Any tips for preventing ash after cutting soap? I have a soap that got ash as it cured, and I just cut a soap that is still pretty soft. I'm pretty sure it's going to ash, but I really don't want it too. It's a black soap =\
Preventing ash after cutting
- Thread starter LunaLe
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I live in florida and ita been super humid lately. The only thing so far that I've noticed is that gelling seems to help a lot and leaving them covered for two days. When I cut on the first day it will still develop some ash. By day two ash doesn't develop for me after I cut them then.
Gelling helps prevent ash for the most part for me along with keeping it covered until fully saponified and cooled. I do spritz the top with alcohol after pouring and before covering.
Soap I don’t gel (salt soap in individual molds). I spritz and cover. Then leave them until ready to un-mold. Once I take them out of the mold I spritz the tops and cover for a few days.
Soap I don’t gel (salt soap in individual molds). I spritz and cover. Then leave them until ready to un-mold. Once I take them out of the mold I spritz the tops and cover for a few days.
Very miserable! 15 minutes outside and I'm sweating and hair has poofed. If you didn't do a piped top wiping it off would be an easy option.
Do you notice a difference when you don't use the alcohol?
For my last soaps I waited a little over 48 hours to remove from mold and cut (and kept them covered before that) and no ash formed on the sides or front of the bars as before, which was a plus as no need to plane them.
I always spray with alcohol, this soap I topped with gold mica and sprayed it to "melt the mica". I've never thought about spraying with alcohol after cutting. I might start trying that.
Thanks everybody for all the tips!
Thanks everybody for all the tips!
How do you cover your soap? I used plastic wrap once and ruined my swirls on top, so I haven't covered my soap since then.
My soap molds are about one and a half to two inches taller than the standard size. When full (50 to 53 oz), my wooden lid doesn't touch the soap tops.
Put a box or something over the mold. My molds have lids and then I put a folded towel over the tip.
Thanks! I didn't even think to try something like that. I use small 3 pound molds and I fill them to the top, so I'll definitely try this out.
LilianNoir
Well-Known Member
So, I found this thread bc I too am in Florida and am having trouble with ash even before the cut. I thought it was bc i wasnt covering tight enough and peeking (heh) but I covered this, wrapped it up and left it alone for 24 hours and it is asssshhhyyyy. That's supposed to be all black/dark grey.
I didn't spray with alcohol though. Last time I did I still got ash, I think bc my alcohol is only 70%.
To add, a friend of mine makes soap (she lives 10minutes away so same area) and she rarely has ash. But the difference is she sprays with 91% RA.
This recipe, as with most of mine had 33% lye (2:1 water to lye) and was soaped around 110F.
What am I doing wrong here??
I didn't spray with alcohol though. Last time I did I still got ash, I think bc my alcohol is only 70%.
To add, a friend of mine makes soap (she lives 10minutes away so same area) and she rarely has ash. But the difference is she sprays with 91% RA.
This recipe, as with most of mine had 33% lye (2:1 water to lye) and was soaped around 110F.
What am I doing wrong here??
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This thread is just what I need! I'm new to soaping and made my first test batch 8 weeks ago. It turned out great so I made the same recipe again but rebatched it to fit my wooden mold as the test batch only filled the mold 2/3 of the way. I covered the mold on the test batch with plastic wrap and then covered it with several towels and cut it 36 hours later. The second batch filled the mold to the top and I added a bit of texture to the top of the soap so wasn't able to cover it with plastic without disturbing the surface. Instead, I made a tent out of cardboard then covered everything up with several folded towels for insulation. Both batches gelled nicely but about a week after cutting the second batch what I believe is ash began forming on the top of the soap. I cure my soap in my basement, which is cool but not air conditioned, and rotate it every few days. Here's a pic of what the soap looks like now after curing for about three weeks. I've read a bit about spraying the top of the soap with 91% rubbing alcohol before covering it and also how I can remove the ash, but of course would like to not have it occur in the first place. Would it help if covered the mold with plastic vs. using a tent or if I let the soap sit longer before cutting? Any thoughts are very welcome! Thank you!
Dawni
Well-Known Member
@spiritpots I'm wondering if those are indeed ash. I'm not very experienced in detecting them coz I don't CP frequently, but they don't look like ash to me. Is it only on the tops?
Yes, only on the top. Here are three other photos to give a better idea of the overall batch. The first photo is a view of the top of multiple bars with the second bar from the top in this pic showing a soft white surface on most of it. There's also a little of that on the right side of the second to the bottom bar. The second photo shows the sides of the bars and if you look closely you will see a couple small circular light areas on the 4th and 5th bars from the left. These areas are smooth and very light... almost like a color variation within the soap. The two end bars in this photo were the end pieces in the mold and have a little white on the bottoms corners. The third photo is of the cut soap.
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Dawni
Well-Known Member
Hmmm.. Like I said, no expert here but they look more like stearic spots (the bumps and the white spots on the inside) but the second bar from top in the first pic looks like ash.
Quick way to check - if it washes away with water or steam it is ash, otherwise it isn't.
Same goes for you @LilianNoir. Try n wash it away? I think I recall a post here calling something that looks like frost, and tracks the swirls something else. I have to go hunt for that.
Where are our experts lol
Quick way to check - if it washes away with water or steam it is ash, otherwise it isn't.
Same goes for you @LilianNoir. Try n wash it away? I think I recall a post here calling something that looks like frost, and tracks the swirls something else. I have to go hunt for that.
Where are our experts lol
Thanks for your input @Dawni. I steamed a bar and the spots on top disappeared so maybe it is ash. The surface I steamed is super shiny now, which is an aesthetic I'm not crazy about. Am I correct in assuming it will always stay like this?
As for the possible steric spots, the recipe I used has 24% coconut oil, 32% palm oil and 44% olive oil. I heated up all of the palm oil in the jar before measuring but did not cover and gently rotate the jar after melting the palm oil. I will try that next time. I also soap when both the lye and oils are around 120 degrees. The first time I made this recipe I followed these same procedures and the soap was perfect. The only thing I did differently with the second batch was 1) resize it and 2) cover the second batch with a cardboard tent rather than plastic wrap. Most of the images I see relating to steric spots have white spots throughout the soap, where as I only have a few in the entire 2-1/2 lb. batch.
As for the possible steric spots, the recipe I used has 24% coconut oil, 32% palm oil and 44% olive oil. I heated up all of the palm oil in the jar before measuring but did not cover and gently rotate the jar after melting the palm oil. I will try that next time. I also soap when both the lye and oils are around 120 degrees. The first time I made this recipe I followed these same procedures and the soap was perfect. The only thing I did differently with the second batch was 1) resize it and 2) cover the second batch with a cardboard tent rather than plastic wrap. Most of the images I see relating to steric spots have white spots throughout the soap, where as I only have a few in the entire 2-1/2 lb. batch.
Dawni
Well-Known Member
Maybe it'll reduce after drying?
Did you like the ashy tops better?
You're right about the stearic spots... Last thing I can think of is something not mixed properly. Otherwise I'm out of ideas lol
Did you like the ashy tops better?
You're right about the stearic spots... Last thing I can think of is something not mixed properly. Otherwise I'm out of ideas lol
sarahmarah
Well-Known Member
I notice for me that apart from gelling and covering etc. that the curing environment matters. I live in New England and it’s not particularly extra humid here but if I cure on a rack in my basement within weeks I’ll have powdery ash all over my bars. I have a huge dehumidifier down there and its a touch on the cool side but it doesn’t really prevent anything. Curing in my kitchen/upstairs area prevents secondary ash.
The shine after removing the ash is something I actually like. In fact, I use a microfiber cloth to polish the surface to encourage a sheen on all surfaces of the soap.
Misting with isopropyl alcohol rather than steaming also works, and I also wipe with a microfiber cloth so the soap doesn't stand wet.
Misting with isopropyl alcohol rather than steaming also works, and I also wipe with a microfiber cloth so the soap doesn't stand wet.
Thanks @sarahmarah. Even thought my basement storage room is cool it has been a bit on the humid side these past few weeks. I'll try curing my next batch upstairs and see how that goes.
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