manufacturing glycerin based soaps versus hard milled soaps

Following Chaaz's nifty idea, for sometime now, I've been using small tupperware containers (with a shallow rim) as shaving mugs, for storing a variety of aromas of Ray's classicshaving soap as well as some of other fine brands of shaving soap. As I mentioned in another post, I recently got some Talyor of Old Bond shaving soap. To form fit Ray's soap in the containers I zap them in a microwave. However, when I tried it with the Taylor's shaving soap, nothing happened. In the end, I had to put my Taylor's soap in my slow cooker over night. In the morning it was soft enough to form fit into my container.

Ray explained that glycerin based soaps such as his classic brand easily melt in a microwave; however, hard milled soaps such as the Talyor's brand do not. What does hard milled mean? What are the different methods used in the producing these two types of soap?

Hal

I believe that the process of milling soap is to break the block of soap into fine particles and then put it back together again. Evidently this makes the soap denser and so means the soap gets harder each milling. The result is that the more milling, the longer the finished block of soap last. Some shaving soaps (RA Harris for example) are triple milled.
The effect in the microwave oven is beyond my knowledge. Infact how to use a microwave oven is beyond my knowledge. But I'm pleased to see it's not beyond the wit of all males. Maybe you need to grate the soap first?

Glycerine soaps and those like Ray's are "meltable". Ray's contain Bentonite clay which is one of the reasons his soaps do melt. I have successfully melted Classic soap, QED soaps and Col. Conks soap. Williams bubbled and I pulled the plug.

Could you please explain how you used the slow cooker for the Taylor's?

Thanks in advance.

Randy

Some of the guys at SMF have used double boilers to melt the milled soaps. I may have to try that pretty soon.




Wayne

Thanks for the info about glycerine and milled soaps. Much appreciated! I have tried melting my Taylors using a sort of double boiler method (using a slow cooker overnight sort of worked). I'm favoring the milled soaps these days (makes a thicker lather?). Love the Taylors and have some NOS English Leather soap cakes that I found when travelling.

Hal

I ground hard milled soap (1/2 standard bar) on a fine grate cheese grater. Then used unscented botanical oil body lotion creme(1 ounce) along with real scented oils of orange, musk, frankencense and myrrh to suit my nose.
After that I added a small amount(1/4 ounce) of powdered bentonite clay. I thouroughly stirred it up and microwaved it for 30 seconds, it bubbled up, I then took it out to stir and mix again. Then I heated for another 30 seconds. Took it out and stirred. It was very creamy.
I then took a soap cake shaped 1/4 cup measure scoop and sprayed the inside lightly with plain cooking spray as a release. I then added the mixture to it, tapped hard on the counter to remove air bubbles and smoothed out with spatula.
After that, put it in the fridge (not freezer!) and let it harden.
once you are sure it has hardened all the way through, take it, hold it upside down and tap it on a hard surface. A plastic 1/4 cup measure works better than a metal one because you can twist it slightly if the cake gets stuck.
If you are wondering where I got the clay,,,unscented, cheap, kitty litter ground in a coffee grinder..

Hope this helps,
Christopher;)