Dorymae
Well-Known Member
I just need a place to vent about the events that I just went through less than 30 mins ago.
It's been really busy lately and the soap was dwindling and knowing I have a larger order coming up it was time to get my rear in gear.
I made 4 loaves without a hitch, good scent, good color I was happy. However I had 2 more that had to be done in the same scent/color/recipe. So that is approx 10lbs of soap.
Normally I like to do all loaf batches separately because it is easy to handle and you have a bit more time with trace etc etc. Now I could make a lot of excuses about how tired I am or how much I already did, but when it comes right down to it I was too lazy!
So I measure my oils, mix up my lye and I think (this is where all bad things come from) I'll just melt the oils with my lye. So I do.
The recipe I'm working with is nothing special, slow mover really, but it is a hard bar and when it starts getting hard it gets hard quick. This wasn't going to be a problem, I'm not swirling this, it is a simple two color soap - not even vertical, just horizontal.
So I stick blend the batter, no problem at all takes 4 mins or so to reach a very light trace. So now all I have to do is scent (a mix I've used before and doesn't accelerate) and split the batter for color. Now I chose a pitcher to split into its wider at the top and more squat with a good spout for pouring. I begin pouring the batter into the pitcher and it goes into the bottom of the pitcher and swoops all the way out the other side, down my cabinets onto the floor and my favorite shoes. I add my color -it should be lavender, it looks gray. I add more, its still gray. Okay I think, (remember where that gets me) I'll deal with it.
Now thankfully I kept my wits about me after yelling out a few choice words, and cleaned up the mess and my shoe. All in all I think I lost about 6-8 oz of soap.
BUT when I go back to my pot and pitcher my batter is now like stiff mashed potatoes. I glop it into the mold bang it down glop some other color and try to even the top. It is now so hard that I have a hard time even moving it at all.
I have more batter that I was going to use for my top - it is hard. Now I'm mad. I'm yelling at the soap, and the soap gods, can't even get the color right, UGH. So I grab my hand blender (yup I did) and I beat in some hot pink fuschia neon color ( I don't even remember the name) and I'm still arguing with the soap. I finally glop some of that into imbed molds pushing and swiping it in with a spatula....and my daughter comes in and says Mom why is that soap rose colored when it smells like lavender? That is when I stopped. It is also the reason there is a large bowl downstairs with rose colored, lavender smelling soap in it. (Maybe I'll make soap balls tomorrow)
Anyway these are the highlights of the soap gods punishment for today. There is a 99.99 percent chance that I will have to redo this soap....but I am refusing to recognize that fact tonight.
It's been really busy lately and the soap was dwindling and knowing I have a larger order coming up it was time to get my rear in gear.
I made 4 loaves without a hitch, good scent, good color I was happy. However I had 2 more that had to be done in the same scent/color/recipe. So that is approx 10lbs of soap.
Normally I like to do all loaf batches separately because it is easy to handle and you have a bit more time with trace etc etc. Now I could make a lot of excuses about how tired I am or how much I already did, but when it comes right down to it I was too lazy!
So I measure my oils, mix up my lye and I think (this is where all bad things come from) I'll just melt the oils with my lye. So I do.
The recipe I'm working with is nothing special, slow mover really, but it is a hard bar and when it starts getting hard it gets hard quick. This wasn't going to be a problem, I'm not swirling this, it is a simple two color soap - not even vertical, just horizontal.
So I stick blend the batter, no problem at all takes 4 mins or so to reach a very light trace. So now all I have to do is scent (a mix I've used before and doesn't accelerate) and split the batter for color. Now I chose a pitcher to split into its wider at the top and more squat with a good spout for pouring. I begin pouring the batter into the pitcher and it goes into the bottom of the pitcher and swoops all the way out the other side, down my cabinets onto the floor and my favorite shoes. I add my color -it should be lavender, it looks gray. I add more, its still gray. Okay I think, (remember where that gets me) I'll deal with it.
Now thankfully I kept my wits about me after yelling out a few choice words, and cleaned up the mess and my shoe. All in all I think I lost about 6-8 oz of soap.
BUT when I go back to my pot and pitcher my batter is now like stiff mashed potatoes. I glop it into the mold bang it down glop some other color and try to even the top. It is now so hard that I have a hard time even moving it at all.
I have more batter that I was going to use for my top - it is hard. Now I'm mad. I'm yelling at the soap, and the soap gods, can't even get the color right, UGH. So I grab my hand blender (yup I did) and I beat in some hot pink fuschia neon color ( I don't even remember the name) and I'm still arguing with the soap. I finally glop some of that into imbed molds pushing and swiping it in with a spatula....and my daughter comes in and says Mom why is that soap rose colored when it smells like lavender? That is when I stopped. It is also the reason there is a large bowl downstairs with rose colored, lavender smelling soap in it. (Maybe I'll make soap balls tomorrow)
Anyway these are the highlights of the soap gods punishment for today. There is a 99.99 percent chance that I will have to redo this soap....but I am refusing to recognize that fact tonight.
Last edited:
