Shop talk.

Here's my 6th batch of soap. I getting ready to cut it. Each batch weighs about 8 and1/2 lbs.
So far I have not had any problems with making soap. I have read some horror stories about soap seizing in the pot or never coming to trace. So far, so good. The 5th batch did take about 10 minutes more to trace then the others. I think that the super duper high humidity that we had that day may have been the cause.

Here is the slab of soap tipped out. Bummer, didn't know that I had a crease in the paper. (Rats)This is what the bottom of the soap looks like.

I made that black thing. I needed to have a guide line for 1 and 1/2 inch. I lay it down and score the slab. It really helps so that each bar of soap is almost like the other bars. Remember, it is handmade and hand cut soap, so they are not machine perfect.

Cutting the slab of soap into logs with my handy-dandy soap cutter. I have been cutting inside the box. This is the first time that I have tipped out the slab and cut. ( With the handy-dandy cutter) The first few batches I tipped out and tried to free hand cut. That didn't work out so hot.

I really like this blade for cutting. Like a hot knife through butter. Here are the logs that I cut. I got 13 to the batch, each log gives 3 bars, so I end up with 39 bars of soap to a batch. I use a bar of Ivory soap for measuring the length of each bar. I get 3 bars to each log of soap.

Making the pretty crinkle cuts on each end of a bar of soap.

Here they are. Lined up like good little bars of soap getting ready to go down to the basement and cure for 6 weeks. I have made 6 batches of soap so far. By batch 5 I got it figured out how to cut them.

Left to right. 1st batch plain. 2 batch Lavender with flowers. 3rd batch Patchouli. 4th batch Citrus blend. 5th batch White spruce. 6th batch Bay. I would say that batch 5 and 6 are my favorites scents so far.