akseattle
Well-Known Member
I am wondering why I got tiny little crystal looking flakes floating at the top of my lye water? And, will this effect the bars?
I made a batch on Saturday morning (yesterday). My lye water took its usual course, it went from cloudy to clear. I always mix my lye water on the back porch (pretty cold back there) and I always check they lye water's temperature to see how hot it gets and to know when it has cooled to 140 degrees. By then, I figure the fumes have diffused into the air and dissipated and I take it back into my kitchen. I had forgotten my thermometer gun so I went inside to get it after the water had cleared. When I came back out, I noticed there were a few little crystal flakes floating on top of the clear water. I tried to strain them out with the tip of a fork, but then I saw a few more. I thought maybe I didn't stir long enough so I started to stir the lye water some more. The more I stirred (trying to break up the flakes in case it was un-stirred lye), the more these tiny little flakes formed and floated on top of the lye water. I strained a bunch out with a spoon and then finally decided to leave them. But, now I'm wondering, what happened?
One thing different about this batch is that it was my third time using sugar. My first batch, I used 1 teaspoon for 450 grams of oils. The second batch, I used 2 teaspoons for 450 grams of oil. I've used the same recipe each time (Tallow 33%, OO 23%, CO 25%, Castor 10%, SO 5%, Shea 4%)
Both batches were uneventful during the making and the unmolding ( the jury is still out on how they effect the soap as the soap hasn't cured.)
This time, my phone rang and, out of habit, I answered. I talked only maybe 5 minutes but, I hadn't pre-measured the sugar. So, when I got back to my soaping, I couldn't remember if I had put in 1 teaspoon or 2 teaspoons of sugar.
So, I put in one more 1/2 teaspoon. I'm pretty sure I stirred long enough that the sugar was completely dissolved.
Would these crystal flakes be caused if I used too much sugar? Or, would the lye react poorly with if the sugar had not been stirred long enough, so if the sugar wasn't completely dissolved?
I just don't know why the lye water started out perfectly clear and clean, then the longer I stirred, and as time went by.
I unmolded and cut the soap earlier today. Other than the phone ringing, forgetting how much sugar, and then crystals forming, the batch was uneventful. There was no acceleration. I had forgotten about the crystals when I was unmolding and cutting but I didn't notice any weird texture or hard granules or anything (I'm forcing myself to not go check up on the soap ... )
I did try to go read about this. Somewhere, it said too much sugar can make the soap feel sticky. I probably should have stuck to one teaspoon- I assumed that it was in the making of the soap that I would know if it were too much or too little. I'll go back to 1 teaspoon until I have a chance to try this soap.
But, any ideas about these crystal flakes?
I made a batch on Saturday morning (yesterday). My lye water took its usual course, it went from cloudy to clear. I always mix my lye water on the back porch (pretty cold back there) and I always check they lye water's temperature to see how hot it gets and to know when it has cooled to 140 degrees. By then, I figure the fumes have diffused into the air and dissipated and I take it back into my kitchen. I had forgotten my thermometer gun so I went inside to get it after the water had cleared. When I came back out, I noticed there were a few little crystal flakes floating on top of the clear water. I tried to strain them out with the tip of a fork, but then I saw a few more. I thought maybe I didn't stir long enough so I started to stir the lye water some more. The more I stirred (trying to break up the flakes in case it was un-stirred lye), the more these tiny little flakes formed and floated on top of the lye water. I strained a bunch out with a spoon and then finally decided to leave them. But, now I'm wondering, what happened?
One thing different about this batch is that it was my third time using sugar. My first batch, I used 1 teaspoon for 450 grams of oils. The second batch, I used 2 teaspoons for 450 grams of oil. I've used the same recipe each time (Tallow 33%, OO 23%, CO 25%, Castor 10%, SO 5%, Shea 4%)
Both batches were uneventful during the making and the unmolding ( the jury is still out on how they effect the soap as the soap hasn't cured.)
This time, my phone rang and, out of habit, I answered. I talked only maybe 5 minutes but, I hadn't pre-measured the sugar. So, when I got back to my soaping, I couldn't remember if I had put in 1 teaspoon or 2 teaspoons of sugar.
So, I put in one more 1/2 teaspoon. I'm pretty sure I stirred long enough that the sugar was completely dissolved.
Would these crystal flakes be caused if I used too much sugar? Or, would the lye react poorly with if the sugar had not been stirred long enough, so if the sugar wasn't completely dissolved?
I just don't know why the lye water started out perfectly clear and clean, then the longer I stirred, and as time went by.
I unmolded and cut the soap earlier today. Other than the phone ringing, forgetting how much sugar, and then crystals forming, the batch was uneventful. There was no acceleration. I had forgotten about the crystals when I was unmolding and cutting but I didn't notice any weird texture or hard granules or anything (I'm forcing myself to not go check up on the soap ... )
I did try to go read about this. Somewhere, it said too much sugar can make the soap feel sticky. I probably should have stuck to one teaspoon- I assumed that it was in the making of the soap that I would know if it were too much or too little. I'll go back to 1 teaspoon until I have a chance to try this soap.
But, any ideas about these crystal flakes?
