I'm just guessing that maybe she added a little hot water and melted it down and then poured it in the mold for it to cool again. Just a guess.
I put my slivers of soap in an empty container of liquid soap and add water to it. It makes great homemade liquid soap to put in the tub or near the lavoratory.

yes just water. It's called rebatching..sometimes you can add a skin loving oil. Do an internet search on 'soap rebatching'.

Yes, it is called rebatching, and I will avoid it if at all possible.

It's time consuming and tedious.

To let you know, I make cp soap by the 10 pound recipes.

I presently have 2 buckets of soap scraps, I would guess about a 2 or 3 cubic foot container. Instead of rebatching it I will add it to a new recipe of soap. Unlike what you have, this is still virgin soap scraps, not previously used. I will make soap and give these away or use them ourselves.

What I would do if I had these previous used scraps, I would just add it to a new bar as they are being used; they do stick fairly readily, and they rarely come off.

If you are going to still rebatch, I would grate them, then lightly mist them (not dripping) the night before, then add them to a crockpot on low or medium heat.
You will need to set aside about 4 hours or so, depending on how much soap you need to do.
The trick is to add just enough water (by the tablespoon) to keep the soap pliable and not dry, while you are trying to mash it, until it is thoroughly melted.
Be careful, this soap is very hot while in the crock!
Any scent of the scraps will disappear in the final product, so if you want it scented, then let the soap cool down a bit and mix in scent just before pour/mashing it into any molds.
hth

Hello ronniner - So do you make the gentle, old fashioned lye soap? I have used it, all my life. I am always, looking for some. Just wondering. thanks - tina_2

Hello Tina,

Yes, I make the "Old Fashion" soap

We used to have a half dozen outlets that we (my wife and I) would keep stocked in our part of the map, but we have whittled it down to only 1 and my wife does 1 craft show at X-mas.

We finally realized that making soap for a living was not worth all of the fuss, and now, it has moved into hobby status for the most part.

We make the "cold processed" soap from just about any kind of oil/fats with sodium hydroxide, using my friendÂs SoapMaker program; not sure, but you could possibly get her program from BrambleberryÂs in Washington (?), or search on the web, it comes out of Ontario Canada.

I am not really interested in moving soap on the net, nor shipping it (hobby status now, remember), but if you let me know about where you live, I could possibly put you in contact with a soaper; soap isnÂt that hard to locate. Or, go to your favourite soap forum and ask there and look for someone who may live close to you?

If I can help, I will, just ask.

That is why, I was asking. I live in a small town in Texas -Grand Prairie. The only real, lye soap I have found here - I will not use. I bought 1 bar at the feed store, brought it home and it started to stink. Later, I found out it was bad. I have been looking on Ebay , sometimes you can find a soaper that really makes some good stuff.
I am truly picky, about lye soap. I have been using it, since I was little. My mother, grandma and aunts all made it. And it was the best! Well, mom is too old, gma and aunts have past away. My dr. - because of health reasons, forbids me to be near the strong fumes when making lye soap. So, I have to buy it. I have been looking around town, have not found any yet.
Thanks for the reply. tina_2

Hi - Sorry I forgot to say... the reason I posted ''anyone care to swap'' , I had hoped maybe someone made the old fashioned lye soap and I could possibly work out a swap with them. I have lots of soap making supples, plus I make the melt and pour and buy some soaps, body scrubs for gift baskets and such. Thank you. tina_2

Hello Tina,

Here's a link to one of my old stomping grounds.

Have a look around and see if a soaper there strikes your fancy and lives close to you.

I haven't signed in at this site since July 07, so I have no recommendation of who lives where nor what they might still make.
Remember that the number of a posters' posts is not an indication of quality of their products.

Hope this really helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Soap Dish

Hello there!

Yes this process is called rebatching and I do it quite often. I have a very old recipe my gran used when I was a boy on my blog but theres a much easier way without adding more ingredients. Here's what you need to do:
1. Grate (or even use a food processor) your used soap into the smallest pieces you can manage(this will speed up the melting process).
2. Weigh your soap and then add around 11oz of water(remember to use distilled or spring water) to every pound of soap.
3. Place mixture over low to medium heat and melt until it becomes creamy. If your mixture becomes too thick, just add more water. Like a previous poster mentioned, this can be somewhat time consuming. You can now add fragrance oils or coloring of your choice.
4. Remove from heat and pour into molds.

Your mother might have added some glycerin or even methylated spirits when she rebatched. A recipe like that is available on my blog.

Happy rebatching!

Here is a link that might be useful: Make Soap At Home In 5 Minutes!

I don't know anything about the rebatching process. But if you are very crafty, it could be for you. If you want something simpler, you could get some clear Melt & pour soap and a mold. Then, put your pieces in the mold and pour the melted soap over it. So you will get a mixture of the MP soap and the pieces.