Please HELP me

[Oregon Groves]

So I need help.
My new scale is not in decimal form It's in fractions and I am not good at math guys!
So it called for 12.3 oz of goat's milk. I think that's 12 3/8 oz? The lye mixture was 5.5 oz so that fraction was easy. Anyway the flakes, I dislike. I do my lye mixture and I think they are totally dissolved and as I am pouring I see a few flakes that didn't dissolve. I avoid those flakes but all I can think is how I messed my batch up by doing this so I finish it all up.
My soap is

12.3 ozgoat's milk
5.5 oz lye
2 oz castor oil
11oz lard
11 oz coconut oil
14 oz olive oil

I add my mica, two teaspoons of sodium lactate, titanium dioxide ( about a heaping tablespoon) , eucalyptus EO and mint FO ( did the fragrance calculator.


It turned out beautiful. It's soft and maybe a softer soap but did I mess up?!


I'm so frustrated because I have been feeling like I have been messing up my batches left and right


My lavender ended up with too many oils. It feels waxy but still firm-ish. Should I still let it cure?

I feel like I was doing awesome. Soaping isn't cheap as you know and I just feel like giving up.

 

[GemstonePony]

Decimals are 1/10, so .3 is 3/10, not 3/8. No real harm in a little extra liquid, it'll just take a little longer to firm up.

I'll let someone with more experience chime in on the lye-flakes.

I'm curious about what you mean by the lavender having too many oils: could you explain what happened?

 

[Oregon Groves]

My original scale popped a foot pad and so when I realized I had already measured and melted my oils together but as I was measuring my lye I saw it kept switching back and forth on weight so I turned it over and one of the pads came off. So I pulled all the pads off and finished what I was doing and hope it turns out.

 

[cmzaha]

Okay, I noticed you have been soaping 6 years and you sell, so my question is why do you not spring for a KD 7000 or 8000 scale? They are more than worth the price and last forever. I have been using my 8000 for over 10 yrs. Sometimes floating flakes are Sodium Carbonate better know as Ash which can form a crust on the top of lye solution. Really beads versus flakes really make no difference when dissolving lye. If you are having issues with your GM soap why don't you simply dissolve your lye in 50% water and soap 50/50? I am sure you will argue the point but gm really adds nothing but superfat, unless you compenste for the extra fat in the gm to the soap and you can still call it gm soap. You can also add to the gm by adding in dry gm. Just a thought. Lye has a way of destroying most properties of additives.

 

[GemstonePony]

My original scale popped a foot pad and so when I realized I had already measured and melted my oils together but as I was measuring my lye I saw it kept switching back and forth on weight so I turned it over and one of the pads came off. So I pulled all the pads off and finished what I was doing and hope it turns out.

If your scale is unreliable or malfunctioning, all bets are off, and the actual quantities of anything in your soap is a guess. All advice is hinged on accurate measurements, so without fixing that I'm not sure how much use our recipe/technique advice could be.

 

[Oregon Groves]

Okay, I noticed you have been soaping 6 years and you sell, so my question is why do you not spring for a KD 7000 or 8000 scale? They are more than worth the price and last forever. I have been using my 8000 for over 10 yrs. Sometimes floating flakes are Sodium Carbonate better know as Ash which can form a crust on the top of lye solution. Really beads versus flakes really make no difference when dissolving lye. If you are having issues with your GM soap why don't you simply dissolve your lye in 50% water and soap 50/50? I am sure you will argue the point but gm really adds nothing but superfat, unless you compenste for the extra fat in the gm to the soap and you can still call it gm soap. You can also add to the gm by adding in dry gm. Just a thought. Lye has a way of destroying most properties of additives.

I received the scale as a birthday gift and after not soaping for a few yrs and selling my stuff to other people who wanted to soap I am starting over and I am disabled and on a tight budget..

 

[KimW]

Here are two scales I currently use. Both are under $20 and have survived my abuse of two+ years. I have two because I also use one for baking. I know $20 can sometimes be a lot when money on other things has been spent, but I'd think one of these would serve you better than guessing, and greatly relieve you of some stress.

Goes up to 11 lbs. Increments down to 1gram and 0.01 ounce
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UIVIXVO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Goes up to 1kg (about 2lbs). Increments down to 0.01g and .001 ounce
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083J7G7ZX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Oregon Groves]

Thank you

Yes, I am on a tight budget at times. It just really depends! Thank you for your help.
I think the soap should turn out still?
I'm mainly concerned about the lavender soap.

 

[violets2217]

Goes up to 11 lbs. Increments down to 1gram and 0.01 ounce

This one is pretty cool! Thanks for the link. Shopping for a new scale and stick blender & it’s really had to decide!

 

[Angie Gail]

This one is pretty cool! Thanks for the link. Shopping for a new scale and stick blender & it’s really had to decide!

As far as stick blenders go, more expensive isn't always better. I was using a Hamilton Beach that I got at WalMart and then I saw an All Clad blender in Marshall's and decided to splurge and get it. Well it broke after a couple of months (apparently it's a design flaw in the plastic part that attaches the stick to the rest of the blender). I went back to the Hamilton Beach and it's been working great for a year now. The grass isn't always greener I guess .

 

[Oregon Groves]

I have a Hamilton Beach stick blender and I LOVE it!

 

[TheGecko]

Your soaps are very pretty.

As to your issues:

Scale: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NX47YP4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 $13.95 Pounds, Ounces, Grams to two decimal points.

I used to like flakes over beads because I could hear them as they dissolved, especially when making GMS since I don't allow my goat milk to get above 70F. But I take the time to mix my GM Lye Solution so it's all good.

Your soap is soft because your Lye Concentration is around 30%; just give it extra time to cure and it'll be fine. For future reference, I would go with a 33%-35% Lye Solution. And lower your SuperFat to 3%; lots of extra 'fat' in milk

If you're on a budget, you might consider looking at smaller molds. I have a couple of 4" Square Silicone Molds that I use all the time when trying new fragrances...14oz oils/butters. You'll end up with 4-5 oz bars. And it's a good way to get back in the game.

 

[Oregon Groves]

Thank you SO much!