Question RE: Trace

[brian0523]

Ok I've been doing RTCP for a few months now and have no trouble recognizing trace, but my question is this:

About how much time do you have to play around with coloring, swirling, etc before the soap needs to be left alone to setup?

I always feel like I'm in a mad-dash once I'm at trace to get the soap in my mold. If I had more time to play I would feel more comfortable/creative.

 

[7053joanne]

How long do you SB for? You can try stick blending and then hand stirring for a little while. Trace should be slower (without taking FOs into consideration) without the stick blender.

Joanne

 

[brian0523]

I usually trace anywhere from 5-8 minutes?

But how long after that time do I have to play around with coloring, swirl, etc?

 

[Lane]

I usually trace anywhere from 5-8 minutes?

But how long after that time do I have to play around with coloring, swirl, etc?

I do RTCP and I trace in about 5 to 10 mins . At medium trace, around 95 degrees, I have about 20 mins to play around. Hope that helps some.

 

[brian0523]

I usually trace anywhere from 5-8 minutes?

But how long after that time do I have to play around with coloring, swirl, etc?

I do RTCP and I trace in about 5 to 10 mins . At medium trace, around 95 degrees, I have about 20 mins to play around. Hope that helps some.

Wow - 20 min isn't much time at all to get all artsy.

 

[Lane]

I usually trace anywhere from 5-8 minutes?

But how long after that time do I have to play around with coloring, swirl, etc?

I do RTCP and I trace in about 5 to 10 mins . At medium trace, around 95 degrees, I have about 20 mins to play around. Hope that helps some.

Wow - 20 min isn't much time at all to get all artsy.

Nope. But if you start working as soon as you get to light trace and work with temps around 90 degrees, you can easily get near an hour to work. I just don't chance it

 

[Soapmaker Man]

I start working with colours, scents, additives just after completely emulsified. I do not wait for even light trace.

 

[Deda]

I start working with colours, scents, additives just after completely emulsified. I do not wait for even light trace.

That's what I do. I have it all ready to go before I even poor the lye. Sometimes I use a little fractionated coconut oil or glycerin to wet down the oxides or ultramarines, so they go in easier and faster. The colors change slightly as the mix comes to trace, but after a few batches I can pretty well gauge the final color based on the intensity of the starting color. Make sense?

 

[brian0523]

Yes thanks for the suggestions.

That's pretty much how I do it, but for whatever reason (prob cuz I'm still new at this) I feel under a lot of pressure to work as fast as possible to get it all in the mold.

So if I know I can almost an hour to work with, then I can slow myself down and not feel like I'm in a race.