Soap Makers Help!

[cheeptrick]

Yes....Rockpile...since you poured off the separated oils you cannot rebatch it. If you ever get a seized batch like that again....just take the whole batch and throw in the crock pot or oven and let it remelt. DO not pour off the liquid...millers soap is awesome at helping you troubleshoot.

 

[Backyard Buddies]

As requested, some pix from Hawaii . . .

The day we arrived . . . .

View of the beach from the pool area:

Sunset on the beach in front of the complex:

The next morning . . . .

Sunrise at Haleakala, a 10,000+ ft. volcano. It was cloudy that morning. Also, it's freakin' cold up there. Yes, we brought long underwear to Hawaii!

The next day . . .

We took the Road to Hana. Although it's fairly short in miles, it takes hours to make the trek because of the narrow, winding road.

Waterfall:

Three Bears Falls. This is the one that I slipped in the stream and lost my camera into the water. You can see how big the falls are by comparing with the size of my kids.

At one of the rest stops, there were a ton of wild chickens:
(because I just HAD to make this an on-topic post.

)

Later that day . . .

We went to lunch at Mama's Fish House. This is the view from our table:

The next several days we relaxed, went out for Shave Ice, went to a luau, swam on the beach and in the pool. One of my favorite activities was to sit on the lanai of the condo and watch the sun set. The island you can see out there is Molokai.

 

[fosterchick]

I am making my first batch of soap tomorrow. This the recipe I found to try.
28 ounces of coconut oil
24 ounces of olive oil
30 ounces of Vegetable shortening
12 ounces of lye
32 ounces of goat milk

Can I change the vegetable oil to lard and use the same amount.
Thanks

 

[Backyard Buddies]

Quote:
If you change a recipe, you should always run it through a lye calculator. I like the one at SoapCalc because it gives you a good idea of the qualities of the soap.
http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/soapcalcWP.asp

As the recipe is written and with your adjustments, it's not a particularly conditioning bar. Fiddle around at Soapcalc and see what you can do to raise that number without completely losing the hardness. Start by taking the coconut down and raising the olive. Play around with various ingredients. Each time you change ingredients, the lye calculator will readjust for the particular needs of the oils you've selected.

Btw, I believe by "vegetable shortening" they're referring to Crisco, which is how it is calculated at Soapcalc.

 

[Rockpile99]

BB - Great pics. What a fun trip.

I saved the oil if that makes a difference. I'll check out that web site you all posted tomorrow.

Here is the cucmber melon in it's mold - you can see the oil swimming on top. I didn't really have a choice but to pour it off to get the soap out of the mold.

Here it is after I cut it:

And here is the Honey Almond I siezed also. So far it doesn't seem to be lye heavy, can that change as it cures?

Thanks all. I've got to get some more coconut oil then I'll try again.

 

[Morgaine]

Shelly-awesome pictures! Love the chickens, what a pretty rooster!

Rockpile- Did your honey almond leak oil like the cucumber melon? If it didn't then it should be ok.

If you want more help, I would need your recipe, the amount of liquid you used, and what you did while you making the soap. And also the temps you worked at. Some oils speed up trace and some slow it down. If you used a recipe with a lot of fast tracing oils and at high temps and over used your stick blender, that could have lead to the seize and seperation. Or if you did not blend enough.

Do you think your scale is correct?

Check out the millersoap.com site. and read more.

If you don't want to post your recipe where everyone can see, shoot me a pm.

 

[ametauss]

I used key limes in my soap after I let them dry up for 6 weeks... I put them in the food processor and added some canola oil then popped them in the freezer.... The soap is soft right now and I bet it will take two months for it to cure.... no zap...

I also use Beer... I let it go flat then freeze it... I have a chocolate beer that I'm going to make up... The beer is a GREAT hair soap... I just put in some food spices like nutmeg and all spice.... I think I'm going to use cinn with the chocolate.... You can find all sorts of beers, ales, laugers (sp?).... You can use wine too.... A great fruit wine sounds wonderful... not sure of it's quality for soaping but you would get a nice color and the fruit smell if you add a little fo/eo that matches up... a raspberry/blueberry/strawberry wine... I would go for the cheap stuff... like boones farm or MD20/20....

JMHO....

 

[ChickenToes]

Quote:
If you change a recipe, you should always run it through a lye calculator. I like the one at SoapCalc because it gives you a good idea of the qualities of the soap.
http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/soapcalcWP.asp

As the recipe is written and with your adjustments, it's not a particularly conditioning bar. Fiddle around at Soapcalc and see what you can do to raise that number without completely losing the hardness. Start by taking the coconut down and raising the olive. Play around with various ingredients. Each time you change ingredients, the lye calculator will readjust for the particular needs of the oils you've selected.

Btw, I believe by "vegetable shortening" they're referring to Crisco, which is how it is calculated at Soapcalc.

Thanks for posting the link to SoapCalc! I made a batch of lard/olive oil soap yesterday, and it's nice to know how the bars will turn out once they've cured.

 

[ChickenToes]

Quote:
If you change a recipe, you should always run it through a lye calculator. I like the one at SoapCalc because it gives you a good idea of the qualities of the soap.
http://www.soapcalc.net/calc/soapcalcWP.asp

As the recipe is written and with your adjustments, it's not a particularly conditioning bar. Fiddle around at Soapcalc and see what you can do to raise that number without completely losing the hardness. Start by taking the coconut down and raising the olive. Play around with various ingredients. Each time you change ingredients, the lye calculator will readjust for the particular needs of the oils you've selected.

Btw, I believe by "vegetable shortening" they're referring to Crisco, which is how it is calculated at Soapcalc.

Thanks for posting the link to SoapCalc! I made a batch of lard/olive oil soap yesterday, and it's nice to know how the bars will turn out once they've cured.

 

[cheeptrick]

Rockpile...I'd grate the soap...and rebatch it with the separated oils in the microwave with a little distilled water. Pulse it...1 minute...stir...1 minute...stir... It should be fine after that...but know that rebatched soap is NOT the same texture. You could whip it with a handbeater...it will fluff up like cream...and float. Drop the mold on the floor a couple times to get the soap to settle into the mold better. You can also add more fo or eo at this point. Or you could try the oven method...crock pot method detailed on the millers soap site.

NO soap that is seized is ever a bad thing...rebatch it and use it for toppings...confetti soaps....or even better for YOURSELF!

BB...TAKE ME WITH YOU NEXT TIME!!

Ametauss...you infused the limes in canola oil?? Or did you use the juice? I'm curious...I've never used lime or lemon juice...only OJ. I do combine distilled water and OJ...and it does take a longer time to harden...1 week at most...but WOW is it a hard bar...believe it or not. I might try some lime...