HP Soap Not Setting - Help

[J.A]

Hi guys!
Im new to soap making. I did a lot of reading, watched a lot of video tutorial but MY SOAP IS NOT SETTING.

Im doing crock pot hp method.

Recipe as follows:
425 ml VCO
75 ml VCO (superfat 15%)
78 g caustic soda flakes
190 ml water

I add the superfat when the batter is light & fluffy with 7-9ph on thr strip.

It's been 24hrs in the mold but i dont see any changes on the consistency-- still paste-like or petroleum jelly-like.

I tried scooping a bit to try and use, it worked already as soap. BUT WHY IS IT NOT SETTING?

Heeeeelp.

 

[Lin19687]

I would say the Lye is not pure?

 

[msunnerstood]

did you try popping it into the freezer for a while?

 

[Obsidian]

Does your caustic soda have a ingredient list. Almost sounds like it could be potassium hydroxide which is used to make soft/liquid soap.

 

[dixiedragon]

Welcome to the forum! I agree with Obsidian - does the bottle say Potassium hydroxide (used for making liquid soap) or sodium hydroxide (bar soap).

I have never soaped with VCO - I assume virgin coconut oil? I use refined coconut oil. I wouldn't THINK it would cause this kind of problem, but perhaps there is a bit of water in it? 190 is on the higher end of water, and if there was some in the VCO, that could be too much?

 

[DeeAnna]

"...does the bottle say Potassium hydroxide..."

Or caustic potash. That is another common name for potassium hydroxide (KOH).

"...190 is on the higher end of water..."

For cold process soap, I agree. But not so much for hot process, which is what the OP is doing. I might use as much as 235 grams of water with 78 g of NaOH for typical HP.

 

[OldHippie]

He says it was "caustic soda flakes"; that would be Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Hydroxide (potash) is never called "caustic soda".

 

[earlene]

Sometimes we grab the wrong bottle, without realizing it. On occasion, soapers have accidentally bought the wrong lye/caustic without realizing and had this happen.

Another couple of possibilities:

Are you confident in the accuracy of your scale? Can you check it out to see if it is accurate, via a calibration? (link) If that is not the problem, perhaps user error (error in weights for one reason or another.) Also read that link for some cautions about using a scale to get the most accurate readings.

Caustic was exposed to too much humidity or room air prior to use. Lye is like a magnet for water. Left open, a bottle of lye will draw moisture from the air, which in a humid environment, could be quite a lot of moisture, thus decreasing its 'purity' over time. If the lye was in clumps, suspect moisture was clinging to your lye and your caustic weight included water.

 

[J.A]

Hi everyone!
I appreciate all your replies.

My soap hasn't set until now. I stopped trials as i dont wanna waste any of my oils anymore.

The flakes weren't clumped and is stored in an airtight container.

I actually called up my lye supplier and raised the result Ive been getting (might be a mix up on their end when repacking). They said theyre investigating this.

Thinking of trying again but this time using the higher saponification value of fractionated coconut oil (because i might have been ripped off by my oil supplier when i ordered bulk).

Currently using 38% water on my formulation. What is the safe discount parameter? (Just to take account of the absorbed moisture by the lye if there is).

 

[J.A]

did you try popping it into the freezer for a while?

I did. But it softened back to pet.jelly when i put it out to room temp again.