Carrie

Are you going to share?

You use your KA for food. Mine has never seen my kitchen, except of course the day I bought it I had to go thru the kitchen to put it away. I use the paddle for my butters. I used to use a whisk but my butters would always deflate. I don't use the freezer so that may have something to do with it.

I use MMS body lotion, the real thick stuff and love it. I don't notice a musty smell to it.

The one I had with too much lye, after about 2 days it started to grow white crystals all over it. It was ugly to begin with but that just made it worse. It will also usually be more brittle.

I have a kelsei and a misty creek. I don't use the kelsei anymore, I like the size of the MC bars. I learned to cut staight in it and it's great. I have a guy making me another similar to the MC but using a thinner blade so the cutter is easier to use.

I'm calling AK to order the GS tomorrow AM, I'll ask if they have a SAP value for it.

My cousin is getting married in Anaheim the weekend after July 4th. Sorry Scented but after I leave So Cal I'm heading for Denver, it's closer, you'd have to bring all your crap and come meet me.

http://www.candletech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1797

I say search for posts in the last couple of months. These questions have all been answered recently. There is no hard rule for questions 2&3. Do your research and test. An untested product is an unsafe product.

Michi, I'll be in So. Cal next summer but don't think I'll have time to go north and soap with yout. Wish I could. I'd make sure you were swirling before I left.

What type of scale are you using. Are you sure it's accurate? Five quarters should be an ounce. Are you weighing your FO or using a measuring cup. Make sure you are weighing it. I used to make tarts and votives with 6006. I had to freeze them to get them out of the molds but I loved the look and burn.

It says it's an entirely different species of tree. They look different and feel different, I tend to beleive they are different. Shea is soft and gooey, the GS is harder and brittle.

There was a thread about the ABS a while ago. People talked about what the did with it, how they melted it etc. You might want to look for that thread.

Good question! I know Ewax and cyclomethicone seem to be different depending on the supplier. I try to re-buy from the same supplier.

The goat milk powder has a 1 month shelf life if it's not frozen.

I make my lip balms with just enough flavor oil to be able to smell them but I don't make them sweet to taste.

Here is a link to MMS. Scroll down to the Isopropyl Myristate MMS

Please post when you test out the soap and let us know what you think about the lard. I use it in all my soaps except castille.

I saw some stainless somewhere, a major b&b supplier. Just can't remember which company.

No problem. I don't worry about ash. If I get ash I either plane it off or leave it if I swirled. I think it enhances the swirls

The Body Shop has some really cute burners right now for the holidays. You can get them way cheaper. Why not look for a mug warmer at a department store. They are usually less than $5 USD. Use a heat proof container and put your tart in that. I use a pyrex dish for my tarts.

My six year old is scared to death of him. Last year he put Hammond's candy coal in his stocking as a warning that he better be good this year. LMAO It seems to have worked. http://www.hammondscandies.com/item458339.ctlg DS couldn't read yet so he asked what it was. He handed me the bag and I read the ingredient label saying "Coal...(You should have seen his face, I have it on video) this is candy coal, it is a warning that you have been pretty naughty this year. Next year it will be real coal if you keep being naughty, Love Santa" He has been on best behavior for the last couple of months.

Ugh, there is one scale at the PO that is a real PITA. I always weigh everything before I go and I know exactly what to expect. There is one scale at the local PO that I make them re-calibrate every time I have to go to that person. It has been off as much as 4oz on an item less than 1lb. If at any time you question the weight at the PO you can ask them to re-calibrate the scale. It just takes a few seconds.

LOL, lard is wonderful in soap. Go look on almost any soap at the store and you'll see sodium tallowate as an ingredient. That is soponified tallow, beef lard if you will. Most people use soap with animal fats and don't even know it. Lard can be bought at the grocery store. At the walmart near me, the lard is in the same aisle as the liquid oils, just on the bottom shelf. They have a couple of brands, I go for the one in the green bucket but I've tried the armour brand and it works fine also. In the grocery store nearest me, the lard is stacked on the back of the meat case in the meat department. They only sell armour brand. Crisco can also be used but I can't remember what you use in the soap calc for crisco.

How'd your soap turn out?