What is happening to my soap??

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thesoapmom

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What is this?? Just hit the 24 hour mark. This is the only side it is happening on. I got too eager and cut a slice at 20 hours and it was too soft from this end. The rest of the loaf still looks fine.
 
Test this liquid to see if it zaps. If it does then you can either rebatch it you can wait and see if the liquid gets absorbed back in. It could also be fragrance/essential oil that didn't get fully mixed in. Oooor you soap could be sweaty.
 
If it's oozing out of little pockets (the upper left of the image suggests that might be so), I'd rebatch. If the surface is smooth and even, it might be worth waiting but I'd still test the liquid by some means to determine if it is caustic.
 
It's more likely than not fo. Take the tee tiny pinch corner of your pinky and wisp it to the edge of a drop. Put the tip of your tongue to it. It will probably zap in my experience, but will be telling in if it tastes like the fo smells, it's fragrance and will be reabsorbed. I just had this happen today. A tiny pool atop my newly made soap and I barely dipped a pinky in it at the very edge, zap tested the finger, and it zapped strong. I was careful, however, not to get too much and it didn't burn my tongue nor my finger (seeing as I washed it immediately).
Hours later it reabsorbed and the zap in the same spot was completely gone. Seeing as how lye reacts with oils to saponify, and fo leaked, it's feasable lye water leaked as well as the fo leaked..but once reabsorbed the lye has the opportunity to continue its saponofication once it is interacting with the oils again. So long as you dissolved the lye completely and didn't use too much, it will be fine once reabsorbed.

If you're too frightened to attempt a pinky zap test, wait 24 hours and zap the spot the liquid was (assuming it reabsorbed).
 
If it's oozing out of little pockets (the upper left of the image suggests that might be so), I'd rebatch. If the surface is smooth and even, it might be worth waiting but I'd still test the liquid by some means to determine if it is caustic.
I am seeing the same thing in the upper left. Did you cut the rest of the loaf? If not, I am thinking you have an overheated batch with a leaking crater in the center. If that is the case as Judy stated it will need to be rebatched, even if it is not zapping. Overheating can cause a crater, which is the beginning of a volcano and you will not know if it is there until the entire batch is cut. Not amount of time will help if that is the case. I would also set the leaking one where you can catch all the seepage incase you need to rebatch so you can add it all into the rebatch pot
 
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Stick my tongue on the liquid? That seems dangerous! Eek.


But it really isn't, if you do it properly :sigh:

As for the craters, you did say that you got drag marks (seems like a troublesome batch all round) which might be what people are seeing up on that side of the bar. Do you have this on any other bar? If so, could you post another picture?
 
They were gone this morning. Tried cutting again. Soft at the bottom. Will try in 12 more hours. I'm guessing like someone said it was FO that re absorbed. I have been using this recipe for several batches now, not sure what the deal is this time.
 
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