HP Tips

[Dawni]

Question for the HP soapers: Do you add the clay before of after the cook? I add kaolin clay to the oils before adding the lye liquid.

I've added before and also after. The really colored ones like red reef I've used to color part of my batter. Just remembered szaza's tip below.

If you're using clays in HP, be sure to make a slurry with some water, or else they will make for a clumpy brittle batter that's hard to mold and hard to cut (my second HP)

It takes some experimenting to figure out how much water you'll need to use for the slurry so that it won't thicken up your batter, coz sometimes with a slurry it still goes thick.

 

[GML]

Thanks for the suggestions - I'll have to try adding a clay slurry to the end and see how it affects the fluidity of the soap.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

My plan right now (haha) is to use one of the less finicky colors, possibly annatto, in the bottom of the soap, and then to leave the top uncolored. I’m not going to worry about getting the batter super fluid on this first batch. If it happens, it happens .

 

[szaza]

Keep a hanger ready, if it happens to be fluid enough you could turn it into a hanger swirl

 

[Dawni]

Or a spoon swirl.. Random swirls with a spoon lol. My stone looking soaps were mostly done that way. Can't wait to see what you make.

 

[GML]

Or a chopstick swirl.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

My real job has really gotten in the way of my soap making this week. I haven’t even washed the bowls from my rebatch last weekend .

 

[Mobjack Bay]

After re-reading this thread, I decided I should learn how to make oven process hot process soap. I will be sure to stay focused, use a pot with some headspace, and put a baking sheet on the rack below the pot just in case there is an unexpected “event.”

These relatively recent threads are packed with great tips on using the oven to make hot process soap:

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/hot-process-oven-process-help.74569/
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/hp-lovers-please-reply-here.68643/
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/hot-process-questions-for-the-soap-pros.74843/#post-766799

 

[szaza]

Wow you've got a lot of reading done! I'm sure you're more than ready to try some fluid HP (the best way to learn is by doing)! Don't be afraid, there's not really that much that can go wrong. As long as you don't cook for 2 hours your HP is more than likely to be fluid and even if you spill some soap with oven HP, just clean it with some water and your oven will be clean at the same time.

 

[GML]

I started making HTHP soap back in August (and since I couldn't wait for the crock pot to arrive, the first batch was done with a microwave) if I can do it, anyone can do it. It takes me approximately 30 to 35 minutes to make a 3lb batch of soap and another 15 to mold and clean up the equipment. When I watch a youtube video and the soaper states that it's been cooking for 2 hours or more, I can understand why some people don't want to invest in watching a crock pot for hours.

Of course, JMHO, YMMV and all the other stuff.

 

[DeeAnna]

You don't need to use a high temperature method to get quick results, although lower temp methods do avoid the thrill and challenge of incipient volcanoes. But even at moderate cook temperatures, saponification is done in under 1/2 hour.

 

[GML]

For, the volcanoes are the best part. If I'm too lazy to microwave the oils before adding to the crock pot or I don't want to wait for the oils to warm up in the crock pot itself, I'll start mixing the oils are around 120. You are correct, it takes about the same amount of time, but it's kind of a letdown. Sort of like opening up all your Christmas gifts and realize the best gift you received were socks.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I like my soap making to be calm

 

[Rsapienza]

I recently tried oven HP. I think I was going off the advice of IrishLass (pretty sure, but not positive). Anyways, she suggested sugar at 5%, SL at 3%, oven at 170 or so, cover and leave it for 30-40 minutes. It came out very fluid! I don't think I'll ever use my crockpot again (it was too hot anyway). All the info is on one of these HP threads somewhere.
Found it! Post #8
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/hp-lovers-please-reply-here.68643/

 

[Kcryss]

I have tried low temp, high temp ... and every temp in between to get my soap to cook in under an hour. No matter what I do it still takes over an hour. I think anyone that can do HP in under an hour must be magic or I'm doing something wrong and I just can't figure out what.

 

[Rsapienza]

I have tried low temp, high temp ... and every temp in between to get my soap to cook in under an hour. No matter what I do it still takes over an hour. I think anyone that can do HP in under an hour must be magic or I'm doing something wrong and I just can't figure out what.

When I did the oven method, the actual cooking part was done in 30 minutes, (had to peek, couldn't wait the full 40...LOL).

 

[GML]

I have tried low temp, high temp ... and every temp in between to get my soap to cook in under an hour. No matter what I do it still takes over an hour. I think anyone that can do HP in under an hour must be magic or I'm doing something wrong and I just can't figure out what.

What temps are your oils when you start? Are you starting with the oils at I higher temp (between 185 and 200)? I know some soapers will add the lye mixtures and let the crock pot do the work of heating the mixtures until there is action and that process can take over an hour to complete.

 

[Kcryss]

What temps are your oils when you start? Are you starting with the oils at I higher temp (between 185 and 200)? I know some soapers will add the lye mixtures and let the crock pot do the work of heating the mixtures until there is action and that process can take over an hour to complete.

I heat the oils in the crockpot until they hit at least 180 before mixing the lye into the water. Then I let the water/lye cool down to just under 200 before mixing with the oils. It generally jumps right back up and traces very very quickly. Within just a few minutes, I will have 1 to 2 volcanoes. For the first 5 to 10 minutes, it stays close to the top and I stay right there to stir it down as needed.

 

[DeeAnna]

So I'm puzzled -- If you're soaping that hot and riding the edge of a volcano for around 10 minutes, what are you seeing in your soap that tells you it's not saponified within an hour after that volcano-y start?

 

[GML]

I was in the middle of responding when I saw your reply. I'm curious as well as to why it's taking so well.