Cutting basic soap

[JCM]

Hi all.

I am new to soap making. Made 2 batches of basic soap from a book I found. Tallow, lye, olive oil, cocoa butter. I followed the recipe with portions and temperatures. Let the soap sit for 3 days covered while away on a work trip. Tried cutting the soap into bars but it breaks into chunks under the knife. Is there something I’m doing wrong?

 

[akseattle]

@JCM I'm sorry your first batch didn't go as you had hoped.

I ordinarily cut after 24 hours. I think you may have waited to long so it is now too hard to cut cleaning and is breaking up.
The soap is still perfectly useable when it is done curing, it is just not going to be in the shape of a bar.

I've never waited too long. But, I suspect if you tried cutting it with a fine hack saw, you could slowly saw through it
If you don't have a hack saw laying around your garage, you can probably get one at the dollar store for $1.25.
.Hopefully, you made a small batch of 450g or 500g.

Let us know if you are able to get it cut.

Anyway, Welcome to this forum! Do not be discouraged by this little mishap, keep soaping!

 

[DeeAnna]

Your actual recipe would be a great help -- all ingredients, all in weights, not just a list of fats. Just because it's in a book doesn't mean it's a safe recipe nor even a good recipe. It's also wise to doublecheck any recipe using a soap recipe c@alculator.

The essential point is you need to cut the soap when it's ready to be cut, not go by time. That's especially true for recipes new to you and even more true when you're a new soap maker.

A soap rich in tallow tends to be brittle, so it will most likely need to be cut sooner rather than later. My article has in-depth info: https://classicbells.com/soap/cutting.asp

 

[JCM]

Your actual recipe would be a great help -- all ingredients, all in weights, not just a list of fats. Just because it's in a book doesn't mean it's a safe recipe nor even a good recipe. It's also wise to doublecheck any recipe using a soap recipe c@alculator.

The essential point is you need to cut the soap when it's ready to be cut, not go by time. That's especially true for recipes new to you and even more true when you're a new soap maker.

A soap rich in tallow tends to be brittle, so it will most likely need to be cut sooner rather than later. My article has in-depth info: https://classicbells.com/soap/cutting.asp

Hey. Thanks for the info. The recipe is 32 oz olive oil, 74 oz tallow, 3 oz cocoa butter, 14 oz lye and 41 oz of water. The book mentioned cutting soap at “firmness of Swiss cheese”. I think I am going to make another batch of this recipe next week unless there is a better basic recipe recommended