Teach Soap

I've been having this problem ever since i started making soap, and i can't seem to correct it. i've got a feeling i must be oveheating my base...

i heat my base in the microwave on 20 - 25 second intervals. by the time the base is melted it's temp is about 60 ish degrees. ..

after i have stirred in fragrance and colour, and pour the soap into my mould, it doesn't matter how much alcohol i spray on the soap to burst the bubbles, they dont burst.. i end up with my soap setting all uneven looking like waves and bubbly. ...

help?

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Stacey - Victoria,Australia.
Photo stream - http://www.flickr.com/photos/msjuiicix/
Facebook Page:http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Body-Dessert/122830561107347

Hey,

I always get this problem with soap for 2 reasons:

1) I have left the soap base out for too long. Out as in not in an airtight container and

2) I have melted it once before and I'm remelting it again.

It could be you are over heating it. I tend to melt mine for 30 seconds and if there is some tiny lumps I tend to stir it until they are melted as microwaving can cause heat spots and mixing it well can finish the job for you. If 30 seconds doesn't do the job I follow with 15 second blasts until I'm happy.

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Sarah x

Although they are terribly convenient, I don't like melting soap in the microwave. It heats unevenly, and does not really allow for strict control of temperature (I want all my little soapy molecules dancing to the same music, if you will). That said, I don't think high temps would cause air to be trapped in your soap (assuming you are using a clear base) as a high temp liquid base tends to be thin allowing air to rise to the surface. You say your soap temperature is around 60 degrees c, that should be warm enough for most bases to perform well but you could go as high as 65 degrees (around 150f) and see if that helps.
Remember to mix in your ingredients gently as well, to minimize air in your soap. The same with pouring into molds.

You might also want to try a different base, see if you get different results that way.

Oh, I guess I should mention my two favorite methods for melting soap is a double boiler or a crock pot. I personally prefer the crock pot because with a double boiler if you get any soap in the water you are boiling it can create a waxy residue on surfaces around your boiler. As I write this, I am waiting on 6 lbs of SFIC crystal clear to melt in a crock pot. It usually takes a couple of hours, but I know what temperature it will be at every time.

Best of luck and let us know how you make out

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Thanks everyone!

Hmmm I think it might be the mircowave heating, I think I might change melting methods. I was using both clear and opaque. The clear gets all bubbly in between layers, and the opaque gets like a bubbly froth on top of the soap after being poured.
Might invest in a crock pot or a double boiler.

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Stacey - Victoria,Australia.
Photo stream - http://www.flickr.com/photos/msjuiicix/
Facebook Page:http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Body-Dessert/122830561107347

You aren't heating on High are you? Medium or Medium low (40%) is good. I think you are overheating. Also if you don't cover it for 1 cup amounts and over you will probably get some evaporation and a skin may form. With the bubbles between layers sounds like you are pouring too cool. The alcohol with only remove the bubbles if liquid enough.

If buying bulk base you can sometimes get a sort of scum or frothy layer on top of the drum, I just scrape that off and bin it.

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Goldenearthgirl

I've had this happen to me a few times as well, and I've always put it down to over-heating. So now I make sure to watch the soap while using the microwave and not melt it all completely. By that I mean leaving a few unmelted chunks in it then stirring it until they fully melt. This also helps to cool the base down faster, so you don't have to wait so long when pouring layers etc.

goldenearthgirl: Yeah I think I was over heating. I was using just normal microwave setting, I now use 320watts and the soap is usually fine. it was also the quality of the soap, i ve since bought brambleberry (from an Aussie stockist) base and the stuffs fantastic, so easy to work with. really happy with it.

meeshee: I was looking back on my soaps, the ones where i was heating the soaps at full heat and the ones where i was only using 320watts and the difference is amazing. Plus I changed my soap base and I am really happy with the soap base now.

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Stacey - Victoria,Australia.
Photo stream - http://www.flickr.com/photos/msjuiicix/
Facebook Page:http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Body-Dessert/122830561107347

Since overheating looks like your problem this might not be relevent but you said the alcohol wasn't melting the bubbles the only time that happens to me is when l have left the base to cool too much before spraying,also with the froth on top of your opaque just wondering if you aren't stirring too much,do you spray your base in the jug before you pour as well as after you pour?.

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Pauline
http://www.facebook.com/SudsandKissesSoaps
Founding member & admin of Melt & Pour Soap Crafters.

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Stacey - Victoria,Australia.
Photo stream - http://www.flickr.com/photos/msjuiicix/
Facebook Page:http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Body-Dessert/122830561107347