What happens if you discount the water too much

[cobra_fat]

using this caclulator
http://www.metaphysicalfarms.com/pages/Soap-Recipe.html
superfatting 8% Total oil weight 20 oz
--- Percent
OO 50.00
CO 30.00
SB 20.00
This gives a range of water: 5.6 - 7.4 fluid oz

using
http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp
on same recipe
with default water as percent of oil weight (38%) gives water as 7.6 oz

If I change it to 30% it gives water as 6 oz
If I change it to 28% it gives water as 5.6 oz

I think I will use the 30% or 6 oz water, but what happens if you discount the water too much?

I would think you would want as little water as practical so it would cure faster.

 

[adoptapitbull]

Discounting too much means that you have less room for error with your lye. Just a bit too much and your batch is ruined. Plus, it is much more dangerous to work with if your solution is so concentrated. Discount it a bit if you wish, but don't go too far. It's not worth the potential for burns. I got a concentrated lye splash into an open cut once...yeah, not pretty,.

 

[carebear]

Discounting too much means that you have less room for error with your lye. Just a bit too much and your batch is ruined.

hunh? water has noting to do with lye - except to dissolve it.

anyway if you discount too much you can:
speed trace so that it's not manageable for you
prevent gel which some people like to do anyway (less water = less likely to gel)

i don't go by water as a % of oils - that number means nothing to me personally. i use the lye concentration, and recommend anywhere from 28% to 40% depending on the formula and your level of expertise.

for that recipe with 50% olive oil, I'd say use about a 33-35% lye solution since you are a beginner (right?). you can enter the % is soapcalc.net to get the amount of water - I don't know if the other calculators will do this but it's likely they do.

 

[adoptapitbull]

Right, if you don't stir enough or mix something that's not clear, it's hard to tell if it's dissolved and takes longer to dissolve. I did it once and had a crystal mix at the bottom of the bowl that I couldn't see till I poured it off.

I suppose it came off wrong as I know the lye is calculated to saponify oils, just seems dangerous to have such a concentrated solution if you spill or splash it on yourself.

 

[carebear]

yes, it's important to use enough water to dissolve the lye and to stir it until it's clear. you need at least as much water as you have lye (a 50% solution). From experience I can tell you that even a relatively weak solution at 27% is as damaging to skin as a 40% solution...

 

[Deda]

I always begin with a 50% solution, then I add any additional water directly to the oil & lye/water.

 

[delicious]

I always begin with a 50% solution, then I add any additional water directly to the oil & lye/water.

You mean that you take (for example) 2oz of lye, mix that with 2oz of water until it dissolves and then add that to the oils and then add additional water?
Is that risky to do?