How do you recognize a light trace?

[SoapAddict415]

Hi everyone, lately I've been running into the problem of separation in the mold & I'm pretty sure it's because I'm mistaking a false trace for a light trace. I'm using a milky way 8-count bar mold & I want to pour at light trace so that my bars have a smooth even bottom. Is there a way to tell a light trace from a false trace? I'm tired of rebatching everything. Thanks in advance!

 

[BubblyRose]

Light trace is achieved when you can dribble your lye "battter" across the top and it leaves behind a thin line. Kind of like when you are making pancakes.

 

[IrishLass]

False trace happens when you soap at too cool of a temperature and your hard fats/butters come out of liquid suspension and resolidify. A good tell-tale sign that it's false trace is if it happens as soon as you add your lye solution to your oils/fats or just a minute or so after. Is that what is happening to you? If so, you need to soap warmer. False trace happens to me all the time in my batches with lots of PKO and cocoa butter if I soap them too cool. For those batches, I soap at 120F and things stay nice and sooth & fluid for me until real trace is reached.


IrishLass

 

[SoapAddict415]

Thanks BubblyRose & IrishLass! I think I did soap too cool & the pancake batter is a good visual for me to remember what to look for. I don't have a stick blender yet so when I get tired of stirring by hand, I put the batter in my soap designated blender but I almost always accidentally over-pulse to a thick pudding consistency.

 

[SoapAddict415]

So, I made 2 batches yesterday, pretty much the same recipe & something went wrong with the 2nd batch. My recipe was 6% apricot kernel oil, 8% castor oil, 11% cocoa butter, 41% pomace, 16% lard & 3% sodium lactate. I added my FO when I felt the batter become thick. I stirred until I saw that my rubber spatula was leaving a trail & then suddenly my batter turned into what looked like a super thick apple sauce texture! I panicked & began stirring like my life depended on it! It turned ok. It's the white & purple one. I think that may have been my 1st experience with ricing. My 2nd batch was slightly different. I didn't have enough cocoa butter or olive pomace for the 2nd batch so I ran my recipe they soap calc substituting shea butter for the cocoa butter & EVOO for the amount of pomace I was short & followed the same procedure. This batch took forever to trace. When I thought I saw it start to trace, I stirred & tested it 3 more times to make sure I was seeing a light trace. The batch was very fluid like when I poured it. Today when I unmolded it, it's very soft, like warm cream cheese & oil has soaked through the paper towel & news paper that I sat it on to dry. I took pics & I'm hoping they'll post from my phone. Can anyone tell me what went wrong?

 

[Cosmo]

Pomace and extra virgin olive oil act A LOT different. Recently, I tried to sub pomace for regular olive and I got soap on a stick! I would say your soap wasn't at thick enough trace, and there was too much water used. Those are just guesses, though.

 

[SoapAddict415]

Thanks Cosmo! Looks like I'll be rebatching again tomorrow! :roll:

 

[Cosmo]

Look at it this way... At least yours was too soft and can be rebatched. Mine was a lost cause. I literally had to dig my stick blender out of it! :shock:

 

[judymoody]

I think that a lot of your problems would be resolved if you used a stick blender. They are cheap - you can get one for $20 new at Target or K-Mart or even cheaper used on ebay or at a second hand store.

False trace, by the way, looks grainy to me, not smooth. If it looks thick and grainy shortly after I mix oils and lye, I stir slowly and then the mixture thins out, then I stick blend to true trace.

Hope this helps!

 

[SoapAddict415]

Thanks JudyMoody! Wednesday is pay day & the first thing on my list is a stick blende! I saw 1 at a resale shop near my house for $10 a while back but my BF said that I could find a new one for less. I couldn't & when I went back, the thrift store was sold out! I've gone back several times but both of the thrift stores near me have not gotten any more. Lesson learned, if you see something you want at a thrift store, GRAB IT!!!

 

[honor435]

you have to get a sblender, it would help greatly, i got one at the used store and it has lasted for 3 yrs!

 

[SoapAddict415]

:mrgreen: :clap: Woo-hooooooo!!! I got my stick blender today! I'm super happy! And I got a good deal on it too! I stopped at my local thrift store with my real estate agent (we needed to kill time while we waited for the home owner). I had mentioned how badly I wanted to get a stick blender. We walked in & Lisa, my agent, said "isn't that the blender you're looking for?" I screamed "yes!" & ran to grab it before somebody else did! It was $6 & the store was having a 20% off sale! I got it for $4.80 + tax! I can't wait to move so I can start making soap with my stick blender!

 

[Maythorn]

To me it's when you can lift up your spoon and make a line but the line quickly disappears back into the rest of the soap.

 

[SoapAddict415]

Thanks Maythorn. What you described is what I generally look for, but I'm starting to think I need to get my eyes checked. Most days I only see the line when I reach a medium to thick trace.