No trace(first attempt ever)

[Susie]

I am just trying to make some basic soap for laundry detergent. Nothing fancy, nothing scented. I am trying to get away from all that stuff by making my own soap. I used the following ingredients:

16oz lard(bought tub stuff from big-box store)
2.2oz lye(100% NaOH, I triple checked)
5.28oz water(soft well water I use for everything)

I used postal scale I could "tare" after I put container on, so all weights are precise. I did not want to use my good thermometer for soaping(and I am on a fixed income, so buying new stuff for one use is not really going to happen), but I waited until both the lye and the melted lard felt the same temperature before mixing. I did use my stick blender, as it never gets used for anything else. I stirred/blended for over an hour with no trace of a trace. So, I have 2 questions:

1. Does the temperature have to be so very exact to get trace? Or is this something I can feel for?

2. What now? Can this be fixed, or do I need to throw it away and start over?

Thank you all so much for any help you can give!

 

[Sapwn]

I get trace whatever the temperature.

I checked your recipe at my soap calculator and it is correct.


Could you post a photo of what you call no-trace?


The only thing that I can think is if this lard you bought is not so ...lard.

 

[jenneelk]

Where was the lye from? Did u feel/see the steam of it getting super hot and cloudy when mixing?

 

[Susie]

The lye is from Lowe's(Roebic brand). It is 100% Sodium Hydroxide. I did really check, I promise! It got hot and cloudy when I added it to the water. It took longer than I thought it would to cool to a temperature I thought might be in the 110-115 range. It was sealed when I purchased it, and is granules, not clumped.

The lard is Armour Brand from Wal-Mart. It is lard, hydrogenated lard, BHA, Propyl Gallate and Citric Acid. I read lots of recipes and watched YouTube videos using this very product. No one else seemed to have an issue.

I can't post a pic as I have a stupid phone, and lack technical know-how to make a camera get along with my laptop.

There was never any sign of trace. None, whatsoever. It stayed translucent the whole time until I poured it. I went ahead and poured it after giving up on it. It solidified, but still smells strongly of pork. Is that normal?

 

[jenneelk]

Yeah it will likely smell like it since that's all there is in the recipe and you haven't gone through any saponifying yet.
I'm not sure why it wouldn't trace after so long. Even with temps low or high you should have reached it by that point.
Any chance your scale is off?

 

[DeeAnna]

Well, you (Susie, that is) did said the batter solidified in the mold, and I take this to mean it ~did~ saponify into soap. Given that you are a first time soap maker, all I'll say is that sometimes you may need to chalk this one up to experience. Why not move on from here and see what you have now?

First off, have you unmolded the soap? If so, is it solid all the way through and relatively consistent in appearance from end to end and top to bottom?

If the soap looks fine AND it has been longer than 24 hours since your soap solidified, have you "zap" tested it? See: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=30690 If you test it, does the soap zap or is it "tongue neutral"?

Edit -- and a lard soap does not have to smell bad, even if it's 100% lard. If the lard smells mild before use, it shouldn't smell any worse after being made into soap, unless it has been overheated in the process. I gel most of my soaps, I put lard into nearly all of them, and I have not yet smelled an objectionable odor due to the lard.

 

[Obsidian]

I use armour lard too and the first 100% batch I made smelled piggy for a couple weeks. I didn't use any scent so the lard smell was a bit more noticeable. Its only been a few weeks but the piggy smell is gone, just smells like soap now.
I also had troubles getting it to trace. It seemed to take forever but once it started, it got hard quite quickly. Now the bars are rock hard, you could play hockey with them

 

[jenneelk]

My bad.. guess I should have said any real length of saponifying yet.
Basically that it was likely just poured and beginning so smell still strong. Wasn't really trying to clarify the saponifying part, just generalizing. sorry.

 

[savonierre]

Does it zap? You could throw it in a crockpot and let it cook until there is no zap if it did zap.

 

[DeeAnna]

Hey, Jenee -- if you are directing your apology toward me (?), no offense taken and no apology needed! In any case, warm hugs to you!!!!!

 

[Susie]

It's soap! I cut it, and it is solid all the way through. The pork smell is no where but the top of the bars, the rest smells like soap. Zap test is fine.

Thank you all so very, very much!

 

[DeeAnna]

Good for you, Susie! Glad to hear it turned out so well. The odor should fade over time, based on soaps I've made that have a strong odor at first (pine tar, dairy butter, hoppy beer). Now ... in retrospect, do you have some thoughts about what might have been the cause of your "no trace" soap? If you don't, that's fine ... maybe you'll get some perspective after you've made a few more batches. Welcome!!!

 

[Susie]

No idea yet. I was hoping to get some idea about possible causes today. I got my bagels made, so I have time.