Unmolding and cutting question

[Hippie13]

When I unmold and slice my soap, I notice that the inside is still wet, my swirl will kind of run. It's not a clean, crisp swirl. It has drag marks from my cutter. Am I unmolding and cutting it too soon? I unmold and cut after 24 hours.

 

[earlene]

Perhaps after you unmold, try letting it sit open to the air for a few hours or a day before cutting. As long as it unmolds clean, that's what I'd do if after the first cut it still seemed too soft for cutting.

 

[divinegoddessoaps17]

I found that if you get a wire cutter - you don't seem to get those dreaded "drag" marks on the soaps. My soaps are much nicer now.

 

[shunt2011]

I too would just let it sit for a day or so after taking it out of the mold. It's just too soft yet and causes smearing.

 

[toxikon]

I like to give my loaf a day after unmolding to get some airflow before I cut it. Depending on the recipe, sometimes I wont actually cut the bars until 3-4 days later.

I find that dragmarks can also happen when you use too much colourant or it's not 100% dispersed. Little pockets of mica or activated charcoal can create dragmarks for sure, so it's important to disperse them in liquid then fully blend them into your batter.

 

[Kittish]

I had drag marks and such on my soaps, even those that I let get extra firm before cutting. It was from the tool I was using to cut the bars. Bench scraper style cutters and knives are going to leave marks on your soap. Wire type cutters give a much cleaner face, and single bar wire cutters are pretty inexpensive and not too hard to find. Or make, a hacksaw frame with the blade replaced with steel guitar string would probably work just fine.