FAIL: No Shame in Trying & Posting!

[GreenAcreHomestead]

No shame in trying something new (standby recipe but with technique modifications), and in showing how we can't win them all. Figure I'll post this to encourage others to not beat themselves up or be ashamed of a batch gone wrong.

The Change:
Held back a portion of the water from mixing with lye to then add after the soap had gelled/cooked in hopes of getting a more fluid mixture to put into molds.

The Suspected Problem:
Removed soap from heat to get temp down to around 160, but soap temp dropped faster than expected. In addition, I didn't have all my ducks in order and had to warm up the coloring pot (pyrex container used to mix colorant with a portion of the soap) which took a few minutes. This led to the soap mixture getting down into 110 degree territory and it started to set up... least that is my conclusion. The soap was hard and clumpy like homemade mashed potatoes with 2/3 potatoes mashed. I attempted to re-heat the mixture, but lost confidence in that working so I went ahead and molded it.

Take Away Points:
Get my ducks in a row.
Don't let the soap cool.
(?) Heat the soap longer and re-liquify (?)

Happier Notes:
I tried a new spoon swirl technique and was happy with the results given what I was working with. That will be a re-do for sure.

Photos:

 

[Gerry]

That actually looks kinda cool!

 

[toxikon]

Fail batches are much more helpful for other users to learn from than batches that come out perfectly! I love seeing them and learning!

 

[cmzaha]

In my opinion someone who has never had failures, never progressed and tried new. I think they look just fine, and I have had much much worse looking than these

 

[toxikon]

In my opinion someone who has never had failures, never progressed and tried new. I think they look just fine, and I have had much much worse looking than these

I don't mean to come off as tooting my own horn, but I've been (casually) making soap for 5 years and have never had a failed batch. I do a crap ton of research and triple check my recipes though. Maybe I've just been lucky, I'm sure it'll happen eventually.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

A failed batch is more often not failed, just not as planned - a failed batch would really be totally unusable soap which is very rare to end up with. Failed for many people is an ugly soap because of something like seizing or overheating etc.

I once let a soap cool down too much in the slow cooker (for the fragrance) and did a few swirls too many with the spoon and had more than a few instances of soap getting comfy in the bucket instead of in the mould - and the soaps weren't as I had planned which is what many would call a failure. All were totally fine to use, though.

 

[cmzaha]

I don't mean to come off as tooting my own horn, but I've been (casually) making soap for 5 years and have never had a failed batch. I do a crap ton of research and triple check my recipes though. Maybe I've just been lucky, I'm sure it'll happen eventually.

I would say you have been incredibly lucky

 

[GreenAcreHomestead]

I don't mean to come off as tooting my own horn, but I've been (casually) making soap for 5 years and have never had a failed batch. I do a crap ton of research and triple check my recipes though. Maybe I've just been lucky, I'm sure it'll happen on my next batch.

Fixed it for you. :think::twisted:


So what do you all think? Is my conclusion accurate from what you can tell?

 

[toxikon]

Fixed it for you. :think::twisted:


So what do you all think? Is my conclusion accurate from what you can tell?

LOL, I definitely cursed my next batch. :silent: I'll make sure to post it here when it turns into a half-liquified, zapping, volcanic demon from soap hell.

 

[newbie]

I just wanted to say that it's NEVER EVER a shame to try something new or experiment and bomb it or not have it go as intended. If none of us did that, imagine where we'd be! I say keep trying for what you are trying to get.

I don't HP unless under some dire threat, so I am no help to you about this though.

 

[Susie]

It is not a fail as long as you learned something from it.

As Thomas Edison said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

I only call my batches a failure if I have to throw them away. Any soap that is usable can be donated.

 

[lsg]

In my opinion someone who has never had failures, never progressed and tried new.

How true! We have all had failures, I know that I sure have. As long as it doesn't zap, use it.

 

[navigator9]

Mistakes are the best teachers. I often think I know better when someone has told me something. So I ignore their advice and have to learn for myself by making the mistake. Then it sticks.