What has gone wrong here?

[mshearn3198]

This soap came out an absolute disaster, the recipie was Olive oil 200g Coconut 125g Rapeseed 75g Sweet Almond 75g and Castor 25g, To soap is wet around the edges and there is a big crack in the side. Some of the oils were mixed with the mica and the scent to help dispersal. Could stirring this with a metal sppon cause a reaction like this.

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[toxikon]

Hey sorry to hear about your troubles!

Your image isn't displaying because of Photobucket's new policy. You'll need to switch to a different Image Host - Imgur is free.

Can you also tell us how much lye and water you used? And what temperatures and methods you used? And how much FO did you use and what was the FO and where was it from?

 

[Steve85569]

Photobucket seems to be what's gone wrong.

 

[DeeAnna]

"...Could stirring this with a metal sppon cause a reaction like this...."

I doubt it is the metal spoon as such. But if all you did was stir with a spoon, the soap batter may not have been fully emulsified when you poured it into the mold, and that may have caused some problems. But Toxikon is right -- we need more information about your recipe and method (and a pic would be great!) to be able to offer useful advice.

 

[earlene]

This soap came out an absolute disaster, the recipie was Olive oil 200g Coconut 125g Rapeseed 75g Sweet Almond 75g and Castor 25g, To soap is wet around the edges and there is a big crack in the side. Some of the oils were mixed with the mica and the scent to help dispersal. Could stirring this with a metal sppon cause a reaction like this.

[/URL][/IMG]

Hey sorry to hear about your troubles!

Your image isn't displaying because of Photobucket's new policy. You'll need to switch to a different Image Host - Imgur is free.

Can you also tell us how much lye and water you used? And what temperatures and methods you used? And how much FO did you use and what was the FO and where was it from?

Or follow Angie's instructions for uploading your photo directly from your computer: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?p=655203#post655203

 

[dixiedragon]

It's pretty easy to upload a photo directly. I usually take the pic with my phone, upload it with the Soap Making Forum app, then get on a computer to add my thoughtful, in depth commentary.

 

[dixiedragon]

Did you use a stick blender to stir, or a spoon? My first guess would be it was understirred, so some of the oils and lye water didn't get combined. The other guess would be overheating.

 

[mshearn3198]

here is the image of the soap, since the photo was taken the soap looks less damp and the colour has changed a little.

 

[mshearn3198]

Did you use a stick blender to stir, or a spoon? My first guess would be it was understirred, so some of the oils and lye water didn't get combined. The other guess would be overheating.

A stick blender was used, and it was taken to a hard trace.

 

[earlene]

Just curious what exactly are you percieving as the disaster? It looks like perhaps it overheated causing the cracking on top, but that's not a horrible disaster because you can have fine soap even when it overheats. A little excess moisture can re-absorb, so that in and of itself doesn't have to be a disaster. How long has it been since you made the soap?

What was your method and complete recipe? Full water or water discount? Did you use a lye calculator? Fragrance (name, vendor, amount?) Where did you get your micas (vendor) and what colors did you use? Temperatures of the lye, oils and your environment (if you took them, or roughly if you didn't)? Did you insulate after pouring the soap? Hard trace? Does that mean very very thick so that you had to glop the batter into the mold? If yes, then overheating certainly seems likely. From the look of the outer edges in our picture, though, it looks like the batter was smoother than thick trace when you poured it into the mold.

I see the soap started out a sort of olive green, but as it is gelling, the edges are very white, so I do wonder about the micas you mentioned. Some micas are not stable in the presence of lye, so purchasing micas specifically for Cold Process soap is important.

 

[lenarenee]

I agree with Earlene'so visual assesment.....overheating, which does cause some liquid to separate out. But if not extreme it usually reabsorbs. We do need your recipe, and you'll need to zap test in a day or so.

 

[Steve85569]

partial gel and overheating is my guess too.

Not that I've had that problem in the last couple weeks. Especially since I haven't made soap in the last couple weeks.

 

[dixiedragon]

That's gel, I think. Google "CP soap and overheat" and "CP soap and gel" to see pics.

The fact that gel spot is greenish is weird, though.

In the future, if you see that happening, you can give the soap a few stirs in the mold. That will help release some of the heat . That dark liquid spot is hot and liquid, so if you stir the whitish, cooler soap on the top and around the edges into the dark, hot soap, they will melt and you will get even gel.