Teach Soap

I tried to use a PVC pipr for a mold & I had read to put wax paper over the end & secure it with rubber bands, I used Cedar & saffron FO & my soap went all lumpy all of a sudden . Also My Lye water had cooled to around 80 degrees in an ice bath ( maybe too cool?)
I had a feeling so I did it in the sink & about a minute after I poured it into the pipe it busted through the bottom .
what do you guys use for keeping your soap from running out of the pipe?

Your lye water was too cold and it started to solidify your oils. I normally soap at around 110 degrees (US). Some fragrance can overheat. Keep good notes, so you will know this for next time. Your soap does not need to gel in order for it to become soap. I stick my soaps in the fridge or the freezer. I would probably rebatch this batch. It's most likely lye heavy in spots.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Sorry to hear your soap busted out the bottom of the pvc pipe. You can get rubber caps made for the pvc pipe, at the hardware store. These are black and have a tightening metal strap around them. They are only a few dollars each. Some are taller then others but I have both and it doesn't seem to matter. I bought mine at Lowes and some at Ace. Hope this helps, and just wanted to say I love Cedar and Saffron.

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"Maintaining Balance Between People and Nature"

Yeah, wax paper is not my friend. I used up the roll I had on making dipped pretzels. Much safer.

Commercial-grade plastic wrap is my friend when it comes to PVC.

I've been using a PVC pipe for a the last couple of batches. I coat the inside with petroleum jelly and use a thin plastic cap made for the pipe held on with packing tape for the bottom. So far both batches were hot process, but if you want to avoid gel, I would chill the molds for a couple of hours before filling them, then put the filled molds in the refrigerator. The petroleum jelly is unsaponifiable so it works great for allowing the soap to slide out of the pipe.

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I have never tried using petroleum jelly to 'grease' my molds. Do you need to wipe off the finished soap?

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

Sometimes the soap has an oily coating when I take it out of the molds. But this is reabsorbed into the soap in an hour or two. I know it's not petroleum jelly because petroleum jelly is unsaponifiable and doesn't get absorbed into the soap. After I'm done with the mold, I just wipe it out with a paper towel. The molds work better after a couple of uses as the plastic gets "seasoned." Don't use detergent to clean them or you will have to start seasoning them all over again.

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I was just back at Lowe's and the cap I use is called a test cap. Just pop it in and secure it with two strips of packing tape over the end. The first time I didn't secure the cap and it dropped off while I was tapping the mold to get out any air bubbles. Fortunately it was a small test batch, but I had the funniest shape soap blob on the kitchen counter. I just let it sit for 24 hours, pried it up with a spatula and let it cure.

Also, if you decide to try using petroleum jelly, be sure you actually use it every time. I forgot on the batch I made yesterday and had the hardest time getting the soap out. It took 3 soda cans and another greased piece of PVC pipe to work the soap out.

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