artemis
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Preheat oven to lowest setting. Turn oven off. Place soap in oven for a few hours. Make sure everyone in the house knows to not use the oven!
Trace & Temperatures
- Thread starter Firefly24
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Preheat oven to lowest setting. Turn oven off. Place soap in oven for a few hours. Make sure everyone in the house knows to not use the oven!
^^ yup. 
Can't wait to see this one!
Can't wait to see this one!
You said you used "33% water", which is a little confusing to my mind.
I'm interpreting this to mean you chose 33% water as % of oils, not 33% lye concentration as others have suggested you try. The two are quite different things.
Can you set my mind at ease?
I'm interpreting this to mean you chose 33% water as % of oils, not 33% lye concentration as others have suggested you try. The two are quite different things.
Can you set my mind at ease?
Good catch, @DeeAnna - I didn't notice that.
I am new and don't know the lingo perfectly. So, the Soap Calc recipe says, "Water as percent of oil weight." 33.00% This is what I meant. The lye concentration shows 29.596% I hope this is a better explanation.
Thank you for the info. I had to go to work so I didn't put it in the oven. I will try that at some other point with a different batch.
Soapcalc and other soap recipe calculators often give the user three ways to calculate the water content in a soap recipe. Water as % of oils. Lye concentration. Water:lye ratio.
I know "water as % of oils" is the default in Soapcalc (and other calcs) for determining the water content, but this is an unhelpful and outmoded setting. If I had anything to do with Soapcalc, this setting would have been removed years ago, but none of us here have that power.
For fewer problems and more consistency in your soap making, it's best to ignore "water as % of oils" and only use lye concentration or water:lye ratio.
Lye concentration and Water:lye ratio mean exactly the same thing; they just look different. They are not the same as "water as % of oils". You cannot compare a "water as % of oils" setting to the other two.
AliOop suggested you use 33% lye concentration. That's the same thing as a 2:1 water:lye ratio. It's not the same as 33% water as % of oils.
Off to a great start! You mentioned you were thinking of making pine tar soap - that’s kind of tricky, very fast moving, but if you want to take it on I HIGHLY recommend using @DeeAnna ‘s process outlined here. https://classicbells.com/soap/pineTarSoap.asp
I have used it probably ten times with success.
I have used it probably ten times with success.
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Thank you for sharing that link. I may try one of those recipes next go round. I made a batch from a youtube page "Three Little Goats." Castor - 10%,Coconut- 30%, Cocoa Butter-10%, Olive Oil-30%, Shea Butter- 8%, Pine Tar-12%. I did add fragrance-Balsam Fir from The flaming candle. I just hand mixed it. It did set up fast and I hope to cut it later today.
I appreciate this info. I will try my best to use the 2:1 water: lye ratio.
Ok, I finished these 3 other batches. The Pine Tar soap wasn't so bad. It smells awesome with the Balsam for Fo. The Temptation is good. The Sunflower was so difficult to get the silicone out of the wood mold. I ended up destroying the silicone. May have to use freezer paper in that mold. I tried to do some piping but clearly it was just a first attempt. I watched videos on piping, I hope to perfect it down the road. Now, I also need to learn to bevel the edges & clean them up a bit. The temptation soap I just poured and layered the soap colors. The sunflower I poured each color and used the hangar method. Fun! Fun!
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Those all look great - fantastic job on a first-time pine tar soap.
For easier release of silicone from wood molds, it is helpful to drill a few round holes in the bottom surface of the wood. That allows you to use a push tool to help release the silicone from the bottom of the mold. Here is a picture from Nurture Soap's webpage:
For easier release of silicone from wood molds, it is helpful to drill a few round holes in the bottom surface of the wood. That allows you to use a push tool to help release the silicone from the bottom of the mold. Here is a picture from Nurture Soap's webpage:
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Hi, that's a really good recipe! I like your oil propositions. Soapmaking temperatures are flexible, there is a large range, let's say from 80-125 degrees. The important thing to think about is: why do we need a certain amount of heat in cold proces? And what would happen if the soap batch was cold? I avoid extremes too high or too low. Experiment with more water and see which you like, more or less.
Thanks. I have made more batches since this one and there really are so many variables to consider. Overall, I like this recipe but I will never again use the Ylang Ylang Fo. It is weird how some Fo's smell great in candles but yuck-o in soap & vice verses. I prefer a colder temp now too, it seems to behave better. I see your a new member, so Welcome!
Yes I'm new, Thank you! I wish you the best with your soap. I'm here if you have questions.
How long have you been making soaps? Do you sell your soaps?
Hi, good morning, I've been making soap for 13 years. Cold process, shave soaps, and I'm studying liquid soap now. I don't sell my soap, but I give it away to family. Though I'm thinking about selling it. I love soap, ever since I was a kid, being fascinated with it. I know you live soap too. I think everyone here has a passion for soap. It's magical. How are your batches coming out? What would you like to do?
It is magical. Soaps are doing great, and I am learning so much about the different properties in oils, etc. For now, I am just making bar soaps. I also love soap dough, makes me feel like a kid. May have my grandsons help sometime. I love to try different fragrances. I do plan on selling but for now there is a ton of things to manage and market before selling. I don't want to sell an inferior bar of soap either. I also make candles, but they aren't as fun as this soap making is. And yes, everyone here has something unique to share and so willing to comment about improving on a task we have done or want to do. I am really loving this forum.
That's great! I wish you the best with your soap. I like the forum too, and I hope to talk to you again.
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