Just watched Ione from Eve's Garden do a hanger swirl with a plain wire hanger. Is this advisable? I always make sure plain metal except ss doesn't touch my soap.
hanger swirl
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Some metal hangers may be stainless steel, but most are not. So you can use if you are confident that the hanger in question is SS. I have used the plastic (rubber?) coated metal hangers with no issues. If you're questioning your hangers, use a gear tie. You can find them in the automotive section at most stores.
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https://www.amazon.com/slp/metal-stainless-steel-hanger/mpfwxwt442kx77b
I think that may be an old video of Ione's, I believe these days she is using a hanger swirl tool like what you can get from Workshop Heritage
https://www.workshopheritage.com/collections/all-products?page=6
I think that may be an old video of Ione's, I believe these days she is using a hanger swirl tool like what you can get from Workshop Heritage
https://www.workshopheritage.com/collections/all-products?page=6
I use electrical wire. In Canada what you are looking for is "2 wire NMD90" also called Loomex or Romex (12 or 14 gauge). Strip off the outer layer and you will be left with a white coated wire, a black coated wire and a bare copper wire. The black and white wires are coated with PVC and some other type of plastic. They are quite flexible and work well. Any electrician will have plenty of scraps they should be able to give you. Or you can purchase a chunk from HomeDespot. 12 gauge is slightly larger that the 14 gauge, but for hanger swirls it probably won't matter.
Wire hangers have a thin plastic type of finish on the steel. Plain steel wire isn't used for coat hangers -- the bare metal will leave rust marks on your clothing. There's no way a dry cleaners or laundry would take that risk.
I occasionally do a hanger swirl and I use a regular coat hanger bent to shape. I am careful to clean it right after using it so it isn't exposed to lye any longer than necessary. I have also been watching for any flaking or cracking. So far so good.
I'm making a compromise, I know, but the way I see it, I am exposing the soap to the coated wire hanger only for mere seconds. It's not like I'm curing soap on a bare metal shelf for weeks.
If I did this design more often than I do, I'd probably spring for a better tool if only that the wire is a little flimsy.
I occasionally do a hanger swirl and I use a regular coat hanger bent to shape. I am careful to clean it right after using it so it isn't exposed to lye any longer than necessary. I have also been watching for any flaking or cracking. So far so good.
I'm making a compromise, I know, but the way I see it, I am exposing the soap to the coated wire hanger only for mere seconds. It's not like I'm curing soap on a bare metal shelf for weeks.
If I did this design more often than I do, I'd probably spring for a better tool if only that the wire is a little flimsy.
I have purchased hangers that are labeled as stainless steel, but don't remember where I got them. It was at least 3 or 4 years ago I think & they are very hard to bend to shape. But I have also used plastic straws over thinner metal hangers to do a hanger swirl & that works very nicely to ensure the metal doesn't touch the soap. I found that trying to get a good right angle with a plastic coated hanger just tore the plastic coating at the bend; probably because I used pliers to create the bend.
As far as gear ties go, I don't like them for delicate swirls because the ones I have that are as thin as a hanger aren't long enough for a larger mold (2 pounds or more soap). And the ones that are long enough are too thick. Maybe thinner gear ties can be found in longer lengths, but I just have not run across any.
So far I haven't had DOS in any of my fancier swirled soaps, so hangers have not been a problem.
As far as gear ties go, I don't like them for delicate swirls because the ones I have that are as thin as a hanger aren't long enough for a larger mold (2 pounds or more soap). And the ones that are long enough are too thick. Maybe thinner gear ties can be found in longer lengths, but I just have not run across any.
So far I haven't had DOS in any of my fancier swirled soaps, so hangers have not been a problem.
I always used to wrap my Ione-swirling hangers with Glad Press & Seal food wrap, just in case, but there was a batch where I did not wrap and all was well....no DOS ever developed. DeeAnna- thanks for that info on wire hangers having a thin plastic coating!
I agree with Earlene, I wouldn't use a gear tie for an Ione swirl.....they're too thick to achieve delicate swirls such as Ione's. My avatar pic is one of my Ione swirls (I'm a huge fan of Ione's swirls).
IrishLass
I agree with Earlene, I wouldn't use a gear tie for an Ione swirl.....they're too thick to achieve delicate swirls such as Ione's. My avatar pic is one of my Ione swirls (I'm a huge fan of Ione's swirls).
IrishLass
