The Soaping Gods don't love me anymore...

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Nov 16, 2018
Messages
6,556
Reaction score
17,645
Location
Hamilton, New Zealand
Remember when @Dean said i could take turning lemons into lemonade to a whole new level?
Remember when @DWinMadison said '"the soaping force is strong in this one".
It's time to rewrite the mantras guys.. this is REAL disaster this time.

Y'know when you do something new, we always say to make just ONE change. Yeah - that. "Mild to moderate acceleration" said the fragrance notes. OK - I can work with that - don't colour it, and pour it straight in cavity moulds.

25% brine solution - first time ever doing that
Coconut milk - not my first time using that, it's my third.
Perhaps I should not have both together though, with an FO that accelerates.

With accelerating oils I usually add them to the warmed oils before mixing the lye water, as I have found that seems to mitigate some of the problem. SO that's what I did. Before that I added the coconut milk to the oils also. Then I added my salty lye water. Stirred a bit, then got out the stick blender (YAY! at least my SB survived the last disaster) and i swear i used it for all of two seconds and the centre of the batter was thick trace. I stopped SB and got a whisk. I wondered whether i should put it back in the pot and heat gently like HP. I've never done HP. So I did that. Then I remembered that you should not HP brine soap so I stopped doing that and forced it into the molds instead.

I don't thing she'll hold Captain - there's a problem with structural integrity. It's very crumbly already.

Behold, the REAL soaping disaster of March 2019:

The lumpy batter in the pot ( when I turned it out of the mixing bowling into the pot, it had already moulded itself to fit the bottom of the bowl - it would have set right there in the bowl!)
IMG_0885.JPG

The forced breadcrumbs, severely lacking structural integrity ( I suspect we may even get some separation):
fullsizeoutput_4f48.jpeg

The remains in the pot which are beyond salvaging:
IMG_0887.JPG
 
Don't panic ... those lumpy little ovals of soap will magically join back together and be one ...

(trust me - give it a few weeks and see for yourself ;) ... also ask me how I know :rolleyes:)

And with the crumbs ... take them and smoosh them together as best as you can, and then put that into a gladwrap twist (like a bon bon - twist either end) to tighten the bits together (open it gently to cure) - even that might hold (as much as it does not seem like it will right now).
 
Oh no! If it makes you feel any better, my soap yesterday didn't go so smoothly , either. ; ( I accidentally let my HP get up to 210F and it wanted to rice at one point and then tried to separate, from what it appeared, in my limited experience. My silicone mould pic looks nearly identical to yours. My loaf is still absorbing the last of the poorly incorporated EO and Neem SF. First time having oil puddles on my resting moulded batter!! First time using aloe and lard, but I doubt that my troubles can be blamed on either of those.

I don't know your Chart, but KETU just went into my 5th House 2 days ago, and I knew something was going to change with my creative endeavors. It just got out of my 6th House of health, and the last 18 months saw 3 pretty serious injuries, so I'm prepared for the probability of some more soapy challenges. :(

Fingers crossed that she holds, Mate!!
 
Last edited:
LOL Why am I suddenly craving oatmeal? OK Icarus, looks like you got a little too close to the sun there on this one. But you just watch, SOMEHOW, it will turn smooth as silk, spontaneously develop a magenta mantra swirl, and the Queen herself will ask that it be only soap used on the royal grandchildren for all time. :cool:
 
The gods just realized they were neglecting the rest of us and showed up to give us some pointers while still keeping an eye on you.

I hope this experience won't discourage you from trying another brine soap next time.

And STILL your disaster doesn't look like one at all. It's just not something you're used to lol but that's like a regular occurrence with my soaps, the way it looks in the mold. We'll all troubleshoot it after some time if it still goes south from here but I have a feeling it won't.

Even Yoda himself had bad days and got himself beat up a time or two ;)
 
The gods just realized they were neglecting the rest of us and showed up to give us some pointers while still keeping an eye on you.

I hope this experience won't discourage you from trying another brine soap next time.

And STILL your disaster doesn't look like one at all. It's just not something you're used to lol but that's like a regular occurrence with my soaps, the way it looks in the mold. We'll all troubleshoot it after some time if it still goes south from here but I have a feeling it won't.

Even Yoda himself had bad days and got himself beat up a time or two ;)
"Oooh...Riced it did. Not ready for the brine burden, you were"
 
Grind it up, mix it with some soda ash and sell it as environmental friendly loundry soap that does not kill aquatic life. Look thru your ingredients, your soap might be both vegan and so called cruelty-free. Wrap it in some hessian or brown paper, handwrite the labels, tie with non-bleached twine, and there you have it, it will sell itself on Etsy like hot cakes! :thumbs:
 
Grind it up, mix it with some soda ash and sell it as environmental friendly loundry soap that does not kill aquatic life. Look thru your ingredients, your soap might be both vegan and so called cruelty-free. Wrap it in some hessian or brown paper, handwrite the labels, tie with non-bleached twine, and there you have it, it will sell itself on Etsy like hot cakes! :thumbs:
My soap is definitely vegan Rune.

I was going to call it 'Sailor Soap' so that it lends itself to the rustic look and is therefore more acceptable.

LOL @DWinMadison - you're funny!
 
Back
Top