Unmolding & when it can be done?

[ImpKit]

I made a soap loaf on Saturday morning and I checked it this morning. DEFINITELY isn't ready to be unmolded or cut. Which now has me wondering, are there any good ways to estimate when a loaf is likely to be ready to unmold cleanly, other than trial and error? Any calculators that can help with this that anyone knows of?

No sodium lactate was added (I realised this 30 minutes after I finished cleaning up... >_<). The only additives were 2 oz (approx) of Gilded Amber fragrance & my colors. I used a 4.5 pound premium T&S mold from Nurture Soap, including their silicone liner.

Patience is my dump skill... >_> I really want to cut this. I did a tiger stripe (first time) to hopefully send to my mom and sisters when it cures.

Recipe used:

 

[KimW]

I'm guessing it's the high amount of liquid oils causing it to still be soft. I have a similar recipe that takes 4-6 days to be ready to unmold. Taking the other oils into consideration, if it were me, I'd CPOP it. Not sure what CPOPing might do to your colorants or FO, but it will help it firm up enough to unmold and cut after it cools in a few hours (rather than a few more days). For me, this usually takes 4 hours though the soap is still a little warm. Just make sure your mold and liner are rated good up to your CPOP temperature.

 

[ImpKit]

I'm guessing it's the high amount of liquid oils causing it to still be soft. I have a similar recipe that takes 4-6 days to be ready to unmold. Taking the other oils into consideration, if it were me, I'd CPOP it. Not sure what CPOPing might do to your colorants or FO, but it will help it firm up enough to unmold and cut after it cools in a few hours (rather than a few more days). For me, this usually takes 4 hours though the soap is still a little warm. Just make sure your mold and liner are rated good up to your CPOP temperature.

Yup totally recognize my liquid to hard oil ratio will make it take longer to unmold. Which is why I usually do use sodium lactate; I just spaced it on this pour. But that's also why I'm trying to see if there are calculators or guides that I can review. Cause I doubt this will be my last time spacing the SL. Plus I'm still playing around with recipes; this was actually only worked up to finish off my palm and almond oils since I've decided to no longer use them.

I haven't tried CPOP yet. I'm a little worried to do so, to be honest. I'm afraid that it will explode in the oven or volcano over or something. I rent my apartment. I don't need to be telling our maintenance guy "we need a new oven. I exploded soap in it..." I also need to talk about it with my roommate after I understand all the risks and precautions to take; it's his apartment too and he uses the oven for food. I can't, in good conscience, put soap in there if there is any appreciable risk it could cause him a problem.

 

[stephswan]

I literally came here to ask the same question! How do you know your soap isn't ready to be unmolded? Mine feels slimy still and I feel like if I poke too hard, my finger is going straight in.

 

[Zing]

deleted

 

[AliOop]

When CPOPing, more than the risk of soap exploding, is the transfer of fragrance smell into the oven. It WILL transfer to your food (ask me how I know).

An alternative to using the oven is to use a heating pad or two. Search "heating pad" in this forum and you will find threads with explanations and even some pictures showing how various people use them.

Your soap is ready to cut when it feels like firm cheddar cheese.

 

[ImpKit]

I literally came here to ask the same question! How do you know your soap isn't ready to be unmolded? Mine feels slimy still and I feel like if I poke too hard, my finger is going straight in.

I know it's not ready because it won't pull away cleanly & easily, which I know from other posts / videos / experience. In fact the brief attempt I made started to "tear" the top of the soap. No no no! I did get a SMALL section of a side popped off and I could see it was still sticky and tacky.

Welcome to the forum! Figuring out unmolding is more of a judgment call and experience and trial & error. It should be like cheddar cheese, firm but with slight "give" to the touch. If you are using a silicone mold, try to gently pull on a side -- if it pulls clean away from the soap, unmold. If the soap stays attached to the side while you are pulling, then wait. I do not know what a T&S mold is.

I recently started CPOP and you need not worry about explosions. I put my loaf on top of a cookie sheet coated in aluminum foil just in case of overheating and leaks. Keep your oven light on so you can monitor it for overheating. Your oven will be safe to use for food.

Good luck!

T&S is the abbreviation I've seen used for "tall and skinny". The inner dimensions of the silicone liner I am using are 2.5" W x 4.5" H.

When CPOPing, more than the risk of soap exploding, is the transfer of fragrance smell into the oven. It WILL transfer to your food (ask me how I know).

An alternative to using the oven is to use a heating pad or two. Search "heating pad" in this forum and you will find threads with explanations and even some pictures showing how various people use them.

Your soap is ready to cut when it feels like firm cheddar cheese.

Thank you for the info about the fragrance and food. Sadly this confirms that I will NEVER put my soap in a rented oven or one I have to share with a roommate. That would just be... wrong to inflict on someone else. Especially a rental unit oven because then the renter after me has to deal with it too; they can't consent to it! At least I can talk to my roommate and let him decide if it is a risk he'd be comfortable with.

I had heard about heating pads though. I'll definitely have to look into this option.

 

[KimW]

I'll just add that my setup for CPOPing is much like @Zing 's in that I put my mold on top of a baking sheet in case of any leaks/mishaps, plus I set my mold atop a cloth and cover it lightly with at least plastic and another light cloth AND I only use EOs. I've never had a problem with the smell of soap transferring to the oven or baked foods, and the oven gets daily use. Perhaps using EOs instead of FOs is why Zing and I have not had issues with smell transference? hmmmmmm....

 

[Tara_H]

Perhaps using EOs instead of FOs is why Zing and I have not had issues with smell transference?

I was wondering that myself after reading @AliOop's comment... I never had any lingering smell except once recently where it was a FO and my husband could smell it the next day when he used the oven. Nothing has ever come through to our food though, and the smell was gone in a day or two. I'm a bit worried that it might be more of a problem, since I just got a whole bunch of new FOs to test

 

[Zing]

I should have included that I only use EOs and don't have any smellerant transfers.

 

[Quanta]

I recently started CPOP and you need not worry about explosions. I put my loaf on top of a cookie sheet coated in aluminum foil just in case of overheating and leaks. Keep your oven light on so you can monitor it for overheating. Your oven will be safe to use for food.

Good luck!

If you get a volcano or even a little leak from an over-full mold, and raw soap batter comes into contact with that aluminum foil, the unreacted lye will dissolve the aluminum and release hazardous fumes. Use a stainless steel cookie sheet and no aluminum.

When CPOPing, more than the risk of soap exploding, is the transfer of fragrance smell into the oven. It WILL transfer to your food (ask me how I know).

An alternative to using the oven is to use a heating pad or two. Search "heating pad" in this forum and you will find threads with explanations and even some pictures showing how various people use them.

Your soap is ready to cut when it feels like firm cheddar cheese.

I know the oven isn't on for very long when warming up for CPOP, but I would still think that using a heating pad uses less electricity.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

are there any good ways to estimate when a loaf is likely to be ready to unmold cleanly, other than trial and error? Any calculators that can help with this that anyone knows of?

Yes! There are calculations that help to predict how the batch will turn out!
GOOD NEWS: You already know how to calculate the result!
BAD NEWS: You only need to learn how to interpret the result!

SAT: UNSAT Ratio should be closer to 50:50 for best results.
The higher the UNSAT part, the more likely the batch will be soft.

Stay well within the recommended Ranges for best results.

Look at the INS Value (Iodine & SAP). An INS of 160 is so-called "perfect soap". An INS of 133 falls outside the recommended range.
An Iodine Value (predicts hardness) of 69 pushes the limit.
A Cleansing Value of 10 falls outside the recommended range.

You can fix all the above by upping the 32% saturated fats (solid at room temp), thereby lowering the 69% unsaturated fat (liquid oils) to bring the batch closer to 50:50 SAT:UNSAT. This should bring the formula into alignment of recommended ranges. You will then have no need of CPOP, Sodium Lactate, or a heating pad and your soap will be ready to unmold the next day, or sooner.

I suggest you take a cuppa with you and play around with SoapCalc for a while. It will be time well spent. CAUTION: Soapers with a tendency to OCD can get lost for hours. You might want to ask your roommate to rescue you if you disappear for more than an hour or 2, ...or 3, ...or 4!

ETA: To answer your query, @KimW is correct. With an INS Value of 133, you need to wait 4-6 days or a full week to unmold and the same amount of time to cut. 12 week cure. Don't rush it. You will end up with a low cleansing, high conditioning bar that you may love.

 

[earlene]

Welcome to the forum! Figuring out unmolding is more of a judgment call and experience and trial & error. It should be like cheddar cheese, firm but with slight "give" to the touch. If you are using a silicone mold, try to gently pull on a side -- if it pulls clean away from the soap, unmold. If the soap stays attached to the side while you are pulling, then wait. I do not know what a T&S mold is.

I recently started CPOP and you need not worry about explosions. I put my loaf on top of a cookie sheet coated in aluminum foil just in case of overheating and leaks. Keep your oven light on so you can monitor it for overheating. Your oven will be safe to use for food.

Good luck!

I highly recommend placing something between the aluminum foil and your soap mold that the soap can land on in case of a spill-over. Lye soap will eat through aluminum (besides creating a noxious gas), making a hole in the foil and reaching down to start eating away at your baking sheet below. I have had it happen, even through a towel. I use cardboard or a silicone mat, covered with towels or a combination thereof below my soap molds (and on top of the baking sheet when I CPOP.

I don't have a photo (wish I did) of what it looked like, but the marks on the pan below the aluminum foil are still there. (Post from 2017)