Confused about recipe and mold size

[Solid7]

Hi all,
I feel like I’m missing something very simple when it comes to formulating my solid soap recipe. All the calculators ask for the weight of oils, which in my case is 63 oz. This is the size that my mold will hold but after I add my lye water, of course I’m way over. The calculators don’t seem to include the extra volume of the lye water. I’m hoping someone can help me see what I’m missing here.

Thanks very much in advance for any help!
Carrie

 

[ackosel]

Hi, I had the same problem and was tired of guessing, making a batch and then realizing I had too much or too little soap for my mold. After plenty of guessing, I finally settled on the right amount of oils for my molds. Using a lye calculator and estimating/adjusting until it was close, I figured you will need about 44 oz of oils to fill your 63 oz mold if you use a 33% lye concentration.

I don't know how to link threads here, but if you search for a thread titled "Calculating soap weight for molds" by FrayGrants, you'll find instructions for mathematically precise ways to calculate your recipe size to fit your mold.

Good luck, and may math be a better friend to you than it is to me!

 

[Solid7]

Thanks so much for your reply…and the time you took to calculate the true weight of my oils. This helps so much! I’m off to start a new batch now, thanks to you!

 

[Ekuzo]

Hi, I had the same problem and was tired of guessing, making a batch and then realizing I had too much or too little soap for my mold. After plenty of guessing, I finally settled on the right amount of oils for my molds. Using a lye calculator and estimating/adjusting until it was close, I figured you will need about 44 oz of oils to fill your 63 oz mold if you use a 33% lye concentration.

I don't know how to link threads here, but if you search for a thread titled "Calculating soap weight for molds" by FrayGrants, you'll find instructions for mathematically precise ways to calculate your recipe size to fit your mold.

Good luck, and may math be a better friend to you than it is to me!

Yup! @Solid7 - just look for "soap weight" or "total batch weight" (like in the photo above) AFTER you let it calculate the recipe - but all calculators give that result as well, since it's very important.

@ackosel here's the thread you mentioned, in case someone wants to check it:

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/calculating-soap-weight-for-molds.91093/

There's no special way to link threads here, you just copy/paste it - all good!

Personally, I measure the weight of the water that a mold holds - that gives you a pretty good idea what to expect. Of course, the soap batter has a lower density than water, so you end up with just a little bit of extra soap - a difference which you can adjust the second time you use the mold. HTH!

 

[Solid7]

So thankful for all the wonderful suggestions and links! This is going to make soapmaking so much less stressful!

 

[ackosel]

Yup! @Solid7 - just look for "soap weight" or "total batch weight" (like in the photo above) AFTER you let it calculate the recipe - but all calculators give that result as well, since it's very important.

@ackosel here's the thread you mentioned, in case someone wants to check it:

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/calculating-soap-weight-for-molds.91093/

There's no special way to link threads here, you just copy/paste it - all good!

Personally, I measure the weight of the water that a mold holds - that gives you a pretty good idea what to expect. Of course, the soap batter has a lower density than water, so you end up with just a little bit of extra soap - a difference which you can adjust the second time you use the mold. HTH!

Copy & paste - duh! Technology and math aren't my forte! Thanks!

Thanks so much for your reply…and the time you took to calculate the true weight of my oils. This helps so much! I’m off to start a new batch now, thanks to you!

I'm so glad it helped! There are many experienced, kind and helpful soapers here on this forum who I'm sure have spent collective HOURS typing out detailed explanations, linking helpful threads & websites (copy & paste - amazing!), giving encouragement, and explaining the most basic, common sense things to me over the past months. I'm excited that I'm getting to the point where I can start sharing little tidbits with others that the pros worked so hard to get into my head!

 

[Ekuzo]

Aren't we just lucky to be learning when the internet is a thing? Just a little 'copy/paste' - BOOM - magic

 

[ackosel]

@Solid7, please let us know how your soap turned out, and how well it fit in your mold! A picture or two would be great!

 

[Solid7]

I only make soap for family and friends so I don’t use colorants…the pictures may be pretty boring to everyone. But I’ll definitely let you know if the calculations worked…and with all the great suggestions, I’m sure it’ll be perfect!

 

[Ekuzo]

I actually prefer simple soaps than those fancy ones... sometimes it's so over the top, you can't decide whether to eat the soap or shower with it lol

 

[ackosel]

I only make soap for family and friends so I don’t use colorants…the pictures may be pretty boring to everyone. But I’ll definitely let you know if the calculations worked…and with all the great suggestions, I’m sure it’ll be perfect!

Not so! Uncolored soap can be very beautiful! My teenage daughter's favorite soap is uncolored, unscented two-oil goat milk soap. I've made some pretty fancy (for me) soap, but she loves the creamy white, simple soap.

 

[Solid7]

I actually prefer simple soaps than those fancy ones... sometimes it's so over the top, you can't decide whether to eat the soap or shower with it lol

The soaps I can’t understand are the ones with flower petals and/or trinkets imbedded or sprinkled on top. It seems like you end up with a huge mess in the bathtub. They do look pretty tho. I like using fragrances with some vanilla in them. They turn a beautiful suede brown. I guess I’m too simple. lol.

 

[Ekuzo]

The soaps I can’t understand are the ones with flower petals and/or trinkets imbedded or sprinkled on top. It seems like you end up with a huge mess in the bathtub. They do look pretty tho. I like using fragrances with some vanilla in them. They turn a beautiful suede brown. I guess I’m too simple. lol.

Tbh, I find some of the fancy ones pretty too (different swirls, scraping techniques, soap that looks like a cake, etc), but I lack the patience to try something like that, it's not my cup of tea. But I respect those who make them, it's where soaping shines as an art form, and these people really put a lot of effort in it. Petals and trinkets - that's definitely too much.

For coloring, I like to use simple stuff you can find in the kitchen ‐ even though you usually don't get the best colors that way. I like vanilla too ‐ it's easy to work it and it still smells great after being CP'ed

 

[Judy41]

Your mold's L X W X D X .4 will give you the amount of oil to use for that mold.

 

[AliOop]

Your mold's L X W X D X .4 will give you the amount of oil to use for that mold.

.... assuming you use 33% lye concentration. If you use more, or less, then your total batch size will change.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Personally, I measure the weight of the water that a mold holds - that gives you a pretty good idea what to expect. Of course, the soap batter has a lower density than water, so you end up with just a little bit of extra soap - a difference which you can adjust the second time you use the mold. HTH!

I do the same. It’s so easy.

 

[Ekuzo]

I do the same. It’s so easy.

Exactly! Plus the calculators we use give us both total oil weight and total batch weight to adjust, so why go the extra mile and bother with math and numbers?

 

[jeanemarie]

Hi all,
I feel like I’m missing something very simple when it comes to formulating my solid soap recipe. All the calculators ask for the weight of oils, which in my case is 63 oz. This is the size that my mold will hold but after I add my lye water, of course I’m way over. The calculators don’t seem to include the extra volume of the lye water. I’m hoping someone can help me see what I’m missing here.

Thanks very much in advance for any help!
Carrie

Hi Carrie - Have you considered using a soap calculator like https://www.soapmakingfriend.com/ ?
You would simply put in the dimensions of your mold (length, width, height) and it will automatically show you amounts of each of your oils, water, lye needed to fit that mold. Hope my putting in the link works. Keep on soapin'!

 

[Ekuzo]

Hi Carrie - Have you considered using a soap calculator like https://www.soapmakingfriend.com/ ?
You would simply put in the dimensions of your mold (length, width, height) and it will automatically show you amounts of each of your oils, water, lye needed to fit that mold. Hope my putting in the link works. Keep on soapin'!

Hi! From what I've tried, it works actually pretty well, so that's a great suggestion!

I want to add something. If the mold you are using is single cavity one with funky shapes that can't be measured properly (at least when it comes to dimensions), you have the option of adjusting the total weight of the batch instead. It's all good in theory, but every time I try to do it, the final result is a little off than what I input, so if you use that you would need to additionally 'adjust' the adjustment, if that makes sense. I'm attaching 2 photos for people to see what I'm talking about, I hope someone finds it helpful and don't miss the difference next time they make a batch.

Edit: I found the culprit. For some reason, the total batch weight below is calculating the additives in addition to the total batch weight, making it bigger. When you remove them from the recipe, it gives you the same result as the one you desire. Probably that feature was kind of overlooked, which is not that much of a pain, but still - keep that in mind