# Do any of you RTCP GM soap



## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

For you newbies, that's Room Temperature Cold Process Goat Milk Soap.

I would imagine You keep the hard oils solid, never heating them, mix your lye/water solution and add it hot to the oils and it melts them. So then you would add the remainder of your liquids as GM. I HATE waiting for my lye solution and my oils to come to RT so this is looking really good to me. I'm wondering if it would be too hot after melting the oils with the lye solution. Would I add the Gm frozen? This wouldn't work for 100% GM soap obviously, but since I've started to dissolve the lye in water for some of my recipes I was wondering. Sure would speed the process!

Bethany


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## Narrow Chance (Oct 29, 2007)

I haven't. I do soap oil at RT.. and lye/water solution at RT, then melt frozen GM in the lye/water solution. 
It almost never overheats. When the GM has melted.. not matter the temp, I mix with the oils.
I did pour the lye straight into the oils, then added the GM (not frozen) once. I had DOS so bad.. I haven't done it again. Figured I didn't give the lye time to melt completely.

I'd be interested to know how this works also and if anyone who does it will expound on how it's done.

Rett


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## Halo-M Nubians (Oct 26, 2007)

I've have never checked temps on anything. When I'm ready to add lye mix to oil, I just do it. Maybe I am being stupid but no problems yet. I always melt my oils completely, and often they are hot too...The one time I didn't and added the lye my end soap had small pockets of lard in it??? the lye mixture was still hot, So don't know if this applys to what you were asking-I don't know much, 1 year of soaping-but I have been very lucky to get some very nice soap! I am lazy and I hate to wait. I have started using ice water for my lye mixture, but didn't in the beginning


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

No...I do a variation, shoot doesn't everyone  My butters and oils are above room temp, my lye and water (equal amounts) is RT (I am premixing and it is in jug). The lye does still melt out the rest of the butters, but, I have to now melt Cocoa butter more than I used to. I add warmed GM at emulsion. So my room temp as moved up to warm with bigger batches. Vicki


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

I always do Rt oils and lye mixture (by touch to the outside of the container - I never actually measure the temp) with Rt or just chilled Gm. If it's 100% Gm the cubes are frozen solid.

I think tomorrow I will try this. The thing I am thinking might happen is that the oil/lye mix might still be too hot for my liking on particular batches that I try to stop a gel to keep my colors true, but should be ok for something else.

Will let you know.

Bethany


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

Not a good idea, folks! Was really hot, added refrigerated GM, accelerated, got my FO in a ONE color (no swirls at all!) so hot right now it has cracked the tops. Not good...

Bethany


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## Guest (Jan 9, 2008)

Bummer! Thanks for letting us know


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## Becky-DixieDoesAlpines (Oct 26, 2007)

I start by mixing lye and cold water and set it aside.
I then put the lard and coconut oil in the microwave really just till they barely soften , still thick and lumpy. I add the liquid oils,and then pour the lye on. I t takes me maybe 12-15 minutes to do the oils plus prep molds, the lye is really hot. I stir well, it is in thick trace, pudding-y. Add warm milk, stirwell. The milk thins it a touch. This works perfect for me and is so fast and easy.
Becky


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

The thing for me Becky is I want it to stay thin for quite a bit to have time to swirl. Especially since I do log molds so swirling is a bit more of a challenge.
yesterday was a bad swirl day. Everything got too thick too fast. today I am hoping for better luck. I'm going to try to do three blues. Just an ITP, but the FO I want to use can be a fast mover so we shall see!

Bethany


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

I just read the gazillion batches thread and Bandi says she even does her GM RTCP! So now I've posted on there to see what I'm doing wrong. Since most soapers are using canned or powdered I wonder if that makes a difference.

If I added the GM frozen in cubes do you think I would get instant soap on a stick? 

Bethany


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Bethany even adding cold milk it brings me instantly to, too much trace. I can't even imgaine how frozen milk would work at trace. Also although I have to use frozen milk right now with the does dry, but 99% of my soaping is when the girls are fresh, so freezing GM isn't a goal of mine  Vicki


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

Someone named Barb from Michigan replied to my post on the dish. Is it our barb? different user name though...

I hate freezing the GM too, but I do for 100% Gm's of course and I've just gotten into the habit of doing it. If the lye is going directly into the cubes so they are all melted I have no problems, but the frozen into the lye water oils I have acceleration.

As I posted on the dish... I'm tempted to go back to 100% GM on everything because I hate waiting for the solution to cool. Since I have upped production this is a bear for me. I premixed all my lye water last night for todays soaps, but I hate having these pitchers of 33% solution sitting in my kitchen - I shoved them in an untrafficked area of my counter and told my kids (the youngest is 8) to stay away, and I know they will, but accidents happen. 

The other option is to premix at 30 and 33% solutions (anything less than that is always 100% GM for me) and store in a container with a lid. For those of you who do this what do you store it in?


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

The 1 gallon jugs my coconut oil used to come in from Columbus foods. It is no more dangerous than keeping bleach around, where do you keep your bleach?

I simply can't do the frozen GM, the pouring the lye in slow enough for it not to change the color of your soaps. With half lye and half water and the rest in aloe or GM my soaps are some much prettier, they only tan or brown I get is from FO's with vanilla in them, or patch  And having one lye making day is soo much safer when you have kids. I do mine out in my dairy sink now. Vicki


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

I just dump my lye on top of the frozen cubes or chunks and stir stir stir! None of this slowly pour stuff! The darkest it turns ever is yellow, but my bars still turn out white! of course I use a lot of lard and co too, but my palm bars are still just and barely off white, unless there's honey in them or a foodie FO of course. Really, it works...

You are right about mixing the lye first. I am going to have to do that. So to figur for my lye/water amount I would just double the lye weight right? Then add the rest of the suggested liquid as GM? 

Bethany


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

My recipe I am using right now takes 2 pounds of lye. So I just mix each pound of lye (in 3 and 1/2 gallon buckets) with equal amounts of water. So when I make the recipe I just measure out 64 ounces of liquid lye. (32 ounces of lye and 32 ounces of water). In small amounts 1 pound of lye and 1 pound of water sounds thick, but in making 10 pounds of lye and 10 pounds of water batches you could easily concentrate it down further than that. I am mixing in my sink and then pouring from the bucket with a funnel into the gallon jugs, on conrete, so then I can hose off my concrete.

Then at emulsion I simply add 21 to 51 ounces of goatsmilk depending upon how much cure time I have. Soap when the girls are fresh has alot more milk in it  Vicki


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

Right, I was just thinking that my lye solution would not be 30 or 33 percent like my recipes, but it would be a 50% lye solution. gotcha.

I have A LOT of gallons from Sunflower, castor etc. Any thoughts on how to clean them really well so I don't have saponfied oils in there? I guess I could swish around some lye solution in there.

I'm thinking I will mix the lye and water in a pitcher and pour it with a funnel in the gallons. I have noticed that sometimes if I leave the solution overnight it doesn't stay mixed? Have you ever had that problem with a premixed solution? do you strain it?

I bet it's because I didn't get the lye dissolved enough since it's only happend some of the time. I'll just have to be SURE to mix it really well and make sure it is dissolved before I pour it in the jug.

I think I will use my big soaking tub for this and wash it out really well after.

thanks,
Bethany


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I started using a sieve a long time ago, not all lye dissolves all the way, some leaves flakes, some little pieces of who knows what. About the time I think I am going to stop doing this, I find something in the strainer!

Being in a gallon jug I shake it well.

We don't go through alot of bleach this time of year, but as soon as kidding starts I am saving all my gallon jugs of clorox I use in the barn. They have no splash features in the top, which is going to be perfect for pouring lye.

Dawn dishwashing liquid is a wonderful degreaser, I also have a gallon jug bottle brush since I store my lotions in these same containers. Vicki


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

I thought about the bleach bottles too.

I began straining my lye just a couple of weeks ago after I made a batch I thought the lye was totally dissolved and then there I was with 4 loaves with undissolved lye througout! I was so mad!

Straining 100% GM lye mixture doesn't work too well through a fine mesh strainer though as the fats clog it. I have it run through my slotted spoon that I mix with and that will at least pick up if there are any larger chunks.

Bethany


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## Guest (Jan 11, 2008)

I strain my lye mixture too. I have thought about premixing the lye but could not think of how it store it. I'm going to save my bleach bottles and try that. Thanks!

Christy


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## GallopingGoats (Oct 28, 2007)

I just dump my lye all at once into chunked up frozen milk. Stir until milk is thawed and lye is disloved.I use CO,OO,SO, & Shea. I melt my hard oils. I never measure temps of anything. My milk doesn't ever turn orange and my bars are nice and light cream in color, almost white when cured. The only time I have acceleration is when it is caused by the FO. Shannon


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

Shannon, 
That is what I do when I make 100% GM soap. My dilemma comes when I make it only part GM.

Bethany


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## GallopingGoats (Oct 28, 2007)

Oh, well, couldn't you just dump your frozen milk(1/2) amount then the lye as usual. When it thaws add cold water. Or maybe use ice cubes as your water amount, it would all stay cold that way. I have used ice cubes before. Shannon


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

I think adding same weight of lye to same of GM will have it burn, even if it's frozen. I've done 100% GM at a 33% solution and that's about as high as I will go cause it's pushing it...But if I mixed ice cubes and frozen gm cubes then added the lye that would be awesome! but it still has the whole have to freeze the water too thing, but I think it's a good idea in a pinch (providing I have ice cubes which we rarely do! LOL!)

I think I'm going to go with making the premixed lye solution. I think in the long run it will be easier all around and I'll only have to freeze my GM for 100% GM recipes.

Bethany


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