Can you get spontaneous gel with a 40% lye? Yep.

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100% coconut loaf for laundry soap, uncovered out on the workbench, no lye discount. It got pretty hot.

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100% Coconut?

They set pretty fast and gel like crazy.
I made some in small individual molds and they gelled just sitting on the bench, uncovered.
 
My 1.5 oz individual molds will full gel with 100% CO soap even with only 38%. Even sitting on the lid of the washer uncovered. And it takes about 3 short bursts with the stickblender to get thin trace. You should not try for medium trace, you will barely have time to pour at thin trace.
 
I make mine in individual molds and they get very hot, gel, and expand in the middle. The last time, I could hear them expanding and watch the cracks forming in the middle as the batter rose up. I thought I was about to witness my first volcano.
 
My 1.5 oz individual molds will full gel with 100% CO soap even with only 38%. Even sitting on the lid of the washer uncovered. And it takes about 3 short bursts with the stickblender to get thin trace. You should not try for medium trace, you will barely have time to pour at thin trace.

That's never happened to me. I find these take at least 5 minutes to reach thin trace with generous stretches of continuous stick blending. That's with different batches and types of CO (76 and 92).

I used Saran wrap for this application and I was adjusting it and pouring in stages while the batter remained at thin trace. I have heard others also remark that CO doesn't trace exceptionally fast. It would behave as you describe if it had a lot of FFA, or for what other reason I don't know.
 

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