# Type of pots to use?



## mountainaire (Apr 8, 2008)

Hello everyone, 

I am trying to gather my list of supplies for soap-making and a friend has offered me a very large, very heavy, aluminum pot. 

The lists of supplies I have always read says to use stainless steel pots.

Will aluminum react negatively with the lye? Or can I accept and use this pot?

Thanks so much for the help....

Victoria
MountainAire


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## Amanda Lee (Aug 20, 2008)

You cannot use aluminum. It has to be plastic, stainless steel, glass. Also you cannot use coated baking wear that has the nonstick coating.

Welcome to DGI and the world of soaping.


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## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

And I prefer using a plastic bucket to mix my lye and goat milk. I use a stainless steel stockpot to melt the oils.


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

nope no aluminum


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## mountainaire (Apr 8, 2008)

Thanks everybody...

I was afraid of that, but didn't want to pass up the chance at a great free pot. 

I'm grateful for plastic bucket hint. That will save a heap, as I'll only have to buy one large stainless steel pot now. Those babies are expensive!

Victoria


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

The only stainless I use is the icebucket I melt my lye and water in and my stainless spoon for stirring that lye. I weigh and melt in the microwave in plasitc buckets with plastic bails, and soap in plastic buckets from 2 gallons, to 3.5 gallon buckets. 5 gallon bucket are used for super soaper weeks before Christmas. Vicki


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

I use a very large plastic pitcher for my lye water. I need the pour spout. LOL For my soap I use large stainless steel bowls and for larger batches I use stock pots. Not expensive ones either. You don't need the fancy heavy bottomed ones you'd want for cooking. Just cheap WalMart ones work fine.


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## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

Our local Wal Mart does not stock the 3 pot sets anymore. The stainless stock pots our local Wal Mart is stocking are much more expensive than a couple of years ago. I bought a 3 pot set for less than I can get one pot at Wal Mart now. Should have bought an extra set long ago. 

Just my opinion - but a larger diameter plastic bucket works best for me to mix the lye and milk in because the mixture does not seem to get as hot with more room. It also seems to cool quicker. I make 7 pound batches. 


For liquid soap nothing works better for diluting (in my opinion) than the 5 gallon detergent buckets that DH brings home from school. (coach- does laundry so he has access to those wonderful buckets) Not that you said you were going to make liquid soap but once the soaping bug bites it won't be long before you will want to try it.


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## Madfarmer (Nov 18, 2008)

Our septic system requires periodic addition of Chlorine, which comes in a very nice wide-top 3-gal bucket.

Tom


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## Seamus (Apr 9, 2009)

I use very inexpensive stainless steel stock pots for my soap. In fact, when I went to WalMart, I thought their pots were fairly expensive. The pots that I use were $10 in any size. Now, they are much thinner than the pot at WalMart, but, all I do is melt my oils in them and then combine the lye mixture in them after the oil is melted/come to temperature. Happy soaping to you 

Shawna


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## Sheryls Brat (Mar 28, 2009)

Don't forget to watch the Dollar stores too we found a really nice set of stainless steel pots once at the dollar store for $20 bucks and it had 4 different size pots... granted they weren't heavy duty stainless steel but they did work great


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

Dollar stores have them for $8 and 10


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## deJardine (Apr 29, 2009)

You can also use the cheaper enamel coated pots.  Wally World has them for around $15


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## Theresa (Oct 26, 2007)

I would not use the enamel coated pots. Under that enamel is metal that will react with the lye. You really need to use plastic or stainless steal.
Theresa


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