RTCP Help

[ChrissyB]

Hi Everyone
As you would all know, I have had quite a few batches sieze on me lately.
After some searching, and reading on here, I have found that RTCP can decrease the chance of the seize happening.
Can someone please explain to me how they do their RTCP, and how it can hold off on a seize. I have lots of fo's that I am now afraid of using because I never want to have a seize again. I have just been doing traditional cold process.
Thanks in Advance!!
Chrissy

 

[Deda]

Hi Everyone
As you would all know, I have had quite a few batches sieze on me lately.

Me too

The best advice I can offer is to add all your colors and fragrances first, then the lye/water. SB only a few seconds, just till it's mixed, then whisk or stir until light trace. Icy cold lye water helps, too.

For the worst offenders I mix my lye/water at 1:1 and add the remaining water at the very end, staving off trace. I used to do all my lye/water at 1:1, but I've been lazy and haven't mixed up a big batch in a while.

Now - do I follow my own advice?

 

[topcat]

Hi Chrissy!

I haven't soaped RTCP as yet - I tend to soap at blood temp with my CP. Here is a thread I bookmarked which may help in your quest for room temp....Paul (soapmakerman) is the master of this and his comment is good (his temps in celcius are about 20-22 degrees) as is mandolyn's. Basically my understanding is that the cooler you soap at the longer reactions take, so less likely to seize. Having said that, if you soap really cool at some point you will be too cool to make CP. You have already made whipped soap and you know the colder temps change the end result.

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... light=rtcp

Something else to consider is adding your FOs to your oils before adding the lye mix....this can also slow down a seize sometimes. Another is to only soap with FOs that have been tested - by someone else preferrably! Aussie Soap Supplies and Big Tree Supplies provide information on their FOs for CP soaping, HTH!

Tanya

 

[abigtroutt]

You can also do the Hot Process. I've made several batches and since you add the FO's after the soap is cooked the batch does not seize.

 

[ChrissyB]

Hi Guys, thanks for all of your replies.
Deda, what do you mean by 1:1 ? I read your reply a few times and still didn't get it. DUH
All of the FO's that I use I get from Aussie Soap Supplies, and Big Tree Supplies, for the reason that they give good information on their FO's.
Having said that, even when an FO has behaved for someone else, I bet it will seize on me. The only FO's I've had that haven't seized have been BBerry.
I've tried adding the FO to the oils, before the lye, still a seize, within like 10 seconds after adding the lye.
From what I have read with RTCP, you can mix all your oils, and your lye, and then just leave them, until the next morning. Good in theory, except it's much hotter here at Room Temperature at the moment than it is in America, where most of the RTCPer's are.
And I have done HP, but find the end product really hard to work with.
I am getting quite disheartened with all of this, because their's not really much point in making soap if I can't make it smell nice!

 

[Deda]

Hi Guys, thanks for all of your replies.
Deda, what do you mean by 1:1 ? I read your reply a few times and still didn't get it. DUH

Sorry, Chrissy - didn't mean to speak in code.

I meant mix your lye in batches of 50% lye 50% water - a 1:1 Ratio.
Then say your recipe calls for xx oz of oil, 6 oz of lye, and 14 oz of water.
You would have your oils ready for the lye and add 12 oz of the 1:1 solution (6oz lye and 6 oz of water) start mixing and as you stir slowly add the other 8 oz of water, a little at a time. It can fend off seize in speedy fragrances. It can also delay trace if you need a little more time to 'play'.

 

[digit]

I read somewhere (sorry, can't remember where) about holding out a small amount of your base oils, warm the oils and add the persnickety FO to it, then add to the batter. I often check http://soapscentreview.obisoap.ca/ and will see some have seizing problems, while others don't, with a particular FO.

Could it be an ingredient in your soap recipe? Are you using the same recipe with all the seized batches? If not, is there a common ingredient? Does this happen with different lots of your base oils?

I do often do Paul's RTCP method and use the premmixed lye solution. I like it because I can weigh and assemble everything, then do my soaping the next day. It can take me days to decide on color and scent.

Digit

 

[kellistarr]

Coud you be using too much FO? Coud you be stick blending too much?
Whenever I'm using FO, I soap at low temperature and I lay off the stick blender and do more whisking. And I remove some of the batter and add FO, then add back to the mixture, or I add the FO to some oil I removed from the pot or add it to my superfatting oils, then add back to the pot and whisk.

My version of RTCP is to melt my oils, then dissolve lye into water. Once they've both cooled below 90 dgrees or whenever ( so long as the oils haven't solidified), then I start working. This method gives you a long time to play and my soap still manages to gel unless the batch is small.
I've yet to try the method when ALL of the oils are cold and solid.

You don't have to give up on scent. There are still the EO's, which I prefer, less headache. HTH.

 

[ChrissyB]

Thanks guys, I will try all of your hints and let you know how I go!!
Thanks again.