Monday, April 16, 2012

Saponification Sunday: Hardly

Yes. I am aware it is no longer Sunday.
It's not my fault.

Since I hit 50 it's like someone has put all the days on high speed. Sunday is Monday. Wednesday is Friday. All rushing towards the end of my life in one big tumble of days merging into one another, as I fruitlessly try to keep up.

Get off? I can't even find the door I came in through.

But still. You have come to expect a post about soap on Sundays and I aim to please. So here we go.
Regarding the fantastic soap challenges of Amy Warden   Fully intended to do those too. The oh-so cute soap piping? Well, I did borrow the tips and bags needed from DIL Tab, the chef in the family. I made two. They were...

Pitiful.  I've never seen icing smoke before, have you? Still, was going to take pics but the new Nikon I was so boastful about ? Yeah, it crashed. Had to return it to the store from WENCH it came. So no pics of the badly piped soap. Lucky you. Then this past week was the alcohol challenge. I wasn't in the mood to waste it in soap and instead put it to use in a gastronomical sense. (Sorry Cro, I'll make more soon)

Yesterday was going to make more soap but instead spent the day with family welcoming home nephew Isaac, gone to Marine Boot Camp the last 4 months, a GOOD decision on my part,  so what dregs does that leave all of you ?

You, my friends get salt.

I am one of those soapers who loves salt bars. Probably because I have the feet of a 20 year old Shetland Pony and need salt bars to keep them filed down enough to fit into my Wellies. I especially love making salt bars with Pink Himalayan Salt, but the dang stuff is expensive ! So I found a place that sells it in Big Hunks...cheap, and bought a 10 pound chunk. The goal was to shave off a few sections as a gift for DIL as I've seen more restaurants using salt block plates for certain food servings, especially seafood. Leftovers I would grind up for salt soap bars. That indeed, was the plan.

But how does one cut a big block of salt?

With an old table saw and a very willing husband that's how.

Yeah, I know...Nice arm.  One of the benefits of milking cows twice a day.

Excuse the grainy pics. Had to use the old camera. Sheeeesh. At first we thought the salt block would shatter, it was terrifically hard. But surprisingly the table saw went through it well. But not without a little salt dust.



Didn't bother me. I just twirled around in the pink cloud with my tongue out lapping up all the salty goodness.



I'll take salt over sweet any day of the year.

The first few slabs were a little uneven but then hubby got the hang of it. But when we tried to chip off smaller pieces in the hopes of making our own salt granules for the salt soap bars I like to make...no go. Just big hunks.



Oh well, it did make some cool salt serving plates and will continue to make a nice backdrop for some soap pictures. But if I'm going to make more salt bars I'll have to break down and pay the real money for the ground up stuff.




12 comments:

  1. Aww. So sorry about the piping flop. You'll have to try it again sometime.

    I would have been tempted to buy the bargain salt chunk, too. I have to say the salt slabs are beautiful, though, they make gorgeous backdrops.

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  2. OK, never heard of salt soap! Do I live under a rock or what. They've been talking about soap on the Kinder list and I just joined the Dairy Goat Info group and they have a soap discussion too. So, someday .......

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  3. Salt soap...never heard of it. Still using and loving the soap you sent me.

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  4. Is this salt the same as some folk rub themselves down with in the shower? The enemy of soap, surely!

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  5. Hysterical, as usual Donna. I can relate on so many levels...shetland pony feet, 49+ time warps, etc. Thanks so much for the chuckles. (BTW, I love the salt slab as a background -beautiful!)

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  6. The salt is beautiful. Isn't that a wonder?

    I'm sorry your piping didn't work out, and that your salting didn't work out. Did you try a sledgehammer?

    I like oatmeal for my Shetland Pony feet. I think I might try salt, too, if I can figure out how to put it in soap.

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  7. OK- totally ignorant-of-soap question- can you grind up animal lick salt blocks or use the granulated mineral salt that I put on the horse's feed when he's not drinking enough?

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  8. I need to make a batch of salt soap someday. I think I'll stay away from the hunks of salt, though - I'm not very handy with a table saw. But the salt plates are lovely!

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  9. Pink salt, very pretty stuff. Salt soap Hmmmm never heard of the stuff but it does sound interesting.

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  10. Salt in the shower? Doesn't sound good to me, for some reason. I'd prefer lavender or rose or sage.

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  11. Salt soap? I Googled it, but am none the wiser!! The idea of making soap though I find fascinating.

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  12. and I thought that was soap, until I read about your tale. I'm making a Pink Himalayan Salt Soap tonight... coincidence?

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