How Do I Make A New Bar Of Soap From The Ends Of Old Bars?
I have the ends of various old soap bars. Much of it expensive gift soaps. How do I melt ‘em down and squish ‘em together to make an new bar of soap?
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In soapmaking terms, that’s called ‘rebatching’. Most instructions for rebatching suggest you start by grating the soap, adding just enough water to get the soap wet, heating very gently till it turns to a thick liquid, then pouring into your molds.
Here’s a link to the ‘rebatching’ page at the MillerSoap page, one of the best soap sites on the net, with a number of techniques to choose from.http://www.millersoap.com/re.html
Good luck.
If you keep the soaps wet for a while, the top layer will get soft. If the soap bar is rather thin, you might even be able to bend it a little. Then you can push another bar of soap against it and use this as a ‘new’ bar of soap. I use this technique when I start using a new bar of soap, ‘gluing’ the old bar against it. You have to be a little careful though when using it; at first the bars aren’t that well attached. (But I never start with two wet bars…)
Good luck!
You melt them on the stove using a double boiler. Preferably a stainless bowl to melt them in. As said earlier you can buy molds or you can make them. You can use an old clean paper milk carton just cut the top off and fill about an inch deep let cool then peel away sides. You can use just about any other square, rectangle or cylinder shape you may have too just line it with parchment paper before pouring the melted soap into it.
Do NOT try to melt regular old soap bars in the microwave. They will dry out and grow something silly.
If you have a collection of a lot of these ends, you can remelt them into a new bar. I’d wait until you had enough for several bars, since it does take a fair amount of time.
Break or grate up the pieces into smaller bits. Then add just a little water to the mix and allow them to sit for a period of time so they get soft. Then gently heat them on the stove (not in a microwave) so that they melt together. Don’t try to rush and use more heat… this is a slow process. You can add a little colour if you like and fragrance — but just a little!
When they are melted and all mixed together, you can pour them into wooden or glass moulds of any shape you like and then let them sit for several days. This just takes time for them to set and to cure. You may have to allow them to sit for a month sometimes. Then you can use them!!
My boyfriend took the ends of several soap bars, broke them into bits, put ‘em in a cup, and poured water over that. They soaked in the water, got all mushy, and eventually the water dried out of it, and he was left with a round cake of soap.
You melt them all together on the stove. Then go to Michael’s or another craft store and buy soap molds and make it into whatever shape you want=)
You can sell them to pawn shop and buy a new one