Help! Question about re-measuring (Need answer STAT!)

[lunchlady2009]

I have my oils melted and ready to go. When I measured my lye, I was one ounce short. If I can't find any more lye (pretty sure I can't without ordering) Can I reduce the ounces of oils (keeping the same percentages) to accommodate the amount of lye I have (or there about) and if I can, can I just remove the amount of weight from the oils even though they are already combined or do I need to wait until I have more lye (really don't want to, on a schedule)?

 

[Guest]

eeep

different oils take to lye differently and have different percentages when it comes to the lye eating them up.

Having said that, 1 ounce less of lye can't be a hugely bad thing. Just a huge (I think) superfat. TBH I wouldn't want to waste the oils and I'd just go for it!

I wouldn't reduce any oils. Less lye is better than more lye.

 

[lunchlady2009]

Thanks - I found lye!

I was thinking that 1 oz less would make a huge superfat, but I'm very new and not sure about superfatting anyway!

BUT...

I happened to call my local hardware store and they had 2 bottles of pure lye in stock! YEAH!

Thanks again for you quick reply!

On now to making honey and buttermilk soap for my coworkers as an end of the year gift! (I work at a school, lunchlady, of coures, and we are out in 3 weeks!)

 

[Guest]

I am glad you found some lye , 1 oz could make a difference , unless you refigured your oils to match the lye that you have. I wouldn't risk wasting the oil.lol

Kitn

 

[Guest]

yep, hurray for finding lye!

 

[surf girl]

I know you found your lye, so it's a no longer an issue, but yes, you could just use less of the mixed oils.

(As an aside, one ounce of lye is either huge or small, depending on your total recipe weight, right? If you require 4 oz of lye and you use 3, that's 25% less lye than you needed to saponify the oils. Honkin' big superfat. If you require 20 oz of lye and you use 19, that's 5% less lye than required- no biggie unless your superfat is already high).

How to calculate:

You need y amount of lye, but you only have x amount. You have this fraction of the lye you needed: x/y. So, you then need to use that fraction of your oils, i.e. x/y times the oil you already measured.

Say you needed 4 oz of lye, but you only had 3. You have 3/4 of the lye you needed (0.75). Say this was for a 32 oz recipe. You need to use only 3/4 of the oils you measured, or 0.75 x 32 oz (24 oz).

 

[lunchlady2009]

Surf Girl! Thank you so much for posting this calculation. It will definitely come in handy in the future!

Thanks to those who answered so quickley (although this was a few weeks ago! !)

I do believe there is a lesson here! Make sure you have enough of EVERYTHING! In this same instance I was measuring my CO and had JUST ENOUGH! I know I could have gone to the store, but REALLY didn't want to!