Done w TD!

[TashaBird]

I’ve had it with this water soluble TD from NS. Clumpy stuff sticky stuff! I probably added 3 T of water to my batter yesterday. Hope it didn’t get weird.
Has anyone switched to their white mica? They say it some people use it as a substitute for TD.

 

[Jersey Girl]

Have you tried mixing with a little glycerin?

 

[TashaBird]

Have you tried mixing with a little glycerin?

No, it says mix with hot water. It dissolves fine, at first. But if it sits at all it settles into a clumpy mess in the bottom. I currently have some premixed in a squeeze bottle with some ss bolts to mix it when shaken. Maybe my concentration is too low, but it settles like concrete at the bottom of the bottle! And then it took SO much to get any kind of white, and my batter was fairly light to begin with. And then it STILL had specks in it!

I don’t really want to buy a new thing, but I could try the glycerin I guess, since I still have about 4 oz of TD left. Depends how much the glycerin costs, if I could buy this white mica for same amount, might just switch.

 

[dibbles]

I almost always use white mica. It isn't quite the bright, bright white you get from TD, but it is plenty white enough for me - my recipe is pretty white to begin with, though. I find the mica so much easier to work with. My favorite is Winter White from NS, and I also use Satin White from Micas & More. Maybe order a small sample to see if you like the results in your recipe before committing to a larger amount, although unless you want that pure, snow/paper bright white I think you would like it. In my media album there are lots of examples of the white I get so that might give you a visual. The only soap that I used TD in is the Rainbow Freckles.

 

[Jersey Girl]

No, it says mix with hot water. It dissolves fine, at first. But if it sits at all it settles into a clumpy mess in the bottom. I currently have some premixed in a squeeze bottle with some ss bolts to mix it when shaken. Maybe my concentration is too low, but it settles like concrete at the bottom of the bottle! And then it took SO much to get any kind of white, and my batter was fairly light to begin with. And then it STILL had specks in it!

I don’t really want to buy a new thing, but I could try the glycerin I guess, since I still have about 4 oz of TD left. Depends how much the glycerin costs, if I could buy this white mica for same amount, might just switch.

They sell small bottles of glycerin in Walmart in the section with the health stuff. Would be worth a try. Just use enough to make it pourable. Too much could make the soap sticky. Or you could get a little badger mini mixer. They are wonderful for mixing colors. I love mine. I always give my TD mix a whirl with that just before I pour it into my batter because it does settle some.
https://www.amazon.com/Badger-Paint...ocphy=9003987&hvtargid=pla-636166562559&psc=1

 

[TashaBird]

@dibbles thanks for your experience. That mica from NS is the one I want to try.
@Jersey Girl I will see if I can find some glycerine cheap locally. I’ve got a powerful little froth mixer, but I really want to have some ready made, if possible. So the glycerine is ok for water soluble?

 

[SPowers]

What ratio to water do you use. I premix mine 3:1 TD and keep it in a squeeze bottle with ball bearings in it. It's worked fine for me - never had a problem.
I don't use hot water either... just room temp dw.

 

[TashaBird]

What ratio to water do you use. I premix mine 3:1 TD and keep it in a squeeze bottle with ball bearings in it. It's worked fine for me - never had a problem.
I don't use hot water either... just room temp dw.

I can’t imagine the TD I’m using working like that at all. Currently about1:1 with hot water to start. Are you using the TD from NS? Are there differences in brands/sources?

 

[SPowers]

I'm in Canada so no I don't shop there. The first bag of TD I go was from Amazon and I had no problem with that. This is the first one I used... https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B078B8W8P2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The one I have now I got from Windy Point in BC.

 

[Ford]

some white micas have td in them. bought "here comes the bride" white from mad micas. it has td in it.

 

[dibbles]

They do have TD, buy don't seem to cause the problems TD alone seem to have, at least for me.

 

[SideDoorSoaps]

I put my TD directly in my lye water usually and it comes out great outside of glycerine rivers. The last soap I made I’m with it for the challenge was a sticky gooey mess with diluting just water and not in my whole batch of lye water. I think I’m switching to white mica but I have a lot of TD yet.

 

[IrishLass]

I prefer to use glycerin for mixing TD, as well as all my other colorants (it mixes well with both water soluble and oil soluble TD and colorants), however I don't master-batch/pre-mix my TD or any of my other colorants with it in squeeze bottles, because it's a huge pain in the you know what to shake them thoroughly enough to get them properly dispersed to use in a batch, especially if the bottles have been sitting around for any length of time.

Instead, I mix mine fresh for each batch. Over the years, it's become second nature to me to know how much dry TD or colorant to use in each of my batches, so all I do is scoop the appropriate amount into a little glass prep bowl and add just enough glycerin while using my handy Badger mini-paint mixer to make a smooth slurry. It works great for me with no fuss or muss.


IrishLass

 

[TheGecko]

No, it says mix with hot water. It dissolves fine, at first. But if it sits at all it settles into a clumpy mess in the bottom. I currently have some premixed in a squeeze bottle with some ss bolts to mix it when shaken. Maybe my concentration is too low, but it settles like concrete at the bottom of the bottle! And then it took SO much to get any kind of white, and my batter was fairly light to begin with. And then it STILL had specks in it!

I don’t really want to buy a new thing, but I could try the glycerin I guess, since I still have about 4 oz of TD left. Depends how much the glycerin costs, if I could buy this white mica for same amount, might just switch.

There are three kinds of TD...water soluble, oil soluble and can be soluble in either. Despite the directions you were given (you really don't need to mix with hot water), it could be that you have an oil soluble TD...hense the specks. Oh...I just saw that you are mixing it 1:1...is that 50/50 or is that 1 tablespoon water to 1 teaspoon of TD? But whether you use water or oil, TD is a mineral and thus is heavier than oil or water and will settle to the bottom...there is just no getting around that.

As for differences in brands/sources...IMHO, as long as you are buying it from a reputable company it's all the same. I've bought TD from two different soap suppliers and there was zero discernible differences so they probably bought it from the same wholesalers and then just put their label on it.

Lisa from "I Dream in Soap" has a video on Mixing TD that is interesting. She uses a TD that is soluble in water or oil, but mixes her TD in oil as she finds that she can just stir the TD in to whiten/lighten her batter..no sticking required. She also pre-mixes a batch in one of those Nutra-Bullet things to really break down and combine the oil and TD. I'm thinking about giving it a try when I mix up my next batch.

 

[TashaBird]

There are three kinds of TD...water soluble, oil soluble and can be soluble in either. Despite the directions you were given (you really don't need to mix with hot water), it could be that you have an oil soluble TD...hense the specks. Oh...I just saw that you are mixing it 1:1...is that 50/50 or is that 1 tablespoon water to 1 teaspoon of TD? But whether you use water or oil, TD is a mineral and thus is heavier than oil or water and will settle to the bottom...there is just no getting around that.

As for differences in brands/sources...IMHO, as long as you are buying it from a reputable company it's all the same. I've bought TD from two different soap suppliers and there was zero discernible differences so they probably bought it from the same wholesalers and then just put their label on it.

Lisa from "I Dream in Soap" has a video on Mixing TD that is interesting. She uses a TD that is soluble in water or oil, but mixes her TD in oil as she finds that she can just stir the TD in to whiten/lighten her batter..no sticking required. She also pre-mixes a batch in one of those Nutra-Bullet things to really break down and combine the oil and TD. I'm thinking about giving it a try when I mix up my next batch.

It says mix w hot water. Maybe I’ll try a little in oil, for science!

 

[Virgogoddess]

I use Nurture’s winter white and mad mica’s Snow White. No TD anymore, hate it

 

[cmzaha]

It says mix w hot water. Maybe I’ll try a little in oil, for science!

I always mixed mine with glycerin when I was using it. Wish you lived near me. I have over 5 gallons of glycerin sitting around going to waste.

 

[maxine289]

I use Nurture’s winter white and mad mica’s Snow White. No TD anymore, hate it

Yep, I gave up on TD ages ago. Nurture Soap's Winter White is white enough for me. Mixing TD is tedious and I never seem to mix it up enough. I'd rather be doing something else with my soaping time.

 

[Arimara]

I have TD from WSP and I plan on trying it out. I'm glad to finally learn the proper ratio for mixing it.

 

[DeeAnna]

If your TD is supposedly water soluble but is really oil soluble, it won't be the first time that a chemical was mislabeled. One recent thread here was asking about how to use EDTA that the supplier swore was Tetrasodium. Turns out the "Tetrasodium" EDTA really is Disodium.

From what I recall, the various "flavors" of TD are based on the various coatings that can be added to the TD particles. Some surface coatings make the TD lipophilic (fat loving) and others make the TD hydrophilic (water loving).

I have water soluble TD, and it mixes nicely with glycerin. My understanding is oil soluble TD will mix with glycerin as well, but I can't verify that from personal experience.