Steaming Soda Ash

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NewSoaperID

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Joined
Jan 31, 2023
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Location
Eagle, ID
I have been happily soaping for the last three weeks and have 13 batches under my belt. I am soaping in a very cold environment and keep getting soda ash, no matter how much 99% alcohol I spray on top. I bought a handheld steamer to remove it. When do I steam? After unmolding but before curing? After curing? Some time in between?

Any advice would be appreciated! Thank you!

New Soaper in Idaho
 
Hello! I am an Idaho soaper not far from you. :) Spraying alcohol never worked for me. To avoid ash, I raise my lye concentration, cover my soap after pouring, and gel most soaps on a heating pad (easier than the oven for me). The other thing that helps for me is to re-cover the soap after I cut it, and leave it covered for at least a few days so it isn't exposed to much air. Then I uncover it and cure it as normal.

I still get ash on some soaps; for instance, activated charcoal ashes no matter what for me, and lavender EO often does, as well. I don't steam mine often, but if I do, it's after at least a couple of weeks of curing, since the ash seems to return if I do it sooner than that. Hope that helps, and welcome to soaping!
 
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Hello! I am an Idaho soaper not far from you. :) Spraying alcohol never worked for me. To avoid ash, I raise my lye concentration, cover my soap after pouring, and gel most soaps on a heating pad (easier than the oven for me). The other thing that helps for me is to re-cover the soap after I cut it, and leave it covered for at least a few days so it isn't exposed to much air. Then I uncover it and cure it as normal.

I still get ash on some soaps; for instance, activated charcoal ashes no matter what for me, and lavender EO often does, as well. I don't steam mine often, but if I do, it's after at least a couple of weeks of curing, since the ash seems to return if I do it sooner than that. Hope that helps, and welcome to soaping!
Thank you! Thanks especially for the tip to cover after cutting. A few of my batches indeed have looked fine until I cut them and set them out to cure in my freezing garage! I will give that a shot.
 
There's no point in steaming them until after the ash appears. One thing I have done which helps is that in addition to spritzing with alcohol and covering right after it's poured, once I take it out of the mold, I spritze all around the loaf of soap, then I spritz the front and back of each bar. That has helped immensely. I haven't had to steam anything since I started doing that.

Prior to discovering the total spritz, I used to steam soap that needed it after a couple weeks. After that, it seems that it has ashed all it's going to, and I can steam it with little risk of ash coming back.
 
Neat trick about the all over spritz! I'll have to try that!

My ash shows up anywhere from 2-5 weeks after cutting, and then just hangs out, doesn't appear to get any worse. I just steam before I give it away.
 
@dmcgee5034 @NewSoaperID @Ephemerella @Carly B
As I've said many times before, in all my years of soaping since 2003, I've NEVER experienced soda ash or DOS on my soaps. I don't spray with alcohol but I do cover the batch overnight with 4-ply Mylar, I insulate with old towels to insure gel, and leave the bars uncovered to cure in the open air for 4-6 weeks after cutting.


It breaks my heart to see how many members of SMF have that problem. It's a real head-scratcher!

I've been on many forums and Yahoo groups where ash or DOS was rarely discussed because so few had the problem. It's only here on SMF that it is a problem. I wish I could find the answer.

But, that being said, my latest "suspicion" is that the problem may be soaping cool in order to make beautiful multi-colored swirls. I dunno. :smallshrug:

So, one of the things I do differently is I rarely soap cool unless I'm making soaps with known "heaters" like GM soaps, soaps with honey, fragrance with cinnamon/clove EOs, etc. Even then, I made GM soap for 10 years for a wholesale customer. No ash. No DOS. Zero, Zip, Nada. Never.

To jump start gel, I almost always check TEMPS:

Recipes high in hard-at-room-temp oils & fats - 120°F - 135°F
Recipes high in liquid oils - 100°F - 125°F


The other thing I do is I soap with full water, i.e., Water as 38% of Oils for the first go round then adjust from there if needed -- 33% lye concentration; 0% SF; 2:1 or 3:1 lye-to-water; etc. I don't have a brain for science. Seat-of-the-pants thinking if more like it, based on my knowledge and experience. My thinking is that the lye needs enough oxygen from the water to complete saponification. If there's not enough oxygen from the water, it takes it from the air. Hence, soda ash.

Just something to think about. I hope someone comes up with an answer for us all.
Cross Fingers.jpg
 
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