Swirl help please

[tryanything]

I've got probably 20-30 batches of soap under my belt but any colored soaps I've made are all solid color bars, usually from natural sources (beer, coffee, vanilla fo, etc) and I'd like to try to start using some colorants and get some pretty swirls. I've read how to do an ITP swirl and a hangar swirl, but what I really want is to get a marble effect going in a slab mold. Does anyone know how to do this or have any good videos to share? Would an ITP swirl work in a slab mold? I don't know why but I seem to think that is more for loaf molds. Do I just pour the colors in the mold and use a skewer to swirl? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[Hazel]

I'm not sure what you mean by marbling. Do you want it to look like marble or have thicker areas of color in the soap? Maybe the spoon swirl might be the best way to get a marble-type swirl. I don't know why an ITP swirl wouldn't work in a slab mold. You wouldn't have much control over it as opposed to pouring the colors individually in the mold but I'm sure it would be pretty. I use a skewer or a spatula to swirl.

Have you checked out KBShimmer's swirl tutorials on youtube. She has some great ones which you might find informative. Here's the link to her channel. http://www.youtube.com/user/dudley3183

SoapQueentv also has some really good videos on swirling. http://www.youtube.com/user/soapqueentv?feature=watch

I wanted to share this video on swirling because the one woman gives several helpful tips and also because the ladies made me laugh with some of their comments. I liked their sense of humor.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQnmlm_h8zg[/ame]

 

[SueSoap]

Thanks Hazel! It is a good video. They are a hoot.

 

[Badger]

I almost spit out my drink at the very end when it said no cats or crickets were harmed in the making of the video!

 

[danahuff]

Is this what you are after?

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BeixNDHFZY[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf1muev-aY8[/ame]

 

[tryanything]

Wow these are some great videos! I think for my first attempt I might try what the ladies in the video Hazel posted did. That seems easy enough for a first go. What I was looking for, and I have a feeling will just come with practice, is something like the red one in the below picture from this website http://magellansgift.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/the-swirling-and-marbling-of-soap/. Apparently that is ITP swirl. Guess I'll just have to give it a shot. The peacock swirl and bouquet swirl look pretty cool also. I'll have to play around once I get into trying multiple colors.

 

[Hazel]

SueSoap & Badger,

I thought it was a fun video and helpful, too. I laughed at the cats and crickets comment. I also laughed when the one woman said "Don't cross the streams" but then I really enjoyed the movie "Ghostbusters". Other people might not have found the comment funny.

 

[three_little_fishes]

Thank you guys for the helpful videos! I'll definitely use them someday.

Tryanything, I hope your swirl comes out! Can't wait to see pictures when you do it!

 

[Hazel]

Tryanything - I didn't see that you had posted an answer a couple of minutes before mine which is why I didn't reply to it.

Those are gorgeous soaps! Have you searched on youtube for swirl tutorials? I know it's hard because there are so many but even ones that are not what you're looking for may still give you ideas.