# Mica line broke the soap



## Soapprentice (May 8, 2017)

Hey guys, yesterday, I made a soap with a mica line for the first time. Today, I cut it and the soap broke at the mica line. Too much mica? It's a 100% CO soap with SF20%.


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## Susie (May 8, 2017)

Yes, if the soap separates at the mica line, you used too much mica.  You really need to use a light hand when making a mica line.  There should be more places than not that you can see the soap through the mica.


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## CTAnton (May 8, 2017)

Beautiful soap though.....you can make some nice confetti with that! All is not lost!!


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## Susie (May 8, 2017)

CTAnton said:


> Beautiful soap though.....you can make some nice confetti with that! All is not lost!!



Absolutely!

And if it is relatively new soap (less than two weeks old ish), you can cut embeds out of it to put into a new batch with no problem.  I would dampen the embeds with some alcohol if they are older than that.


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## dixiedragon (May 8, 2017)

I clicked like because your pictures are so pretty! Too bad the soap broke! I'm no mica line expert, but I've found it helps to have the soap JUST firm enough so the line remains a line when you put soap on top of it, but not too firm. If it's too firm it won't seep in around the line.


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## Soapprentice (May 8, 2017)

I made it yesterday... this is the 1st time I made 100% CO soap, I need to know how we like it so I can't used it as confetti or embeds.. will just use as separate soaps now


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## MySoapyHeart (May 8, 2017)

Lovely soaps, sorry they broke! If it were me I would cut off the white and confetti that up to be used in a darker colored soap batter (the white will make a nice, clean contrast) Then clean up the remaining part and use it/gift it (whatever you were planning to do after it has done curing) and use them as smaller soaps. They would be smaller but still suuupah cute! 

The top is still lovely, the color is wonderfull, so that is what I would do instead of confetti up the whole thing.

But that`s just me : )


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## redhead1226 (May 8, 2017)

I used this soap as my swap soap a few months back and since I love it so much I make it often ( idea courtesy of Auntie clara). It broke the first time I made it as I tested it one day after I cut it. But I realize that if I let it cure for the full 6 weeks it doesnt break. I do use a light hand on the line with AC. Not sure if MICA or AC makes a difference. On your picture it doesnt look like the line is too heavy so Im surprised it broke.


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## Soapprentice (May 8, 2017)

MySoapyHeart said:


> Lovely soaps, sorry they broke! If it were me I would cut off the white and confetti that up to be used in a darker colored soap batter (the white will make a nice, clean contrast) Then clean up the remaining part and use it/gift it (whatever you were planning to do after it has done curing) and use them as smaller soaps. They would be smaller but still suuupah cute!
> 
> The top is still lovely, the color is wonderfull, so that is what I would do instead of confetti up the whole thing.
> 
> But that`s just me : )



I like that thought.... Thank you for the ideas guys. As i'm still new, ideas like these doesn't come to me.. no idea how I would have survived soaping without this forum.


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## Soapprentice (May 8, 2017)

redhead1226 said:


> I used this soap as my swap soap a few months back and since I love it so much I make it often ( idea courtesy of Auntie clara). It broke the first time I made it as I tested it one day after I cut it. But I realize that if I let it cure for the full 6 weeks it doesnt break. I do use a light hand on the line with AC. Not sure if MICA or AC makes a difference. On your picture it doesnt look like the line is too heavy so Im surprised it broke.



Lovely soap... I wanted a dark line so I put a little more mica but I was surprised the line is barely there.


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## cmzaha (May 8, 2017)

I gave up on mica lines because I always found they break, if not immediately they would always let go after a few uses in the shower. That includes mica line soaps I have received in swaps.


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## Susie (May 8, 2017)

cmzaha said:


> I gave up on mica lines because I always found they break, if not immediately they would always let go after a few uses in the shower. That includes mica line soaps I have received in swaps.



I have made lots of cocoa line soaps, and not a one has broken.  I wonder if cocoa just absorbs that much more soap than mica.


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## SunRiseArts (May 8, 2017)

Soapprentice said:


> I made it yesterday... this is the 1st time I made 100% CO soap, I need to know how we like it so I can't used it as confetti or embeds.. will just use as separate soaps now


 

 Do you mean coconut oil 100% with 20% water discount?  I made that and tried mine this morning for the first time!  I did like it.  Did not feel harsh on the skin.


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## Soapprentice (May 8, 2017)

SunRiseArts said:


> Do you mean coconut oil 100% with 20% water discount?  I made that and tried mine this morning for the first time!  I did like it.  Did not feel harsh on the skin.



The concept of water discount is confusing to me... in SoapCalc, I changed the regular SF at 5% with 20%. Is that water discount?


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (May 9, 2017)

No, that's the superfat or lye discount (lye discount is a more accurate term). 

Water discount is where you change the settings on the water. By default, soapcalc will be set to "water as % of oils" which is the worst option to use. It is much more practical to use one of the other settings as this gives you more control.  There was another thread recently where we covered it and irishlass gave a great explanation, but I can't find it at the moment


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## Soapprentice (May 9, 2017)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> No, that's the superfat or lye discount (lye discount is a more accurate term).
> 
> Water discount is where you change the settings on the water. By default, soapcalc will be set to "water as % of oils" which is the worst option to use. It is much more practical to use one of the other settings as this gives you more control.  There was another thread recently where we covered it and irishlass gave a great explanation, but I can't find it at the moment



Oh.. I did not change any water setting. I did change the lye concentration to 30% though.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (May 9, 2017)

That is then a water discount - "Full water" is the default setting on soapcalc and less than that (which is what you used) is a water discount.  It's not a great term, because it assumes some sort of fixed amount of water which would be "normal" but that is not really the case at all.


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## Soapprentice (May 9, 2017)

Now I get it... lye concentration and water discount is the same... higher the lye concentration, higher the water discount?!


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## DeeAnna (May 9, 2017)

Yes, that's basically it. As as lye concentration goes up -> less water in the soap. 

But honestly forget about this idea of "water discount." As The Gent points out, it's utterly meaningless. Get used to lye concentration and that's all you need to design a good soap recipe.

about 25% lye concentration --> typical for most HP (hot process) soap recipes
about 28% --> The most water that you'd want to use for a typical CP (cold process) soap recipe. Good for recipes very high in myristic and lauric acid (coconut oil soap, for example)
30% to 33% --> Good choice for many CP soap recipes
34% to 40% --> Also works for many CP soap recipes. Especially good for recipes high in oleic acid (castile soap, for example)
41% to 50% --> Also works for CP soap. Can be a bit trickier to use
over 50% --> don't use. NaOH or KOH will not fully dissolve because there's not enough water.


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## SunRiseArts (May 9, 2017)

Soapprentice said:


> The concept of water discount is confusing to me... in SoapCalc, I changed the regular SF at 5% with 20%. Is that water discount?


 

What a "foot on my mouth" moment. Not sure how to explain it, is more like 20% superfat. I follow the instruction of soap queen blog here. She explains it there.

Mine came out great!

And thank you everyone for the expert advice.


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