It's 10:37 in the *morning* and it's already 28 degrees out. It's supposed to be 36 degrees this afternoon. And I want to make soap. (that involves pants, shoes, long sleeves, rubber gloves and goggles)

Oh yeah! I'm a soap maker now! *happy dance* I made my first batch of soap last night. It's a pretty gross colour, but it smells great. I want to make a plain batch of soap today, about 6 lbs worth. I don't have enough supplies here to do that so I have to go out into the heat from hell to pick it up. I may have a shower, go to the supermarket, come home, have another shower, then go to the hardware store to get the lye. Lather, rinse, repeat until I have all my supplies.

If I'm going to get into this soap making seriously I have to find a cheaper way to get supplies. The 3 lb batch (about 11 bars finished) cost me about $35 to make. I've been doing some price comparisons with the online suppliers and christ... I'm *never* going to buy essential oils in those little tiny bottles ever again.

Anyways. I'll be cutting the bars tonight, then they have to cure for 3-4 weeks. If anyone wants to be my guinea pig in early September for ugly coloured lavender scented bars, let me know. :)

Hell if I really get into this whole soap making thing I may have an answer to the eternal "What will I be when I grow up?" question.

later...

I should note that I am not going to call myself the "Paper Street Soap Company" and I use vegetable oils.

Just to clarify. :)

And if you don't get that, you need to watch more movies. ;)

(yes, I have been told I should call my 'soap company' that.)

still later...

Melting.
Hot.
Boiling.
Sweat in rivers down my back.
I can't fucking BREATHE.

So, like, I'm home now from lunch with kraig. We stopped in at the closest 'weird foods' store and I got the coconut oil and lye I needed. They have palm oil there! Excellent! :)

Now I'm going to have another shower to clear off this sticky film of sweat, oil and smog I developed. Then it's off to the grocery store to get Crisco (yes, Crisco is GOOD for soap making) and real groceries.

I think I'll make the next batch later tonight, say around midnight? When it's cooler. kraig has completely vetoed me working with the lye without all the protective layers. Simply if I'm not wearing head to toe protection (especially the goggles) I'm not allowed to make soap. Ordinarily I'd be pissed at anyone telling me what to do, but he's right. The minute that powdered lye hits the water (or my sweaty skin) I'm dealing with one of the most powerful alkalies around. What's really scary is that once the lye and water blend it LOOKS and smells like plain water.

I'm actually tempted to give myself a mild lye burn (from raw soap) just to make certain that I completely understand what I'm dealing with here. I could feel myself getting cocky last night, and that scares me. I don't think I really understand what I'm working with. Intellectually I know lye + water = seriously caustic. Intellectually I know I get this stuff in my eyes, I'd have to be really fucking lucky not to go blind. (and that luck would involve pouring straight vinegar into my eyes)

Mike and I talked about my self-inflicted burn idea last night. He obviously thinks it's stupid. When I thought a bit more about it I came up with the analogy to my woodworking. I don't run my hand into a running blade to prove that I have to be careful when cutting wood. So why the hell would I do the same with a dangerous chemical?

*sighs* Same rules apply to soap making as do to woodworking. Treat the tools of my trade with the respect they deserve. Period. Getting cocky will get me seriously hurt or killed. *laughs* Shit, I've known this for years. When I'd have a new crew in the theatre with me, the very first lesson was to sit in the middle of the stage and come up with 50 ways they could get hurt or killed. Morbid? Yes, but I always had crews of teenaged kids that didn't fuck around in that workspace.

I guess I'm trying to get it through my thick skull right now that I have worked with scary stuff before that I didn't truly understand, but I always came out ok. (we shall ignore the time I electrocuted myself, but if someone is curious...)

That shower sounds good. :) ta.

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