So I decided to make some soap tonight...

[LauraHoosier]

Yeah decided to make some soap tonight and christen the lovely 8lb mold my hubby let me buy to replace the 6 pounder the broke. He's helping me in the kitchen because its a larger batch then I usually make. We got the mold lined. Yay! Wasn't as easy as I had hoped so its not pretty but it works

In the middle of measuring oils my scale turns off on me. Twice. Thankfully I was paying attention to the numbers and had extra bowls to reset the scale with and re-pour into. Batteries changed and new scale on my list now.

Now to make the lye solution. Everything goes well until I notice there's something..icky floating in the solution. I try to salvage the lye solution by putting it through a paper towel inside a stainless steel mesh strainer. Oh crap! It starts sizzling and smoking and I start scrambling for the sink as hubby throws open the windows now seeing what looks like smoke. Guess it wasn't stainless steel after all despite the label saying it was. Crisis averted, strainer now on the porch. I add most of our vegetable and canola oil to the lye solution, stir well and set outside on the closed porch to do its thing. Crisis averted, strainer now on the porch too.

I look at the spatula and its coated in the ick. To the sink! I start cleaning it and the whole spatula head comes off the stick to reveal lots of old soap stuck in there. To the trash! I have several for soaping so I'm good.

I remake the lye solution! I'm so tired in between my shoulders now I'm cramping so hubby takes over, putting it in the ice water bath and stirring, watching the temp while I go sit and stretch some. 'How's it coming hun? At 110(F) yet?" "Uhhh I sorry I was thinking 90 degrees." and he quickly scrambles to get it out of the ice water and recheck the temp. It's just under 100(F). That's ok, I can work with this.

We finally get the oil and lye combined, my superfatting oil in and citrus EOs in and soap poured into the now christened mold with no further incident! *tired sigh* 8lbs of XX Citrus in the mold and waiting for for a little swooping with a clean spatula!

 

[serfmunke]

I just made soap tonight too but with a lot less head aches! That all sounds tragic!

I made cucumber soap because my cucumber vine, as always, is producing too many cucumbers for us to eat. I should really only plant one but then there is no cucumber soap and no pickles!

The only strange thing I encountered was an orange swirl in the pot while mixing. I wonder if I had some residue from my previous batch, used Palm Island vaguely remember a similar color coming from that FO, still in the stick blender? I washed it well last time I used it but I suppose some may be able to ooze its way up into tiny crevasses similar to your spatula. Hmm, I will have to check out all my equipment and make sure they are all gunk free.

 

[FreeRabbit]

all this at the same time? I would have stopped and tried later... good on you for keeping it up

 

[tryanything]

There must be a late night bug going around. I made soap tonight also after I put the baby to bed. I made my first beer soap. Luckily it wasn't as eventful as your night sounded. Ended up with more soap then my 4 lb mold can hold somehow so I have a little baby food cup of soap on the side. Get to try out my cheap individual soap molds. I want to see how it turns out and maybe save up those cups and use them later on.

 

[LauraHoosier]

I walked by the mold full of soap all wrapped up in towels and chuckled remembering last night. I went back to get coffee and decided to take the wood lid off the mold, it just sets on top, and take a peek. It won't budge lol. I think this batch has just decided to be my problem child is all. Tomorrow is another day! See you then soap mold *waves*

Thinking back on it I should have never tried to salvage the lye solution and just made fresh from the start. I won't be making that decision again.

 

[tryanything]

I had that happen once (the lid getting stuck). Now i put a strip of wax paper between the soap and the lid. If I hadn't my lid would have been stuck this morning also!

 

[LauraHoosier]

Yeah actually I had used waxed paper over the soap before putting on the lid. The soap actually went through the waxed paper and seeped into the wooden lid. I'll have to trim the soap tops so that they're smooth again, it bubbled up down the middle of the soap loaf.

 

[Dragonkaz]

... We finally get the oil and lye combined, my superfatting oil in and citrus EOs in and soap poured into the now christened mold with no further incident! *tired sigh* 8lbs of XX Citrus in the mold and waiting for for a little swooping with a clean spatula!

This soap sounds like it's going to be a scary one!

If you're making CP soap, don't worry about separating any 'superfatting oil', as the caustic soda does not discriminate. It will use as much oil (butter etc) as it needs to turn into soap and isn't able to keep a specific oil out of it's chemical reaction.

... it bubbled up down the middle of the soap loaf.

How on earth did this happen? Frightening!

 

[carolyntn]

What a night! You might consider using freezer paper - shiny side to soap - instead of wax paper. The soap won't seep through or absorb like with wax paper. You can buy freezer paper at any grocery store; it's with the aluminum foil and plastic wrap.

 

[LauraHoosier]

My mylar sheets arrived yesterday right after we'd managed to get it out of the mold lol. Hopefully my cut mylar strips for the bottom, sides and ends will work as intended with the next batch. At least through all this I could grin and not let it get to me. Pics swoon as I get it cut!

 

[falldowngobump]

My local Walmart pulled a fast one on me with the freezer paper. There was none to be found in the foil/wax paper area (it's always there!). I kept looking, and found it in the camping-fishing-hunting supply area.

 

[tryanything]

falldowngobump
PostPosted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 7:06 am Post subject:
My local Walmart pulled a fast one on me with the freezer paper. There was none to be found in the foil/wax paper area (it's always there!). I kept looking, and found it in the camping-fishing-hunting supply area. Surprised

That's interesting. I was looking at Wallmart the other day and ended up buying parchment paper because I couldn't find the freezer paper. Never would have thought to try the hunting/camping section!

 

[LauraHoosier]

Ok, I must be doing it wrong lol. I cut my mylar sheets, what a nightmare since I can't cut a straight line. I used my cutting mat and rotary cutter (quilting fabric and more cutter) and the mylar squirmed everywhere even after using duct tape to hold it down on all four sides. Was a funny sight

So it wasn't perfect and I put as many outer, machine made, edges on the bottom and butting together inside the mold to get a good fit so it wouldn't leak, used Vaseline to tack them to the wooden mold sides. Have I misunderstood and should have also lubed the side touching the soap? I had to cut them off my soap I'd poured Sunday and wanted to cut today.

Part of the "I'm doing it wrong" is that yet another batch of soap came out sticky. I know using higher amounts of Olive Oil means more cure time and I think its time I lumped 45% OO into that category and just invest in a another mold or two, smaller for sanity's sake, by just making some. I don't mind and its better then the frustration and impatience of wanting to see a soap "now" when "its not time yet" a phrase our dogs hear a lot in the evening when wanting their dinner before 7.

I feel like yin'd when I should be yang'ing. Out of sync feeling.

 

[judymoody]

falldowngobump
PostPosted: Sun Aug 21, 2011 7:06 am Post subject:
My local Walmart pulled a fast one on me with the freezer paper. There was none to be found in the foil/wax paper area (it's always there!). I kept looking, and found it in the camping-fishing-hunting supply area. Surprised

That's interesting. I was looking at Wallmart the other day and ended up buying parchment paper because I couldn't find the freezer paper. Never would have thought to try the hunting/camping section!

Yup, my husband buys it in quantity to wrap game meat.

 

[judymoody]

Hi Laura, You might want to post your recipe if your soap keeps coming out sticky. Maybe we can trouble shoot for you? From these posts I'm seeing mention of canola, vegetable (I'm assuming soy) and olive. What % hard oils are you using? Are you gelling?

Also, until you have your base recipe where you want it, I'd stick to smaller batches. I'm just a hobbyist but a 6-8 lb batch would terrify me. The stakes are high if the soap doesn't want to come out of the mold or isn't the consistency you were anticipating. Trust me, even using the little WSP molds which hold about 28 oz of oils, you will quickly have more soap than you can handle.

 

[LauraHoosier]

I do make smaller batches first so I only get 6-8 bars to send out to friends who are testing them out and they come out the same. I just cure them longer before cutting so I'm not cutting a mess. We're also not ruling out my scale needing to find its way into the trash.

I used 42oz OO, grade A, 28 oz CO, 14oz Canola Oil, 9oz Castor with standard 38% water ppo and 5% SF.

 

[judymoody]

You might want to do a slight water discount - maybe go down to 34% ? instead of the standard 38% if you want a firmer bar from the outset. Also I find that castor can make my soap a bit sticky when I go above 5-6%

 

[LauraHoosier]

Also I find that castor can make my soap a bit sticky when I go above 5-6%

Ah I didn't know that. I'll have to look into putting that on the "tweak" list. I only change one thing per batch so I can see if that's what makes the difference or not.