tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post115399462268892229..comments2023-04-15T14:50:47.553+01:00Comments on Gracefruit.com - Making Soap, Living Well: Hot Process HintsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-7383249393246607442012-10-01T00:48:56.865+01:002012-10-01T00:48:56.865+01:00Prior to trying the HP Crockpot recipe I'd lik...Prior to trying the HP Crockpot recipe I'd like to ensure that my crockpot doesn't get too hot. I am especially concerned about the temperature at the sides (I wish to avoid lumps). Do you recommend that I use a candy thermometer and hold immerse it on the side to check the temperature? Also, how far should I immerse. <br /><br />Thank you so much for sharing your talents! -Rhonda-buedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11984077407520183835noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-47528754600540385922012-06-19T09:59:19.507+01:002012-06-19T09:59:19.507+01:00My soap came to trace too fast and I have been coo...My soap came to trace too fast and I have been cooking it four-eveh-errrrrr and it still zaps! What in the world is going on? I figured too much lye and not enough oils and waters so I tried to re batch with extra water and oil and have been stiring like a mad woman and so far no change. It's zap city! Help?!?<br />Thanks :)<br />AthenaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-34805371669822123792012-06-14T21:34:09.289+01:002012-06-14T21:34:09.289+01:00Same thing here is the 3-5% oil weight or lye wate...Same thing here is the 3-5% oil weight or lye water weight?<br />LizAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-2970036671195643782012-06-04T04:23:16.004+01:002012-06-04T04:23:16.004+01:00Hi all,I was wondering about the adding sugar at 3...Hi all,I was wondering about the adding sugar at 3-5% to the lye solution..is that 3-5% of the water amount or the batch weight ,or oil weight?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-9304564282333036922010-11-20T10:29:12.383+00:002010-11-20T10:29:12.383+00:00Hi, I'm new to HP soap, and twice I've tri...Hi, I'm new to HP soap, and twice I've tried this exact method, with different HP recipes http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/liquidsoap/ss/basicliquidsoap.htm Twice now I've had it cooking for 16 + hours at about 170* with no translucency. I threw out the first batch and so want to save this one... any suggestions? Should I be adding water during the cooking process? Help! :DAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-15211322596387673022009-11-09T16:21:32.169+00:002009-11-09T16:21:32.169+00:00Hello, I am new to soapmaking and tried a cold pro...Hello, I am new to soapmaking and tried a cold process batch last night. Not happy with the 45 minutes with a whisk in order to get it to begin to trace and not sure if it will saponify correctly. Can I reheat this batch and turn it into a hot process batch instead?<br />Thanks and I absolutely LOVE your website.The Spinner's Cottagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03152624764657899041noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-8871544569994700692009-09-07T19:35:42.923+01:002009-09-07T19:35:42.923+01:00Anonymous, it actually depends on how much water m...Anonymous, it actually depends on how much water maximum that your recipe calls for. If you don't use the max at the beginning then you can make up for it in the end if you don't get carried away. I wouldn't add anymore than what I left out from the discount at the beginning.<br /><br />I hope this helps.Mochahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10167884948173424113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-2466700669907690962009-09-07T19:33:45.835+01:002009-09-07T19:33:45.835+01:00Hi Fylith,
What it sounds like to me is that you ...Hi Fylith,<br /><br />What it sounds like to me is that you probably didn't get your batch to a true trace. When this happened to me I just let it cook cook cook until I touched it to my tongue and I didn't get the zap. My batch turned out great after that. <br /><br />Sorry that it took me so long to get back to you as I had attend a funeral Saturday.Mochahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10167884948173424113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-22353353192053176032009-09-06T19:35:44.800+01:002009-09-06T19:35:44.800+01:00Hi, gracefruit seems to not be on lately, so can a...Hi, gracefruit seems to not be on lately, so can anyone let me know if they have experience adding water liquids after the cook (like teas, for example). I would like to what % liquid i can add ofter the cook & still have my soap set.<br />Thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-63676248131058268782009-09-05T20:38:33.760+01:002009-09-05T20:38:33.760+01:00Vikki or grace... so i made my soap and it didnt p...Vikki or grace... so i made my soap and it didnt puff up this time but now it zaps. it called for 11.6 oz of lie i only put in 11.5 but it is still zaping even after cooking it 3hrs and adding 5 oz or more oils in what did i do wrong this time. im so frustrated. :(fylithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-43923164593613960712009-08-31T03:37:43.809+01:002009-08-31T03:37:43.809+01:00Anytime Fylith! Your recipe has nice cleansing, c...Anytime Fylith! Your recipe has nice cleansing, conditioning and hardness qualities. I'm sure your soaps will turn out great!<br /><br />VikkiMochahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10167884948173424113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-70688353581576631302009-08-31T03:28:19.287+01:002009-08-31T03:28:19.287+01:00Vikki, thanks so much I will just watch it very ca...Vikki, thanks so much I will just watch it very carefully and stir it when it puffs up. thanks for letting me know my recipe looked ok :)fylithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-55195890301372178832009-08-30T21:54:10.669+01:002009-08-30T21:54:10.669+01:00Fylith,
I'm not Grace but from what I can see...Fylith,<br /><br />I'm not Grace but from what I can see your recipe is fine. There is absolutely nothing at all wrong with stirring your batch back down when it starts to puff up to the top. It's actually recommended that you do this. <br /><br />I use a 6 1/2 quart crock pot to do my 4 to 5 lb batch in and I have to stir my 5 lb batch down most times so I'm not sure if maybe your crockpot is too small for the job or not being that it's an 8 lb batch that you are working with.<br /><br />I hope this helps.Vikkihttp://www.mhsoaps.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-54984963182405896802009-08-30T21:18:06.447+01:002009-08-30T21:18:06.447+01:00Gracefruit, my soap keeps puffing up and over flow...Gracefruit, my soap keeps puffing up and over flowing my crock pot! it tests out at PH of 9 but it doesnt have that vasaline look to it. if i stir it up it settles down but by then i have lost alot of soap over the edge. i use a 8 L crock pot and i make about 5 lbs of soap. i made the recipe as follows.<br />26 oz of coconut oil<br />28 oz of palm oil<br />26 oz of soybean oil<br /><br />11.5 oz of lye<br />30.5 oz of water<br /><br />am I doing something wrong? i was told not to stir my soap until i put in my FO and color. but if i dont over the edge it goes.<br />thanks a bunchFylithnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-52323525973114501082009-07-21T16:23:23.863+01:002009-07-21T16:23:23.863+01:00Hi Gracefruit!
I have yet another question for you...Hi Gracefruit!<br />I have yet another question for you:<br />I would like to add water based liquids after the cook. Have you ever done this? I was wondering if you had an idea of what % could add without creating an extreme long wait time for the soap to dry.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-57218819318203118972009-07-10T06:09:10.398+01:002009-07-10T06:09:10.398+01:00Bunny, I've never worried much about temperatu...Bunny, I've never worried much about temperature when making HP and have never noticed any ill effects. It is possible to burn the soap if your crock pot is set too high, but other than that, I don't think there is any harm in having a hot pot or hot oils -- just be careful not to burn yourself! :)gracefruithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04808181398539831331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-38549562729291376802009-06-28T14:44:14.526+01:002009-06-28T14:44:14.526+01:00LOL - not one scortching hot day? Maybe i should m...LOL - not one scortching hot day? Maybe i should move to Scotland!<br /><br />I just had my scale replaced, so it's shouldn't be off. Do you know of a sure way to test it?<br /><br />I don't even see an expiry date on my lye! oy!<br /><br />Does it matter in CPHP if the oils & crock pot are already very hot when the lye is added?Wadawashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13494664355767978229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-53117927490354910802009-06-28T11:01:16.690+01:002009-06-28T11:01:16.690+01:00Hi Bunny! Living in Scotland, I must confess that...Hi Bunny! Living in Scotland, I must confess that I've never made soap in high heat or humidity. :) I know plenty of soapers in the US that do regularly make soap when then weather is hot, though.<br /><br />If your soap is coming out lye heavy, it might be that your scale is a bit off, or that the caustic soda you're using has gone out of date. <br /><br />I do hope you figure out what's causing the problem. Failed batches are annoying!gracefruithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04808181398539831331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-42713438257878340722009-06-28T03:05:58.008+01:002009-06-28T03:05:58.008+01:00sorry, i meant when i added my lye. Sigh, i wish ...sorry, i meant when i added my lye. Sigh, i wish we could edit blog posts!Wadawashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13494664355767978229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-88959605514915907652009-06-28T03:03:43.794+01:002009-06-28T03:03:43.794+01:00Hi Gracefruit,
Have you ever found that extreme ...Hi Gracefruit, <br /><br />Have you ever found that extreme summer heat + high humidity messes with the crock pot or the soap? <br /><br />I've been CPHP fro 2 years without ever having a problem. But last week my soap didn't work out & i don't know why. Perfect measurements, perfect trace. But the soap was gritty with pools on top. Eventually it was completely gelled through & passed all other criteria for being finished, but i still zapped. This was after 8 hours of cooking!!! This happened to 3 batched in 3 days (different crock pots) all during the crazy hot & humid weather.<br /><br />The only other thing i could think of is that all of my oils were hotter than usual when i added the dye.<br /><br />Do you have any insights? <br />Thanks!!Wadawashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13494664355767978229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-45840792640427271312009-01-18T06:03:00.000+00:002009-01-18T06:03:00.000+00:00I just made yummy mocha coffee bars with leftover ...I just made yummy mocha coffee bars with leftover coffee from this morning in lieu of water, and I used the grounds in the soap for an exfoliater. I did forget to add the castor oil ( I just had twins so my heads a little screwy) and my soap took FOREVER to come to trace, then 10 more years to gel and finish. I put my recipe into the lye calculator minus the castor oil I forgot to add and there was a substantial difference in amount. So if it takes forever, there is probably too much lye. However, it was well worth the wait! The soap is the most amazing shade of brown and smells divine!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-36425964921702145502009-01-11T10:50:00.000+00:002009-01-11T10:50:00.000+00:00Hi there. The liquid at the end was probably glyc...Hi there. The liquid at the end was probably glycerine. Sometimes it will 'float' on top of the cooked soap. You just need to stir it back in.<BR/><BR/>Without seeing your recipe, I can only guess that the lye content was too high. You can check your recipe by running it through a lye calculator (http://www.thesage.com/calcs/lyecalc2.php) to make sure you're using the correct amount of lye. I have seen many mistakes with lye in books, so it's always a good idea to check.<BR/><BR/>I hope this is helpful to you!gracefruithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04808181398539831331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-86858901172733343182009-01-10T23:14:00.000+00:002009-01-10T23:14:00.000+00:00Thanks for your blog! Very helpful. We tried the ...Thanks for your blog! Very helpful. We tried the HP today and our recipe had to stir for hours for it to even trace (we need to get a blender!) and then cooked for another 2 hrs to looks like it was ready to pour into molds. Only we tried the zap test, and were zapped!! how can it still be caustic after cooking for so long? We have been using recpies from a soapmaking book so it seems odd. Also with both recipes today the thick soap (just when it looked ready to pour) separated and there was additional liquid in the crock pot which looked like water...have you had any experience with that? thanks!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-55389423524241649762008-10-23T19:19:00.000+01:002008-10-23T19:19:00.000+01:00I actually used it in a batch a week ago and I thi...I actually used it in a batch a week ago and I think it turned out nicely but I've been hearing something about it being heat sensitive or something to that effect. So I just wanted to get someone else's opinion on using the Lanolin. I'm going to actually try it tonight and I'll tell you how it feels and what I think. The fact that some people has bragged on how dreamy it makes the soap is what made me want to try it.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the tip. Of course what I love is Soap so I guess I'll start there.<BR/><BR/>VikkiMochahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10167884948173424113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19178603.post-12409607860195864352008-10-23T19:11:00.000+01:002008-10-23T19:11:00.000+01:00Hi Vikki, I've not tried lanolin, but I have used ...Hi Vikki, I've not tried lanolin, but I have used squalane which is very nice. I added a small amount once the soap had fully cooked. I'm sure you could do the same with lanolin.<BR/><BR/>Just write about what you love and enjoy. It gets REALLY easy after that. :)<BR/><BR/>E xgracefruithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04808181398539831331noreply@blogger.com