Feeling discouraged.

I just needed to vent a little bit.

Lately I have had a rough time. I made a batch that I accidentally used an aluminum (or something) spoon in, and had to throw it away because it went all oily and gross, then I made a batch where I did a water discount and it seized, then I made a batch that did not trace all the way, (was trying to keep it lightly traced to do a swirl, apparently it did not trace enough and took several days before I was able to unmold), then I made a batch where I forgot the FO, then I made one where I didn't mix the colors well enough and ended up with chunks of powder in the bar.

I just keep reminding myself that I am new and I need to make these mistakes to learn and not let them happen again. Fine, I'm over it.

THEN! This is the kicker. I was unmolding this morning and my soap was a little sticky. It was stuck in my green WSP mold, so I was holding the mold upside down by the edges and jiggling it, side to side, up and down. And the mold RIPPED at one of the corners. Are you kidding, after how long I waited and how expensive that was in the first place. I can still duct tape it, hopefully, and use it, but I couldn't believe it.

I am very frustrated and discouraged about soap right now and needed to share. Thanks for reading.

Tasha, so sorry for all your unfortunate events. What a bummer to think of the wated oils. :cry: I've had some bad batches but fortunately not one right after another. You are so right that you will surely learn from these mistakes. Chalk it up to experience and keep on soaping! Good luck!

Maybe you could return that mold for a new one; doesn't seem that it should have ripped.

Yeah, sometimes it just feels good to vent when things don't go well.
There are so many variables that it can be hard to keep track of them all!

Hope it goes better next time.

I would think too, that you could return the mold for a new one.

So sorry... but we have all been there at times. You can read till you are blue about how to make soap, but the real learning comes from doing, and gaining your confidence. Take a note book and make notes every time you make soap, keep a log of what went right and what went wrong. This is a good tool to remind yourself of past mistakes and great results. Once you feel more confindent, the mistakes become less frequent. You can only learn what trace looks like by doing it over and over. I make sure I plan the whole thing out ahead of time, all my fo, extras are measured out, all there and ready. Mix colors good in a bit of carrier oil and then incorporate. I promose this will all click one day. I have made soap for years, however lately I had things on my mind and I completely forgot to add the cup of oils I had taken from my batch to mix powdered sugar into, I did not add it back in at all! I have also forgot to add the FO. It happens. Keep trying because once you get it the rewards are so lovely.

Hang in there!

Hang in there! You're learning from each of these events. I remember early on in my soapmaking days I got the bright idea to put a batch that had traced into a warm oven after pouring it into a slab mold thinking the warmth would help the saponification along. The batch separated and I had to throw the entire thing out. I learned from that. You're learning from your misadventures too and learning is always a good thing.

Jody63 said:

Take a note book and make notes every time you make soap, keep a log of what went right and what went wrong. This is a good tool to remind yourself of past mistakes and great results.

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I have been doing this and I think it will really help! It will also help me remember what FO's I didn't like.

Thanks everyone for your comments, just needed to vent this morning!

I think I'll just keep the mold and tape it up, it's the only "good" mold that I have (that I don't have to cut a liner for ... lol) so I will try to be more careful in the future and not hold it like that again.. I was so bummed about that though.

All the problems you had were just us messing with you... we just wanted to make sure you were serious about soapmaking

Wow, sorry to hear that. How bad is it ripped? I have those molds and found them so sturdy... Did it completely tear, or is there a crack in the corner? I'd love to see a pic.. I'll make sure to be more gentle when unmolding from now on. I'm sure if you call them and email a picture they will replace it.

I'm sure you have more soap molds on hand than you realize... It's not hard to line a box with a small trash bag. Smooth it out the best you can, but the lines on the edge actually give it a pretty look, escpecially if you are making a more natural looking/smelling soap.

donniej said:

All the problems you had were just us messing with you... we just wanted to make sure you were serious about soapmaking

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This explains so much.

Forgot to say that I'm sorry for all of your trouble lately. I'm a newbie and just had my first mishap. It was discouraging at first, but now I've decided to look at it as a rite of passage.

That's what forums are for, getting the answers from others who've already made the same mistakes! As with everything else, soap making is so simple in principle but there are just so many countless minor details that it can be a very difficult (and frustrating) learning curve.

The price you pay is that after you've figured it out, you get to answer the same questions asked by the newer members

Healinya-












These are the pictures I took right after I got the soap out yesterday. I may email them about it but it was probably my fault too - I thought they were sturdy too, so I was holding it by the edges and wiggling it and shaking it, apparently too hard, and then the side tore.


donniej - lol ... well I have had a lot of fun despite the past week's bad soaping luck so it'll take more than that to scare me away! nevermind all the supplies I JUST bought within the last couple of weeks

I wanted to add too that I do plan on buying more of these molds... I love how easy they are to use, I will just be more careful with them. I just wanted to add this so I don't scare anyone away from buying them. They are great!

I've read that repairing silicone is very easy, but I haven't had to do it myself. All you need to do is pick up a tube of liquid silicone, if you're in the USA I can also send you a piece of silicone sheet to use as a patch (free, just pm me your address). I have plenty from an experiment I never got around to...

You may be able to find what you need to fix it at a fish store. The liquid silicone is people use to seal cracks in a fish tank.... but I would not do that if I were you, I would show that to wsp and let them fix the problem for you! They are a very fair company.

Hang in there Tasha I remember the bobo's along the way and I guess that is what makes good soap recipes so precious. I still get anxious with new fragrances scared they will do horrible things to my soap Hugs your way..................Lyn

Well I emailed them yesterday about the mold asking about a replacement, and a lady called today around 12 noon.
She asked me what had happened, and I was honest (first mistake) and told her the same thing I told you here on the forum about how it tore.

She then told me she was pretty sure it was my fault and they wouldn't be able to send me a replacement. She said she would check with someone else, and then call me right back.

Well it's 9 p.m. now and no call back.

Not sure how I feel about this, I wasn't EXPECTING a replacement, but I was expecting a customer service rep to be more friendly and less defensive and skeptical than she was on the phone.

We will see!


I wanted to edit and add: I hate to say anything "bad" about anyone and I'm definitely not saying anything bad about this company, mold, or person who called me on the phone, but I have been in customer service and I know that I'm not "one of those customers" - one that thinks I'm being treated wrongly or unfairly when I'm not. The lady was a little bit accusatory on the phone, whether she meant it that way or not, that's how it felt. Just being honest!

Ah...the soap fairies have paid you a visit. I had about three batches in a row that siezed on me that I was trying to do some fun stuff with. Turns out it was my palm oil.

Hang in there! Everyone's probably been there. Like the others said, take good notes, and don't give up. Sometimes we learn more by figuring out what NOT to do!

Can you tell me more about palm oil and seizing? I've been noticing my recipes are moving much faster than I'd like and I do use palm oil. Is there a connection?

Palm oil has a high stearic acid content, which, as I understand it can be unevenly distributed through the oil because it has a different molecular weight. The solution is to melt your oils thoroughly before each use to distribute it, or to melt it well, and then separate it into smaller containers.

I was using the organic palm from Soaper's Choice and it clearly states to melt prior to each use. I was doing that, but apparently not well enough, because it was still siezing my soap. I've found that you need to melt it until it is completely clear, not just until it is liquid. After I did that, and put it into containes holding the exact amount I needed for my 5 lb batch, all was well.

Now, normally I use the palm from Soap Making Resource and I've never had issues with it. It's also sustainably sourced, but since I was placing an order with SC, I went ahead and ordered their organic because it was still pretty cheap. I've gone back to SMR's and have no issues. I emailed Steve there and he said that he never melts his down either and it works fine.

I read something that said with hydrogenated palm it's more necessary, so maybe SC's is? I don't know, really. All I know is that it was instant soap on a stick until I had made sure it was totally and completely melted prior to using.

I'm sure there are people who can offer a more detailed explaination, but that's how I understand it and what my experience was.

HTH