Aluminium is NOT a Good Thing

All it took was one post that I happened to run across on a soap making forum to re-evaluate quite a few of the goodies I was considering putting on layby for my soap making venture.

ALUMINIUM

Every experienced soaper cried out for the poster to steer clear of aluminium, even down to the wire cake (drying) racks. This metal apparently is a soapers nightmare with batches being ruined because of the chemical reaction between the lye and metal. Trays turn black and are ruined for future use and good soap batches aren't even worth re batching. All the ladies begged the poster to not even bother lining trays, even double lining, just don't take the risk.

This one post on a soap group has made me double think that cheap stick blender I was going to get and what the parts are made from. I need to be cautious about the pots I get and other utensils that are metal. I would rather learn now from experienced soapers than pay good money for utensils that are going to ruin my work.

Thank you ladies for the warning!

Books - So Many to Choose From

There are so many books and a noob would barely know where to start. There are still so many more I would like to get to have in my library but are they worth it?

I have seen so many websites recommend the middle book, The Everything Soap Making Book by Alicia Grosso. So far so good!

Can anyone out there recommend a book on natural colourants? 

Also looking for books with recipes etc in grams, kilos etc. Anyone?

D-day is Drawing Near

The count down is on. I have watched countless hours of YouTube videos on cold process and hot process soap making. Studied what trace is, gathered and sourced recipes, searched for bulk ingredients and other suppliers...yet I have not made ONE. SINGLE. BATCH. OF. SOAP...yet...

1 February 2014 is D-day. The day I make my first batch of soaps under the guidance of Remmington and Emmett. I have even made an apron to celebrate the inaugural soap making batch. OK, I have yet to get the rest of my safety gear, stab blender, mixing bowls, oil, lye...yeah, you get the idea. Noob ahoy! These ladies have no idea what they are in for...a dictionary's worth of questions!

P.S. if anyone would like one of these aprons, I can make one up for $45 AUD, plus postage. They are calico and lined with cotton, have super extra long tails and fit almost anyone. Machine embroidered front and pockets. You can have 1, 2, or 3 pockets, the centre pocket can be zippered for market stall cash float. Please e-mail me for details and options! one sixth couture at gmail dot com (leave out the spaces).