Soap swirling

[Landa]

I did a search but couldnt find anything. How do you do a swirl in the soap?

[MaryinCary]

The first site that comes up here is quite informative. HTH

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=looped+swirl+soap

There is loads to read there and in the Archives of CT.

[Jcandleattic]

There are several different ways to swirl. You can swirl in the pot, swirl in the mold and so on.

Easiest way IMO and the way I learned is in the pot swirl. (this method is for CP~it's a little different for MP)

what you do is when your CP comes to a light trace take about a cup of raw soap out, color and set aside. Fragrance your uncolored portion, then take the reserve colored cup and from high up put about 4-5 drops in the pot at different spots in the bowl. Take your spoon and give it one or two at the max stirs, then pour in your mold..

That will get you started for swirls, and the rest is just practice..

HTH It's just basic, but like I said, it's a start.

[Purple Lilac]

Works great! Couldn't of put it any better JCandleattic

[Fairy_Light]

When I was making soaps I always tried to get a swirl in. The way i learned it (through my boyfriends mom ) which I'm sure is just one of the many ways to do it. Is like stated above you take out a small portion of the mixture add color and then instead of putting it in the pot pour a couple zig zag lines on the mold before putting the large portion of the batch in. Then take the big batch of soap and pour it in your mold. After you have it all leveled out in a zig zag slowly pour your color. Then take a shishcabob stick and swirls it around until you get the design you like. I like the fish spine look but what ever works for you. Then go on like you normally do with your CP soap recipes. Worked every time for me. I'm very interested though in seeing how the pot swirl looks. Anyone want to share pictures?

HTH

HUGS

Andrea

[SatinDucky]

All of mine are ITP swirls, it's the only way I can

[RobinInOR]

I swirl differently every time I make a batch. Some I do in-the pot. The ones that I pour as a slab I do in the mold - the trick is a very thin trace, and not overdoing it on the colored part. Another way I do a log mold is pour 1/2 my soap, pour in some color, pour the rest of the soap, pour the rest of the color, then swirl with skewers.

Once you get a feel for what kind of trace to do the swirling at, it gets easier. I'm still pretty erratic.

[Landa]

thank you!

[eugenia]

the trick is a very thin trace

That's the part I cannot master!

e

[Sara]

C/P this from a post a bit back. But this is how I swirl:

Say I'm swirling a 4 pound slab (swirling is best done in a slab), after bringing to a light trace, I'll take out 1lb. of soap from the batch, color that whatever color I want. Pour the soap (the 3lbs.) in the slab.

Take the lb. of soap that you colored and pour it in the slab by going back and forth like a snake, back and forth while moving it along the slab. Then turn and go up and down (what you're doing is snaking it horizontal all the way across, then vertical all the way back).

Vary the height of the pot you are pouring from so some of the mixture hits the top and bottom.

When you're finished with that, you take a spoon or butter knife (or whatever) and snake through the slab in the same manner, or just about any way you please.

Varying the pattern you pour in or the pattern you swirl in will give you different look to your swirls.

I hope that makes some sense!!

[RobinInOR]

That's the part I cannot master!

e

You know how your mix starts out really oily looking after you add the lye, then you see more of an opaque look start to form? As soon as you see that opaque look fully, pour. It looks/feels a wee bit thicker, but you don't see any kind of trail when you pull the SB out of the pot. When I do a really thin pour, I've only SBd for 15-20 seconds max. Course each recipe will be different. You 'waste' a lot of batches - you get it too thin and your mold leaks and all the color goes down to the bottom, you wait a bit longer and you're back to thick.... sigh...

I notice I get more ash when I pour really thin.

[eugenia]

You 'waste' a lot of batches - you get it too thin and your mold leaks and all the color goes down to the bottom, you wait a bit longer and you're back to thick.... sigh...

I notice I get more ash when I pour really thin.

Great! Can't wait. Thanks Robin.

e