Scraping off ash?

[celticjanis]

Stupid question.......Should I scrape off the ash on the soap before curing? I mean, Should I scrape it off upon unmolding and then put on the racks?
Thanks.

 

[dixiedragon]

You can if you like. Try using a hot, wet wash cloth to rub it off.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

You don't need to, though.

 

[earlene]

Some soap will continue to develop ash, so scraping it off now might be a waste of time. Or it might not.

I spray with alcohol after planing my soaps to help inhibit ash, but it doesn't always work. For the most part it seems to, though. But with some of my recent Castile soaps, I see ash continuing to form anyway.

 

[celticjanis]

I have to scrape it off with a knife.....Wondering if it would be better to scrape it off before putting on racks to cure or after cure. Would the soap get better air I took it off first or does it matter either way?

 

[shunt2011]

You can remove it before or after. It really doesn't matter. I've done both.

 

[celticjanis]

Thanks, everyone!

 

[mx5inpenn]

I never got ash until this past fall/winter. Now I'm getting it on every batch. Grrrr.

I wait about 2 weeks after cut then give it a bath. That has worked well on all but 1 batch, which "grew" more after.

 

[RobertBarnett]

I put two teaspoons of beeswax in my soaps and never get ash. Works a treat.

Robert

 

[Susie]

I just learned that a quick wash gets rid of ash, as well as giving the bars a glossier appearance.

 

[Steve85569]

Also if I leave the soap in the mold a bit longer I get less ash.

 

[Soapsense]

I put two teaspoons of beeswax in my soaps and never get ash. Works a treat.

Robert

At what temperature do you soap that the beeswax doesn't just clump up on you when you add it?

 

[earlene]

Not Robert, but I've used beeswax in soap and like it.

For using beeswax, you need to pre-melt it to about 145F (62C). It's easy when you're doing HP soap to work with beeswax as you just add it with the oils to melt all together. I haven't done it with CP yet, myself. After all your oils & beeswax are melted you can let the oils cool a bit before adding the lye water. But not too much. Here is a link that talks about cooling to 115F; it depends on your recipe, though.

Here's another link about working with beeswax if you want to give it a try. I have seen others recommending higher heat for beeswax soaps, but I really think it depends a lot on your specific recipe. This link talks about even higher temperatures, but it's also suggested as an expert level CP soap, so not for beginners.

 

[RobertBarnett]

I soap at 110 degrees f and have no problem with the beeswax. I make sure it all melts and then stick blend it in before adding the lye.

Robert