This is weird...

[uplandermom]

About a week ago, I made a disasterous attempt at CP...and found I had added too much water. So I wound up with half solid, half liquid.

I chatted with forum members who suggested I rebatch, but I couldn't get the darn things out of the mold.

So I put it aside for about five days....and the liquid is now gelling and turning to soap.

Does that happen often?

It looks now like it should have 24 hours later....plus the mold has been on a shelf in my furnance room where it's pretty darn warm. I assume the extra water evaporated....finally.

 

[soapgardener]

It sounds like the combination of water evaporating off (thus concentrating your soap) and keeping the soap in a warm place may have kick-started the reaction. The saponification reaction is slow to begin but once it starts it can heat up quickly. This could explain why you got a gel much later. Many soapers have noticed this slow start time with various oils that are slow to trace.

I'm glad your soap came back!

P.S. Hmm. after reading your post over again- half solid half liquid.... You may have gotten a lye pocket in that one area that then reacted to turn solid, then once the excess water evaporated off the rest of the reaction could continue to completion... hope this makes sense