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bubblymess

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I made a soap last night using hot process and i noticed right away that it took a bit longer to trace, and actually didnt seem to really trace. The oils separated and heres what i ended up with once i poured out the extra oil on top ??
IMG_1387.jpg
 
Yup, it separated.
You need to post the recipe to help figure this out.
But if you poured when you didn't get a trace I bet that is why.
OR depending on the recipe, it could be a lye issue
 
Yup, it separated.
You need to post the recipe to help figure this out.
But if you poured when you didn't get a trace I bet that is why.
OR depending on the recipe, it could be a lye issue

So...what is this im left with and is it good for anything
 
Looking at your recipe, I see your total fats weigh only 155 grams. Are you using a scale that weighs to 0.1 gram -- and preferably to 0.01 gram?

If your scale isn't that accurate, I'd say that's at least part of your trouble right there. You can't weigh ingredients accurately enough. For example, an error of 1 gram would throw your NaOH weight off by about 5%. That's a lot of error.

It looks to me like you probably don't have enough NaOH for the batch. Since it's so small and you've already messed with it by pouring off the excess fat, I agree with Lin -- discard this batch rather than try to fix it.

I suggest a minimum total fat weight of 16 oz or 500 grams, whichever you prefer, to reduce the error due to weighing.
 
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I actually doubled the recipe but i think youre on to something. I’ll try again and see what happens. :)
 
Even if you double the rece you should run it through a calculator again. Sometimes there’s a rounding issue that can change the numbers, especially on a small batch.

I’ve gotten in the habit of meant my oils then inputting it in a calc just in case I miss measure. It’s a small habit but it’s prevented potential disaster on several batches.
 
Ok im not sure wth i did now. I made a new batch, different recipe, and after gel phase, im separating again! Ughh
IMG_1393.jpg
IMG_1523257653.792124.jpg
 
Can you mix it back into emulsion?

I don’t see anything wrong with your recipe (but am curious, what calc do you use?) If you’re still having trouble checkyour crockpot temp. My guess is that it runs hot and you may need to turn it off/on maintain an appropriate temp.

(I’ll also note that I don’t HP, so my knowledge kinda ends here. Hopefully someone else can troubleshoot further)
 
Can you mix it back into emulsion?

I don’t see anything wrong with your recipe (but am curious, what calc do you use?) If you’re still having trouble checkyour crockpot temp. My guess is that it runs hot and you may need to turn it off/on maintain an appropriate temp.

(I’ll also note that I don’t HP, so my knowledge kinda ends here. Hopefully someone else can troubleshoot further)

I put it back into the crockpot, then mixed like crazy. It started to come back together which was awesome so i kept at it until it looked like gel phase again. Once gloppy i glopped it into my mold an boom! Now i wait til tomorrow to see if it stayed. [emoji173]️
 
Mine looked similar last night before I scooped off the oil from the top, I thought I put too much Olive oil in.
I kept it cooking for another while then moulded anyway, even though it never volcanoed and would never have.
Its very difficult to control temperature with a crockpot, so I'm going to be using a pot from now on.
The mix has to stay at a high temp, like 180 or so
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/thr...w-with-coconut-sauce.69735/page-3#post-695994
 
Since you are CPHP I know a bit more.
I bet your pot is too hot, cook on Low or even Warm if it runs hot. I actually bought a New crock just to make sure the temps would be better then my old one (I donated the old one, it was not used for soap).
That is also a bit too much Castor, I believe anything over 8% is not worth it.

If Seperation happens, Stick Blend it back into shape.
Once gel happens, let it cool to under 130 for your FO.
 
Are you sure your batter is coming to full emulsion/trace? Are you using a stick blender or are you hand stirring? To me it seems as if it's not coming to full emulsion or trace before you stop blending.
 
I have never had HP soap separate after molding, so I am wondering if you put it in the mold before saponification was complete. Once the oils are saponified, the soap shouldn't separate, I don't think. Unless you add something to it that tears it apart, like loads of lemon juice.

Before making another batch of HP soap, I would suggest reviewing this video to make sure you are completing all the necessary steps to get the soap to the point where it is ready to put into the mold:


The only thing I would add to the above, if you are unsure if saponification is complete, is to do the zap test at the 'Vaseline' stage. See how the soap looks in the video at about 5:12 (5 minutes, 12 seconds), that's when she says it is in the final stage of HP, often called the Vaseline stage. To do the zap test, first remove a tiny bit with a spoon (or other utensil) and let it COOL before doing a zap test. Wet your gloved hand and rub the cooled soap paste to create a bit of soapy lather, then touch that to your tongue. This is basically the same as zap testing a finished soap as described in our SMF sticky, except it's done with the cooked paste before it has a chance to set up in the mold.

The other thing I would add to that video is that HP soap benefits from a longer cure, the same as CP soap.
 
When I hp I melt my solid oils on low, add in the liquid oils to help cool it down, add in my room temp lye and bring to a med to thick trace. I then turn the crock pot to high for a little while to get it warm again, turn to low and leave it alone until it has completely gone through gel stage, add fragrance and pour. I always stand back when adding fo the the hot soap because it is going to come up in your face and pour. I do not zap test it once it has completely gone into gel. I find hp stays together much better if you get a good trace. I have had a naughty fragrance or two that will cause ricing and separation in hp. I just turn the heat back up and stick blend until it complies and stays together. Soap can be testy when it so desires
 
I have never had HP soap separate after molding, so I am wondering if you put it in the mold before saponification was complete
Even if saponification is incomplete, it still should not separate. All it means if saponification isn't complete is that it's a hybrid between HP and CP - (it's how I make my HP, I never wait for full saponification, so I guess I can't really call it HP, but something between HP and CP)
It still seems to me as if it never came to trace in the first place. To me, that's the only thing that makes sense. Especially since it's happened to the OP more than once.
 
I donb't watch my temps when HP-ing, get Thick trace then cook on Low, gel stage , cool for FO's and pray I can get it to behave into the mold :rolling:
So I don't think it got a full trace on yours
 
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