Hot process soap falls apart
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We'll need a bit more information, as it could be a number of things.
Two that jump out as the usual suspects are waiting too long to cut and using something that is too thick, which then snaps the soap toward the bottom rather than cutting cleanly.
What is your recipe, how are you doing it (slow cooker/crock pot, leaving it covered, how long is the cook, how hot, do you stir)? What do you mean by "falls apart"? Do the bars cut well but then crumble when used?
Two that jump out as the usual suspects are waiting too long to cut and using something that is too thick, which then snaps the soap toward the bottom rather than cutting cleanly.
What is your recipe, how are you doing it (slow cooker/crock pot, leaving it covered, how long is the cook, how hot, do you stir)? What do you mean by "falls apart"? Do the bars cut well but then crumble when used?
Hot process soap can get very dry while you are making it, particularly if you do not seal the crock pot with cling wrap during the cook. Do not use a water discount for HP, you will end up with very dry soap that will mold very poorly. It can be so dry that it won't stick together, and looks lumpy when you cut it.
You should also cut it as soon as it's cool. I usually cut mine three or four hours after I make it, no later than the next morning.
It's easy enough to add a little boiling water right before you "pour" it into the mold to soften it up some. No too much, or the bars will distort quite a bit while drying.
You should also cut it as soon as it's cool. I usually cut mine three or four hours after I make it, no later than the next morning.
It's easy enough to add a little boiling water right before you "pour" it into the mold to soften it up some. No too much, or the bars will distort quite a bit while drying.
IDA
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I wait 24h to cut it, the soap falls apart when i cut it with the knife.
I am having a slow cocker, the time for the soapmaking was about 1 half hour little more i think. . I wait 30 minutes to the first stir.
I cut it with a kitchen knife.
I am having a slow cocker, the time for the soapmaking was about 1 half hour little more i think. . I wait 30 minutes to the first stir.
I cut it with a kitchen knife.
SudsanSoaps
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If you stir it too much before you mold it will get an opaque look and won’t mold well. If it does look like that usually you can leave it sit for a bit and it will look more clear like Vaseline and will mold much easier.
When it has that frosty look it tend to like to turn into lumps that don’t connect to each other very well. That also gets worse with less water.
When it has that frosty look it tend to like to turn into lumps that don’t connect to each other very well. That also gets worse with less water.
24 hours might be too long. Depending on the recipe, I can cut some hp soaps after 4 hours.
24 hours for cp is a general rule at best - even then it's good to check a new recipe regularly to see if it's ready. This applies even more so to hp - keep an eye on it and cut it when it's firm enough. Once you get a feel for how long certain recipes need to be ready for cutting, you can leave it till around that time. But you need to find that out first
24 hours for cp is a general rule at best - even then it's good to check a new recipe regularly to see if it's ready. This applies even more so to hp - keep an eye on it and cut it when it's firm enough. Once you get a feel for how long certain recipes need to be ready for cutting, you can leave it till around that time. But you need to find that out first
By falls apart, do you mean it crumbles into little chunks?
Or does it break up into uneven larger pieces that sort of look like unevenly cut bars of soap?
I have had the latter when using a kitchen knife. The shape of the blade of my kitchen knife (wedge-like) is fine for food, but not for a smooth straight cut of soap. A pastry knife or painter's knife has a better blade for soap.
Try looking for something like this:
If the former, I would hazard a guess that the batter was too dry. And the kitchen knife shape of blade is still a problem.
Or does it break up into uneven larger pieces that sort of look like unevenly cut bars of soap?
I have had the latter when using a kitchen knife. The shape of the blade of my kitchen knife (wedge-like) is fine for food, but not for a smooth straight cut of soap. A pastry knife or painter's knife has a better blade for soap.
Try looking for something like this:
If the former, I would hazard a guess that the batter was too dry. And the kitchen knife shape of blade is still a problem.
I find stirring hp after trace is not really necessary. It will start to gel, become translucent around the edges and start folding in on itself. (at least that is what it looks like to me). Stirring will not hurt your hp, overcooking and scraping the edges of the crockpot will leave you with dry crumbly soap. Once the soap batter is translucent take out a little and cool it so you can zap test it. No zap your soap is ready to pour. I just put it under cold water to cool it enough to zap test. The biggest key is do not overcook and use full water
Waiting to long and cutting with a knife can fracture any soap and crumble it on the bottom. You might be better off using a straight edge pastry cutter/scraper with a miter box.
Waiting to long and cutting with a knife can fracture any soap and crumble it on the bottom. You might be better off using a straight edge pastry cutter/scraper with a miter box.
IDA
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Its crumbles into small chunks... I will buy a new cutter for my soap. It maybe is the herbs that i have in this recipe? It was much herbs.
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If you're getting drag marks (the blade pulls some of the herbs downwards, leaving those little lines) then it's not far too hard at cutting. It does look like it was overcooked and/or just too dry when you put it in the mould though, as there are gaps in the soap itself.
I use guitar string to cut my soap both hp and cp. It gives a clean cut just like cutting clay.
