Made my 1st soap!!!

[GreenAcreHomestead]

Hey guys, I tried to unmould.... the soap is sticking a little to the sides... so may be tomorrow. @ CaraBou: I didn't read your post before attempting to unmould.. I have ph strips. Will give it a try with that. I'm not keen on getting zapped yet.( actually I'm a chicken When it comes to that :-?)

The zap isn't bad. Not as bad as a 9v battery lick (from what I remember from my childhood at least).

In regards to "unmold time", I give my Cold Process soaps at least 24 hours, and try to give a little more, but have never waited more than 48 hours.* My Hot Process soaps get unmolded after 18-24 hours. Currently, I use silicone loaf molds that sit in wood support boxes that I built to keep them from bowing.

*I have not made a Castile soap or other recipe that is known for a long curing time.

 

[BattleGnome]

I'll not that my soaps routinely take 3-5 days before unmolding then usually another day before cutting. It's cold at my house which can slow everything down

 

[cmzaha]

I personally don't think what stage of trace you mold at matters. I do use sodium lactate in almost all of my batches, but it doesn't seem to matter whether I pour just past emulsification or at a very thick trace, I can unmold them all after about the same amount of time.

Trace can definetly make a difference in un-molding time. I usually un-mold gelled soap in less than 8 hrs, no sodium lactate, but when I pour at emulsification I have to let it sit in the mold 12-24 hrs. Also recipe makes a big difference in un-mold time. My slow trace recipe has to sit up to 24-2-48 hrs, depending if it gelled or not. My go to recipes which are hard recipes using lard/tallow or vegan with high palm un-mold after cooling down from gelling. My un-gelled will usually have to stay in the mold 24 hrs.

Hey guys, I tried to unmould.... the soap is sticking a little to the sides... so may be tomorrow. @ CaraBou: I didn't read your post before attempting to unmould.. I have ph strips. Will give it a try with that. I'm not keen on getting zapped yet.( actually I'm a chicken When it comes to that :-?)

You can put them in the freezer to get a clean un-mold if these are silicone molds. Ungelled soaps can zap up to 72 hrs, gelled soaps usually will not zap.

 

[Soapprentice]

I tried to remov today... my small soaps came out fine but the big ones are still sticking to the mould. Yup! They are silicon moulds. How long do I put them in the freezer for? Here are the pics

And also did the zap test, the smaller bars are zapping. But the big one, not much. I think the big bar gelled completely.

 

[christost7]

A few soap batches ago I started brushing some liquid paraffin on the sides and corners of my silicone mold with a silicon brush before pouring.
I have never looked back since.
Combined with a little sodium lactate, the soap practicaly falls out of the mold, usually 12-24 hours after pouring no matter what the recipe is.
Hope this helps.
Welcome to the addiction!

 

[Soapprentice]

They came out... trimmed them a little.. here is a pic

It might not be a seize... may be a really thick trace because these soaps don't look like the soaps I saw online in soap seizing videos...