weight issues

[nonna oakie]

Can I tell you my recipe? Maybe it was the castor oil? I ran it through the soapee lye calculator: avovado .05 - canola 1.5 - castor .05 - c.o. 2.25 -
grape seed 1.50 - palm oil 2.25 - rice bran 1.25 - shortening - .05 -
steric acid .75 . (11 oz oils) water 4.18 - lye 1.55 HELP ! !

 

[MGM]

@Donee'

You recommended a measuring method that introduces a negative superfat of around -8-10%, which prompted my detailed explanation of the rule:

"Measure oils by weight, not volume"

Just memorizing the rule also works

I loved this explanation. I know the rule, and I even kind of know why the rule makes sense, but Fig, you really laid it all out in a very clear way. Made perfect sense -- and now I will be extra sure not to break the rule!

 

[Meena]

Ok thank you, I've seen a soap recipie in a book that i want to make and the measurements are ounces or percentage. I don't want to use ounces so was wondering whether i could go onto the internet and convert ounces to grams using one of those converter apps without actually measuring the quantities out first, but not sure whether i will get the correct weights. The calculator baffles me

When an author is kind enough to give percentages in a recipe, it's so you can scale it. Imagine the pain if you had to increase or decrease a recipe to fit your mold, working only in weights -- you'd have to divide everything to get the proportions, one at a time.

Here is a tutorial on how to use Soap Calc. https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/how-to-use-soap-calc-tutorial.49627/

Let us know if you have any troublets or questions.

If you are making soap, it is so very important to know how to use a soap calculator. Here is a link to a tutorial in the beginner's section: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/how-to-use-soap-calc-tutorial.49627/
Knowing how to calculate a recipe - even to check one you found in a book or online - even if it is from a well known soap maker who knows what they are doing - is important as there could be typos or errors in any written recipe.

Recipes are often given in percentages so that you can calculate the proper amount of soap batter to make to fill your mold.

oh jeez, i didn't see this and just said all the same things... :\

Can I tell you my recipe? Maybe it was the castor oil? I ran it through the soapee lye calculator: avovado .05 - canola 1.5 - castor .05 - c.o. 2.25 -
grape seed 1.50 - palm oil 2.25 - rice bran 1.25 - shortening - .05 -
steric acid .75 . (11 oz oils) water 4.18 - lye 1.55 HELP ! !

Not super clear about what you'd like help with. You mentioned you may have a bit of ash ... What else do you feel has gone wrong?

 

[SaltedFig]

I loved this explanation. I know the rule, and I even kind of know why the rule makes sense, but Fig, you really laid it all out in a very clear way. Made perfect sense -- and now I will be extra sure not to break the rule!

Thank you!
It's lovely to get positive feedback.

Sometimes I find it hard to tell (over the internet) whether the effort that goes into the longer written explanations and examples is of any use, so your positive feedback is very much appreciated.

Thank you

 

[kayak1987]

what saltedfig said should be attached on the top of every page

volume in general at home is not a reliable measuring method
another thing that I often have noticed also in videos from soaping masters
is the bad habit to weigh the oils or greases in a container and then move to another
habit that in certain cases can lead to sensible errors

And, in general I think it's better to stay away from recipes that uses volume for ingredients

 

[MGM]

Thank you!
It's lovely to get positive feedback.

Sometimes I find it hard to tell (over the internet) whether the effort that goes into the longer written explanations and examples is of any use, so your positive feedback is very much appreciated.

Thank you

Keep it coming...I'll read it!
I have a friend who is very knowledgeable on many topics and after a casual F2F conversation with someone, will often spend over an hour crafting a follow-up email, filled with links to helpful resources and peer-reviewed evidence. Then he gets mad when people don't read all the links or take his advice...Dude, we were just chatting!

 

[KimT2au]

another thing that I often have noticed also in videos from soaping masters
is the bad habit to weigh the oils or greases in a container and then move to another
habit that in certain cases can lead to sensible errors

I guess you might lose a gram of oils that way @kayak1987 , but if you pour too much oil into a container and need to tip some out, as I seem to regularly do, then you would have to scrap the whole lot if you have not used separate containers. I will use one container and tare out between ingredients if it is a hard oil and I can clearly see the difference eg cocoa butter and lard, but otherwise I use two containers.