Why can't I gel my soaps?

[Obsidian]

I am so frustrated I'm almost in tears. Once again I tried to gel a batch just to have it over heat and the FO try to separate. I uncovered it and the FO is soaking back in but the damage has been done as far as the cosmetics of the soap.
Every time I try to gel it over heats, no matter what recipe I use. Only my pine tar gelled successfully. I use a 2lb wooden mold and wrap in towel.

The recipe:
olive oil 22oz
palm kernel oil 6oz
lard 4oz
castor 2oz
coconut 2oz

H20 13.68
lye 4.80

1.05 oz FO

TD 2 tsp mixed into whole batch
1/2 tsp pink eyeshadow mixed into 1/3 batch
1/2 tsp green eyeshadow mixed into 1/3 batch

Freshly poured

sprinkled some colorant over the top, covered with cling wrap and insulated in towel. This was take about 4 hours after the pour. The rivers are worse now.

Just in case this will be blamed on the eyeshadow, I have a single bar in a silicone mold and its perfect. No FO separation or steric rivers.

 

[TVivian]

I've had success gelling my soap, but I've never covered the top. I put my wooden mold on a folded towel and I roll up towels (the long way) and wrap them all the way around the box. I leave it right here on my countertop in my 77 degree air conditioned house and I haven't once had a partial gel "ring". My very first batch of soap overheated (I think) because I wrapped it covered. The top ended up looking all lumpy and got a crack. From then on I've not covered the top.


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[TVivian]

On the bright side, it looks awesome I think.


Sent from my iPhone using Soap Making

 

[Obsidian]

I am happy the colors stayed true and I'm sure it will be pretty when cut. I'm really hoping their isn't any oil pockets or other surprises inside. I couldn't stand looking at it anymore so I moved it into the deep freeze in the basement.
I will have to try only wrapping the sides. I sit my mold on a towel, then fold the towel over the top multiple times. I read about people using heat mats and wool blankets, I don't get how that works for them.

 

[sistrum]

I would leave off the plastic wrap and just put a board over it instead then cover with your towels or blanket. I think it may heat more even then and you won't get the condensation dripping on your soap. If its doing that. Also try using less water. It will still gel but won't heat up so fast. I also peek at my soaps so I can take the lid off as soon as its reached full gel so it won't keep going.

I admire your persistence. Don't give up yet. I feel gelling your soap gives a much better product. Good luck, Sissy

 

[jenneelk]

I also keep mine uncovered but when I gel I always do the oven preheated to 170 then turned off, then put my mold in there. After about 10 min. I open it because I think 170 is more heat then necessary so I leave it open for a min or two then close again and leave overnight. Never had problems until a few batches when I tried a new fragrance and also new colors.
Back to my original micas and pigments and no problems again doing it this way. Also making sure fragrances have feedback from several sources if the store itself (ie. BB, WSP, NG, etc.) don't have their own feedback on CP results.

 

[Obsidian]

I normally use less water but this time I used full so I would have a bit more time for swirls. I think I need a slower recipe if I'm using colors.

This is also the first time I used cling wrap, normally I cover with a board then a towel. I tried cling wrap in a attempt to prevent ash, the wrap was touching the soap and it did seem to hold in a lot of moisture.

My persistence has just about worn off, not sure how many more times I'll try gel before giving up.

 

[kazmi]

I haven't gelled that many of my batches so I'm not very experienced it in but this is what I've done. When I want to gell I haven't made a change to my lye/water percentage and my recipes were pretty much the same as my ungelled soaps. I have a piece of cardboard that is wrapped in saran wrap. I put that on top of my mold and lay a large bath towel over the top and down the sides of my mold. I leave that on top for about a half hour then check to see how gell is progressing. I check every 15 minutes after that. Once I can see that gelling has gone all the way to the edges of my soap I remove the towel. The only time that I've had overheating doing it this way was my first time adding honey (and I used way too much honey!).

 

[la-rene]

My advice: Don't gel TD. I can't get it to work at all.... Though, this is interesting: my recipe has PK as does yours and mine creates rivers when I gel, no matter the colorant. Does your FO have Pthalates in it? My theory is, phthalates don't help when it comes to over heating soap.