Possible silly question: moving mold

[LBell123]

I have a possibility silly question. I see all recipes say to leave the soap in the mold and not move it for 2-3 days. I had placed my poured soap in the lined box a couple of hours ago and then realized it wasn't in the best place to keep it for 2 days, so I gently picked it up and moved it to a different spot in the table. Then I second guessed myself and wondered if that was okay. Could it crack or something from moving it around while it is saponifying in the lined wooden box?

 

[AliOop]

Nah no worries. The only caution about moving is really related to potential spillage while the soap is still liquid.

 

[AliensrReal]

I have a possibility silly question. I see all recipes say to leave the soap in the mold and not move it for 2-3 days. I had placed my poured soap in the lined box a couple of hours ago and then realized it wasn't in the best place to keep it for 2 days, so I gently picked it up and moved it to a different spot in the table. Then I second guessed myself and wondered if that was okay. Could it crack or something from moving it around while it is saponifying in the lined wooden box?

There are no silly questions. Only silly people. I move my soaps everywhere around the house and I haven’t had any cracking. You are fine.

 

[TheGecko]

I see all recipes say to leave the soap in the mold and not move it for 2-3 days.

I have never seen a recipe that says that, where are you getting yours from?

As noted by @AliOop, the only reason to not move a mold filled with liquid batter around a lot is accidentally spilling it and creating a mess. And if you're worried about making a mess, leave the mold sitting on the counter for an hour or two and it should be solid enough to move without that worry.

FYI - In broad terms, there are two parts to the 'saponification' process. First is chemical process of turning liquid Sodium Hydroxide and fats (oils/butters) into soap...that can take a good two to three days depending on your Lye Concentration, recipe and environment. Hot and dry will speed up the process as evidenced by Hot Process...cold and damp will slow the process (which is why you should wear gloves). The other part is your soap being hard enough to unmold and again, depending on your Lye Concentration, recipe and environment...you can unmold in an hour or it could take three days.

If the top of your soap cracks, it's not because you moved it...it's because it overheated and said heat needed to be released.

I live in the PNW of the US...during the summer I can usually unmold in 12 to 18 hours. During the winter, we get a lot of rain so it's a good two days before I can unmold, three days for my 4" Square Molds.

 

[Zing]

There's no such thing as silly questions! That's how we learn!