I would like to test out new formulations of soap, but I don't want to make 2# worth. I have 5oz soap molds - can I make 10oz of finished soap to try out new formulas? Does anyone have any warnings or tips?
Soap Test Batch Size
- Thread starter Luv2Soap
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Dorymae
Well-Known Member
You can do it, but remember the smaller the recipe the less cushion you have for measuring error. Measure everything in grams and use the most accurate scale you have. If you can not measure in grams or your scale is not accurate enough you might want to make 1 lb your smallest batch.
dixiedragon
Well-Known Member
If you have a quality scale, yes. I don't recommend it, but you can. The smallest I make is 20 ounces of oils, b/c that uses a 1 oz bottle of FO.
My suggestions would be to measure very carefully. A "little bit extra" is a LOT in a batch that size.
My suggestions would be to measure very carefully. A "little bit extra" is a LOT in a batch that size.
get your skinniest container and see how deep it needs to be to be able to stick blend.
i just made single bars for testing and could not use the stick blender because there was so little batter per bar. and it was a huge pain in the butt, and i also had 2 soaps leak lye water because their emulsification was not good enough. and 2 bars separated a bit after being poured (tho eventually fully absorbed the oils). i had used a mini mixer, which puts a lot of air into the soap, which is also a bad thing. i was too impatient to wait until full trace was reached for each bar and poured some when they were "thicker" but not at a real trace, and so i had issues with a few bars.
you might be able to get away with making 2 bars if you have a container narrow enough to make the liquid deep enough. 1 bar wont be enough liquid. i have a milkshake making cup that is as narrow as my stick blender. a plastic disposable cup might work, but dont use styrofoam!
and make sure you take it to full trace. many people when making soap start adding colors and scents before full trace because they need the time to work with it, and because the color or scent will speed up trace. but if you are just testing a soap, make sure it traces before you pour.
i am going to have to redo 4 of the 12 bars i made because i was lazy.
you could hand mix. if its just one batch, it might not be too bad. i had to do 12 batches so i didnt want to hand mix each one.
someone also suggested on my post that putting it in a sealed container and shaking it to trace might work, but i wouldnt want to do that for more than one test batch because my arms would get really tired.
try to stir out any air bubbles. air bubbles could trap some lye water in there.
i just made single bars for testing and could not use the stick blender because there was so little batter per bar. and it was a huge pain in the butt, and i also had 2 soaps leak lye water because their emulsification was not good enough. and 2 bars separated a bit after being poured (tho eventually fully absorbed the oils). i had used a mini mixer, which puts a lot of air into the soap, which is also a bad thing. i was too impatient to wait until full trace was reached for each bar and poured some when they were "thicker" but not at a real trace, and so i had issues with a few bars.
you might be able to get away with making 2 bars if you have a container narrow enough to make the liquid deep enough. 1 bar wont be enough liquid. i have a milkshake making cup that is as narrow as my stick blender. a plastic disposable cup might work, but dont use styrofoam!
and make sure you take it to full trace. many people when making soap start adding colors and scents before full trace because they need the time to work with it, and because the color or scent will speed up trace. but if you are just testing a soap, make sure it traces before you pour.
i am going to have to redo 4 of the 12 bars i made because i was lazy.
you could hand mix. if its just one batch, it might not be too bad. i had to do 12 batches so i didnt want to hand mix each one.
someone also suggested on my post that putting it in a sealed container and shaking it to trace might work, but i wouldnt want to do that for more than one test batch because my arms would get really tired.
try to stir out any air bubbles. air bubbles could trap some lye water in there.
oh...another thing....
when doing tiny batches, you need to make sure you use accurate amounts of lye and oils.
only measure in grams, not oz when doing tiny batches.
i wanted to make 48g bars, so i entered it all into the calculator but would get something like 6.35g lye, and my scale only will do full grams, not partial grams. so what i did was adjust the grams of oils until i got as close to a full gram for the lye amount as possible. the water amount doesnt matter if its slightly off because there is a big range of water you can use to make soap.
when doing tiny batches, you need to make sure you use accurate amounts of lye and oils.
only measure in grams, not oz when doing tiny batches.
i wanted to make 48g bars, so i entered it all into the calculator but would get something like 6.35g lye, and my scale only will do full grams, not partial grams. so what i did was adjust the grams of oils until i got as close to a full gram for the lye amount as possible. the water amount doesnt matter if its slightly off because there is a big range of water you can use to make soap.
another thing to consider in tiny batches is the loss of ingredients due to being stuck to the container....there is always some oil left over in the container that you cant scrape out, tho the lye water usually pours out totally because its very thin. so measure your oil in the container you want to mix in and use an eye dropper to make sure the amount is exact. then add the lye water to that container, that way you wont be "short" any oil. make sure you have at least 5% superfat too to have a little padding for the measurements being slightly off.
i say a 2 bar batch would be totally fine to do, just be accurate.
its always better to have too much oil and not enough lye than too much lye. not solidifying is better than lye burns.
when i measure i always take it to 1 gram below the amount i want, then use an eye dropper (for oils) to just barely take it up to the point where the number turns to the number you want. when doing this with lye, you can see there is quite a big difference between "just barely" at the number and "just under" the next number.
i say a 2 bar batch would be totally fine to do, just be accurate.
its always better to have too much oil and not enough lye than too much lye. not solidifying is better than lye burns.
when i measure i always take it to 1 gram below the amount i want, then use an eye dropper (for oils) to just barely take it up to the point where the number turns to the number you want. when doing this with lye, you can see there is quite a big difference between "just barely" at the number and "just under" the next number.
dixiedragon
Well-Known Member
I used to make 1 lb batches in something like this. The well let gives you a small, deep place you can use your stick blender. Its a double boiler, which makes it easier to control the temp, which is important in a tiny batch too. You can move it on and off the heat.
I personally wouldn't make anything less than a pound and only with an extremely accurate scale. Small batches have too much room for error. Just be extra careful.
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