# trouble w/ my new log mold



## Kelly (Jan 20, 2011)

I used it once. I had such poor results cutting the soap into bars that I haven't used it since. The soap, all except for 2 bars, broke. My only thought was that I waited too long to cut it up. ....could that have been the problem? Any suggestions appreciated?


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## carlidoe (Jul 30, 2010)

How thick are you cutting your bars and what are you cutting them with? I cut mine as soon as I unmold (24 hrs). My bars are sticky when I'm cutting. I use a blunt edged soap cutter that I got from brambleberry. My bars are an inch thick.


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

Depends on your recipe and how soon you cut them. My all coconut or all lard bars I need to cut sooner rather than later. Like 12 hours. My regular recipe I can cut the next day or a few days later with no problems.


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## Kelly (Jan 20, 2011)

I started playing around with thickness because I thought perhaps that was the problem. The two bars that cut fine were nearly 2" thick! The thinner ones all broke. I will try cutting sooner to see if that helps. My bars are a combo of oils: coconut, olive and all veg. organic shortening which I tried cutting about 24 hours after pouring. I am cutting them with the blunt soap cutter that came with the log mold. They were not sticky at all, quite crumbly. I wondered if I needed to push harder and quicker with the soap cutter or if slow and gradual was a better cutting technique.


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Crumbly? That's not good. That doesn't sound like a mold problem to me, but a recipe problem. Have you used the soap? Sometimes, crumbly soap is lye heavy....


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Organic shortening...if it's soy, that is likely your problem...nearly all problems in soap recipes come from the oils. And it seems soy and palm give you most of the problems. Is it a mixture of oils? are you sure you have the right sap value? I do not think most olive oils really are 100% olive and so your guessing on your amounts of lye. I have tried soy many times because it's easy for folks to get for soap classes, and I have had more failed batches and problems with fragrance oils I have never had when using sunflower.


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## Kelly (Jan 20, 2011)

All the oils are organic, so I figured it was 100% olive. However, the veg. oil IS pressed palm oil. I also added lavender essential oil and dried flowers to the batch. I have used this soap recipe in press out molds with no problems but it was not good with the log mold when it came down to cutting. It sounds likely to be a combination of problems between the palm oil and perhaps the lye calculations, maybe even the timing in the cutting all playing against me. Interesting about the soy and palm being problematic. Any recommendations on what I might substitute the palm oil with?


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

I use palm in 90% of my batches with no problems that I can see. Everything cuts just fine within a day or even if I wait 3 days (which I rarely do). I do use the homogenized palm so there are no settling issues which I have heard can cause problems.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Thanks Kathy I knew there was a problem with palm but couldn't remember what it was since I don't use it. I would look into the shortening and find out exactly what is in it, or perhaps its simply a hydrogenated basic oil? Sorry never heard of organic shortening either, boy I am not much help. V


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

With palm, you're supposed to melt and stir the whole container it comes in each time before you use it. One of the acids in palm (stearic maybe? - I forget) settles to the bottom. Personally, I can't see how this is to be done, especially with a 5 gallon bucket. I have heard that if you are getting to the bottom of the bottle/bucket, because that's where the acid settles, you can have problems.

Ugh. Maybe someone else can explain it better than me.


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## tmfinley (Feb 21, 2008)

Yes, it is the stearic in palm that settles. When I get my 5 gallon bucket I stick it in the curing closet with the dehumidifier and a space heater for a couple of days and stir every so often until the whole thing is melted. Then I pour into smaller containers. That way I am only re-melting a small portion.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

So this is why palm releases from molds better? So if it does indeed settle how do those handling large containers use it? V


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

Vicki McGaugh Tx Nubians said:


> So this is why palm releases from molds better? So if it does indeed settle how do those handling large containers use it? V


That's what I'd like to know. I've heard of something called a blanket tape or something like that. I asked them at Home Depot today and they looked at me like I had two heads. Maybe I'll try an electric blanket.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

To keep your buckets or oils liquid yes they have heat tapes for barrells, you can also use a heating pad underneath gallons and 5 gallons, or electric blankets...but that is keeping it liquid, how do you keep it stirred up from the bottom? V


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

My palm recipe does not release well from the Kelsei molds. I basically have to cut it out.


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