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__shanwow

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Hello everyone! I am new to soap making and have made 3 batches so far. I am working on getting my technique down and have a few questions for you all!

First off, the last 3 bars I've made have had a crack down the center. I am not unhappy with the way the soap looks, smells, etc- I just want to know if there is something I am doing wrong that's causing these cracks! The first batch I made with the crack I let sit in the silicone mold for about 4 days (I was away and forgot to take it out beforehand). The two most recent batches I let sit for 24 hours before taking them out of the silicone mold. These had the awful crack down the center too.
This also leads me to my second question....the two bars I just mentioned (that I let sit out for 24 hrs) were very crumbly. I did not change my recipe whatsoever so I am confused on what I did differently to cause the crumbling. I also stamp my soaps, and some of them that I stamped cracked too!
So far the rest of the process has gone quite well. I realized after the first 2 batches that I was getting the mixture to trace, but pouring it into the mold a little on the late side. Instead of having it easily pour into the molds, it was more of me scraping the mixture into the molds. That is something I have improved on...not sure if that affects any of this either??

Here is the recipe I am currently using...
1/2 cup lye (4 oz)
1 1/2 cup distilled water (12 oz)
1 1/3 cup olive oil (10.6667 oz)
1 1/3 cup hemp seed oil (10.6667 oz)
1 1/3 cup coconut oil (10.6667 oz)
6 tsp essential oil (1 oz)
=49.0001 oz total

Note- I get my oils and lye/water mixture to 110 degrees Fahrenheit before combining.

I appreciate all of your help/suggestions!! :) :) :)
 
Hi and welcome. It sounds like you probably had some overheating. There is a lot of coconut oil in there plus full water.

Recommendation for your recipes. You should be running them through a soap calculator and also measuring in grams. Measuring in cups is not a recommended way to make soap. Also, that much hemp oil could be a problem and your soap could get DOS (rancidity). You may find your soap a bit drying.
 
Welcome _shanwow! :wave:

Ditto what Shari said ^^^.

Are you using a scale to weigh in ounces or are you using the volume (cups) amounts? I ask, because rule #1 in soapmaking is that you absolutely need to use weight amounts for accuracy and consistency. The reason is why is because the differering SAP numbers of each oil/fat (which correspond to how much lye is needed to completely saponify any given oil/fat) are all based on the weight amount of dry NaOH (or KOH) in relation to the weight amount of each oil/fat.

Using cup measurements as opposed to weights is a sure recipe for problems when it comes to soap-making.


IrishLass :)
 
It looks like you are assuming 1 cup of anything is going to weigh 8 ounces. It doesn't work that way. Fats are less dense than water. I'm pretty sure dry NaOH is more dense, but that density will vary depending on the particle shape and size.
 
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Wow, can't believe I missed the part where you are supposed to be using weight amounts. Next batch I make I will surely transfer my amounts into grams!


IrishLass- So you are saying I need a certain amount of lye...how do I calculate the correct amount I should be using??

shunt2011- I haven't had any rancidity problems yet...but I will definitely keep that in mind for future batches!
 
If you can fill in an online form and aren't totally shut down by something that doesn't immediately make total sense, almost all online soap calculators are good. Some are better than others, but it is just a case of starting at the start and filling in the blanks.

Personally, I find soapee to be the best option at the moment. Nicely lain out and easy to use
 
IrishLass- So you are saying I need a certain amount of lye...how do I calculate the correct amount I should be using??

It is as the others are saying- an online lye calculator. :)

My favorite one to use is SoapCalc, which is the one I cut my soaping teeth on, so to speak, when I first started soaping about 11 years ago. I personally find it quite easy to use, but that may be because I've been using it for so long and am so familiar with it. lol

Soapee is a fairly new kid on the block, but many here on the forum were able to provide the owner of Soapee their input when it was in the design stages, so as a result many find it easier to use than SoapCalc.

As the good Gent said, though, if you can fill in a form and aren't totally shut down by something that doesn't immediately make total sense, almost all online lye calculators are good. :thumbup:


IrishLass :)
 
I like the one at The Sage and Brambleberry for beginners.

Did the crack in your soap look like this?
http://www.lovinsoap.com/troubleshooting/

That's over heating. You can stir the soap back together if it is still warm and liquid. If not, sometimes you can gently press the soap together (if it is cool and has more of a cheddar-cheese consistency).
 
It is as the others are saying- an online lye calculator. :)

My favorite one to use is SoapCalc, which is the one I cut my soaping teeth on, so to speak, when I first started soaping about 11 years ago. I personally find it quite easy to use, but that may be because I've been using it for so long and am so familiar with it. lol

Soapee is a fairly new kid on the block, but many here on the forum were able to provide the owner of Soapee their input when it was in the design stages, so as a result many find it easier to use than SoapCalc.

As the good Gent said, though, if you can fill in a form and aren't totally shut down by something that doesn't immediately make total sense, almost all online lye calculators are good. :thumbup:


IrishLass :)

I'm another one who started out with soapcalc. It's my go-to calc when I look at various recipes. I use soapee for saving some potentials and fine tuning what I have.
 
Using typical specific gravities of those oils and lye, it appears that is about 29.5 ounces of oil (by weight) and they'd need about 4.5 ounces of lye to completely saponify (with no superfat). A cup and a half of lye seems to be just over 6 ounces. I think this is a very lye-heavy soap.

I think this is the soapcalc.net stats page for what you used (except for the fragrance). And using 12 ounces of water brings the water as percent of oil up to 41%.

Untitled.jpg
 
So far the rest of the process has gone quite well. I realized after the first 2 batches that I was getting the mixture to trace, but pouring it into the mold a little on the late side. Instead of having it easily pour into the molds, it was more of me scraping the mixture into the molds. That is something I have improved on...not sure if that affects any of this either??

6 tsp essential oil (1 oz)

Everyone else has already recommended the use of a kitchen scale, because different fluids will have different weights, etc. Also, it would be good to do some research into various essential oils in soap. Some, such as clove, will accelerate (thicken the soap quickly). Others, like cinnamon, won't be skin safe at "normal" fragrance levels.
 
So far the rest of the process has gone quite well. I realized after the first 2 batches that I was getting the mixture to trace, but pouring it into the mold a little on the late side. Instead of having it easily pour into the molds, it was more of me scraping the mixture into the molds. That is something I have improved on...not sure if that affects any of this either??

I missed this on first reading. This may be an effect of soaping too hot - the chemical process of lye + oils becoming soap is sped up by heat, so you go from liquid (thin pudding) to semi solid (mashed potatoes). This can also be the fragrance. Some fragrances cause soap to overheat.
 
Dixie Dragon- yes, my crack looked just like the one going down the middle of that batch.
 
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