Another "How many of you ... ?" questions.

[ScentimentallyYours]

Nougat-intensive methods not being an option for me...


Or it creates a new stash...
View attachment 60617

I like to bevel but vegetable peeler wasn’t working for me, butter knife just ok. Read this post today & just happened to have ready to bevel! Rummaged thru back of tool drawer & whalah! Tried it, loved it. Hardly any waste. Will use this way from here on out.

What kind of lemon zester are you using? A screen type?

 

[LynetteO]

@ScentimentallyYours
When I clicked on thread link (post #20) about the zester, I didn’t have that exact tool but when I saw the picture of it in action in another photo & author said she drug it towards her. I tried this & it works well. I too just started at one end & drug it towards myself. Brushed off any debris stuck to bar.

 

[ResolvableOwl]

Love those bars! But don’t you still have the bottom of the soap to plane and bevel?

Technically, yes. On the (literally) other hand, at least I use a bar of soap in the way that I hold it in one hand and rub the other hand against it – so technically it's sufficient to have bevelled edges on just one side of the bar .

 

[Vicki C]

I'd be really curious to know the process as I'd love to have a good outlet for my scraps. Have you posted about this elsewhere on SMF?

And yes, I almost always bevel. It feels like a slight waste, but to me the aesthetics outweigh the loss. After you've beveled dozens of batches with a potato peeler, it becomes much easier to get an even edge. Soap is an art to me, so I like it to look as nice as possible.

I bought a fairly cheap planer from Amazon a few months ago and haven't regretted it a bit. Another way to get slightly more polished bars.

I think I mentioned it but didn’t really describe the process. @DeeAnna has a two part explanation on YouTube that is excellent and info on her classic bells website - and I found another video by a German woman that’s very good. It’s pretty easy - I advise using a big stock pot, and only as much water as you need, because the amount of salt you need depends on the amount of water you use. It’s also very cool to watch as the soap starts to form curds. Mine came out an unattractive gray so I decided to use it as a utility soap, but it has a faint fragrance. @ResolvableOwl knows more about it than I do I’m sure. Good use for old soap. I have a front loader and it works fine, just toss a scoop into the drum.

Here’s @DeeAnna ’s first part video

 

[lonalea]

Today at 4:49 AM

• #14

I bevel all of the edges, and use for confetti bars

 

[Tinkerbelle]

I bevel the edges because I don’t like that sharp feeling from the first few uses but mainly I bevel because it’s my “happy place”, very relaxing! I could do it for hours.

 

[maryloucb]

I love the way beveled soap looks, but I also like the "rustic" look of non-beveled soap. I'm all about the rustic, natural type soap, and I don't think beveling fits in with that aesthetic.

 

[Ladka]

... but I do smooth the edges with a pair of nylon stockings.

That's interesting! I don't have a beveller/planer but sometimes the edges need smoothing. I've used a knife so far and will try nylon stockings for finer smoothing.

 

[Vicki C]

That's interesting! I don't have a beveller/planer but sometimes the edges need smoothing. I've used a knife so far and will try nylon stockings for finer smoothing.

I’m sure I picked it up here from someone but I can’t remember who! Works well.

 

[DeeAnna]

I think it was Earlene who mentioned she uses a microfiber cloth to buff and shine her bars. So if you don't normally have discarded hose on hand (that would be me!), a microfiber cloth is an alternative.

Based on her suggestion, I lightly dust my bars with a clean microfiber cloth to remove crumbs. I used to use an old, clean tee shirt scrap. Stray crumbs don't look "rustic" to me, especially when they're trapped under a layer of shrink wrap.

 

[maryloucb]

I think it was Earlene who mentioned she uses a microfiber cloth to buff and shine her bars. So if you don't normally have discarded hose on hand (that would be me!), a microfiber cloth is an alternative.

Based on her suggestion, I lightly dust my bars with a clean microfiber cloth to remove crumbs. I used to use an old, clean tee shirt scrap. Stray crumbs don't look "rustic" to me, especially when they're trapped under a layer of shrink wrap.

I buff all my bars with microfiber so they are nice and smooth. Just no beveling or planing.

 

[Bubble Agent]

I have several different shaped soaps, but I only bevel my bars that are square with sharp edges. I use single cavity molds for a lot of my soaps. I use a simple potato peeler, and I spend no more than 7 seconds on each soap. Lift soap, peel the edges, next soap.
It is quick, easy and very therapeutic. The scraps I make into pressed soaps or soapballs.

The reason I started beveling was that years and years ago, I gave out some unbeveled bars along with beveled ones, and although they were pleased with all the soaps, I was told that the beveled bars was more pleasant to use. It swirled/moved more easily between the hands, and they didn`t feel annoyed over the first uses as they felt the edges on the others hindered the fluid motion between their hands.

 

[earlene]

Yes, I plane, bevel & shine/buff my bars to a nice sheen. I enjoy the process and it gives me another chance to fondle them, smell them, etc.

 

[IrishLass]

I bevel all my soaps, because I absolutely hate sharp, painful corners. My beveler of choice is actually a Japanese radius planer made for woodworking. I bought it from Lotioncrafter years ago when they were selling it at the time as the 'World's Best Soap Beveler'. They no longer sell it, but you can buy it from Lee's Valley Tools and other places that sell woodworking tools. It's not an inexpensive beveler, but it is well made and has lasted me through several years and hundreds of batches of soap without a hitch (and still kicking!). And it makes the best looking bevels, too. A close up of my beveler and beveled soap:

As for planing- I only do so on those rare occasions when the face of my soap for whatever unfortunate reason comes out way too ugly for my liking. lol

Like DeeAnna mentioned- my left-over scrap problem became a non-issue the day I figured out I could make pretty bars out of them by smooshing and pressing the scraps into individual cavities of a decorative, plastic MilkyWay mold. Normally, I smoosh and press them into molds when the beveling scraps are still fresh and soft, but even those that are less fresh/drier/harder can be smooshed and pressed into molds after first dampening them with a water from a spray bottle and heating in a small, covered pot in my oven for about 10 minutes or so- just until they are soft enough to smoosh like pliable clay. This is what they end up looking like:

IrishLass

 

[Arimara]

I'm so cheap, I didn't want to spend $3.50 on a vegetable peeler to bevel my soap so my family just has to deal with sharp soap for the first couple uses. I'm only making soap for home use, though so I might feel differently if I was selling.

$3.50 for a veggie peeler? is it that Y-shaped one? I paid $2 and change for the other one.

OP- I sometimes use my peeler on the edges but I'm lazy. I also don't sell soaps.

 

[MellonFriend]

$3.50 for a veggie peeler? is it that Y-shaped one? I paid $2 and change for the other one.

OP- I sometimes use my peeler on the edges but I'm lazy. I also don't sell soaps.

I don't think so, I think it was just a "great value" (*rolls eyes*) one. I could be remembering the price wrong, but I think I would have bought it if it was around $2. I don't think I'm that cheap.

 

[Cat&Oak]

@IrishLass Amazing bevels!

 

[Vicki C]

I think it was Earlene who mentioned she uses a microfiber cloth to buff and shine her bars. So if you don't normally have discarded hose on hand (that would be me!), a microfiber cloth is an alternative.

Based on her suggestion, I lightly dust my bars with a clean microfiber cloth to remove crumbs. I used to use an old, clean tee shirt scrap. Stray crumbs don't look "rustic" to me, especially when they're trapped under a layer of shrink wrap.

I agree - and if microfiber didn’t bug me I would use that. Maybe I’ll be a big girl and get over my aversion.

 

[DeeAnna]

I know what you mean @Vicki C I have some inexpensive yellow microfiber cloths that drive me nuts to handle. But I have other microfiber cloths from another supplier that are much more tolerable. So I think it depends on how the cloth is made, not just that it's microfiber.

 

[gloopygloop]

I dont bevel as I mostly use cavity moulds and I dont sell so not a big deal, but there are occasions when a log would be easier to mould up for certain reasons.
When I first saw IrishLass technique I immediately bought one of those Japanese routers from Lees Valley, but can I get it to do what IrishLass does, no not on your nelly, and I have fiddled and fiddled until I dont have a fiddle left. So it is put into the dead soapy stuff cupboard for now. So no bevelling but I have been known to round off the corners with my finger when straight out of the mould and pliable.