Can I unmold and cut if still getting zapped?

[Purplerain]

So, I made a lovely batch of soap yesterday. Finished about 2:30 in the afternoon. It's now 4:30 the next day. It is lovely and firm and I'm dying to unmold and cut, so I just did a zap test and, I got zapped! ( first time ever, so now I know what it means).
The temperature gun shows the top of the loaf to be 75 F.
Can I unmold and cut now or should I wait until I no longer get zapped? It is still wrapped in a towel.

 

[newbie]

You can. You could/should wear gloves so the soap is not hard on your skin and it can still develop ash since it's not done saponifying, so I would cover it again after cutting and oogling. It might still be soft enough to get dinged easily so take care. Also take care unmolding as it may still not be firm enough to bring all its edges and corners with it. You can freeze for an hour and then unmold- that will help prevent leaving behind the corners. Wait a bit before cutting so the soap isn't frozen.

 

[Seawolfe]

omg thats SO pretty!!
DON'T UNMOLD IT IF ITS STICKY!! That would make it not smooth and pretty .

It doesnt really matter if it zaps or not - some soaps don't stop zapping for the first week! It simply needs to be solid enough to cut cleanly without crumbling or dragging or oozing or squishing.

Readiness to unmold and cut depends on so much more than time - it depends on if it gelled or not, the ambient temperature, the recipe, the amount of water used, any additives, the type of mold, the environment you've kept it in so far.... Its all about reading the soap and letting it tell you when its ready

 

[navigator9]

If you're still getting zapped, the saponification process isn't finished yet. In that case, the freezer paper will probably still stick to the soap, and may pull some of it away when you try to remove the paper. Would you be able to cut it? Yes, but it's probably still soft and mushy, so it would be a mess. This is why I like to CPOP.....I'm no good at waiting. I'm also not terribly well versed in how long ungelled soap takes to be ready to unmold, but when I do have the odd batch that I don't gel, I usually wait a few days to unmold it. You have some pretty soap there, and you don't want to take a chance of ruining it.

 

[Cactuslily]

Wow! That's a beauty! I've only made a handful or so of CP batches, and I'm still looking (&licking) for the zap. I must be doing something wrong. Post pics of the inside, when it's ready. I'd love to see it.

 

[Purplerain]

Yup. It's purdy purdy! I'm happy. Soap # 7.
It is softish, but it cut ok, better with a knife than with my newly acquired soap cutter.
Fragrance is Energy so it's very spa-like.
It's interesting, envisioned a kind of sea like effect but my micas came out much greener that their powdered colour which was blue and blue-green. So, I'll change the name, from Oceana to ?????

 

[Susie]

Vitality-looks like people are dancing.

 

[Purplerain]

Vitality. Love it! Perfect for the fragrance.

 

[jules92207]

Oohhh so pretty! And I like Vitality!

 

[Obsidian]

Very pretty. Do you happen to use extra virgin olive oil? Its yellow enough it can mess up colors.

 

[snappyllama]

I love your top. It's so delicate looking!

 

[newbie]

Very nice! Beautiful marbled look. Did you have any problems getting it out of the mold? Doesn't look like it.

Your colors may change a little as they are exposed to air and if finishes saponifying but I don't know if it will be back to blue. Who cares? It's a beauty!

 

[Purplerain]

No, I don't use extra virgin. Use the cheap stuff from Costco.

 

[Purplerain]

Came out of the mold easily. I'll have to handle it carefully until it hardens up a bit more but it's OK.

 

[newbie]

I've umolded ungelled soap even at about 15 hours and my recipe isn't ridiculously hard. You do have to be careful though as it can still be soft enough to dent it and leaves marks easily. I only do this with one specific mold I use though. It's chancy at times, to unmold early, but heck, it's difficult to wait!