I have made a batch that is too lye heavy and am considering trying to rebatch for the first time. Am I correct in understanding that I can grate, then melt in a bag in boiling water with small amounts of liquid to remix? What I don't understand, is how such a small amount of liquid will now counteract all the extra lye. Would greatly appreciate a non science lesson explanation, LOL!
Rebatch for lye heavy
- Thread starter dds
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BattleGnome
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What is your recipe and what do you think went wrong?
The amount of extra liquids is determined by what went wrong and your reasons for rebatching. In a lye heavy batch you would want to add enough extra oil to counteract the lye. For a mismeasured color the liquid amounts would matter less.
If you had five different oils in your recipe and you only measured out four, that last oil would be the liquid to use in your rebatch. If you feel you’ve measured everything correctly and still ended up lye heavy there is a different method for determining your extra liquids. Your full recipe/method will help us figure out the direction you need
The amount of extra liquids is determined by what went wrong and your reasons for rebatching. In a lye heavy batch you would want to add enough extra oil to counteract the lye. For a mismeasured color the liquid amounts would matter less.
If you had five different oils in your recipe and you only measured out four, that last oil would be the liquid to use in your rebatch. If you feel you’ve measured everything correctly and still ended up lye heavy there is a different method for determining your extra liquids. Your full recipe/method will help us figure out the direction you need
What BattleGnome said. More info please -- ALL ingredients and please use weights not %.
If you share your recipe so we can give you decent advice, you might be lucky enough to learn you don't need to rebatch at all.
If you share your recipe so we can give you decent advice, you might be lucky enough to learn you don't need to rebatch at all.
Thanks, here it is. Maybe not a lye issue after all I guess. I leaped to that thought, as it is very dense and brittle, but no 'zap'. I have been fine with it in the past...the difference this time was I added titanium white. I think that was about 1/2 cup....I thought that wouldn't factor, as I see most recipes that use colorant do not show a measurement. Same for most using scent. This recipe comes out great, just wanted true white....
2 2/3 cup frozen goat milk
1 1/4 cup (10 oz) lye
4 cups olive oil
4 cups lard
2 Tbl scent
2 2/3 cup frozen goat milk
1 1/4 cup (10 oz) lye
4 cups olive oil
4 cups lard
2 Tbl scent
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The first thing I see is you are not measuring appropriately. You really need to measure by weight. There is too much room for error measuring in cups. Probably why it may be lye heavy.
You also need to run you recipes through a lye calculator like soapcalc.net or soapee.com for accurate measurements.
Also, if you used a half cup of titanium dioxide your soap will be chalky.
Have you zap tested your soap?
As for rebatching, you would need to know hw much Oil to add to counteract the excess lye. And it’s not likely with your way of measuring.
You also need to run you recipes through a lye calculator like soapcalc.net or soapee.com for accurate measurements.
Also, if you used a half cup of titanium dioxide your soap will be chalky.
Have you zap tested your soap?
As for rebatching, you would need to know hw much Oil to add to counteract the excess lye. And it’s not likely with your way of measuring.
Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
Hi dds and Welcome to the Forum.
If you haven't already done so, it would really be helpful if you could go to the Introduction Forum and introduce yourself... where you hail from, what drew you to making soap, and especially your level of experience... it just makes it easier for us to help you with any problems that come up.
Also, you might like to take a look at the Stickies in the Beginner's Forum to become familiar with general soapmaking terms and methods. While I'm delighted to hear you've made soap successfully, we don't use cups, tablespoons, etc. here. Everything is done by weight.
HTH (Hope This Helps!)
If you haven't already done so, it would really be helpful if you could go to the Introduction Forum and introduce yourself... where you hail from, what drew you to making soap, and especially your level of experience... it just makes it easier for us to help you with any problems that come up.
Also, you might like to take a look at the Stickies in the Beginner's Forum to become familiar with general soapmaking terms and methods. While I'm delighted to hear you've made soap successfully, we don't use cups, tablespoons, etc. here. Everything is done by weight.
HTH (Hope This Helps!)
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artemis
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It looks like dds has been here for a couple of years.
BattleGnome
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That is probably the reason for the difference in your soap. Did you use titanium dioxide or some sort of different colorant base? (Titanium white makes me think of Bob Ross so my mind immediately goes to paint which probably isn’t skin safe.) Titanium dioxide needs a lighter touch than most colorants, it can change the texture of soap and cause glycerin rivers.
A quick guideline for colorant and fragrance usage: micas need 1tsp-1tbsp per pound of oils in the recipe. Most fragrances use up to 6% of your oil weight but double check what the manufacturer says to use. Without knowing weights off hand, my guess is that you used too much colorant and not enough fragrance
Yes, I mentioned in earlier post, there was no zap. I will weigh out my olive oil to get its weight per cup and run thru a calc.
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Thank you, that guideline is most helpful! And yes titanium dioxide, but that was certainly worth the laugh....Happy little soaps and maybe a little lather river over there...
would one of you be so kind to double check my data in this calc. this says i am NOT lye heavy, but not sure i've done it right. also, if i were lye heavy, would you please explain how to manipulate the data to tell me how much liquid i need to add to rebatch. thanks VERY much for your help. my recipe for hard CP (now in weights) 22.2 oz goat milk (i put bovine in the input, no goat option), 10 oz lye, 32 oz olive oil, 32 oz pork lard, 1 oz fragrance, and 4 oz titanium dioxide.
penelopejane
Well-Known Member
The goats milk does not go in the oils section. You substitute part or all of the water component for goats milk.
So take the milk fat out of the oils and change the oils to 50% of each. change the dot from “Water as a % or oils” to “lye concentration” -and make it 30
Then click the calculate recipe and it will open a new tab with the lye and water amounts.
You decide if you want to freeze the goats milk and use it for all the water in the recipe or if you want to dissolve the lye in 1/2 the water and add the other 1/2 of the water as goats milk which you add the oils.
So take the milk fat out of the oils and change the oils to 50% of each. change the dot from “Water as a % or oils” to “lye concentration” -and make it 30
Then click the calculate recipe and it will open a new tab with the lye and water amounts.
You decide if you want to freeze the goats milk and use it for all the water in the recipe or if you want to dissolve the lye in 1/2 the water and add the other 1/2 of the water as goats milk which you add the oils.
thanks! i reran the weights thru calc after penelopejane's input. it called for 8.4 oz lye not the 10 oz i put in. so i expect a combo of excess lye + the titanium dioxide causing the brittleness. i have grated it all, as i wouldn't use it the way it was anywho. so last question: any input on adding qtys of liquid in the rebatch?
dixiedragon
Well-Known Member
The purpose of adding liquid to the rebatch is to help the soap melt. If your soap is lye heavy, you would need to add enough oil to use up the excess lye.
if you are going to rebatch it you need to add in the extra fat for the extra lye to react. Or it can be, what is called Salted Out. This is a way to wash out the extra, but also washes out the glycerin. I personally do not like salted out soap, but have made some.
penelopejane
Well-Known Member
Personally I would have just waited to see how it turned out.
You can use way over the required amount of lye and the soap still turns out fine after a long cure.
So the problem you see is brittleness?
How are you detecting that? Is it just when you cut the soap.
You might have left it too long to cut or that might be the TD which you can use at about 1 tsp ppo (per pound of oil in the mix).
Now that you have grated it all I would use it as confetti in soap rather than rebatching. Confetti-ing saves just about any soap and the final soap is lovely.
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