Love this rebatching method!

[bombus]

This is the thread that inspired me:

http://soapmakingforum.com/forum/viewto ... rebatching

I love this method of rebatching!

I have spent the last few days recycling some bad bars. I have used
Inodoro Pereyra's method, although I didn't re-read the thread first-
so had forgotten about increasing the temperature, so my result is a
little "grubby"

First, I tried a ratio of 1:1 that was suggested in the above thread.
After one batch, I realized that I wanted a thinner consistency in order
to pour into fancy molds, so I used the old soap at a lower percentage.

I chopped up the old soap, just as I.P. did (which is way better than
grating), weighed it and allowed that to be 30% of my eventual recipe.
Then, ignoring the original soap recipe (it was lard, safflower, canola,
milk- no suds), I calculated the balance of the recipe using coconut,
olive & tallow & Castor. I prepared the water/lye solution for the
new oils only.

For example:
I used 481g of old soap. Then I doubled that number (962g).
That is the number I entered into the soap calculator for the
final weight (of new soap). Here are the percentages used:

30% CO
40% OO
22% Tallow (deer)
8% Castor Oil
5% SF

I ended up with about 51 ounces of soap, enough to fill 13.5,
4-oz molds.

I heated the old soap with the new oils, using the stick blender to
break up the small chunks. Eventually, it looked like this:

Once this consistency was reached, I added the lye mixture. Then I
used the SB to thoroughly mix it for 2-3 minutes. I finished up mixing
by hand to be sure that it didn't get ahead of me. I didn't want it to
harden up on me too soon. I added fragrance oil at this stage. Then I
spooned it into molds, covered with plastic wrap and insulated.

I was able to remove the finished soap from the molds within
a few hours. I will age them as usual, several weeks. So far, the
scraps have wonderful suds and seem fine.

Here they are with the original bar on the left. It had a very light
honey scent.

This is the original 1:1 recipe. I had to really work to get it into the mold details.
I added an Oatmeal & honey F.O.

This one is 1/3 old soap, 2/3 new, as explained above.
I tried swirling in the pot with burgundy pigment.
It looks almost like marble. I used Cranberry Fig F.O.

I added rhassoul clay (naturally light brown) and Almond F.O.

This is so much better than rebatching with water- Thanks inodora pereyva!

 

[rszuba]

those look great, i am def gonna have to try it. i must admit, i am not a big fan of rebatch,but i do have some troublesome soap that needs it.

renee

 

[heartsong]

x

thanks for sharing!

my next flop will be with this method! i will try it in my 18" log mold and see how it goes.

 

[Maria]

That is the only method I have used where I was satisfied with the outcome. I do the same thing except use 1/3 of the soap I am unhappy with and 2/3 new recipe. I add the old soap chunks after the lye and they melt while the soap cooks.

 

[ChrissyB]

That is certainly an innovative way of rebatching, and one that definitely appeals to me because I have never been successful re-batching.
How much does the colour of the original soap (to be rebatched, before you add it to the new oils) impact on the colour at the end of the total batch?

 

[bombus]

Hi ChrissyB-

The rectangular bar on the left of each picture is the original bar.
In the first batch, (1/2 old soap) I did not add any additional color,
but the resulting bar is lighter than the original.
I'm sure if you used a very white formula for your new mixture,
it would lighten it even more.

The second picture (the marbled one) is 1/3 old soap, then I added the
swirl. The actual color of the non-burgundy part is a lot lighter than the
original color, which does not show well in the photo.

In the third one (the starfish), I added a light brown clay, which causes
the small pieces of the original bar to show in contrast. I think that it is
not unattractive.

If I had raised the temperature to more fully melt the
old soap, I think it would have looked more uniform. Also, if I had been
more patient with the SB, I could have worked it longer to completely
break up every lump of the old soap, as the lye for the new oils is not
added at that point, and you have lots of time to work it. It is difficult
to chase down and destroy those lumps that you don't realize are
there. Maybe forcing it through a sieve for the smoothest result?
Seems like there is always more to learn- can't get enough-

what a happy addiction

 

[ChrissyB]

That's what keeps us all on our toes, learning something new all the time!

 

[Inodoro Pereyra]

Congratulations Bombus on your success!
I'm glad my method worked for you.
Sorry I couldn't reply earlier, but a combination of factors have kept me off-line for the last few weeks (looks like the neighbor with the router moved out)
Personally, I did 2 batches using this method, both with a 50/50 ratio of old and new soap. I'm thinking in the future about adding some sodium lactate to see if it gets thinner, and also trying to add the old soap whole, without even cutting it (yes, I'm THAT lazy... :wink: ), and see what happens.
Anyways, that's no gonna happen for a while. I have right now about 100 bars of soap, and I'm currently involved in another project (just bought a car, and I'm fixing it), but I will keep you guys posted.

Thanks everybody for all the feedback.