Pure lard CP batch: Smelly orange DISASTER ?!?

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IrishLass said:
You can deodorize already rendered lard before using it in soap by doing what is called a wet second-rendering using water and baking soda. The directions on how to do so are in this thread:


http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... aking+soda


IrishLass :)

Shoulda read that before making the soap with the stinky lard :( Next time I'll be using that method.
 
Second batch: ALSO a smelly orange mess

Well this time I carefully heated the lard only until barely melted then took it off the heat. Both lard and lye solution were at 95 degrees and yet, this is what the mixture looked like just seconds after pouring the lye solution into the lard:
DSC01802.jpg


I stirred it for a minute or two with a stick blender, then gave up when it looked like this (exactly like the last batch)
DSC01803.jpg


:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

I didn't even bother with molds, just put the pot out on the back porch, will scrape it into the trash tomorrow.

Should I conclude, as carebear suggested, that there is something wrong with the lard?
 
HI!!
Yes, I think that there is something wrong with your lard. I would chuck it and buy some from the supermarket. You have checked all other possible culprits, eliminated the lye/the water, it could only be the lard.
Why don't you buy some lard from the store, make the same recipe, and compare results? I think it's possible that the lard has not been cleaned properly. Definitely buy some "processed" lard, and compare results. I would be money that you will get a nice hard white soap, with the one from the supermarket.
Good luck to you, you will get there!! Don't give up, soap making is so much fun and so rewarding, and it really sounds like soap making really will fit in with your whole ethos on life.

Chrissy
 
Yep, I agree, there's definitely something wrong with your lard. I would do what ChrissyB suggested in the above post.


IrishLass
 
I agree - I think the lard hasn't been rendered properly so there are a couple of options. 1 - throw the lard out and buy new. 2- render the lard a few more times to see if you can get it cleaner.

Personally I would throw it out because I just don't have the patience to render anything....however that is just me....

Cheers
Lindy
 
If you get the lard again try to render it again before you use. The rendered tallow should be white to an eggshell white. I get beef fat from the local butcher and boil it with salt 1 tbs per pound till all is cooked down then cool and refrigde until the tallow on top hardens I then clean off the bottom and freeze until needed.
 
Once again, thanks everyone for the replies. I just don't want to mess with this lard anymore, just the smell of it makes me nauseated now.

Unfortunately, it looks like soaping is one hobby I'm going to have to postpone until better times. The only reason I got interested was that my farmer friend had all this lard and I thought "Wow, I could make some cool, all-natural soap with that, for like, way cheap". I don't have any extra cash to pour (pardon the pun) into a hobby right now, like starting to buy fancy oils, frangrances or even to be buying lard at the butcher store. I need to cut my losses at the 8 bucks worth of lye I've used/wasted.

I'll bookmark this site, who knows, maybe when times are better I can order some oils and stuff off the internet and give it a try.

Thanks again everyone! :D
 
I soap at 120 degreesF for my lard soaps, but that's only because I have other fats mixed in with the lard that need a higher melting temp to stay liquid throughout the soaping session. My lye temperature for these particular lard batches is at about 110-115 degreesF. I've never had a piggy smell or overheating at these temps- all has always gone well and smoothly for me, and I make a lot of lard batches.

If it was just 100% lard that I was using, I would only heat the lard on low until just melted, which is way lower than 140 degreesF. Also- I would let my lye cool down to about 100 to 100 degreesF before mixing in with the 100% lard. Here is a chart of the melting points of each particular kind of lard:

Melting point backfat: 30–40 °C (86–104 °F)

leaf fat: 43–48 °C (110–118 °F)

mixed fat: 36–45 °C (97–113 °F)

Smoke point 121-218 °C (250–425 °F)


It sounds like your lard may have gotten overheated. Heating it to 140 and then adding freshly mixed lye solution to it would bring the temp up even higher than 140, seeing as how fresh lye solution is very hot. Not to mention the added heat on top of that that comes from the normal chemical reaction that happens when lye and oils are mixed.

At this point, I wouldn't throw your soap out just yet. Let it sit and cure for awhile before making that decision. You'd be amazed what a good cure can do for some seemingly botched batches.

If after 4 to 6 weeks of curing it still smells like a barnyard, I would toss it if it were me. I wouldn't even try to rebatch it at that point for it may make it worse seeing as how you have to subject the soap to even further heat to melt it down. It's never easy to throw out a batch, believe me I know 😢, especially 10 lbs. worth, but sometimes you just have to cut your losses and start afresh.

Next time, I would make a much smaller batch, say 2 lbs worth, to see how it goes before making a larger batch. It's much easier to throw away 2 lbs if it comes to that than 10 lbs.

I feel your pain! 😢
IrishLass
what kind of thermometer do you use when cooking lard? digital probe instant read? do you measure the actual leaffat temperature or the grease temperature?
 
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