Adding mica to the oils before pouring the lye water?

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SunRiseArts

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On another thread I think someone mentioned this to me, but cannot find the posts .... so if I am using only one color, is this ok? That way it will probably mix better ...

I am making HP soap.
 
Thank you all, very interesting. Would not adding the FOs too change the consistency of the batter? I would love to be able to do that, but I soap around 110 to 120.

What defines me???? Mmmmmmm I am still trying to find out with soap making. I prefer MP and HP. I specially love HP soaps. When I do CP is only because I am playing with design.

I am an oil painter, it took me several years to find my place. So we shall see.

So maybe you all can chime in? I made two different batches. The first one (the top one of the picture) I forgot to add the mica to the oils :headbanging:, so added at trace, and then went through the HP process. It was supposed to be coral pink, and look like an ugly dark orange .... the second one I did remember and the color, and is exactly the color of the mica and I love it. Is an orange EO soap. Is the one in the bottom. Gold is one of the school colors for my son high school, and I was making a present for a teacher.

I do know some micas react weird. I have a green one that when I mix it in the batch turns brown, but after a day, goes back to green as the soap is drying.

What you all think? 1st one main ingredient was lard, and the second one main ingredient was GV shortening. Never used GV before, but I really love how it all came out although it was slower to trace.

20170422_191329_zpsd9f2nxcx.jpg
 
SunRiseArts! The soap you posted with the heart tree stamp. I just used mine for the first time, and it pulled the soap off from the bar! So sad. Do you do something to keep the stamp from sticking? Hoping to use the stamp. So pretty! :confused:
And, I think both your soaps look quite delicious.
 
SunRiseArts! The soap you posted with the heart tree stamp. I just used mine for the first time, and it pulled the soap off from the bar! So sad. Do you do something to keep the stamp from sticking? Hoping to use the stamp. So pretty! :confused:
And, I think both your soaps look quite delicious.


Maybe you stamped it too soon? You need to let the bar harden a couple of days before stamping. Some people wait a lot longer and use a maillot, but I find that waiting a couple of days after cutting does the trick.

Hope that helps!
 
Maybe you stamped it too soon? You need to let the bar harden a couple of days before stamping. Some people wait a lot longer and use a maillot, but I find that waiting a couple of days after cutting does the trick.

Hope that helps!
Thanks so much SunRiseArts. I will try that. I had thought "the softer the soap the better", so did it the first and second day. I ruined several soaps this way.
 
Marie, when I use my acrylic stamp on my soap I use a sheet of Saran wrap and lay that on top of the soap, then use the mallet to stamp the soap, that way the soap doesn't get all up in the stamp.
mommycarlson, wouldn't finer details get totally lost this way? I would love to see pics of your results. Thanks so much for responding.
 
mommycarlson, wouldn't finer details get totally lost this way? I would love to see pics of your results. Thanks so much for responding.

I'm not mommycarlson, but no, the saran actually helps retain details because the soap doesn't get stuck on the stamp and get pulled off, ruining the impression.
 
mommycarlson, wouldn't finer details get totally lost this way? I would love to see pics of your results. Thanks so much for responding.

Navigator, thanks for answering :) I was out of town for the weekend.
Marie, Navigator is correct, I like my soap stamped with saran wrap between the stamp and the soap because nothing sticks in the stamp. Before I did the saran wrap, I was constantly cleaning my stamp after every bar of soap or every couple if I was lucky. Now I cut my soap, bevel the edges, stamp it using the saran wrap and put it on the curing rack, I don't have to wait, I can stamp it immediately after cutting. I also lay out all 10 bars, cover them with the saran wrap and stamp the whole batch. Totally saves time and keeps me from having to put my soap on the curing rack, taking a bar off, stamping it to see if it's cured enough to handle the stamp, putting it back, you get the the drift :)
 
I use the plastic wrap as well, it makes it very easy. I still love to have mica mixture of few colors on my soap but I didn't figure out yet how to do it without messing up my bars.
 
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