lye on surface

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houseofwool

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This is a problem I have not experienced before... Yesterday I made a big (for me) batch of castile and brought it to a light trace. I stuck in on my enclosed porch to CPOP it (the porch is freakin' hot because the temps this week are over 90 - so it was roughly 120-140 out there).

This morning when I unmolded it, there is lye on all of the surfaces of the soap, except the top, so basically anywhere that was in contact with the freezer paper.

I think my only real option is to rebatch this and I could use some hand holding as my previous experience with rebatching was dismal.

OO - 2466 gm
Lye - 313 gm
water - 730 gm

No additives of any kind. I am confident in the quality of the olive oil, I use it all the time and I have chilled it to verify that it solidifies.
 
It looks like you used a pretty good water discount. You might try shredding and rebatching. Make sure to wear gloves and eye protection when shredding the soap.
 
Yep - I hate the way castile can take forever to trace, so I reduced my water pretty sharply - but I've done it like that before too without issue... Since it is still pretty raw, any suggestions on how much liquid to add to when rebatching?
 
Are you sure it's lye? What does it look like? Ashy or weeping? It might be fragrance precipitating out due to overheating.
 
Definitely lye, it is zappy as heck and no fragrance has been added. I just check the top and it is zappy too, but it isn't weeping anything.
 
I would add a couple of ounces liquid when rebatching, to start with and if it needs more you can add it.
 
If it has not set up I would HP without the added liquid. Just be sure to stir a lot to be sure the lye gets well incorporated.
 
It had set up pretty well, so I shredded the first of 2 logs. *sob* Now, I just need to find a couple of hours when I will be able to baby sit the crockpot while it melts.
 
I did the rebatch yesterday and while the soap is fine, it is beyond ugly. There is no way that I will be able to sell it as anything other than seconds...
 

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