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"I made similar post at the SMF as well. If that's a problem please let me know."
No problem, but posting in section is sufficient.
"....Oh my. Initially I did the "extreme soaping" approach and mixed up a 1:1 lye ratio. Well, every time I'd turn my back on it the sol'n would start forming a film and re-crystallizing ... and I could NOT get the ley to RE-dissolve back into the solution. I dumped and re-mixed this like 3 times before I found some info from Lindy at SMF where she recommended a 40% (1.5:1) lye/water ratio. So I made another solution at this ratio and it behaved much better."
A 50% lye solution is not recommended for use until you are a soaping vet. It can be highly problematic and even dangerous. In fact, if you put this amount into the lye calculator, you will get a warning note that says "Lye Concentrations of 40% or more are for those experienced with DWCP soap making." I really don't think it is necessary to go that steep, and it is much safer not to. Regardless, waiting [to try this amount] until you have much more experience, as in years not months, is my suggestion. And then, I would begin by gradually decreasing the amount you typically use, getting use to that amount, then decreasing a bit more, until you finally get to the 50%.
"However, no matter what I did, there were just a few teeny little white specs that refused to dissolve. I can only assume this was harmless "residue" (trace minerals?) or actual lye. (I clean my containers very well.) So when I poured the lye solution into my OO I tried to ensure most/all of those 5-6 flecks stayed in the container. (They were REALLY tiny but it still concerned me.)
Anyone notice this with lye solutions before? My lye is from Home Hardware and labelled "100% pure lye." It's made me many a batch of wonderful soap. I've used other lye (flakes) but it too seemed to be tricky on the dissolving front, even at a "normal" lye/water ratio."
All of your lye should always dissolve. When you begin doing steep water discounts, you begin to experience more issues. This is one reason that steep discounts are not recommended for novice use. I am not trying to insult you, and I know that you have made many batches in the last few months, I am just pointing out inherit problems in high discounts. At any rate, this probably had more to do with the water discount than with residue. Usually, a "residue" will appear filmy, not as an undissolved spec. Obviously, you dont want undissolved specss of lye in your batch, so it is good that you kept them out.
I have seen other posts where people had black specs or such in their lye that wouldnt dissolve. These were determined to be additive particles. While I tend to think yours was just undissolved lye, I guess additive materials cant be ruled out completely. I dont think that the the few flecks you kept out of your batch will impact your soap at all, even if your sf was 0, leaving out some lye would just give you a small sf. So no worries there. Just exercise extreme caution in future batches, and increase your water if need be.
It must be working itself out though because my soaps have never been lye heavy or had lye pockets, that kind of thing. I'm VERY careful about measuring/emulsification/reaching trace/etc.
Remember that detecting a lye heavy batch is much easier than detecting a lye pocket, and a lye pocket can be any size. Even when we are extremely careful and have been making soap for many years, things happen. It is life and the mischievous soap fairies, so always inspect and test each batch, and when in doubt, error on the side of caution.
2) Next issue: how picky do you get about the temps? With a concentrated lye solution things get HOT. Yet if I let it cool down too much the lye doesn't want to stay dissolved ... or so it seems. I also read from Lindy to warm the OO which I did, maybe to about 120 or so. I think my lye sol'n was around the same by this point and then I mixed up my soap.
The larger issue here is what you said about the lye. Lye should always remain dissolved. So if you you are getting undissolved lye when it begins to cool, then you have not mixed it well enough or there is a different issue. While I generally soap warm, there have been times when I have soaped at rt. Even then, the lye is dissolved. So maybe you need to mix longer/better. But if you feel you do, then maybe its that your lye is not great quality, and you should try a different brand/vendor.
Anyway, as for temp. I just feel and make sure that my lye pot and my oil pot are close to each other. I did use a thermometer way back when, but I tossed it out pretty quickly. I feel that it is more important to soap with similar temps than to worry about reaching an exact temp. The higher the temp, the quicker the trace usually, and the cooler the temp, the more problematic trace will be (as in it is more difficult to tell when you actually reach trace, and easier to reach false trace). With time and experimentation you will find what temp works best for your recipe and your work style, and you will adapt a "usual" temp to work at. Then you will change that up to meet your needs when you make certain specialty batches or whatever. So take good notes and make test batches at various temps and then decide what works best for you.
3) And finally: what about gelling castile? My plain castile batch is gorgeous and white (and HARD) but I can see a faint (really faint) gell circle in the middle. UGH!! I did insulate (just a wooden lid tho). Do the vets here avoid gel or force it with castile? Really curious on this. I know it's an aesthetic thing and truly, this cirlce is FAINT but still ... irks me.
I always gel and SB prefers not to. So it is just a personal preference. With some soaps a lid would be sufficient. that is pretty much all I use. However, with others, you need a bit more. I sometimes sit my mold in a box (with the lid) and that ensures gel, and other times I use the lid, the box, and I put a blanket over the box. Again, it is experimentation and finding out what works bet with your recipe. Eventually you will know what works in what situation most of the time. There are always variables, so there is never complete assurance, but you can get pretty close.
Congratulations on your first batch of Castille, it looks great!
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Remember, it's not just that we weather the storm, but how we dance in the rain.
Tammy
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When I get into something I REALLY get into it. LOL! So I do tend to want to challenge myself and get a tad ... eager.
