Trimming

[Cherrydene soapy]

Hi when do people trim their soaps? As soon as you unmould or a week later?
Having this forum is like having you all sitting on the sofa with me when I think of something you’re always there thank you

 

[Chris_S]

I dont usually bevel my soaps unless i think it will improve them by bevelling them. When i have bevelled soap its usually after a few days but it really depends on how hard they are.

 

[Kurt]

Having this forum is like having you all sitting on the sofa with me when I think of something you’re always there thank you

+1, lovely people, lot's of activity, fantastic discussions with a wealth of information. Yup, SMF is a keeper!

 

[shunt2011]

I bevel all my soaps. I don’t like the sharp edges. I use a potato peeler. Plus it makes them easier to shrink wrap for me. The sharp edges cause me a headache. And they are smoother in the hand to use. It’s a personal preference. I bevel them after a week or two. Then leave them to finish curing.

 

[earlene]

I don't usually bevel soaps right after cutting, although I have done that when I know I won't be back from a trip soon enough to do it later. So, usually I do the beveling when the soap has become a bit more firm on the edges and lost a bit of water weight. I do not bevel all soaps, however. Some of my individual molds don't require beveling except if I want a less sharp bottom edge.

 

[Cherrydene soapy]

Yes I went and brought a new potato peeler, I didn’t think the family would be happy with me using our kitchen one

 

[Paulie]

I use a planer with groves for the corners and I do it when I cut it.

 

[MGM]

+1, lovely people, lot's of activity, fantastic discussions with a wealth of information. Yup, SMF is a keeper!

PLUS, because we're from all over the world, someone, somewhere is always awake!! You never have to worry about waking up to a dearth of posts, because they're not sleeping, they're soaping!

 

[cmzaha]

I also do not like sharp edges and fine un-beveled harder to hold onto, so all mine get beveled after curing.

 

[Donee']

Potato peeler when I am in the mood to bevel 100 bars.

 

[Cherrydene soapy]

PLUS, because we're from all over the world, someone, somewhere is always awake!! You never have to worry about waking up to a dearth of posts, because they're not sleeping, they're soaping!

That’s so true I live in a small village by the sea the thought of having so many friends with a common interest all over the world is amazing x

 

[Alfa_Lazcares]

I smooth the soaps usually right after cutting them unless they are still too soft. And i do that because then i make balls with the scraps and save them for embeds for a future soap. I like the way they look when they are smooth, specially the edges that end up with somewhat of a texture from the cutting.


And yes to having a place to talk about soap. I dont have anyone on “real life” to talk about it!


Oh and i also use a potato peeler and the set of tools that came with the cheese cutter i got for cuttiing soap

 

[shunt2011]

Yes I went and brought a new potato peeler, I didn’t think the family would be happy with me using our kitchen one

Don't tell mine that I borrow my peeler from my soap stuff to peel potatoes since I rarely ever make them. I took the one from the kitchen years ago and use it frequently. Make potatoes maybe once a year. I bevel 200 bars or more at a time. I find it relaxing and do it while watching tv in the evening. I tried polishing my soaps a couple years ago and gave up, I make too much to be bothered with that much work. Though they did look nice.

 

[Chris_S]

I smooth the soaps usually right after cutting them unless they are still too soft. And i do that because then i make balls with the scraps and save them for embeds for a future soap. I like the way they look when they are smooth, specially the edges that end up with somewhat of a texture from the cutting.


And yes to having a place to talk about soap. I dont have anyone on “real life” to talk about it!


Oh and i also use a potato peeler and the set of tools that came with the cheese cutter i got for cuttiing soap

Iv got a tshirt a friend bought for me it says warning may spontaneously start talking about bees. She bought it for me because she saud i should come with a warning

 

[dixiedragon]

Right after unmolding. And if I'm thinking ahead, before slicing. If my top is bumpy, it's faster and easier to run my wire cheese slicer once down the length of the entire log, than each individual bar.

 

[Micchi]

I tend to bevel a few hours after unmolding and cutting. I don't like doing it immediately after cutting, mostly because I have a small space to work in so I have to cut, clean up the cutter, put it away, bring out the potato peeler and scrap bucket....it's easier on my poor back to split that up a little.

 

[jcandleattic]

I've stopped bevelling my soaps, but I do sometimes find that if I cut too soon after unmolding, I will get tiny bumps on my soaps. When that happens, I usually wait a couple days and then plane the bumps off with my planer.

When I used to bevel or I get a bug to do it again, my husband made me a beveler that cost roughly $5 worth of wood and wire, and about an hour of his time.

Make potatoes maybe once a year.

Dang!! Being Irish that would never fly with my household. We have some form of potato at least 2-3 times a week. (I know -the starch but they are SOOOO good, and so versatile!!)

 

[earlene]

Yes, on the potatoes. I make soup several times a week and potatoes usually go into the soup. But even when I cook them other ways, I don't peel them. I wash them well, of course, but for the most part, I prefer my potatoes skin-on. I often eat the skin of a baked potato. Speaking of which, my husband and I both enjoy a large baked potato with cottage cheese, salt & pepper as our dinner.

So, obviously, although I do have a kitchen vegetable peeler, I don't use it very often. I used to have two and put one into service in my travel soaping kit.

 

[amd]

I use a potato peeler the day after cutting. When I first started beveling I used a butter knife on cured soap (advice I got from reading a soap blog, not sure now where that was from) but found it difficult to get consistent results. I got a potato peeler as a hand out from a county fair and decided I would try it. It was an adjustment, but now I've got the right pressure down to an art form. I won't go back to unbeveled soaps and have been known to bevel other people's soaps before using.