iwannasoap
Well-Known Member
Excuse me for writing this but I woke up with my brain running 200 mph!
I understand many of you make beautiful soaps already so what I say really doesn't matter.
But understanding the quintessential small differences; experience can come quite quickly.
I will talk about some of the factors that consist of making soap and I understand looking at it in a different way might make it difficult to see.
Surface tension and some water absorption properties.
Surface tension is the skin on the outside of water and has a chemical makeup that is not fully understood but it not only allows bugs to walk on water but it also allows water to absorb just about anything including the Titanic and is the basis of emulsion.
Surface tension can also be thought of this way. The water that washes up on the shore of a beach wets the sand below it. It absorbed the sand. The sand did not absorb the water. If you were to pick up the sand in your hand and hold loosely in your fingers you will not lose any water. That is only because the individual particles of sand has not broken the surface tension of the water. The water has encapsulated the sand inside and has absorbed it. Pouring your beer, that your drinking on the beach, on the sand will only result in wasted beer because that sand in water is already at perfect absorption or emulsion. Their is no more room for anything else which results in stranded liquid. Evaporation will have to occur before loss of water is expected. Water will even absorb rock! Picking up a rock after a good rain may feel dry to your hand but if you were to heat that rock and weigh it; it would weigh less because the water that had encased the rock is now evaporated.
Water absorbs just about anything including natural poisons found inside the earth and has to be treated for safe drinking so you would think that if you were to drink distilled water it would be safe? Not quite true. Water not only exchanges minerals with your body it will also take minerals from your body if distilled water is continuously drank. It actually will make you sick and allow for disease.
Emulsion
Emulsion involves liquid. A liquid! Emulsion is waters ability to absorb and it can be anything including solids and yes, even cement, sand, and rock. When an emulsion occurs to create an exothermic reaction with certain things it releases energy in the form of what we feel as heat and it always is from the center of an object. When that form of energy is inside a liquid it acts as a wave which is important to know for soaping. A pile of leaves when combined, or stirred, can and will create an exothermic reaction and cause a fire. We then use waters ability to absorb those combinations of gases to put the fire out.
When it concerns emulsion, in the case of soaping, not everything may be encapsulated inside the surface tension of water. Those may be called loose strands of water or excess water. Excess water can be caused by, not blending enough, the waters absorption properties are already full and their is no more room, and even the soft oils ability to resist emulsification can be a factor. Harder oils emulsify quicker and create more energy because its molecules are not as freely moving. They stay in place and vibrate side to side which creates a hotter heat. You can also say, at this point, that adding less water restricts the molecules to movement and therefore you get a hotter heat with your soap batter. Less water = more heat, Higher water = less heat but longer lasting! Water not only cools but it also maintains heat as it is slowly evaporates. Since their is more water it takes longer to cool in the evaporation process. Evaporation is the act of cooling. Longer evaporation equals longer cooling times.
Getting back to those loose strands of water - At this point in your soap batter, the thicker density of water that has absorption in it will push the thinner water to the outside and will always be on the outside even when you pour it. During the evaporation process, its hotter neighbor (the absorbed water) will transfer heat to its cooler neighbor (the standing water) and will actually evaporate quicker which can leave behind any residue that it had in it. That would be the soda ash that we see and is the result of too much water or water that was not blended or emulsified which is the same thing. So, yes, too much water can lead to soda ash!
However, on the other side of the coin - gelling needs to be considered too. There are different rates of melting points in low water and higher water densities. Low water ratios have a higher melting point especially when harder butters are used and higher water has a lower melting point. In other words, the higher the heat, the quicker the saponification process, the quicker to un-mold. Gelling has nothing to do with quick un-molding. It has everything to do with the melting point and color phases. You may be able to un-mold quick by using additives for example but those two are not synonymous with each other. It is the extreme heat, gelled or not gelled, (or even extreme cold) that allows for quick un-molding.
Adding this up equates too longer gelling can equal soda ash as a result of more water because of an increased chance of loose water. Less water decreases the chance for soda ash but increases higher heat and decreases the soap batters ability for a long lasting gel. Time!
Exothermic reactions
Taking a break here, please feel free to debate here while I’m gone!
And finally, how temperature change relates to "Partial gel"
I am going to hit the thread button right now, as I am sick, so I can take a break but I will be back. Please excuse me!
I understand many of you make beautiful soaps already so what I say really doesn't matter.
But understanding the quintessential small differences; experience can come quite quickly.
I will talk about some of the factors that consist of making soap and I understand looking at it in a different way might make it difficult to see.
Surface tension and some water absorption properties.
Surface tension is the skin on the outside of water and has a chemical makeup that is not fully understood but it not only allows bugs to walk on water but it also allows water to absorb just about anything including the Titanic and is the basis of emulsion.
Surface tension can also be thought of this way. The water that washes up on the shore of a beach wets the sand below it. It absorbed the sand. The sand did not absorb the water. If you were to pick up the sand in your hand and hold loosely in your fingers you will not lose any water. That is only because the individual particles of sand has not broken the surface tension of the water. The water has encapsulated the sand inside and has absorbed it. Pouring your beer, that your drinking on the beach, on the sand will only result in wasted beer because that sand in water is already at perfect absorption or emulsion. Their is no more room for anything else which results in stranded liquid. Evaporation will have to occur before loss of water is expected. Water will even absorb rock! Picking up a rock after a good rain may feel dry to your hand but if you were to heat that rock and weigh it; it would weigh less because the water that had encased the rock is now evaporated.
Water absorbs just about anything including natural poisons found inside the earth and has to be treated for safe drinking so you would think that if you were to drink distilled water it would be safe? Not quite true. Water not only exchanges minerals with your body it will also take minerals from your body if distilled water is continuously drank. It actually will make you sick and allow for disease.
Emulsion
Emulsion involves liquid. A liquid! Emulsion is waters ability to absorb and it can be anything including solids and yes, even cement, sand, and rock. When an emulsion occurs to create an exothermic reaction with certain things it releases energy in the form of what we feel as heat and it always is from the center of an object. When that form of energy is inside a liquid it acts as a wave which is important to know for soaping. A pile of leaves when combined, or stirred, can and will create an exothermic reaction and cause a fire. We then use waters ability to absorb those combinations of gases to put the fire out.
When it concerns emulsion, in the case of soaping, not everything may be encapsulated inside the surface tension of water. Those may be called loose strands of water or excess water. Excess water can be caused by, not blending enough, the waters absorption properties are already full and their is no more room, and even the soft oils ability to resist emulsification can be a factor. Harder oils emulsify quicker and create more energy because its molecules are not as freely moving. They stay in place and vibrate side to side which creates a hotter heat. You can also say, at this point, that adding less water restricts the molecules to movement and therefore you get a hotter heat with your soap batter. Less water = more heat, Higher water = less heat but longer lasting! Water not only cools but it also maintains heat as it is slowly evaporates. Since their is more water it takes longer to cool in the evaporation process. Evaporation is the act of cooling. Longer evaporation equals longer cooling times.
Getting back to those loose strands of water - At this point in your soap batter, the thicker density of water that has absorption in it will push the thinner water to the outside and will always be on the outside even when you pour it. During the evaporation process, its hotter neighbor (the absorbed water) will transfer heat to its cooler neighbor (the standing water) and will actually evaporate quicker which can leave behind any residue that it had in it. That would be the soda ash that we see and is the result of too much water or water that was not blended or emulsified which is the same thing. So, yes, too much water can lead to soda ash!
However, on the other side of the coin - gelling needs to be considered too. There are different rates of melting points in low water and higher water densities. Low water ratios have a higher melting point especially when harder butters are used and higher water has a lower melting point. In other words, the higher the heat, the quicker the saponification process, the quicker to un-mold. Gelling has nothing to do with quick un-molding. It has everything to do with the melting point and color phases. You may be able to un-mold quick by using additives for example but those two are not synonymous with each other. It is the extreme heat, gelled or not gelled, (or even extreme cold) that allows for quick un-molding.
Adding this up equates too longer gelling can equal soda ash as a result of more water because of an increased chance of loose water. Less water decreases the chance for soda ash but increases higher heat and decreases the soap batters ability for a long lasting gel. Time!
Exothermic reactions
Taking a break here, please feel free to debate here while I’m gone!
And finally, how temperature change relates to "Partial gel"
I am going to hit the thread button right now, as I am sick, so I can take a break but I will be back. Please excuse me!
