Beginners luck ended last night...

I am not sure if these batches can be saved or not. I am guessing my scale went haywire and it is time for a new one. I was using a postal scale just as I began my journey in soapmaking and now I have some disasters on my hands.

First batch might not be too bad. My issue with that one is it went into a partial gel phase. Maybe a 1/4 of an inch around the edges didn't gel. Can this be rebatched to saved? I haven't attempted rebatching as of yet so I am hesitant.

The second batch may just be a loss. I kept thinking the scale wasn't reading right. I would be scooping what felt like twice as much oils before it would get to the proper weight. I would take it out of the measuring cup and start again. This time when I almost got to the proper weight, the scale would start going backward! At this point I got frustrated and weight everything until I got the same amounts a couple of times and finished mixing the oils. When I added the lye water, I went from a batch that was supposed to be 34 oz to a batch that was 8 cups :crazy: All of the soap has set up but the second batch now has soda ash on the top. I have no idea if this one can be rebatched to a useful product because I have no idea the actual amounts of oils that ended up being in this batch. Does anyone have any suggestions? :Kitten Love:

First off, gel is just what occurs when the soap heats to a certain temp and holds, causing the soap to change in appearance slightly. Partial gel means it occurred in the center, but not solely through. I've seen partially gelled soap, and it isn't unsightly enough to rebatch. So rebatch it based on gelling partially, I would say no unless you hate the look, but thats a lot of work for totally usable soap.
The second one, messed up scale is no good. Sorry that happened!! Does it zap?? Just curious. Most will tell you, I think, that if you don't know the lye and oil amount, toss it. But I've never rebatched, so maybe someone will recommend it. I personally would just toss because even if it doesn't zap, it may wind up being harsh. Hopefully someone has some solid advice on that.

Partial gel doesn't hurt the quality of the soap. Soda ash does not mean the soap is a failure. If both batches set up and pass the zap test, then they are OK to use. You can steam off or wipe off the soda ash. I do agree, that you need a new digital scale.

Have you checked the scale with a known weight?
Do the bars zap?

If it zaps, can it be salvaged?

mbranchau said:

If it zaps, can it be salvaged?

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...depends? I'm hesitant to say yes, definitely, but some members have found that a very long cure will help with somewhat lye-heavy soap. Does it zap? That's the first thing you should find out, right after checking your scale with something of a known weight. From there it would be easier to offer an opinion on whether the batch is ever going to be useful. The ash (if it's not zappy) is just a looks thing, as is the partial gel. The zap (if there is any) is another matter.

Instead of a postal scale, get a food scale. Postal scales aren't always good at measuring increasing weights - such as an oil being poured into a pot. Food scales are meant to do that.

sometimes it takes some days for the reaction to finish sponifying and it will zap until it's done. Once it stops zapping, test it and see how harsh it is.

Partial gel? For 1/4 inch? If you really don't like the look, trim it off and save the pieces for confetti soap or whatever.

Also, I think that the ash can be zappy when the soap is not. Soap gets milder, the longer it cures.

Try replacing the battery in the scale before you re-calibrate or replace the scale. A nickle weighs 5 grams. Keep piling on the nickles (and removing them) to see what the scale does with the changing weights.

Thanks everyone! The partial gel soap doesn't zap so I think we are good. I have PH strips on order and will have them later this week. As for the other batch, I think I made it worse. I had added chia seeds for exfoliation and when I attempted to rebatch, I forgot the chia seeds make a gel like slime. I have it back in my wood mold but we will have to wait and see.

mbranchau said:

I have PH strips on order and will have them later this week.

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What kind of pH strips did you purchase? Just be aware that pH strips are notoriously faulty/unreliable when testing soap (we have many threads about this subject on the forum). Here is a great link regarding pH strips and soap:

http://www.millersoap.com/phtome.html


IrishLass

I will have to look and see which ones were ordered. I was talking to my husband about them and he ordered some for me from Amazon. I have determined my chin seed soap to be a failure. I am afraid to use it as laundry soap because of the chia slime. Better luck next time once my new scale is purchased. Any advice on the best scale?

Zap testing is the most reliable safe/not safe test you can use.

mbranchau said:

I will have to look and see which ones were ordered. I was talking to my husband about them and he ordered some for me from Amazon. I have determined my chin seed soap to be a failure. I am afraid to use it as laundry soap because of the chia slime. Better luck next time once my new scale is purchased. Any advice on the best scale?

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I got a KD8000 on recommendation from folks here when I busted my last one. I LOVE it. Amazon has them for a decent price.

Good points about the scales!
For me, when I weigh something I verify the accuracy by weighing the containers i poured into but also poured from.

For example, if I need to weigh 100g of OO into a container, I do the following:

1. Weigh the OO bottle and record the weight
2. Tare the container that will receive the OO
3. Add the required amount of OO and record the exact amount added
4. Reweigh the OO bottle
5. Subtract the new weight of the OO bottle (step 4) from the former weight (step 1)
6. Compare the result from step 3 with the result from step 5 - they need to be more or less the same!

I find that when I add small amounts of oils at a time, especially into a big pot, the scale is not sensitive enough to detect the changes and then all of a sudden, BOOM the weight increases by 20 g!