# Seriously increase batch size/output



## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

I am still soaping 'small time', just in my (large) kitchen in a 3 gal bucket, but getting good results. I want to take the next step, now that I have done my market research and I will be talking to some potential customers over the next few weeks. Some of these customers are big.

I have designed the soap mold I want to use (besides the ones I already have), and Kelsei's Creations is going to make a prototype for me (so excited about that, they are great). Now I need to figure out what I need to make much larger soap batches. Bottle necks, as I see it, will be a) what to soap in (what kind of containers do you all use?), and b) what to stir with, because my stick blender usually already runs hot in a small batch.

Also, Vicki, do you have a picture of how you keep your oils hot and pumpable? I know you described it once. Right now I have my Shea and Cocoa butter solid, and I need to microwave it all, which is very time consuming. I have so many questions and wish I could visit some of you to see how you're dealing with bigger orders.

Marion


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

No help here, Marion, but good luck to you! You go girl!!!


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## In it for the Bucks! (Mar 12, 2012)

New to the forum and to soaping but one of those pumpkin cleaner outer things (technical term lol) that you attatch to a drill works great instead of an stick blender. Works the same way but you can get down into the bigger batches better. IMO


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks for the tip and thanks, Cindy. Nothing secured yet, just taking careful steps, hopefully in the right direction! I am still planning on stopping by your spot on the Farmers market, but I have been idiotically busy lately.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

http://www.qcsupply.com/farm-livestock/mats-flooring/heat-mats.html?limit=18&gclid=CMv8rt3lja8CFadeTAoddiv2_w

This is what I have, they are from qcsupply.com I have the 13x60 that runs the length of one of my Gorilla tough shelving units and I keep gallons of coconut oil on them and 8 pound containers of shea. I also have a 27x36 which a 33 gallon drum of oils sits on. I simply nuke my cocoa butter, although it is not actually solid on the mats it is not all the way melted, so I melt it in 8 pound containers while I am out in the barn (I used the same microwave for my milk in the lambar) so it is ready to go since I soap nights.

http://www.soapequipment.com/ this is a cool site, it has the tipper that PJ uses in it. I still soap in 3.5 and 5 gallon buckets. I have no intentions of moving larger than this at my age. Bending over to use a paddle bit on a heavy drill that doesn't fit my hands, is nothing I can see myself doing. The setup for their lye tank...exactly who is going up there to fill it with 50 pounds of lye on their shoulder? Same with the butters and oils mixer/melter....who is putting it in the tank?

But right now my actual soaping space is tiny and I still can put out 600 bars an evening....when you really get down to it you may need to just soap more hours, rather than going larger. Imagine how much you could soap, soaping 4 days a week for 8 hours. Right now I do 4 nights a week soaping for about 4 hours. I love my molds, I can do multiples of 3 slabs or 2 loafs, and with premixed lye and melted pre measured butters and oils, you can really put out the soap. Can you lift the molds full of soap? For sure cutting and wrapping are more time consuming and tedious. And storage, never can have enough storage!

There are bigger buckets you can purchase to soap in, the problem them becomes you can't lift and pour safely without help, and I don't have help. So a tipper then becomes a necessity, why I would rather just make multiple pours than big large ones.

But I do see the pneumatic cutter in my future and the 25 pound block molds which will have to be customized for my size bar.


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

You're right, Vicki, I soap by myself, so a real big batch probably wouldn't be an option. Soaping 8 hrs a day isn't either, since there aren't 8 hours left in my day, but soaping 4 hrs for 3-4 days a week could be done. I found out that soaping itself goes fast if all your stuff's weighed out in advance, so I guess if I pre-weigh on days that I have 'loose hours' so I can soap,soap,soap on days that I have a 4 hr block, I should be able to make quite a bit of soap. I realize now that, more than anything, MOLDS are my limiting factor. When they're full, I'm done soaping until I can unmold. Today my 30 bar mold arrived and I already have a 3 log Vicki-mold (I get 15 bars/log, so that's 45 bars) and I have ordered a somewhat strange 40 bar mold (if it works, I'll order another one of those) so with all that I should be able to make 155 bars per day plus some in my pipe molds, so that's actually quite a bit of soap. I usually soap in the late morning/early afternoon and then unmold the next morning. I guess I just need to figure out my most efficient timing/use of molds and that should help a lot.

I still am worried about the stirring, even with smaller batches, because my stick blender runs hot from two back to back small batches, so I need something better. I though about the dough mixers that bakeries have. Or maybe I just need to look into a more professional stick blender.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Yep you need a more professional stick blender, look at the Warings, we have had several threads about them. Vicki


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks for the tip, I will.


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## tmfinley (Feb 21, 2008)

How long are you having to stick blend? I make 22 lb batches and only have to use the stick blender for 4-5 minutes tops. I do use a steep water discount but even if you double that time, I don't think your stick blender should be getting burned up. Professional stick blenders are so expensive. Would it be more cost effective to buy another $20 stick blender to switch to when the first one starts getting hot?


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I wish I could let you borrow my Warning Tiffany, the horse power alone will halve the amount of time it takes to get to trace. You don't have to stir with it while you blend it is so powerful it moves all the soap while just holding it against the side of the bucket. And no worrying if you are going to get soap in the motor because really your shaft isn't long enough. Even the smallest Waring is worth the money, they sell the smaller Waring I use in soap class at Target, cookware stores etc...which sometimes are cheaper than ordering online. Vicki


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Tiffany, the least expensive Waring professional stick blender is only about $55 and it is so much better than a cheapie that you can get at Walmart that it isn't even funny. Now, if you want to get one of the really big ones with the very long, interchangeable shaft, that is a lot more money.


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

I don't have to blend that long, really. I never timed it, definitely not more than 3-5 minutes, but like I mentioned before, I like to pre weigh, and then make a few batches in a row, and that's when my stick blender runs hot. Two blenders is an idea, but $55 for a better blender seems well worth it. 

Thank you guys for the info. I dove into this soap-thing and spent all my time learning about the process and creating my own recipes, but didn't dive enough into the logistics, I guess. I had finally decided on how to wrap my soap (in paper, with a strip around it with my logo and business name), but now I realize that wrapping the soap that way will probably take too much time if I go a lot bigger. Now I'm looking into simple soap boxes and then using selfstick labels. A bit more expensive, but not bad if my market's big enough (isn't yet, but working on it over the next two weeks... very exciting)

Marion


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## jimandpj (Mar 11, 2008)

My biggest advice is to be very careful when increasing your batch sizes *dramatically*. In many cases, it is like learning to soap all over again. Things really change. So be prepared the first time you do it.

And if you use a scent or formula that ever moves on you, well, Jim usually has 5 children on deck waiting to help him swirl and put in dividers and such for our fast moving soap.

Our setup works beautifully, the hardest part is bending and lifting the molds after they've been poured.

Vicki - we only used a hand drill for about 2 months. Definitely too heavy and hard. We have the stand mixer from soapequipment.com 
Works great.

PJ


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## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

Where to find 5 children??? :biggrin I have 'em actually, but not right beside me when soaping, so I'll have to come up with a different solution. Thanks for the tip on batch size, though, that really does make sense. So far I have only one soap that somewhat accellerates, but I can see where that one would be a problem in a large batch.


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