If I were to resize all my recipes based on oil weights, would that give me a consistent bar size among different recipes? Not exact but pretty close?
Bar size consistency
- Thread starter Spudzel
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Hi @Spudzel
Yes, it should be pretty close.
You can also see total batch size. To give you an idea.
There is also an option on fitting the recipe to a particular mold in soapmaking friend app. That you can try. It says resize your recipe to fit mold size.
I may end up with a little extra when I clean up the containers with a spatula, I use a muffin silicone mold to make a small soap and use it to test the batch.
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Besides the oils, you will also have to keep the same lye concentration, amounts of additives, etc. Otherwise, your total batch size will change, which will also affect the size of the bars.
Thank you!
So my thoughts were....the colors wouldn't add much size at all, the water would evaporate, maybe not at the same rate, and the lye would be almost the same (not enough to be a big difference...eye visible. Where is my thinking off?
If your question is for fitting the soap you're making into a mold. The water will affect.
Your best bet for guidance...for a batch that will fit a particular mold, will be the total batch size given
I support this. Always take into account the total batch weight (with water, colors, caustic soda, everything) and never rely on oil calculations only. Every time you change one aspect of the recipe something else changes as well, and that will affect your end result. Depending on the size of the particular batch, the difference can be huge
The amount of NaOH won't change unless you change the superfat. And you are right, changes in NaOH and amounts of mica are negligible.
But if you lower the lye concentration, i.e., add more water, that can significantly increase your total volume of batter. Yes, the additional water may eventually evaporate, but that's going to take time. Meanwhile, you will have more soap batter, which either means larger bars or more molds filled.
That was my understanding of the question you were asking, so please let me know if I missed it.
Yes, that was my question. I was resizing, based on volume but then realized the changes due to milks, etc. So thought a closer way to get same size bars would be oil weight, but that seemed to easy. So, if I do oil weight and stay within volume (mold) limits, the bar size should be pretty close after the 4-6 week cure. Correct?
One of the issues is that we measure our ingredients by weight, not volume. So your theory is correct only if your total batch volume (not weight) remains constant despite using different oils and potentially different amounts of water, additives, etc.
One solution is to make a little more than needed to fill your mold. That way, your mold is always filled to the same volume. The extra can go into some cavity molds. Of course, you may still end up with slightly different sizes and weights after curing, but you should be close.
Thank you!One of the issues is that we measure our ingredients by weight, not volume. So your theory is correct only if your total batch volume (not weight) remains constant despite using different oils and potentially different amounts of water, additives, etc.
One solution is to make a little more than needed to fill your mold. That way, your mold is always filled to the same volume. The extra can go into some cavity molds. Of course, you may still end up with slightly different sizes and weights after curing, but you should be close.
