The Soap Making Made Simple Mini Course...

Soap Making Equipment You Need!

Welcome To Day 5 of the Soap Making Made Simple Mini Course!

Today you'll learn "Equipment Needed For Making Cold Process Soap."

In Lesson #4, we talked about the cold process and related ingredients.

Now that you know a little bit about the cold process, you'd probably like to know just what equipment you need to have to make homemade soap. So, today, I'll show you some of the equipment you need when using the cold process.

Equipment and Supplies

The cold soap making process uses caustic ingredients so the equipment used must be strong enough to withstand the process. Lye in particular is hard on equipment since it can erode some equipment immediately and others over time.

Cold-process soaps are free of caustic properties just weeks after curing.

Therefore, in this situation, equipment must be particularly durable.

Additionally, you will want your equipment to be designated only to soap making.

While the chances of caustic lye residue getting into your food from a pot or stirring implement are small, the possibility does exist so keeping the equipment separate is your safest option.

Scales

An accurate scale is the most important investment you will need to make and probably the most expensive too. Ideally, the scale will measure in one-ounce increments and have a minimum capacity of 10 pounds.

It is important to note that a scale measuring ingredients up to five pounds is also adequate but will require more work when measuring larger amounts.

You may find that some ingredients are measured most precisely on a gram scale, while others are too heavy and weighed more accurately on a scale measured in ounces.

A small postal scale may come in handy for weighing small amounts. Fats and oils can be measured accurately enough with some degree of estimation, but lye, essential oils, and natural preservatives require precision.

It is important to be accurate with measurements in the cold-process soap making because this process does not allow for adjustments or corrections after the lye is added to the oils. Soaps produced with inaccurate measurements may be over-fatted or over-alkali.

Knives

Keeping a sharp knife handy will help at many stages of the soap making process. To begin with, you will need to cut up the fat or suet for rendering, which is the time sharpness really counts.

Once your soap is finished, you will also need to slice it into bars. Many soap makers will try different knives until they find one that cuts the soap best and feels good in the hand.

Molds

You're going to want to have a wide variety of molds. But there are so many different types of molds that I've devoted an entire lesson on just soap molds. So, for now, just be thinking about the kinds of shapes you would prefer for your soap.

Gloves

Wearing gloves is always a good idea for safety's sake. In the case of cold process soap making, soap that is not neutralized is extremely caustic. For this reason, it is imperative that safety precautions be taken to protect your skin.

Therefore, you will need to wear rubber or plastic gloves to protect your lower arms from the lye, as well as any hot, liquid soap.

Other items you may want to include:

• Thermometer
• Pots
• Containers
• Mixers

There! That ought to get you started thinking about just some of the equipment you will need.  It's really not all that much... or that expensive.

And it will certainly be worth it when you see what wonderful soaps you can make for yourself or for unique gifts. Plus, it'll actually be cheaper than buying your own soap.

 All the soap equipment that you need is covered in detail in Soap Making Made Simple!

"Soap Making Made Simple!" will show you how you can easily make your own handmade soap.  You'll learn not only what equipment you need, but also precisely what you need to do... in step-by-step detail, to make your own soap.  You'll get ideas and techniques which are next to impossible to find in book stores. 

This is the gold which only comes from years of hands on experience... including all the hard-to-find information that only the experts know.

Coming in your next lesson...

Safety Tips for Soap Making!

Regards,

Dave Cushion

P.S. Yes, that's really me in the page header!

P.P.S. Want more? Why not check out our new book.  Click Soap Making Made Simple! to see how you can easily get started making your own beautiful, fragrant soap.

You'll be glad you did! (Of course, your satisfaction is fully guaranteed with our 100% money-back guarantee).