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Topic: Link to Cold-Process Soap Tutorial (Read 6209 times) |
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AnotherBright_Idea
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Candlemaking IS my day job!
 
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Re: Pictures of CP soap process...
« Reply #20 on: Mar 1st, 2004, 12:37pm » |
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I use the "soft rectangle" molds from Pourette. I think they were about 6 dollars each, and each tray has 6 cavities. Each cavity makes a bar about 3 oz.
I don't know if Pourette has their soapmaking supplies on their website, but you can call for their printed catalogue. They sell only m&p supplies, but the molds work great.
I don't think you could swirl with individual molds. I don't color my soaps at all, I keep them simple.
Andrea
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Kara Lynn
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Re: Pictures of CP soap process...
« Reply #21 on: Mar 1st, 2004, 12:59pm » |
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Thanks. I guess I'll just stick with my cheap craft store dye for the first batch until I can order online.
The stick blender was right where you said it would be.  I was able to find the Palm Oil. It turns out it was the Spectrum" brand you said was preferred. I got the last tub. I also bought a small block of lard. I'll probably use that on my second batch.
I'm off to go try making soap! 
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| « Last Edit: Mar 1st, 2004, 1:07pm by Kara Lynn » |
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Kara Lynn
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Re: Pictures of CP soap process...
« Reply #23 on: Mar 1st, 2004, 7:28pm » |
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Thanks Carmen.  It was MUCH easier and quite a bit less scary than I was expecting. I was expecting a big cloud of smoke when I added the lye to the water with lots of sizzling and bubbling but it was nothing like that. In fact, I had a lot of fun doing it.
After I added the fragrance oil, I stirred it with a wisk for a while, because after reading the horror stories about some F.O.'s causing it to really thicken I was a little spooked. When I saw that it wasn't really doing much, I hit it with the stick blender off and on until I got a semi thick pudding. The cheapo dye looks like it worked pretty well,although I did have to use quite a bit of it.
When I poured it into the mold, I could see that my colored soap for the swirl didn't reach the bottom of the mixture so I cheated once I had it all in the mold and swirled it a tiny bit with a spoon. Hope I didn't ruin the swirl.
I have been peeking off and on.  Couldn't help myself. It still feels really warm. I guess it must have been about 2 or 3p.m. when I covered it. It has little beads of moisture on top. Does this sound right?
Thanks for the great tutorial, Robin. It was very easy to follow and made the whole thing so much easier. I copied into MS Word and then printed and put in plastic sleeves so they wouldn't get messed up as I referred to them.
I can't wait to cut it tomorrow.I'm confused about the waiting time to use it. Could you clarify or explain? I read that you sometimes use it on the third day, but I also heard you say it needs to cure 3 weeks and read on another site that it should cure 6 weeks. I'm confused.  What happens if you use it too early?
If I can figure out how to use our digital camera and get them onto the computer, I'll post pics when I cut it.
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RobinInOR
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Re: Pictures of CP soap process...
« Reply #24 on: Mar 1st, 2004, 9:03pm » |
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Yay! See, it's not so bad. Those drops of moisture should be absorbed back into the loaf eventually, I get them sometimess too. And you tried a swirl on your very first batch - that's neat! I was too chicken to do that until about my 3rd batch.
Give it till it gets cool - I'd wait at least 24 hrs, so in the afternoon you can unmold it. If it seems really soft (if you leave finger marks) you might want to leave it that way another day before you cut it.
As for waiting. CP still saponifies after it's in the mold. No one really knows, I guess general idea is 3 days.
If you use it early, it still might have some a bit of lye in it - your hands would just feel slimy when you wash.
After that, what you're waiting for is the excess water to evaporate and the bar to get hard. My bars go from just below 5 oz to just above 4 oz after 2 weeks of sitting. The longer they sit, the harder they get and the longer they last. It depends on the recipe, really - 3 to 4 weeks is probably pretty standard before someone would think it was sale-able quality.
But I find it's pretty usable earlier. Actually, I've taken some slivers when I cut it up and wash my hands with them, and taken them into the shower 3 days after I cut 
Very soft soaps, like 100% olive oil, can take up to 6 weeks to get hard as a rock. There's a saying "if in doubt, wait it out" 
You can also influence how long you have to wait for it to get hard by how much water you use in the recipe. We used the maximum amount. That's safe when you don't know how the FO will react, it slows down the reaction. When you're more comfortable, you could take it down to 10 oz or even more - there's different ways to calculate water.
Now, we've never really talked about lye-heavy soap. That can happen when you get a bad recipe from somewhere and don't check the recipe, or it doesn't get mixed well enough, or you forget to add an oil. You might cut and find pockets of liquid in the middle. To test anything weird, the standard way is to wet your finger with the liquid or soap, then gently touch it to your tongue. It's actually a safety test, if it's lye, it will zap you, feel like you licked a 9 volt battery. I don't test often, only if something looks really strange. Testing is more important in HP I think because you want to cook all the zap out of it, so that helps you time it.
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| « Last Edit: Mar 1st, 2004, 9:10pm by RobinInOR » |
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Robin in OR
Containers: Calwax 30/LX. Votives: Calwax 10/LX. 3" Pillars: Calwax 10/RegPly. 2" Pillars: 1343/HTP. Tarts: Calwax 10/30 blend
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Kara Lynn
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OkRe: Pictures of CP soap process...
« Reply #25 on: Mar 2nd, 2004, 6:12am » |
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Okay, I think I might have goofed. I wasn't sure how long I was supposed to keep it covered (overnight, right)? I used a cuttlery tray for my mold, and covered it with a board and then a towel. Left it overnight. Anyway, I have it out of the mold right now (around 7:00 a.m.)and since I took it out of the mold, it's changing colors to a lighter color. I wiped some of the moisture off of it, but although it is solid, it is slimy all over. Should I put it back into the mold (Sorry, I did it before I read your post). It was still warm when I took the top off this morning, then it started turning a whiter color and after about an hour, I took it out of the mold and it's sitting on the freezer paper right now. What should I do?  I hope I haven't ruined it.
As far as being lye heavy, I have always heard people bad-mouthing lye soap, if you had a lye heavy batch would it burn you when you used it? (Sorry if this is a stupid question. I'm just curious). I'm really not worried about this. I measured carefully, however, my scale does not do ".2, .3, grams, etc. It goes to 1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, etc. I think I got really close on the measurements, though.
Yeah, I think the swirl is going to be okay. Looking down into the mold will be the side of the bar instead of like a loaf because I guess my mold is wider and longer than yours. In the mold, it's only about 1 1/2 inches deep with soap. However, there are some places in the color swirls where it is white, almost bleached looking. Sorta hard to describe.
Anyway, let me know what you think I should do regarding putting it back into the mold (since I goofed) and when to cut it now that I have goofed.
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RobinInOR
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Re: Pictures of CP soap process...
« Reply #26 on: Mar 2nd, 2004, 8:02am » |
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Don't think you've goofed really. I'd just let it sit another day before cutting, cut it tomorrow morning. You don't want it mushy, but firm to the touch and cool. The color can change when the soap hits the air, it might be just fine. In fact, some FOs will change to dark brown on curing, even if they still look cream at cutting. Vanillas especially.
Yes, a lye heavy soap might zap someone. But if you have an accurate scale, a good recipe that's been checked and double checked, and you've actually followed the recipe you shouldn't get too many lye heavy soaps. I haven't had one yet, but I stick to the same 4 recipes all the time. Also, on the calculators like MMS, you'll see "lye discount" terms. This is one of the reason we use something around a 5% lye discount - it means we're using less lye, so that we leave 5% of the oils untouched in the soap. That helps buffer any mismeasurements.
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Robin in OR
Containers: Calwax 30/LX. Votives: Calwax 10/LX. 3" Pillars: Calwax 10/RegPly. 2" Pillars: 1343/HTP. Tarts: Calwax 10/30 blend
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Kara Lynn
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Sorry, Robin. I decided to go ahead a cut it before I read your post. It was about the consistancy of a soft cheese (a little harder than monterrey jack). I had trouble getting the bars cut evenly and decided to stop since I was wasting so much soap (thus the three soap balls in the picture).
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Kara Lynn
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Here are a couple of closeups of the two best swirls. You can see the white I was talking about. Will the whole bar lighten up as it cures?
Anway, I'm not really pleased with these results (mainly the white spots and the swirls). Also, the nature of the fragrance oil seemed to sort of change. These are Sandalwood F.O. and it just doesn't smell the same as it does in candles.
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Kara Lynn
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Re: Pictures of CP soap process...
« Reply #29 on: Mar 2nd, 2004, 9:17am » |
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I want to try again today. I'll probably have to use the lard because I bought the last tub of Palm oil at the grocery store and I don't think I have enough for another recipe. Do you think it will be okay to use the lard with the preservatives?
Just to clarify (I'm sorry, I'm so hardheaded. I sometimes need pictures drawn out for me). 
1)How many hours do I keep it covered?
2)How many hours do I wait to cut it?
Thank you so much for all of your help.
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RobinInOR
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Re: Pictures of CP soap process...
« Reply #30 on: Mar 2nd, 2004, 9:51am » |
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OMG those swirls are gorgeous! What that white stuff might be is "ash". Some soaps get it, some don't. No one knows exactly what causes it, but many think it's lye reacting with the air to produce calcium carbonate. Since you unmolded early, there might have been enough lye still around to do that. After these sit for a week or so you can trim it off. I don't think soap will get lighter, most often it gets darker.
The lard you bought should be fine. If you used the recipe I gave you, you don't have to change the lye amount. (Just for this recipe, when you change oils it should always go through a new calc).
I would let your soap sit in the mold for 24 hours before unmolding it. You shouldn't feel any heat. Let's play it safe, and wait another 24 hours after that to cut (if you can ). It will have hardened up a bit by then. That canola recipe I gave you is a little softer than usual - it only has 45% hard oils, so it will benefit by waiting a bit.
As far as the fragrance changing (mutating), that would be one of the benefits of HP. The lye can do major damage to a scent if it's not specifically formulated to be CP-friendly. Since you add scent in HP after the cook, when there isn't as much lye around, the scent doesn't change as much.
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| « Last Edit: Mar 2nd, 2004, 10:21am by RobinInOR » |
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Robin in OR
Containers: Calwax 30/LX. Votives: Calwax 10/LX. 3" Pillars: Calwax 10/RegPly. 2" Pillars: 1343/HTP. Tarts: Calwax 10/30 blend
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EB Candles
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Re: Pictures of CP soap process...
« Reply #31 on: Mar 2nd, 2004, 10:02am » |
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OH MY GOODNESS! Kara, congrats girl....that looks awesome! Did you use Robins recipe?
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Kara Lynn
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Re: Pictures of CP soap process...
« Reply #32 on: Mar 2nd, 2004, 10:16am » |
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Thank you. Y'all are very sweet.I guess it's like Robin said, when you are expecting something else, you're a little dissappointed. Yeah, it was Robin's great recipe and directions. It was very EASY, Carmen, and you should try it. I know you are sooooooooooo close to trying it. You know you want to! Go for it. If I can do it, anyone can do it. I'm already addicted. Gotta try it again today.
Thanks for the clarification on the times, Robin. Since I've done it once, it should be easier to wait next time.
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EB Candles
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Re: Pictures of CP soap process...
« Reply #33 on: Mar 2nd, 2004, 10:30am » |
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on Mar 2nd, 2004, 10:16am, Kara Lynn wrote:Thank you. Y'all are very sweet.I guess it's like Robin said, when you are expecting something else, you're a little dissappointed. Yeah, it was Robin's great recipe and directions. It was very EASY, Carmen, and you should try it. I know you are sooooooooooo close to trying it. You know you want to! Go for it. If I can do it, anyone can do it. I'm already addicted. Gotta try it again today.
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Kara, you are NOT going to believe this but I was actually talking to hubby about wanting to go to the store to buy some supplies. I told him, honey, everything is right there in front of me, how can i NOT try it?
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Kara Lynn
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Re: Pictures of CP soap process...
« Reply #34 on: Mar 2nd, 2004, 12:12pm » |
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GO FOR IT! I was really surprised that it wasn't all that expensive to get "set up" like it was for candles. 
We already had the olive oil. We buy it in large quantities at Sam's to cook with. The Lye was under $3. Both the palm oil and coconut oil were beteen $4-$5 each. Canola oil was around $2.I was relieved to hear that stick blender was under $10. I had the cheapo dye on hand. the only other thing I HAD to buy was the freezer paper (another $3).
What's to stop you? This is actually something that is practical and useful (DH will certainly understan that one--good selling point for him). Everybody's gotta have soap, right?
Those heavenly scented,swirly soap bars are calling...calling...calling.....
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EB Candles
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Re: Pictures of CP soap process...
« Reply #35 on: Mar 2nd, 2004, 1:18pm » |
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on Feb 28th, 2004, 5:11pm, RobinN wrote:
Make a 2# batch, about the smallest you can go and still measure properly. That will make a loaf of 8 bars, so a loaf that's 8" long, about 3.5" wide, and 2.5" tall.
Olive Oil (35%) 11.2 oz
Palm Oil (35%) 11.2 oz
Canola (20%) 6.4 oz
Coconut Oil (10%) 3.2 oz
lye 4.3 oz
distilled water 12 oz
1.5 - 2 oz of soap safe FO, or 1 - 1.5 oz EO
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Robin, I have almond oil here at home already. Which oil would i substitute it with?
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RobinInOR
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Re: Pictures of CP soap process...
« Reply #36 on: Mar 2nd, 2004, 1:31pm » |
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Well, you could substitute it for the canola if you don't have that, or swap out some of the olive, then redo the lye calucation..PM me with how much you've got, and what other oils you've got, then I can post a recipe for ya and help you with the lye... Almond's nice in soap.
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Robin in OR
Containers: Calwax 30/LX. Votives: Calwax 10/LX. 3" Pillars: Calwax 10/RegPly. 2" Pillars: 1343/HTP. Tarts: Calwax 10/30 blend
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Camille
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Re: Pictures of CP soap process...
« Reply #37 on: Mar 5th, 2004, 8:05pm » |
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Robin-That's such a great guide!
Camille
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Kara Lynn
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Re: Pictures of CP soap process...
« Reply #38 on: Mar 24th, 2004, 5:18am » |
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Bump!
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Lizzy
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you're not dipping this one!
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Re: Pictures of CP soap process...
« Reply #39 on: Mar 24th, 2004, 5:55am » |
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Kara, I didn't realize all this this talk was going on under Robin's tutorial. Your soap is just fantastic! Sometimes my swirls don't reach the bottom of the soap, but that's OK. Your's look great. I might also mention that some sandalwoods turn soap darker than others. The one I use turns tan. Keep up the good work, you are doing great
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