Forgot to figure in pot size

[kmkieva]

Note to self....if you decide to increase the recipe by a factor of 3, make sure your pot is big enough to handle it.

Once the oil was melted and ready for the lye, I realized the pot wasn't big enough to handle it all. Mad dash (with BF's help) to pour half the oil in a second pot and then eyeball half the lye solution in each pot. NOT the way to do it. I did achieve trace in both, though, and got it all molded. We'll see what happens...:-|

 

[Obsidian]

Small buckets work pretty good for bigger batches. I get mine at the bakery inside the local grocery store, its what the doughnut frosting comes in.

 

[cmzaha]

Hopefully it was all going into the same mold. I would have personally weighed out the oil and lye at that point in order to have an equal split. There is no reason to make a mad dash before the lye is added, many of us in here actually soap at room temp. Take a breath and slow down, there is no hurry before the lye is added, and making mad dashes is what can cause accidents.

 

[DeeAnna]

Well said, Carolyn. Speaking as someone who has learned the hard way that mad dashes are often quick paths to disaster!

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Although another point is that as your first batch is less than a week old, I would wait until it's cured before making larger batches of it - if you end up not being overly happy with your first batch when it cures, you then also have three times as much coming along, too.

 

[kmkieva]

I totally get the points everyone is making....sometimes the best lesson is learning what NOT to do. Be patient, take your time, and work small until you have a better handle on the process and the results. Got it.

 

[Susie]

And you can work slower. The cooler you soap, the longer it takes to get to trace. Which is a big help when something goes awry. And they will go awry. That is one thing you can count on. But take good notes on EVERYTHING. Then you can learn when something goes wrong, and not make the same mistakes over and over.