Whaaaaat just happpppenneeed???

[MGM]

Ok, so I was able to make some soap today after all. Had my 100% lard recipe good to go, litsea cubeba and orange EOs measured out. Had my individual bar molds and put my cold M&P embeds in them, sprayed with rubbing alcohol. Melted my lard, mixed my lye with ice cubes, when they were both 104F, mixed them together. Withing 90 seconds of gentle SBing, I was at trace. Or false trace? So I quickly added the fragrance and continued to blend carefully so that it didn't get too thick. Just the opposite! It thinned out completely! I then embarked on a race to see what would happen first: light trace or dead stick blender. At 15 minutes, I decided that was thick enough (although barely anything, contrasting that with the super thick puddings of my last two batches) and I poured it into the molds, over the embeds.
Almost immediately, it began to look weird, like a skin had formed. It's been 20 minutes and it looks the same as when I took the photo: like an eggy cake!

What happened? Can someone explain it to me?

 

[dixiedragon]

Looks like the beginning of a soap volcano. The skin on top is alien brains.
https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/soap-behaving-badly/#more-34870

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

I was thinking it looks ike alien brain too but it doesn't sound like it got very warm??

 

[Alfa_Lazcares]

I just have to say that i love the person who came up with “alien brains”. Love it.

 

[IrishLass]

What type of lard did you use? Was it part hydrogenated? Lard has a melting point "range" of between 95F to 113F, depending on the type of lard. If your lard was part hydrogenated, the melting point may have be closer to 113F than 95F, so it's possible that you experienced a brief episode of pseudo-trace before the lye reaction could kick up enough heat to bring the temp up above the lard's melting point and thin things out.....well, that in possible conjunction with your particular EO blend (some scents can thin batter out). Well, that's my best theory anyway, especially since lard normally takes forever to trace under the right temp conditions.

I wonder if the alien brains had anything to do with the alcohol you sprayed down into the mold on top of the MP before pouring? Alcohol can do strange things to raw CP batter. Hopefully more folks will chime in on that as I've never sprayed alcohol into my mold before pouring.


IrishLass

 

[_Sunny_]

What are the odds that your thermometer batteries are low and the reading wasn't accurate? Or that your scale batteries are low and it wasn't reading accurately?

 

[jcandleattic]

Sometimes even when you soap cool (ish) soap will super heat depending on a lot of different factors - fragrance, oils, water content, ambient temp in the room, insulation, etc.,,

I agree with others, alien brains being the beginning of an overheated gelled batch.

I wonder if the alien brains had anything to do with the alcohol you sprayed down into the mold on top of the MP before pouring? Alcohol can do strange things to raw CP batter. Hopefully more folks will chime in on that as I've never sprayed alcohol into my mold before pouring.

That is a possiblity, although I spray almost every batch I make with 91% ISP alcohol and have never seen this happen due to spraying. That's not to say it couldn't or wouldn't happen though. I didn't consider it.

 

[dibbles]

Did you spray the top with alcohol? I've had that happen occasionally. If your temps were 104, you shouldn't have had false trace, but that is possible. Orange EO can also slow/reverse trace. Just some thoughts. I doubt it got warm enough in individual molds to get alien brains or a volcano. Unless you had it in the oven...maybe.

 

[IrishLass]

That is a possiblity, although I spray almost every batch I make with 91% ISP alcohol and have never seen this happen due to spraying. That's not to say it couldn't or wouldn't happen though. I didn't consider it.

You spray on the top surface, though, right? I wonder if pouring your batter into the alcohol could make a difference by the soap getting mixed with it?

 

[jcandleattic]

You spray on the top surface, though, right? I wonder if pouring your batter into the alcohol could make a difference by the soap getting mixed with it?

Oh yes, I only spray the tops. I missed the part where she said she sprayed the embeds and then poured the batter.

The alcohol very well could be the cause then. Thank you for clarifying IL.

 

[MGM]

So many great ideas!
No, it never got hotter than 108F, and that was post-EO addition (and post potential false trace time).

Thermometer is brand new; scale is probably fine (she says hopefully).

My lard says nothing about hydrogenation. Ingredients are lard, 2 preservatives which I don't let my children eat (BHA and BHT) but will hopefully be ok in a wash-off product, and citric acid.

Yes, I did spray the embeds (spritzing multiple times, actually, since it was taking so long to get ready! I had been prepared to move fast!) and then the tops. Wow, that's some powerful alcohol!

Hmmm looks like Dibbles had the same thing in the same context (but prettier colours https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/alien-brain.64939/#post-663246

I had thought that alien brain came from overheating, but apparently its origins can even be alien!

Well mystery solved....no more IPA on bars, just on tops? Too much surface area maybe?

 

[Chris_S]

So many great ideas!
No, it never got hotter than 108F, and that was post-EO addition (and post potential false trace time).

Thermometer is brand new; scale is probably fine (she says hopefully).

My lard says nothing about hydrogenation. Ingredients are lard, 2 preservatives which I don't let my children eat (BHA and BHT) but will hopefully be ok in a wash-off product, and citric acid.

Yes, I did spray the embeds (spritzing multiple times, actually, since it was taking so long to get ready! I had been prepared to move fast!) and then the tops. Wow, that's some powerful alcohol!

Hmmm looks like Dibbles had the same thing in the same context (but prettier colours https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/alien-brain.64939/#post-663246

I had thought that alien brain came from overheating, but apparently its origins can even be alien!

Well mystery solved....no more IPA on bars, just on tops? Too much surface area maybe?

Get a coin and check the weight online and see if its measuring accurately.

 

[dibbles]

So many great ideas!
No, it never got hotter than 108F, and that was post-EO addition (and post potential false trace time).

Thermometer is brand new; scale is probably fine (she says hopefully).

My lard says nothing about hydrogenation. Ingredients are lard, 2 preservatives which I don't let my children eat (BHA and BHT) but will hopefully be ok in a wash-off product, and citric acid.

Yes, I did spray the embeds (spritzing multiple times, actually, since it was taking so long to get ready! I had been prepared to move fast!) and then the tops. Wow, that's some powerful alcohol!

Hmmm looks like Dibbles had the same thing in the same context (but prettier colours https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/alien-brain.64939/#post-663246

I had thought that alien brain came from overheating, but apparently its origins can even be alien!

Well mystery solved....no more IPA on bars, just on tops? Too much surface area maybe?

In that soap, only the tops were sprayed, soon after pouring. I'm sure the batter wasn't very warm when I poured because it almost never is, and I have to work really hard to get gel in individual cavity molds. I've had it happen one or two other times as well.

 

[MGM]

Get a coin and check the weight online and see if its measuring accurately.

A coin?? that seems a bit small, for the big scale, anyway.
One scale says my quarter weighs 2g. The other one says it weigh 1.57g.

 

[penelopejane]

It might not just be the alcohol. It seems like the temps might have been too low for lard.

 

[MGM]

It might not just be the alcohol. It seems like the temps might have been too low for lard.

Insofar as lard needs to be warmer to hit trace? I was going on the idea that as long as the oils were clear, they were warm enough....if the lard was too cold, wouldn't it have been solid/cloudy?
Trying to "soap at room temperature"...you know, in a 104F room

 

[Chris_S]

A coin?? that seems a bit small, for the big scale, anyway.
One scale says my quarter weighs 2g. The other one says it weigh 1.57g.

Oh well i use a little pocket scale so i use a 2 pence which i know or did know how much it weighed think its 7g or 3.5g lol

Considering its only a small scale it works really well i just use a litre sized jug then transfer to a large mixing bowl and scrape anything left with a silicone spoon. Bigger and more accurate scales cost a fortune in England and this was only like 8 quid so im happy lol

 

[MGM]

Oh well i use a little pocket scale so i use a 2 pence which i know or did know how much it weighed think its 7g or 3.5g lol

Interestingly, 6 quarters weighed between 1.56 and 1.58g and one weighed 1.76g. The 6 were from 2009-2015 and the heavy one was from 1984! Our money is shrinking! (Ok this was way OT)

 

[Chris_S]

Interestingly, 6 quarters weighed between 1.56 and 1.58g and one weighed 1.76g. The 6 were from 2009-2015 and the heavy one was from 1984! Our money is shrinking! (Ok this was way OT)

Mine all weighed same i think pretty sure they have to be close because of needing to be used in vending machines and self serve tills

 

[penelopejane]

Insofar as lard needs to be warmer to hit trace? I was going on the idea that as long as the oils were clear, they were warm enough....if the lard was too cold, wouldn't it have been solid/cloudy?
Trying to "soap at room temperature"...you know, in a 104F room

I am sorry I don't use lard. I was going on posts I have read from Lardinators.
Maybe one of them can respond.
All I know from personal experience is that at low temps with hard oils you often get weird swirls etc.