Fingers crossed

VanessaP · May 20, 2012

So, I made a batch of soap yesterday around noon that I wanted to try to prevent gel, so in the freezer it went until about 4pm today. I set it on the bench in the garage to warm up. So now comes the wait for the condensation to evaporate :lol:

This is the Leather from BC that my friend wants me to work on. I hope I can cut it tomorrow night or Tuesday morning because Wednesday morning is going to be packing time for my vacation that I leave for on Thursday. I work Tuesday & Wednesday afternoons, otherwise I wouldn't really have an issue.

Then I just now got done doing a batch of Autumn Warmth from BC as well. I got a sniffie of this scent in the first order I placed with them, and OMG I love love LOVE it. I am going to have to make myself a body spray to take with me on vacation, I love it that much :lol:

I did use water to dissolve my lye (111g lye in 150g water/ice cubes) and used 154g evaporated goat's milk to get to my 304g water total (because I missed the online farmer's market order window last week to get fresh). So, I'm sitting there, stick blending away in 10 second bursts, stirring with SB for 10 seconds, rinse & repeat. Still not really doing more than emulsifying. FO was added to warmed oils before lye solution.

Yep, then I see the GM sitting on the counter

I grab it and pour it in and get a nice light to medium trace in about another 30 seconds. It is a lovely light golden color right now. I am going to attempt CPOP and hope it doesn't burn. I absolutely hate partial gel :lol:

I had preheated the oven to 170, turned it off while I SB, then let it stand open for just a minute before popping the molded soap in the oven (CC clear silicone loaf) on a lined tray, in case it volcanoed. Its been in about 30 minutes now, so I'll check on it here in about 30 minutes before I head to bed. I just hope the GM doesn't scorch.

VanessaP · May 21, 2012

I am so sad.

I made Oatmeal, Milk & Honey this morning and it was in the oven, out of the way, gelling (and overheating a little but not badly at all), 1.5 Tbsp honey at trace, 1.5 Tbsp ground oatmeal at trace, used evaporated goat's milk with half water/half GM so it was whole goat's milk for the liquid. Gorgeous caramel color.

I left to go to the grocery store, and I walk back in the kitchen to my mother prepping dinner and the oven was on 425. :shock: :shock: :shock: What gets me is this was the FIRST time in six months that she DIDN'T look in the oven before turning it on. We've both burned our hands badly by trying to grab leftover pans out of the oven when we've accidentally preheated the oven with them in there, so we're usually paranoid about checking for anything in there before turning it on.

I nearly cried when she said she didn't look in the oven. :cry: So it was caramel soap soup bubbling away in there. I just stuck it on the deck to cool off so I can toss it. I just hope the silicone mold is okay because I'm gonna be upset if I have to replace that too.

I'm not going to try to make it again before I leave on vacation. I just don't have the heart. At least when I get back, I can make another batch, and I'll be able to get fresh goat's milk for that batch and the unscented batch I'm going to make up.

kharmon320 · May 22, 2012

Oh! That Sucks Vanessa! I hope your mold is okay.

VanessaP · May 22, 2012

Thanks. I just unmolded and tossed the soap. Honestly, it looked and smelled perfect on the bottom 2/3 of the loaf (due to the top third being inundated with the rain last night), but I'm so inexperienced that I didn't want to risk trying a sliver of it in a few days, though I suspect it would have been a risky HP method :lol:

The mold looks to have come through it all just fine, thank goodness. Not a piece of soap stuck to it, just the goop where the rain had mixed in, so the mold seems to be just fine.

SoSoapy · May 22, 2012

OH MAN! It even rained on it?

Hate to hear about that! sounds like it didn't eve have a chance!

try not to think about it too much on vacation :shock:

VanessaP · May 22, 2012

In all fairness, its not the rain's fault :lol:

I didn't have anywhere in the kitchen to put it to let it cool due to bags and bags of groceries and dinner being prepped. Plus, I wasn't sure if it would be salvageable after being at 425 for 10 minutes or so since the soap was actually bubbling away in the corners of the mold. So just to get it out of the way, I just put it on the deck railing to cool off. It had been drizzling and sprinkling all day just enough to keep it humid but I had barely gotten the soap on the deck railing and the groceries in the house when it proceeded to pour for the next 5-6 hours :lol:

I will wonder now if it would have been considered HP instead of CP :lol:

Like I said, the bottom 2/3 of the log looked and smelled great, no scorched or burned smell to it. Needless to say, the deck smells very yummy where a lil bit of soapy water ran off the pan. But oh well. Now I just need to make sure I have a nice big piece of paper that I can tape over the oven buttons saying "SOAP IN OVEN" before I make my next batch

I like to put it in there even when not forcing gel, just so I can keep an eye on it for overheating, rather than having to run all the way out the garage to check it.