Teach Soap

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Haven

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Did you get the soap to trace?
How warm were your oils and lye?

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

I have a batch of goatsmilk soap with pumpkin in the oven at 170 as I type.

So far so good, but then again, I've never had a problem with pumpkin before...but there's always a first for everything!

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Ok....you guys made me think I would lose my credibility here (as if I had any to begin with) with the oven-force-gel trick. I made a batch last night of goat's milk scented with Arabian Spice from BB which will accelerate a trace faster than a New York second. I also added a tbs of honey PPO at trace. The milk, warm oven, soaping at 110 degrees and the honey will get the soap hotter than he!!. I popped it in the oven at 170 as soon as I poured. Against my better judgement but because you guys have been having problems, I peeked at it after about an hour in the oven. Sure enough, it has separated with a thin layer of oil droplets on the top. I'm confident in my craft so I let the soap in the oven, closed the door and went to sleep. I'm a late riser since I work from home and spend most of the morning in bed with a laptop & coffee (like now). I took the soap out of the oven after my first cup 'o joe and it's perfect. No separation, no oily residue, no curling......just like the other 500 bars I've made this way.

I think if you would've left it in the oven it would have turned out fine. It just looks weird and separates a little when you first put it in. What I made last night was an extreme case that forced a superheated batch....and it turned out fine. Don't panic next time and have a little more faith.

So, do you preheat the oven when your mixing your soap, then turn it off, or do you leave it on the entire time you have it in the oven? I'm curious to try this method, but the clamps I use to hold my mold together are those quick-clamp things and they contain a bit of plastic...I guess I'm more worried about my clamps then the soap?

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I preheat the oven to the lowest setting (170) while mixing. I leave the oven on, then put my soap in after pouring into the mold. I then leave the oven on for about another 15 to 20 minutes then cut it off and forget about it until the next morning. I've been doing this for a long time and have yet to screw up a batch (knock on wood). Honestly, doing it this way enables me to unmold usually within 24 hours....sometimes within 12 and put them on the drying rack. I make a 9-bar batch at least 4 times per week for the past 5 years (except when traveling for work or on vacation) and never had a problem. Some say that soaps made with goat's milk will be ruined if they overheat in a hot oven. Still, I've had no problems this way and have yet to lose a batch.