Teeny Tiny 100g batch taking hours to trace

[Anstarx]

Well not necessarily hours but at least an hour for it to reach a light trace.
So I made a batch of pumpkin soap and decided to have some frosting on top. SInce I only one one pipe of frosting on top I figured I probably just need 100g oil or so. I've made a layered soap that is basically 4 batches of 150g oil before, so I thought I can pull it off.

My recipe is 30g CO, 40g shortening (a mixture of palm and soy), 20g olive, 10g canola, total 100g. The oils were warm since I just popped them out of the microwave. I didn't take the exact temp but probably 60-65c ish. The lye is slighter warmer than room temp. Threw in some TD for color and nothing else.
Since it's a tiny batch I used a frother to mix it. I've used the frother before and it's actually pretty powerful. Used it for my grassy layer soap, which is the 150g batches I mentioned, got trace within 30 sec.
This one, however, didn't look like it will trace at all. I was blending it constantly and stirring vigoriously for almost ten minutes, still thin like milk. I got frustrated and thought maybe something's wrong with my lye ratio, maybe my calculation was off, etc. Eventually I just put the whole container on my kitchen counter and forget about it.

After recalculate, I made sure my calculation was correct and I used enough lye. An hour later, I went to the kitchen to grab something and out of curiousity, I poke the batter with a spatula and it is now at a weird trace state. Weird because while it has a thin yoghurt consistency, it didn't leave trace on the surface when lifted. I shrugged and left it be.
The second day, I went into the kitchen to grab some breakfast, the batter in the container is completely solid. Slightly soft, but solid, kinda like lard consistency. I scrap a little bit out and washed with it. Didn't lather much but definitely soap. No burn and no lye smell so it has saponified.
I will keep my smaller batches at least 200g next time but I'm curious, what's the smallest batch you ever done? Do they trace significantly slow like this?

 

[GemstonePony]

I routinely do 100g batches. They do take a while to trace, but then I also only use a whisk with mine. Because of their size, they can't generate very much heat and usually can't hold it well either. It can help to periodically zap the mixture in the microwave for a few seconds to help move things along, but know that that will initially make the batter appear thinner, so be careful not to over-do it. If I have to make it match another batch, I usually either mix and forget them or just straight microwave hot process them. Along similar lines, I find they take a while (2-3 times as long) to set up...
Unless you gel or use an accelerating fragrance. Seriously, I've started looking for accelerating FOs for my tiny batches, otherwise they take hours to trace and days to unmold. I know patience is a requirement of soaping, but I struggle.
If it's an experimental stand-alone batch, I'll throw in all the accelerators I can think of. Sugar? Absolutely. Clay? Sure, why not. Liquid? Beer or cider. Colorants? TD, Key West, and whoever else I can remember behaving suspiciously.

 

[Obsidian]

My smallest is 100 grams. I use a tall skinny container so I can use my SB.

 

[KimW]

I routinely do 100g batches. They do take a while to trace, but then I also only use a whisk with mine. Because of their size, they can't generate very much heat and usually can't hold it well either. It can help to periodically zap the mixture in the microwave for a few seconds to help move things along, but know that that will initially make the batter appear thinner, so be careful not to over-do it. If I have to make it match another batch, I usually either mix and forget them or just straight microwave hot process them. Along similar lines, I find they take a while (2-3 times as long) to set up...
Unless you gel or use an accelerating fragrance. Seriously, I've started looking for accelerating FOs for my tiny batches, otherwise they take hours to trace and days to unmold. I know patience is a requirement of soaping, but I struggle.
If it's an experimental stand-alone batch, I'll throw in all the accelerators I can think of. Sugar? Absolutely. Clay? Sure, why not. Liquid? Beer or cider. Colorants? TD, Key West, and whoever else I can remember behaving suspiciously.

I know you didn't intend to be funny, and your experience/knowledge is well worth noting, but this gave me a nice little chuckle.

 

[amd]

I will keep my smaller batches at least 200g next time but I'm curious, what's the smallest batch you ever done? Do they trace significantly slow like this?

The smallest I have done is around 300g, it didn't trace, which is unusual for my recipe. I poured it into the mold anyways, and when I unmolded discovered it was very brittle, so I ended up chucking it (I was using it for an embed in a soap bar, so it needed to be soft enough to cut. After that I swore to never to do another batch smaller than 500/600g again. Now I when I need to do these smaller pours, I add it to whatever my next batch of soap is, portion off after mixing everything and hope I have enough time to work with the small pour and my regular soap.

Typically I do frosting the same way, as I find that after playing with the main part of the soap, that the frosting portion has setup perfectly and I don't need to wait to pipe. If you're not doing super large batches (such as Royalty Soaps), then there is no reason not make it all in one go to save time and measuring errors.

 

[Anstarx]

I routinely do 100g batches. They do take a while to trace, but then I also only use a whisk with mine. Because of their size, they can't generate very much heat and usually can't hold it well either. It can help to periodically zap the mixture in the microwave for a few seconds to help move things along, but know that that will initially make the batter appear thinner, so be careful not to over-do it. If I have to make it match another batch, I usually either mix and forget them or just straight microwave hot process them. Along similar lines, I find they take a while (2-3 times as long) to set up...
Unless you gel or use an accelerating fragrance. Seriously, I've started looking for accelerating FOs for my tiny batches, otherwise they take hours to trace and days to unmold. I know patience is a requirement of soaping, but I struggle.
If it's an experimental stand-alone batch, I'll throw in all the accelerators I can think of. Sugar? Absolutely. Clay? Sure, why not. Liquid? Beer or cider. Colorants? TD, Key West, and whoever else I can remember behaving suspiciously.

Ah, thank you for the tips! I will try warming it up more next time. I just found it interesting that while my 150g and 200g set up just fine, the 100g batch was so much slower despite being just 50g short. Accelrating FO is also a good idea. I usually don't scent my frosting but I do have a honey FO that accelrates like crazy but won't discolor...

The smallest I have done is around 300g, it didn't trace, which is unusual for my recipe. I poured it into the mold anyways, and when I unmolded discovered it was very brittle, so I ended up chucking it (I was using it for an embed in a soap bar, so it needed to be soft enough to cut. After that I swore to never to do another batch smaller than 500/600g again. Now I when I need to do these smaller pours, I add it to whatever my next batch of soap is, portion off after mixing everything and hope I have enough time to work with the small pour and my regular soap.

Typically I do frosting the same way, as I find that after playing with the main part of the soap, that the frosting portion has setup perfectly and I don't need to wait to pipe. If you're not doing super large batches (such as Royalty Soaps), then there is no reason not make it all in one go to save time and measuring errors.

I'd love to do the both in the same batch. However, I usually move slowly and take videos at the same time so contorling trace can be a bit difficult. Whenever I need to do layers and pencil lines I tend to just divide them into smaller batches. That and also this psecific batch need to be cut vertically first before I can put frosting on top.