What's This In My Mold

[triprolo]

I made some orange soap and let it harden for a couple of days before removing it from the mold. When I did remove it, this is what I found in the mold. It doesn't look to have affected the soap since it was under my liner. Not sure what it is though. Thoughts?

 

[Steve85569]

At first I expected to see legs...

Looks to me like there might have been a small amount of leakage while the soap batter was still liquid or some of the orange took a trip with her friend Mr. lye. Maybe even a bit of color from the liner paper?

Those are my first impression guesses.

 

[maya]

Sap from the residual heat from the saponification process is what it looks like to me.

 

[CaraBou]

Looks like mold though I can't reconcile how that could be. Do you think there could be chemicals in the wood (i.e., from treatment) that reacted with seeped lye, or maybe a natural stain that was highlighted?

 

[galaxyMLP]

Looks like some caustic seepage too me. Then that seepage reacted with your wooden mold. I think that may be a "burnt" mold. Still totally usable IMHO.

 

[cmzaha]

I agree with leakage and some lye reaction

 

[triprolo]

I, too, was thinking it was orange mixing with the lye that seeped under the lining. I've used this mold before but that didn't happen. I've never used orange EO before but have heard stories. I'm gonna chalk it up as harmless and keep on keeping on. Thanks for all you comments.

 

[navigator9]

It's the pattern that has me puzzled.

 

[shunt2011]

It looks like lye reacted with the wood.

 

[Soapsavvy]

It looks like mold, I'm not trying be cynical or anything, but that's what it looks like to me.

 

[Soapsavvy]

Yeah, Navigator I was curious as well!!

 

[triprolo]

It's the pattern that has me puzzled.

I thought it was interesting but figured it was air bubbles created under the liner when I poured the soap into the mold.

 

[lionprincess00]

My first thoughts are the pattern was formed from wrinkles in the liner maybe. Second I know I've read treated lumber can react with the lye, like was previously mentioned. If you made the mold with treated wood and it seeped out of the liner, then that's my guess as to what happened.
From
http://www.lovinsoap.com/2010/07/choosing-a-mold-a-cold-process-soapmaking-tutorial/

You’ll want to purchase a mold made of a hard wood such as poplar that is untreated. Treated wood can react if exposed to unsaponified soap as well as to heat in your oven if you choose to use your mold in the oven for any reason (such as forcing gel).

 

[triprolo]

My first thoughts are the pattern was formed from wrinkles in the liner maybe. Second I know I've read treated lumber can react with the lye, like was previously mentioned. If you made the mold with treated wood and it seeped out of the liner, then that's my guess as to what happened..

I'm not sure if it was treated or not. I just grabbed some wood from my Father-In-Law's wood shop and slapped it together. That's probably what happened though.

 

[navigator9]

Mmm...I don't think those are wrinkles. It's a pattern of some kind. It ends at one point, in a pretty straight line, and then picks up again, and it goes up the ends. Exactly what did you use as a liner? If it was plastic, did it have printing on it, or some kind of design? I'm just not convinced that those are wrinkles.

 

[TeresaT]

Ewwww, cooties!!

(Yeah. I'm a grown up.)

 

[triprolo]

Exactly what did you use as a liner? If it was plastic, did it have printing on it, or some kind of design? I'm just not convinced that those are wrinkles.

I used freezer paper

 

[navigator9]

I used freezer paper

Well, that blows my theory out of the water. OK, I'm officially stumped. Does it scrape off, like it's something on top of the wood, or is it in the wood fibers?

 

[triprolo]

I didn't want to touch it last night. Lol But when I get home, I may try scraping it to see if it growls.

 

[triprolo]

I checked it out and it does look like the wood is burnt. It wouldn't scrape off and the texture of the wood is no different. So I'm thinking the lye reacted with the wood and burnt it but not sure. Very interesting for sure.