cold process LS question

[Sapo]

When making CP bars, if I'm not mistaken it is generally believed that the bars have to be given a bit of time to fully saponify (and evaporate water, but this doesn't relate to LS for obvious reasons).

Would the same be true for CPLS paste? Do you think there is any danger of an incomplete saponification, if diluted within 24 hours-ish of making it?

 

[IrishLass]

As long as your paste does not zap, you can dilute anytime you desire. For what it's worth, I dilute the paste that I make using 3bees~1flowers's 65% OO formula the very same day its made. I make it via cold process and I normally have zapless paste within 6 hours from the time I poured the KOH solution into the oils.


IrishLass

 

[topofmurrayhill]

When making CP bars, if I'm not mistaken it is generally believed that the bars have to be given a bit of time to fully saponify (and evaporate water, but this doesn't relate to LS for obvious reasons).

Would the same be true for CPLS paste? Do you think there is any danger of an incomplete saponification, if diluted within 24 hours-ish of making it?

It would actually finish saponifying even if diluted. That shouldn't be much of an issue though. One way to get particularly easy and efficient saponification is to use glycerin. The soap paste could be ready for dilution in 4 hours or even much sooner. IrishLass has some recipes based on that approach.

Some instructions have you dissolve the KOH directly in glycerin. Don't do that because it's dangerous and serves no purpose. It requires high heat and great care that it doesn't boil over. It can also be as hot as candy syrup plus caustic, so splashing it on yourself could hurt you badly.

If you see a glycerin liquid soap recipe and want to replicate it, use 2 or 3 times the KOH weight of glycerin (whichever the recipe specifies), then dissolve the KOH in its own weight of water and combine. That will be your glycerin & water lye. It will be at 20 or 25% concentration depending on the amount of glycerin, but either way works fine. Subtract the water from any dilution rate suggestion.

You can do any LS recipe that way if you want.

 

[Sapo]

Ok thanks for clearing that up. And special thanks to TOMH for making sure the dangers of glycerin+koh activities are well known. Must've read that warning at least 12 times by now (but that is a good thing!). Only had to google "lye burn" pictures once to take your recommendations very seriously.

I've never actually managed to make a paste that would zap, despite adding 7.5% more lye than the soap calc told me to use, on my last recipe, for testing purposes.

 

[topofmurrayhill]

Ok thanks for clearing that up. And special thanks to TOMH for making sure the dangers of glycerin+koh activities are well known. Must've read that warning at least 12 times by now (but that is a good thing!). Only had to google "lye burn" pictures once to take your recommendations very seriously.

I've never actually managed to make a paste that would zap, despite adding 7.5% more lye than the soap calc told me to use, on my last recipe, for testing purposes.

I'm glad you don't mind reading it. It's a bit of a campaign because too many people are doing it. I saw a video on YouTube of someone who I'm surprised hasn't been hospitalized yet the way she was overheating glycerin and then dropping KOH into it.

I have seen those lye burn photos. Now imagine the lye burn with a thermal burn at the same time. Glycerin doesn't boil like water so you can potentially get it well above 212 F.

 

[Arimara]

When I make my liquid soaps, it's within 24 hours (well within that time frame) and I only use water. I usually start the process at night so when all my morning activities are done, I can do the dilution.