Help- CP wet and splotchy?

[AshleyRezka]

Hi, I'm new to soap making, I started a few weeks ago and have made a few batches now. My first few batches I have used the small individual rectangle silicone molds and they have worked fine. I just got a loaf mold and made a batch in it the other day and it turned out great. It's the wooden box with silicone insert and wood lid. Today however, I went to unmold the soap I made 2 days ago and I must have filled it too high because the lid was stuck down on the surface of the soap. I had to cut through with a knife to get it off. When I unfolded it, it was wet and had a splotchy/swirly pattern in it. It actually looks pretty! But, what happened? Will this soap be okay to use?
My recipe is
32oz beef tallow
4.2 oz lye
12.16oz water
1.5 lemongrass EO

 

[jcandleattic]

Sounds like it probably overheated due to being a loaf, in a wooden box with the lid.

 

[DeeAnna]

This recipe has more water than I'd use. The lye concentration based on the numbers in your post is about 26%. That much water increases the chance that the soap will separate in the mold. To be honest, that's kind of what it looks like you might have from your pictures, but I can't say that for sure.

If the soap does saponify okay with that much water, the loaf is more likely to be unusually soft, so it will need extra time before it's hard enough to unmold.

I'd probably make this soap using a 33% lye concentration, but I'd absolutely go no lower than 28% for cold process soap. Just a percent or 2 change will make a big difference in how the soap batter behaves.

 

[AshleyRezka]

Thank you very much! The first mold I made appears normal and sliced fine, I did use a lavender EO for that one if that makes a difference. This loaf is quite hard as well, and unmolded easily. I ran the numbers through soapcalc with 33% lye concentration, does this look better?
Is there a way to salvage this soap if it did separate? Can it be melted down and re molded?

 

[DeeAnna]

You mention the soap is wet, so it probably did separate a little bit. If the separation is minor, parts will be gooey or wet and other parts won't. If the separation is major, alkaline liquid can collect in pockets and even drain out. If the odd wet parts seem to be fairly intact, I'd just set it aside for awhile in a safe place away from pets and curious humans and let the liquid reabsorb.

If you later decide it's not good enough to keep as is, there are options to rebatch or reuse the soap in other ways. But "tincture of time" might be the best option for a bit longer. Sometimes tallow soap can be quite brittle and hard to cut. If this loaf of soap looks like it might be brittle, you may want to get it sliced into bars and then let it sit. That would also let you view the interior of the soap and see if it looks sort of normal or if there are real problems inside.

The revised recipe in your last post looks good to me.

 

[AshleyRezka]

Thank you very much for the help! I will let it sit for a while longer and see what happens. I'll try slicing it tomorrow and see what the inside looks like. I will try the next batch with the new amounts

 

[DeeAnna]

Oh, a tip based on personal experience -- When you handle the "wet" loaf, be sure to wear gloves. The liquid is usually alkaline and can badly chap your skin.

 

[AshleyRezka]

Good to know!

 

[cmzaha]

Also, cut in on a surface that will not get damaged in case it leaks alkaline liquid.

 

[Charles]

If it looks like it's gone through gel phase, I would agree with those that have said it overheated. However as I primarily work with rendered lard, pork fat, beef tallow, etc. and you admit being a novice (we all have to start somewhere) it was most likely false Trace. Hope this was helpful to you .

In addendum, are you using fresh or store bought tallow?

(And by fresh I mean that you are collecting and rendering the fat yourself.)

 

[Arimara]

@AshleyRezka How does your loaf look now? can you please share a pic or two?