I think I might have figured out this swirl thing. Maybe.

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grayceworks

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We'll see how it looks cut, but I used squeeze bottles to layer it instead of pouring the layers, and it seemed to work better for me, instead of my layers just blending together, I was able to make separate layers. Then I did the hanger thing, but have to wait till I cut it to see if I got that part down. Nothing seized up on me -- took forever to trace actually... So as long as nothing overheats *fingers crossed* :)

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My tablet has a wonky on-screen keyboard with a mind of its own -- ignore the typos :-/
 
Looks good! I'm still struggling with getting a successful swirl. Maybe I'll try your squeeze bottle idea.


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I'd say you have the hang of it! That looks great :smile:!! Can't wait to see what the inside looks like. One day I will swirl like that :wink:
 
Ok, I unmolded, and whole loaf had oily, non-zappy beads of some liquid all over. slippery! felt like a cold bar of butter, hard enough to cut, soft enough to mess up if I push hard. It was not overheated, didn't gel, barely even got warm since I started at room temp which in my house is close to 72F lol. I know it didn't heat up because I kept obsessively checking on it. :rolleyes:

Like I mentioned it took a LONG time to trace, and now that it's cut, 12hrs later, it's non-zappy most places, but slight mayyybe zap others, so I know it needs plenty more time to just sit and do its thing before I can even test a sliver *sigh*

Cut nice and clean without dragging or squishing, and I figure the slight amount of oily stuff will soak back in as it finishes up.

AND SWIRLS!!!

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HP is better for my need for instant gratification, and I can layer or marble, but I am glad I finally got the hang of these swirls! I might try cpop again with the next batch, see if I can get a middle-ground I'm happy with, without overheating the darn things. This recipe was supposed to be a cpop recipe, but I didn't want to ruin it if it overheated. I see now that it probably won't, it didn't even get up the energy to 'think' about gelling lol.

ETA -- this used 2oz total of peppermint, rosemary, fir needle EO's.
10oz Olive oil
7oz Coconut oil
6oz Palm oil
3oz SAO
2oz Avocado oil.
11oz water and 3.78oz lye with 9% SF
2tbsp sugar


Also, I use ROE in my shorter-shelf-life oils... does it normally make the batter reddish at first? And try to separate at first? Could this be part of the oiliness on the outside of the loaf?

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My tablet has a wonky on-screen keyboard with a mind of its own -- ignore the typos :-/
 
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I am so happy I got swirls, but I'm worried about the zappiness. I'm just being paranoid, right?

I mean, it's not even 24hrs yet lol.
All my other ones are HP or they gelled and were done with all the zappiness by the time the cooled. I was expecting this to be done zapping already lol. Silly me.
 
I have the same red silicon mold and have also been very courier on doing CPOP. Do you think it would be ok to put that mold I'm the oven? I think it would melt I only have that kind of mold and a wood one with metal screws on the side don't think it would be too safe to put that one in the oven either
 
These silicone molds are designed for actual baking and are oven safe to 450F or 500F (read the specific instructions that came with yours). They will be fine in the oven, especially since it's only at 170F.

The caveat to using these silicone molds for CPOP from what I have read, is that they don't let the soap breathe as well as it cools back down, the way parchment or freezer paper liners would, therefore they get bubbles on the bottom and sides and even the top, as they cool down. I experienced this with one of mine, which also overheated anyhow. I also tried lining it with parchment and doing CPOP, and that was OK, but not ideal, since I didn't want to have to line them. I do use them for HP soaps and they do fine with the heat from the hot soap there also. :)

I think the wooden molds with paper lining are supposed to be best for CPOP.

I hope someone with more experience than me will chime in here!!! :)

Wood ones which use screws and are not held together with glue should be safe I believe -- ones with glue will melt and fall apart -- ones with glue would include ones made from pasteboard, particle-board, press-board, plywood, etc, which are held together with glue and would warp with the heat/moisture. but ones with screws should be ok. Again, if someone with more experience can confirm? Thanks!

I also found some cheap plastic drawer organizer boxes at the dollar store which hold up fine at 170F but they need lined with paper, as they're not as non-stick as silicone.

ETA: Another thing I found when reading the directions that came with my molds, is it says to wash them in hot water or in the dishwasher the first time before use, and then wipe them down lightly with oil or butter, to enhance the non-stick qualities of the molds, and that this only needs to be done the first time with normal usage. -- soaping isn't quite "normal usage" for these --- do we need to do this more often do you think?
 
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Beautiful soap grayceworks!! I love the look of the red. It's so holidayie. Lol is that A word??
 
Beautiful soap grayceworks!! I love the look of the red. It's so holidayie. Lol is that A word??

It's a word if we say so, right? How else do new words make it into Webster's? lol

Thank you! I keep sniffing it -- it smells so yummy! Which reminds me... at kroger today, they had these scented waxes for warmers and one was lemon cookies! OMG it smelled sooo delicious. I have to figure out how to make that scent.
 
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