Hot Process fail

[Ttennis]

I'm new to soaping and researched a ton. I've done 2 batches of CP which came out really good. My first hot process was a fail. I did everything in the crockpot, and it got thick pretty quick. I put it in the mold but it seemed to be drying as fast as I put it in there. Is this a loss? What went wrong?

 

[Obsidian]

Without a recipe I can only guess but it looks overcooked or not enough water in the recipe.
I'm going with not enough water. I use 3:1 water:lye when making HP.

 

[CraftySue]

Hard to say which one it could be, overcooked or water. I would rebatch it and you can save it and you won't have to throw it away, but only for your personal use. I have done the same thing when I first started, I overcooked it, I had the crockpot on High so it got done way to fast. Just don't worry, it does happen to a lot of us making soap.

 

[Ttennis]

I got the recipe on the internet. 36 oz. Olive Oil, 6 oz. coconut oil, 6 oz. lye, 12 oz distilled water..what do I do to rebatch it? Should I add more water to it?

 

[Nona'sFarm]

Yes, definitely needed more water.

Below is the link to a rebatch thread. This is a really good process for rebatch, even though it says CP, I found it works for HP too.

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/oven-rebatch-cp.77457/

 

[cmzaha]

Why stress rebatching it. It is cooked, it is soap, let it cure and use it. It might not be pretty and some can crumble but try cutting big chunks, so you can use it. As long as it does not zap, which I doubt you are fine.

 

[Ttennis]

Yes, definitely needed more water.

Below is the link to a rebatch thread. This is a really good process for rebatch, even though it says CP, I found it works for HP too.

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/oven-rebatch-cp.77457/

The soap was made last night. Does it have to be shredded or can I cut into small pieces?

 

[Nona'sFarm]

@Ttennis, when I've rebatched, I've always grated the soap, so can't really answer your question. I suspect small pieces won't melt as completely.

But I do like the suggestion by @cmzaha. Just use the soap as is for personal use and try another batch when you're ready.

 

[CatahoulaBubble]

I've cut mine in cubes before to rebatch and it melts just fine.

 

[Ttennis]

Thank you all..I just ended up cutting it to use..

 

[DeeAnna]

Glad you cut the soap into bars. I'm with Carolyn -- why rebatch just because it isn't quite as pretty as you might like?

I've never met a soap that's any prettier after rebatching. Rebatched bars often warp and get a little swaybacked as they dry out and cure.

And I bet the soap doesn't look quite so bad now that it's been cut into bars. A little homely and rustic maybe, but still probably plenty fine.

 

[Dawni]

I'm glad you didn't rebatch it as well

I'd have said rebatch if it wouldn't stick together and was crumbly, meaning your probably overcooked it. How long was it in the pot and did you soap on low or high?

I soap on high until near the end, and usually it takes 15-25 minutes for most recipes, a lil over that for some.

HP does generally need more water than CP but you can get away with less than 3:1 if you're using mostly soft oils. For example, I made a Castile (100% olive oil) here, and used even less water than you did. Personally, I don't think it was too less what you used for this recipe but a little more wouldn't hurt either.

The catch with using more water is warping as the bars cure. The catch with less water is lumpy soap, which is the nature of HP.