Tiny bumps on cut soap face

[jemgraham]

I've made a few batches now, two different recipes that have developed tiny bumps on the face after cutting. Nothing on the top. They both went through partial gel, the bumps seem solid, not pockets of liquid and they're tiny, but bigger than grainy. I tried to get a picture but I can't seem to get one that actually shows it with my phone. It doesn't happen on all the faces, but more the ones in the middle of the loaf. Any thoughts? I did a search and I found a thread on splotchy soap, my bumps are much smaller and not a different color. And thank you in advance!

 

[girlfromoz]

I've made a few batches now, two different recipes that have developed tiny bumps on the face after cutting. Nothing on the top. They both went through partial gel, the bumps seem solid, not pockets of liquid and they're tiny, but bigger than grainy. I tried to get a picture but I can't seem to get one that actually shows it with my phone. It doesn't happen on all the faces, but more the ones in the middle of the loaf. Any thoughts? I did a search and I found a thread on splotchy soap, my bumps are much smaller and not a different color. And thank you in advance!

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They could be stearic spots, fat if milks were used ,from the cutter , not blended enough if using clay or such, may have needed more sitting time if not lye ( lye will be grainy )
Really hard to tell without photo, you maybe able to smooth them over as it could just be cosmetic, someone may offer something else.

 

[DeeAnna]

Are you cutting the soap with a wire cutter? If you are, then these bumps are pretty normal to see on wire-cut soap bars.

My theories about this is the wire floats over slightly harder lumps of soap as it passes through the loaf or the bumps pop out immediately after the wire passes by. But those are just my guesses, not fact.

If you don't like the bumps, you can cut with a knife or flat blade or you can lightly plane the faces of the soap after cutting with a wire. Either method makes the bumps go away.

 

[jemgraham]

I do use a wire cutter! I’ll try planing them. I don’t use milk or clay yet, but I’ll make sure I let them sit longer before cutting, I can just hardly stand waiting, cutting is the best part I think.

 

[DeeAnna]

IMO, I don't think the use of milk or clay will make too much difference. I think the bumps are always there in most types of soap; it's just the way the bars are cut that makes the bumps obvious or not.

I enjoy cutting my soap and seeing how the bars look too!

 

[jcandleattic]

Yep as DeeAnna said, it's just something that happens to soaps when cut with a wire cutter. Completely different than stearic spots, although they can look similar.

 

[lsg]

If you could post a picture of the bars, we might be better able to advise you.

 

[Saranac]

Out of curiosity, jemgraham, what does your soap-making method entail? I used to get the same bumps when using my wire cutter, but I revised my methods and my bars no longer suffer. Even when making cold process soap, I find that if I melt my hard oils (coconut, lard, tallow, soy wax, what-have-you), heat them to about 150F, then quickly bring the temp down with my room temperature liquid oils, I am able to avoid the bumps. If the cool oils don't bring the temperature down enough, I just let it cool naturally to my desired range.

Essentially, what I'm doing is putting my hard oils through a quick temper (like chocolate), and I get much smoother bars. I still end up with drag-marks from the wires, but I can live with those!

 

[jcandleattic]

I meant to add earlier - the only time I get these wire cutter bumps is when I cut my bars when they are too soft. Since I started waiting even just a few hours longer, I no longer get bumps.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

I get these with wire cutter, too. I find that they tend to become less noticeable after a cure, and whatever is left becomes a non-issue after a rinse.

 

[jemgraham]

I was heating to the hard oils until melted and then mixing the hard and soft and making sure it was around 125 and mixing with the lye. I will definitely try heating them up more. And I’ll try a picture again tonight. Thank you hank you!

 

[jcandleattic]

I was heating to the hard oils until melted and then mixing the hard and soft and making sure it was around 125 and mixing with the lye. I will definitely try heating them up more. And I’ll try a picture again tonight. Thank you hank you!

I personally don't think the method of soaping (as far as heating the oils anyway) has a lot to do with it. I think it has more to do with afterwards and how soft the soap is, and if it gelled or not.
Mixing too hot and you could cause volcanoes, or your soap can move super fast on you. But, I prefer soaping at room temp for both my oils and lye, and as I said, since waiting a few hours after unmolding to cut, I never get the bumps anymore.

 

[Lin19687]

About how long after pouring do you un-mold and then cut? I ask because you all MADE me buy a wire cutter

 

[Saranac]

I was heating to the hard oils until melted and then mixing the hard and soft and making sure it was around 125 and mixing with the lye. I will definitely try heating them up more. And I’ll try a picture again tonight. Thank you hank you!

I personally don't think the method of soaping (as far as heating the oils anyway) has a lot to do with it. I think it has more to do with afterwards and how soft the soap is, and if it gelled or not.
Mixing too hot and you could cause volcanoes, or your soap can move super fast on you. But, I prefer soaping at room temp for both my oils and lye, and as I said, since waiting a few hours after unmolding to cut, I never get the bumps anymore.

Just to clarify my earlier comment, I wasn't suggesting that one should soap hotter, but rather that I have found that heating my hard oils to a higher temperature and then cooling to my preferred soaping temperature, has resulted in soaps that no longer have bumps when cut with a wire cutter. In my experience, when I've simply heated the oils until clear 120-125, I've ended up with bumps. Why this happens, I don't know.

As far as cutting, I heat and insulate my molds, and I cut at about 20-24 hours after pouring; the soap is always still warm when I unmold and cut. To each his or her own.

 

[dibbles]

I usually make my soap in the afternoon, put it to bed and let it gel and it is ready to unmold and cut the next morning.

 

[Lin19687]

Hmm, I heat my oils to about the 150 mark too. I cut with a dough scrapper and have not had any bumps... will have to see what happens when I get my wire cutter.
The last several CP batches I made in evening from 6-9pm. I insulate, let it gel to the corners (or just about at the corners) of the mold, take it out and put it on the desk. Then cut in the morning around 7-8am so about 12 hours more or less.
I was just wondering if waiting till 24 hours made much difference.

 

[penelopejane]

Hmm, I heat my oils to about the 150 mark too. I cut with a dough scrapper and have not had any bumps... will have to see what happens when I get my wire cutter.
The last several CP batches I made in evening from 6-9pm. I insulate, let it gel to the corners (or just about at the corners) of the mold, take it out and put it on the desk. Then cut in the morning around 7-8am so about 12 hours more or less.
I was just wondering if waiting till 24 hours made much difference.

A dough scraper or a knife will not produce the bumps.
They only appear when you use a wire cutter.

 

[CaraBou]

While wire-cut soap may be more prone to bumps, that is not a certain outcome, and more is surely at play. Proof is in my Spring Soap post in the Photo Gallery -- all of those were cut with the same wire cutter and nearly identical base recipes, but only the green soap with pink stripes had noticeable bumps.

I find that if I melt my hard oils (coconut, lard, tallow, soy wax, what-have-you), heat them to about 150F, then quickly bring the temp down with my room temperature liquid oils, I am able to avoid the bumps... Essentially, what I'm doing is putting my hard oils through a quick temper (like chocolate), and I get much smoother bars.

I think it has more to do with afterwards and how soft the soap is, and if it gelled or not.

I'm intrigued to test these two theories. I recall that the same green and pink soap that I referred to above was still warm when I cut it, and I photographed it right away, then froze it so it would cool quickly and hopefully minimize bumps.

The original photo (first one below) clearly shows bumps. I retook the same photos tonight (about 2 weeks later) with similar light, background, etc. (second, smaller photo below). Unfortunately I didn't rephotograph immediately upon removing from the freezer. But tonight, the soap does look smoother (though I can feel more bumpiness than I can see).

I'm not saying freshly wire-cut soap must be frozen immediately to prevent bumps (though that may mitigate them to some degree). I am saying not all wire-cut soap show prominent bumps to begin with, and that the two theories above are testable.

A question for you, jemgraham - Are those the same sized bumps?

 

[Lin19687]

I wonder if it is one of the ingredients that does it more then others?
Bumps look the same to me.
Do they buff out if you give them a little water rub?

 

[jcandleattic]

In my experience, when I've simply heated the oils until clear 120-125, I've ended up with bumps.

Are you sure what you are talking about is not stearic spots instead of wire cutter bumps? The two are completely different things although they can look similar. Heating your hard oils higher would get rid of stearic spots, however, if cut while the soap is still soft you can still get the wire cutter bumps.