Lye heavy - Help

[egapevets]

My recipe is:
1160g OO
354g BT
354g CO

Approximate 7% discount so 250g of NaOh. I was distracted getting the oil ready...missed the Coconut oil. I now have a finished loaf looking rather orange.
Is this salvagable?
Can I rebatch? If so How do I compensate for the missing oil? I hate rebatching and milling soap, always a chore and although the finished product is wonderful it always looks bad (to me).

 

[DeeAnna]

I'd like to help, but I have no idea what "BT" is. We use OO and CO a lot here, so I'm assuming you mean olive oil and coconut oil. But BT is a new one for me.

 

[CarolynLydia]

The other day I had the opposite situation where I think the lye solution was weak. But I dumped the whole thing into the crockpot and added a little lye solution.
I would think you could do the same adding the coconut oil and cooking in the crockpot for a bit. Use the phenolphthylein to test for saponification. At least it gives it a chance to work out.

 

[TheGecko]

I hate rebatching and milling soap, always a chore and although the finished product is wonderful it always looks bad (to me).

Then toss the soap and start over. And if you haven't been making soap for very long, I highly recommend starting out with about 400 grams of oils, NOT "discounting", and a 4" square silicone mold.

And what is "BT"?

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Then toss the soap and start over.

@TheGecko With all due respect, I'm shocked and dismayed that you would say such a thing! In my 14-15 years of soaping, I've NEVER tossed a batch and I certainly wouldn't toss such a large batch that's easily salvaged. I like @CarolynLydia 's suggestion in post #3.

@egapevets Rebatching is a pain, but maybe this method will work for you and not be such a chore. To put a positive slant on it, think of the resulting soap as having a "rustic" look. At least give it a go and let us know how it works for you.

OVEN REBATCH (Scroll down for Crockpot Rebatch)
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/oven-rebatch-cp.77457/

PS: What is "BT"? That's a head scratcher for me too.

 

[dibbles]

BT - beef tallow maybe?

 

[TheGecko]

With all due respect, I'm shocked and dismayed that you would say such a thing! In my 14-15 years of soaping, I've NEVER tossed a batch and I certainly wouldn't toss such a large batch that's easily salvaged. I like @CarolynLydia 's suggestion in post #3.

The OP mentioned that she hated rebatching, so what else does one do under those circumstances? I have no interest in rebatching either and so long as issue is cosmetic and not a danger, I donate.

 

[GemstonePony]

The soap probably isn't good without some sort of rebatch, though knowing what BT is would verify that. If leaving out coconut ate through the superfat to make it lye-heavy by a large margin, it's rebatch, salt out, or toss. Right? If it's only a little lye heavy, a very long cure might even it out, but that's the only non-rebatch, non-discard possibility I can think of.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

so long as issue is cosmetic and not a danger, I donate.

Whew! That's better... "donate" is better than "toss". I'm much relieved.
As for rebatching, it's not all that difficult once you get the hang of it and it's a very useful tool to have in the soapmaker's toolbox. I once made a batch of soap; cut the next day; grated and rebatched the next day; then did all that one more time to get a soap shipped by the end of that week. It was for my nephew's law school graduation party. I called it "Pass the Bar" Soap.
I cut regular (5 oz) bars in half -- just the right size for "party favors".

 

[egapevets]

I'd like to help, but I have no idea what "BT" is. We use OO and CO a lot here, so I'm assuming you mean olive oil and coconut oil. But BT is a new one for me.

BT = Beef Tallow, and you're correct with the OO and CO I just assumed BT was the correct abbreviation.

 

[egapevets]

The other day I had the opposite situation where I think the lye solution was weak. But I dumped the whole thing into the crockpot and added a little lye solution.
I would think you could do the same adding the coconut oil and cooking in the crockpot for a bit. Use the phenolphthalein to test for saponification. At least it gives it a chance to work out.

Yes - I am considering this and have the soap stored as I wait for a day to attempt this

 

[egapevets]

View attachment 52237
@TheGecko With all due respect, I'm shocked and dismayed that you would say such a thing! In my 14-15 years of soaping, I've NEVER tossed a batch and I certainly wouldn't toss such a large batch that's easily salvaged. I like @CarolynLydia 's suggestion in post #3.

@egapevets Rebatching is a pain, but maybe this method will work for you and not be such a chore. To put a positive slant on it, think of the resulting soap as having a "rustic" look. At least give it a go and let us know how it works for you.

OVEN REBATCH (Scroll down for Crockpot Rebatch)
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/oven-rebatch-cp.77457/

PS: What is "BT"? That's a head scratcher for me too.

I have not done that either...yikes! BT Beef Tallow I will post the results, and thank you for the link for oven rebatching

 

[egapevets]

The soap probably isn't good without some sort of rebatch, though knowing what BT is would verify that. If leaving out coconut ate through the superfat to make it lye-heavy by a large margin, it's rebatch, salt out, or toss. Right? If it's only a little lye heavy, a very long cure might even it out, but that's the only non-rebatch, non-discard possibility I can think of.

I believe - when problem-solving I omitted to add the coconut oil 354g (that likely will not cure out - I will rebatch after doing some research on it.

 

[egapevets]

Whew! That's better... "donate" is better than "toss". I'm much relieved.
As for rebatching, it's not all that difficult once you get the hang of it and it's a very useful tool to have in the soapmaker's toolbox. I once made a batch of soap; cut the next day; grated and rebatched the next day; then did all that one more time to get a soap shipped by the end of that week. It was for my nephew's law school graduation party. I called it "Pass the Bar" Soap.
I cut regular (5 oz) bars in half -- just the right size for "party favors".

so you rebatched twice?

 

[Zany_in_CO]

so you rebatched twice?

Yes! But then, you need to know that I'm one of those who had so many "do-overs" when I first learned to make soap that I was known as the "Rebatch Queen". I don't mind rebatching at all. But that's just me. Same thing when learning to play golf. My ball always landed in the lake, out-of bounds, sand trap, etc. I got very good at getting out of those rough spots.

As they say, "Practice makes perfect." And, like it or not, I had lots of practice.

 

[TheGecko]

Whew! That's better... "donate" is better than "toss". I'm much relieved.
As for rebatching, it's not all that difficult once you get the hang of it and it's a very useful tool to have in the soapmaker's toolbox. I once made a batch of soap; cut the next day; grated and rebatched the next day; then did all that one more time to get a soap shipped by the end of that week. It was for my nephew's law school graduation party. I called it "Pass the Bar" Soap.
I cut regular (5 oz) bars in half -- just the right size for "party favors".

That’s a cute idea.

I’ve only tossed three batches of soap; two were lye heavy and I was too new to soap making to do anything but panic as I scooped the rapidly heating soap into a bag and tossed it into the middle of the driveway before it caught fire. The third batch had seized...I broke the bowl trying to chip it out. I had to boil the lower part of my stick blender to clean the soap out.

 

[egapevets]

Yes! But then, you need to know that I'm one of those who had so many "do-overs" when I first learned to make soap that I was known as the "Rebatch Queen". I don't mind rebatching at all. But that's just me. Same thing when learning to play golf. My ball always landed in the lake, out-of bounds, sand trap, etc. I got very good at getting out of those rough spots.

As they say, "Practice makes perfect." And, like it or not, I had lots of practice.

I'm wondering...with the above problem. do I rebatch and add the missing oil? 354g of coconut oil. Seems logical, but also seems so incorrect.

HELP

 

[AliOop]

I'm wondering...with the above problem. do I rebatch and add the missing oil? 354g of coconut oil. Seems logical, but also seems so incorrect. HELP

Correct - you shred up the lye-heavy soap, add in the missing oil, and hot process the entire thing. You can do that in a crockpot, stove-top pot, or oven. When everything is melted, you can add some additional liquid to bring it to the point where you can stick-blend it to make it smoother and more consistent in texture. Too much liquid can result in warping during cure, but I've added quite a bit without causing any harm other than a longer-than-usual hardening time and cure time.

 

[egapevets]

Correct - you shred up the lye-heavy soap, add in the missing oil, and hot process the entire thing. You can do that in a crockpot, stove-top pot, or oven. When everything is melted, you can add some additional liquid to bring it to the point where you can stick-blend it to make it smoother and more consistent in texture. Too much liquid can result in warping during cure, but I've added quite a bit without causing any harm other than a longer-than-usual hardening time and cure time.

Thanx for the simple instructions...I have started to follow your process

 

[xavalyss]

I've rebatched a few times and most were disasters. Now I toss it.