Soap making suppliers.

[munruben]

My wife in interested in soap making and was wondering if any members know where she can buy soap making supplies in Brisbane or Queensland. She wants to know where she can buy melt and pour base Glycerin. Also wants to know where to buy lye. She has been told that the supermarket stuff (caustic soda) is not the right kind of lye. Is there a lye that you can buy from the supermarket that is suitable for soap making process.
If anyone knows of any suppliers in or around Brisbane, please let me know.

[Christopha]

Google is your friend...

http://www.aquasapone.com.au/

[wheelinround]

Saturday Night is just round the corner John or it the yearly tub

Spotlight & LOML is looking for her witches brew book

[munruben]

Long as you don't want me to get some spiders legs

[munruben]

Google is your friend...

http://www.aquasapone.com.au/

Thanks but was looking for somewhere in Queensland.

[rhancock]

I'm sure someone on the Permaculture Forum discussed it somewhere, and if not, ask, there's bound to be someone there who knows.

[yjnb]

I agree the net is your friend.

I make olive oil soap (castile). There are 5 in this family and I make one batch per year. I buy caustic soda from our local chemical supplier (Sunchem- Gympie Q), but you could probably call your local Mitre10, Bunnings, or food wholesaler eg Countrywide and they may be able to help. You can buy it at the supermarket but it is relatively expensive. Just make sure it is caustic soda, not drain cleaner, I think this would be the detail behind the caution you received. the caustic soda will probably have a soap making receipe on the side of the container but the soap would probably be cr@p.

the Book I like best is called "The Complete Soapmaker" by Norma Coney. The receipe I use is made up in a 9L bucket and mixed with a paint stirrer attached to a cordless drill. You could scale the recipe down and use a stick blender. It takes about 5min to make a years worth of soap, although it needs to cure for about 2 weeks to react all the caustic.

Recipe-

7L (cheap) olive oil (cheaper oil equals harder soap)
30oz by weight of Lye/ caustic soda
2L water

Pour the (cold) water into your bucket
Add the caustic soda and stir vigerously. you need to avoid having the caustic clump together. Don't splash yourself, Don't add the water to the caustic. The mix will get very hot, consider this when choosing your PLASTIC or STAINLESS CONTAINER.
Then mix in the olive oil. continue mixing for 5 minutes if you use the blender or powered paint mixer. 30 minutes if by hand

check every 12 hours and stir any seperated oil back in (hand stirring is fine)
once it is no longer seperating pour into moulds.

Moulds- try muffin tins, plastic packaging for cup cake liners or those silicone baking moulds. don't use teflon coated stuff unless you want to remove the teflon . It will still be quite caustic at this stage so protect your skin.

Get a book or search the net. It's very easy and quick but I may have accidentially forgotten some safety warning as I have been doing this for about 15 years and am pretty casual about the process.

Hope this helps

regards

James

[munruben]

Thanks James, appreciate that very much have saved the recipe for future use.

[munruben]

I'm sure someone on the Permaculture Forum discussed it somewhere, and if not, ask, there's bound to be someone there who knows.

Thanks Richard

[WillyInBris]

Hi,

you could have a look on www.about.com I think they have forums the wife once upon on a time made candles to and sold them at the markets to get her through UNI most of the info and contacts she got was through that site via the forums she used to buy the wax 25kg at a time.

I had a quick look and they have a soap making channel as well and forum maybe worth a post and see what comes back.

Sean.

[Glasshouse]

Hi John

I have an online soap making supplies business based in Elimbah (just past Caboolture) called Glasshouse Handmade Products. I have melt and pour soap base, cold process soap ingredients (including pure sodium hydroxide) and other things.
Feel free to have a look at my website if you are interested.
glasshousehandmadeproducts.com.au

Christine

[munruben]

Thanks Sean, thanks Christine, appreciate the your input