icecold Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 I made 3 batches of soap made with Mead (Honey Wine) and they all cured with lye crystals on top. I am thinking its because of all the sugar that it over heated and sweat but crystalized before it was able to seep back in. Will I be able to save these batches? I have never had to rebatch so this will be my first time. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitn Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Are you sure it is lye crystals? Did you zap test it. You can rebatch it for sure. If the top does have lye on it, I would shave or scrape that off and rebatch the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icecold Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 Yes it does zap. So do you think if I just scrape it off it would be fine or do you think I have to rebatch the whole thing? If I do have to rebatch what is the easiest way to do it? I have a big roatser for the oven I could use or I have some big turkey roasting bags I could boil with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlancaD Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 (edited) Hi, I would definitely rebatch the whole thing-chop up the soap into small pieces, maybe adding a few tablespoons of extra oil depending on your batch size( I would add 1 tbs for every 3 pounds of soap) in case the batch still has unsaponified lye in it ..add the tiniest amount of liquid- a couple of teaspoons such as distilled water and place in a warm oven(not over 200 degrees) covered in the roaster is fine, the soap is so fresh it will melt easily within a few hours, it will probably be more rustic looking as you might be "plopping" the melted soap into the mold but it will still turn out beautifully..hope this helps:) Good Luck Edited December 5, 2011 by BlancaD forgot some information Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icecold Posted December 6, 2011 Author Share Posted December 6, 2011 Thanks so much for the input! I will be trying this tomorrow. How small do the pieces need to be, I don't think I want to try to shred 7.5 pounds of soap up. Also do I stir it at all while its cooking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlancaD Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 The pieces could be in small chunks, the smaller the easier they will melt but just be aware you might still have small pieces in the end result but thats ok ..you can stir every 20 minutes or so try and mix everything well then just let it sit in the oven ..if you see it drying out along the sides add a few more tsp of liquid until you are satisified with the consisitency, just dont overdue it , you dont want a waterlogged loaf it has more shrinkage as it cures ..good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitn Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 If you have a salad shooter you can shred the soap that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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