a fitting tribute.

Tao Teh Ching

Eastern 'stuff' has always resonated with me more than western.  I think that so much of it has to do with the broader scope of the philosophy, the centeredness on the seeker, and right action, right mindset over right belief.  I don't believe in a 'right belief'.  Too often I have seen 'right belief' become wrong action.  I believe in the mathematics of the polarization of belief and action, so a right and a wrong cannot possible have a positive consequence.

In my excavation of my office, I came across one of my favorite books, The Complete Works of Lao Tzu; Tao Teh Ching and Hua Hu Ching, translation and elucidation by Hua-Ching Ni.  It is easy to forget that cultural overtones that are captured in the way that we express ourselves in language are not easily translatable.  I've read several different translations of Rumi's works.  While I believe the essence is captured, the nuances are flavored differently.  It is a reminder of our own unique way of representing our understanding.  We read.  Comprehend.  Integrate.  Translate. Write.  Anything after the first written word becomes part of the translator's internal world.

I write this as if I've ever translated anything.  I have not.  But being on the other end...a reader of  translated works, I see that this is so.  Observation, not critique.

One of the lovely things over books v. digital media is that they have a physical presence in our lives.  I've books all over my home--picked up in a fancy to read this or that, or fancied because I spied it.  I spied this translation under the printer stand (1).  I t must have fallen off the shelf underneath.  I have many turned over pages in my books.  This one no exception.

As I thumbed through a few of the passages that I marked, the ideals of harmony, balance, compassion, humility were featured. However this could be said of all passages in the book.  I'm glad the book fell from the shelf.

That there are such books as these written 2500+ years ago, is a reminder that the same ideals are as important today as they were then.  And dismally, that we've not progressed very far in embracing these ideals.

Sigh.









(1)  A nice wooden printer stand with an interior shelf from which the paper wood feed from a box underneath.  The LARGE printer (on which I have my two monitors and keyboard now) would sit on top.  Because of the feeder slot, this works perfectly for my computer set up.

Microwave Fritz and Other Random Thoughts

My Panasonic microwave died.  I will not say an ignominious death.  There were no sparks, smoke or other dramatics.  Rather it was simply a hum-buzz, hum-buzz, hum-buzz and then shut down with no forewarning.  It worked that night.  It kaputzed overnight.  Sigh. 

I use my microwave nearly everyday.  Oatmeal.  Defrosting food for the canine vermin in my household.  Warm up coffee. Soften butter.  Boil water. Heat up leftovers.  Cook canned and frozen vegetables. It's greate to "mostly" cook 'baked" potatoes that are steamed in the microwave and then finished them off in the toaster oven. I think that they turn out better than all baked.

I don't "cook" with the microwave per se.  I don't bake cakes or cook meats or anything else.  It is the front end (defrost) and back end (warm up) except for oatmeal.  I realize that I may have cheated myself out of shortcuts all of these years.  But because I 'cook', I have plenty of leftovers, and nothing is more left-over friendly than the microwave.

I am rather partial to the Inverter (constant power at less than 100%)  technology on Panasonic, as well as their effective turbo defrost (enter weight, and enjoy thoroughly defrosted (not cooked) foods). So, those features make me brand loyal, though I would expect these microwaves to last a wee bit longer.  I get the full wattage (1250), full capacity (2.0 cf).  I ordered one from Amazon, taking advantage of their warehouse deals, which can be (and was) significant in savings.  Better yet, it arrives today after ordering it yesterday. (!@#$@#^#$%^^ WTF is it?)  It helps to have a warehouse just a couple of counties away.

Resolution Front: While I made no formal resolutions, I am re-embracing David Allen's Getting Things Done System. It is simple, elegant, and it works.  However, like most things, to get the results, you have to do the work.  You don't get six-pack abs by watching You Tube videos on how-to-get-six-pack abs.  You simply have to do the heavy lifting.

So it is with organization.  Like the smoker who tries to quit numerous times, I am the organizer who starts numerous times.  Sadly I'm one of those highly receptive people--meaning simply that almost everything interests me--so breadth is wide and I dive deep.  That means that time and energy spent on mundane things suffers.

KANBANFLOW to the rescue.  I have been using this wonderful product for sometime now.  It has a Pomodoro overlay.  It helps me plan and stay organized on specific tasks. Most importantly, for routine tasks, it helps me look at time it takes, and allows for some active thinking on how to make tasks more efficient.

So, I'm Kanbanning my way through 2015's accumulated stuff.  My goal is to have all things in order by the end of the month.  Yeah, that sounds like alot of time.  It is.  But for most of 2015 I had an accumulation of stuff--(and that was an add on to pre 2015).  So, like the overweight person who needs to shed a few pounds, what has accumulated over years, takes a little time to whittle away.

Now time to whittle.


New Year



We were invited to a neighbor's house for festivities.  The challenge is to make it to midnight.  I managed to stay up until 1:30 a.m.  We were with people we have known most of our adult lives; we had plenty of food, drink and great conversation.

I just got off the phone with my sister.  She said to me in no uncertain terms, "It's New Year's day, it's not a big deal."  New Year's is a big deal for me.  It's a time for contemplation and reflection away from the demands of the other holidays.

 However, we should treat each day as holding that promise. So in that respect, it shouldn't be a big deal. I've yet to find a different version of myself in any subsequent year.  Nevertheless, I remain hopeful that in some alternate universe there is a thinner, more fit, smarter version of me.  I'll settle with that I can simply be author of whatever chapters I choose to write in this year's book of life-taking an "I can't" and transforming it into an "I can." For me that is tackling developing some basic drawing skills.

I hope that you have a splendid day and find time for contemplation and reflection--not just for today but each day--and that you write a few pages in your book of life this year that will bring satisfaction.