Todd Ziegler
Circle Z soaps
I have searched but have found little information on how thick or thin my soap should be when I pour it into a mold. I would really like to here from the seasoned soapers on this.
Totally depends on the look you are going for.I have searched but have found little information on how thick or thin my soap should be when I pour it into a mold. I would really like to here from the seasoned soapers on this.
Right now the only look I'm going for is a quality soap. I have colored and added pumice to all my soaps, except for my very first batch. I am gaining confidence but not all the way there yet.Totally depends on the look you are going for.
I (try to) do fairly intricate swirls, and always put my scent in my oils before adding the lye, so I try to split out and add the colors at emulsion, because my scents are almost always a blend of FO's I've mixed which almost always makes them fast movers, so the sooner I can incorporate the colors the better my swirls will be.
You'll get there. Before you know it, it'll all be like second nature.I am gaining confidence but not all the way there yet.
You might want to unmold that about now-ish. There still is a risk of soap being too hard to cut- not fun to deal with.I have a quick question. I have 4 loafs of soap and 2 feel hard when I poke them but they have a little give also. They have been sitting for 48 hours and I didn't know if I should go ahead and cut them or wait another day or two? I am still not 100% confident in my ability to assess my soaps.
That is an excellent anology because I happen to love cheese and I am very familiar with the different textures. You also confirmed some of the suspicions I already had. My research before I made my first CP batch has rI cut when the soap feels like colby or mild cheddar cheese. Yielding, but not soft. Parmesan firmness is too hard. Cream cheese texture is too soft.
If you cut a bar, evaluate the cut surface and think about how easy or hard it was to cut.
If it cuts reasonably easily and the cut surface is reasonably smooth without shattering (too hard) or smearing (too soft), then cut the rest of the bars.edit --- The pumice particles are going to complicate matters a bit, so expect a little more difficulty cutting this type of soap.
If the soap seems too soft, then set the rest of the soap aside to firm up before cutting more bars.
If the soap seems too hard or brittle, the soap can be warmed to soften it so it can be cut. And, obviously, next time cut sooner.
I did unmold it but I got called into work and didn't have time to cut it. Do you know what would cause the top edges to be creamy? I wiped the creamy part off and the rest is ok.You might want to unmold that about now-ish. There still is a risk of soap being too hard to cut- not fun to deal with.
Thanks. I am really surprised by how quickly my understanding has been. I truly believe that the research and reading I did before my first CP batch, along with doing MP first, has made everything better. As I said before, my questions are better and I understand the answers given.You'll get there. Before you know it, it'll all be like second nature.
A dehumidifier is an excellent idea. I had thought about building a drying cabinet. I was going to take an old armoire and install adjustable drying racks with an exhaust fan on top and a blowing fan on the bottom.I pour at thin trace, just a bit past total emulsion. Some EOs cause fast trace, so I try to keep it thin. It will harden enough to unmold, then it will give up the extra water during curing. I have a Dehumidifier going in my cure room.
I did unmold it but I got called into work and didn't have time to cut it. Do you know what would cause the top edges to be creamy? I wiped the creamy part off and the rest is ok.
I have searched but have found little information on how thick or thin my soap should be when I pour it into a mold. I would really like to here from the seasoned soapers on this.
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