Ugh, could baking soda be the culprit?

[serfmunke]

Hey All, I posted a bit ago about my tallow soaps being amazing then all of a sudden, out of the blue, my recipe had an issue, turning into mashed potatoes almost immediately upon adding my lye. I also noticed a lot of water in the molds. I've been searching the internet for any idea why this is happening and I think I just figured it out. I added, too much, baking soda to my tallow in an attempt to diminish the tallow smell. Of course when I dumped the carton over a lot poured into my tallow. I didn't think anything of it. I wonder if I can strain it out or did it dissolve in the tallow?

Anyone think this sounds like a good explanation of my recent soaping woes?

 

[GreenDragon]

Boil it for 20 minutes in 4x it's volume of water, change the water, and boil again. That should remove the majority of the baking soda. You could also add a few tablespoons of vinegar to the second boil.

I use activated charcoal granules in my second boil to deodorize my tallow (check your local fish store). Also removing as much meat before rendering it low and slow in a crock pot helps to avoid generating a lot of odor in the first place. Good luck!

 

[kayak1987]

Are you sure you add enough lye?
and-or that you blend and mix for enough time?
It's an HP or CP?