CPOP + Condensation?

[sarahmarah]

I did a batch of soap at 31% lye concentration and threw it in the oven at 170F with cling wrap. Now after gelling and sitting a few hours I’m noticing condensation collecting on the film and falling a bit on the soap....is that a thing? I guess I’ve never noticed it before...Wondering if this got too hot—the texture seems grainy-ish.

 

[Obsidian]

Take the film off, no need to cover like that during cpop

 

[sarahmarah]

Take the film off, no need to cover like that during cpop

Thanks I had no idea.

 

[AliOop]

I didn't know that either! I've only tried CPOP a couple of times and didn't like the weird texture on the top... but I also covered mine with clingwrap. @Obsidian do you leave yours completely uncovered? I've seen YT videos with people covering their molds with something, whether it was cling-wrap, cardboard, towels, etc., so I always assumed that's how it was supposed to be done.

 

[Obsidian]

I've never covered cpop with any kind of cling wrap since thats used to prevent ash and that shouldn't be a issue when forcing gel.
I have wrapped my mold in a towel once but that time I just couldn't get the soap to hold heat.
Generally I just set the soap uncovered in the oven and it gels just fine. As soon as I see its in full gel, I'll pull it out to start cooling.

 

[AliOop]

Great, I think I will try it again without covering it. Despite soaping cool, using a pretty low water, and covering right away, I still get lots of ash. Sometimes I don't care, but for bars with nice colors and swirls on top, it's a pain.

ETA: @Obsidian do you cover it while cooling then?

 

[sarahmarah]

So kind of off topic but this same soap has a strange smell—an underlying plasticky scent almost. Could that be from CPOPing in a silicone mold? I didn’t go over 170 but it may have gotten hot. I used my Nurture 6inch silicons slab. This happened once before but I thought it was my fragrance oil just morphing at the time (Blackberry Sage Tea from WSP).
In this batch I used Blackberry and Magnolia from WSP. Maybe it’s a blackberry thing? I’ve CPOPed with this mold before and there was no smell...weird!

 

[AliOop]

Interesting! Although a few molds have discolored my soap, I haven't ever had a mold make my soaps smell funny. A lot of FOs smell plasticky to me, though, so I am probably not the best person to answer your question.

 

[Obsidian]

I would blame the FO before the mold. I know there are some FOs that smell plasticy or play doh like to me.

 

[sarahmarah]

I would blame the FO before the mold. I know there are some FOs that smell plasticy or play doh like to me.

I’m thinking that’s the case. Hopefully it cures out or I’ll be making a lot of blackberry candles lol