Why does this happen (please see pic)

[Asil02]

Why did this happen? Can someone please help me understand? I am bummed. What am I doing wrong? Am I cutting too early? Or too late? Is it the sodium lactate I tried to use...though I doubt it because this happens a lot to me and this was the first time I use the sl. I can't believe this keeps happening.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[ilovedoxies]

What are you using to cut it with?

 

[Asil02]

This time I started using a large knife and when it happened I changed to a pastry scraper like this but it still crumbled:

Here is the recipe I used and I ran it through Majestic's calculator. It is just a two pound recipe I wanted to do because I hadn't done any soap with sodium lactate before.
Coconut - 9 oz
Olive - 16 oz
Palm - 7 oz
water - 10 oz
lye - 4.5 oz
sodium lactate .65 oz
Afterward I put it in the freezer for a couple of hours and then into the fridge. I'd say all in all it was in there for 6 to 7 hours. I took it out of the mold and then tried to slice it up.
Thanks!

 

[ilovedoxies]

Try using a wire or dental floss while the soap is still soft.

I use a cheese slicer.

That happens to me everytime I try to use a blade.

 

[Asil02]

I will see about using the floss or wire. But the soap wasn't too firm...or I don't think it was. It seemed kind of like the consistency of cheese...not a soft soft cheese...but like a firm cheese. Maybe it is the blade. I will see if I can get some guitar wire and figure a contraption to hold it with.

 

[AshleyR]

I've noticed that this has happened almost every time I've prevented gel in my CP soaps. It almost always crumbles like that when I cut it with my blade cutter, and sometimes even with my wire cutter.

 

[kaseencook]

Are your soaps HP? With CP you would want to keep them warm to continue the saponification, instead of chill them in the fridge/freezer. My second ever batch of soap was lye heavy and when I tried to rebatch it with more oils to see what would happen it looked exactially like your soap and was still lye heavy. Perhaps by putting in the the freezer/fridge and hindering the saponification there is still free lye about in the soap making it crumbly. Have you tried it without putting it in the fridge and just keeping it snuggled and warm for a few days?

 

[carebear]

It may not be "finished" yet. Does it zap?

 

[Lindy]

Was the soap still soft & sticky? Sometimes when I try to cut too soon, which is often btw, I end up having to smooth the cut edges....

 

[surf girl]

As per Lindy, this happens to me when I cut too soon (soap too soft).

Although kaseencook recommends not chilling the CP soap, many soapers routinely do (check out some of the replies on the preventing ash thread), and I certainly have without issue.

 

[Asil02]

Thank you all so much for your replies. I haven't been doing this soaping thing for too long and I appreciate the help. I am so enjoying my new little hobby though. I just wish I could do it more often!

As for putting it in the fridge, I have read about several people who have avoided the gel phase with much success...unfortunately I am not one of them...YET! Avoiding gel is a complex thing but I really think the soap will come out quite pretty once I finally get it. I will go read that thread suggested earlier too as I really want to understand it better.

This batch does have a bit of zap and it was sticky when I cut it so I am thinking it wasn't ready. How does one know for sure when a batch is "finished"? I am also told that I can safely leave it in the fridge overnight but need to bring it to room temp before cutting it too. So next time I will leave it in the fridge, bring to room temp and maybe try using a guitar string to cut it with a miter. Any other ideas/comments are appreciated as well.

 

[Lindy]

When I take my soap out of the mold if it feels sticky I will let it sit for a couple more hours - then when I cut it if it sticks like that I will again let it sit for a couple more hours or overnight.

 

[carebear]

I do the zap test to see if it's ready. And if it's in the fridge I give it a few days. Then when I take it out and let it come to room temp I watch it gel anyway (I have the WORST luck with this stuff LOL)

 

[Lindy]

Carebaer - Oh yeah I'll do the zap test after I've cut the bar... 8)

I've totally given up on trying to prevent gel with my full size batches and am now actively encouraging it....

 

[kaseencook]

I didn't know people prevented the gel stage in CP on purpose. What is the benefit of preventing the gel stage? I did two batches of CP when I started and then HP and have never gone back to CP, although I sometimes chill my HP to cool them faster.

 

[surf girl]

kaseencook, this thread provides some great answers to questions about gel:

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... ht=gelling

HTH!

 

[honor435]

Why did this happen? Can someone please help me understand? I am bummed. What am I doing wrong? Am I cutting too early? Or too late? Is it the sodium lactate I tried to use...though I doubt it because this happens a lot to me and this was the first time I use the sl. I can't believe this keeps happening.

Thanks in advance for your help!

my first batch of cp soap turned out like that, didnt ever really harden, i dont think my oils and lye were the right temp? I made a 2nd batch at it worked!
i dont think its what your cutting with.

 

[Asil02]

Thanks to you all for helping me to get a better idea of how to go about doing my next batch. Y'all are the best! Hope y'all have a great week!