Can you rebatch a lye solution HEAVY mistake?

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Jun 27, 2022
Messages
156
Reaction score
92
Location
Massachusetts
Ok.. So... Long story short... I made a lye solution master batch (have done a few of these already without issue) but instead of pouring into the laundry jug (like i have done quite a few times) and only use what I need for my recipe... I accidentally / mistakenly / stupidly used it in my recipe that called for 1400 grams of 50/50 lye solution.

There is now an EXTRA 400 grams of lye solution in this batch that I made.

Is this re-batchable or just toss it?

If I have to toss it that is fine... no major love loss and a mistake I will NOT do again. "A failure is a lesson learned".
I realized something was off when the batter was higher on the stick blender than usual and the molds had slightly more batter in it than the previous pours.
It didn't dawn on me until this morning when I woke up.
Also wanted to add that there is FO and mica and charcoal added and already poured into molds.
Also also... I poured it last night (Thursday) and won't be able to attempt a fix until Saturday evening due to a graduation tonight and graduation party tomorrow.
Is there a time frame when a rebatch is to be completed by?
If it is re-batchable, I realize that I will have to do some math-ing in the soapcalc to make the numbers match. And I am totally fine with that.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thank you all in advance and enjoy your weekend!

Steve
 
Yes, you can do a rebatch. That much extra NaOH is not going to dissipate during cure -- the soap is going to be permanently lye heavy -- so this is one time when a rebatch makes a lot of sense.

As long as you know the amount of extra NaOH in the batch, you can add the appropriate amount of extra fats to saponify with that NaOH.

It's easier to rebatch when the soap is soft and has a high water content, but you can theoretically rebatch even older soap. A couple of days wait isn't going to be a problem. You may want to keep the soap wrapped up well, not only for safety but also to reduce water evaporation.
 
Thank you @DeeAnna
I was reading this thread earlier (shown below) but not sure if my rebatch would fall into this category.
I was under the impression that I would grate and melt the current lye heavy batch, then add missing oil / butter amounts... would that be correct?
Also, do you happen to know / speculate that the FO will / may dissipate?
Oven Rebatch (CP)
 
I was under the impression that I would grate and melt the current lye heavy batch, then add missing oil / butter amounts... would that be correct?

Also, do you happen to know / speculate that the FO will / may dissipate?
Not @DeeAnna, but the answer to the first question is yes. As for the second, I guess it would depend. From what I have read, Hot Process is done around 200F and folks add scent shortly after it 'gels'? And I know that CP soap can get as hot as 180F during the gel phase and scent is added to the batter. And since most usage rates are based on weight of oils, you would need to add more scent to your batter.

I tossed my soap. I had made up my Lye Solution the night before...one for a 20oz batch and one for a 50oz and I grabbed the wrong container. Within 5 second of stick blending, it got HOT. So hot that I was sure it was going to catch on fire! I quick dumped the batter into a doubled plastic bag and ran through the house and tossed it in the driveway. It didn't catch on fire, but it did melt the bags.
 
Not @DeeAnna, but the answer to the first question is yes. As for the second, I guess it would depend. From what I have read, Hot Process is done around 200F and folks add scent shortly after it 'gels'? And I know that CP soap can get as hot as 180F during the gel phase and scent is added to the batter. And since most usage rates are based on weight of oils, you would need to add more scent to your batter.

I tossed my soap. I had made up my Lye Solution the night before...one for a 20oz batch and one for a 50oz and I grabbed the wrong container. Within 5 second of stick blending, it got HOT. So hot that I was sure it was going to catch on fire! I quick dumped the batter into a doubled plastic bag and ran through the house and tossed it in the driveway. It didn't catch on fire, but it did melt the bags.
Thank you @TheGecko
Wowza on the batter / bag incident! All part of the journey I suppose :D
I usually double check everything... however... I should have triple checked on this go around.
Good catch on the adding more FO to match the upped amount of oils and butters. I was NOT even thinking of that. Thank you again!

Steve
 
Hi all,

It's been about 2 weeks since I started this thread. I am finally going to rebatch this weekend.
I did some math and weighing, and it seems that the current weight of the shredded bars is about 158 grams less than when it was originally poured. I'm thinking there's a few grams lost when shredding...
I mistakenly used 400 extra grams of 50/50 lye master batch.
This lye heavy batch made 55 bars. Normally, when paying attention, it would make 51 bars.
That comes out to 2.87 grams per bar of lost weight. Is that an average water weight loss for about 2 weeks?
TLDR: is it normal/average for a bar to lose approximately 2.5 to 3 grams of weight in about 2 weeks?
 
I don't know if that's normal or not because weight loss depends on a lot of factors.

I don't know if you can really compare weight loss of shredded soap with weight loss for bar soap. I'd expect shredded soap to lose weight more rapidly at least at first due to more surface area for evaporation.

My soap, cut into bars weighing 150-160 grams initially, and curing in my home. Under those conditions, I expect a weight loss of about 8-10% from the starting weight after 40-50 days.
 
Back
Top