sodium stearate

[Bloodman14]

Hey, gang, can sodium stearate (soap) be dissolved in water, and then added to your other ingredients (cold, of course), and then boil off the water as the loob is heated? Or, would the SS simply recongeal and have to remelt into the loob?:veryconfu

[fryboy]

ivory soap dissolves in water ( mostly ) i havent tried the sodium stearate straight seems kind of counterproductive to say the least , i do know that when using ivory it mixes best if really dry ( well and small grounds vs. slivers ) worse i think that it'd take quite a while to umm boil off the water and is usually hotter than you want to take beeswax too ( 212+ vs. 185-ish ) if it did dissolve in water then worse you mite have to wait for all the steam to dissipate ... the above is just my thoughts and i could be wrong

[felix]

Don't do it!!! ... felix

[Bloodman14]

I ask because it seems to take FOREVER for soap slivers to melt. I figured that dissolving it in water first might be easier, if not faster.

[fryboy]

the store bought stearate melts fast !!! the ivory as i said the smaller and drier the better , place in a hot dry spot for a bit ( on top of a water heater was one suggested place ) and then use the finest grater on a multi grater , it does melt alot faster that way , the fresh soap from the store seems to almost have too much water content in it , i'm not sure but a open bar in the freezer mite also suck some moisture out of it ( also mite make all the frozen food taste like soap - yuuck )

[Jailer]

randyrat is offering stearic acid now. Why not just get some from him? You know what your getting and you can help out a fellow board member.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=86774

[geargnasher]

Don't do it!!! ... felix

Heh heh! I second that! The soap is an emulsifier, it will make your oils and water blend into a nice, creamy mess and you'll never get all the water boiled back out.

Gear

[Bloodman14]

That's the kind of answer I was needin', Gear! A simple explanation.

[felix]

Fryboy has the right approach. Buy several bars and get rid of the wrappers to let the soap breathe for two or three months. The water won't go to zero because of the salt effect of the stearate, but for our purposes, it will in time. Old bars work best for this reason. Home made soap takes at least 4 months to dry. Actually, use only home made soap, Ivory type, for BP because of the retained glycerin. Commercial Ivory has had the glycerin extracted because of its value elsewhere is greater. Do not use smelly soaps, or those having moisturizers added (like glycerin). ... felix

[Bloodman14]

So, the soap needs to be a dried out, crumbly mess? I can do that.

[fryboy]

think of it as fresh cut green wood , it has a bit of moisture in it , true one can saw it but it tends to clog up the blade , now imagine that the finer the umm dust the easier it will ummm assimilate into the mixture , only problem is while we can cut carve and sliver green wood it in no way will sand , the finest grate on a grater with fairly dry soap will made some nice fluffy powder ( well ok almost powder ... it's a lil gritty ) slivers take some time to dissolve so smaller slivers take less time . compare it to a lollipop melting in your mouth ( no chewing allowed ) now imagine the same sugar content in dixie crystals (or what ever brand of refined sugar you prefer ) in about a minute the sugar will be dissolved but that lollipop mite be a all day sucker , it really doesnt become a crumbly mess , more like a lil hard rock that grates great !

[Bloodman14]

Fryboy, your analogies are something else! Thanks!

[geargnasher]

I store a couple of unwrapped bars of soap on top of my water heater in a cardboard box, haven't used them in a while due to experimenting with stearic acid, but they're nice and dry when I need them.

BTW, I use a parmesian grater to powder the Ivory.

Gear

[Jailer]

So, the soap needs to be a dried out, crumbly mess? I can do that.

I've got some home made tallow soap I could send you if you don't want to wait for some ivory to dry out. It can take quite a while for it to dry out enough to grate nicely.


I store a couple of unwrapped bars of soap on top of my water heater in a cardboard box, haven't used them in a while due to experimenting with stearic acid, but they're nice and dry when I need them.

BTW, I use a parmesian grater to powder the Ivory.

Gear

Light pressure is the key. It takes longer but it works. Same method I use for making my home made laundry soap.