SatinDucky Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 Can someone explain to me exactly waht trace is/means? What does it look like? How do you know if you have it or not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugenia Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 Oils change from clear to opaque, starts to get thicker, like pancake batter (thin trace). The more you stir, the thicker it gets. Name comes for the fact that the spoon will leave a mark (a trace if you will) in the mixture.e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted July 24, 2005 Author Share Posted July 24, 2005 Oh, kind of like a track or maybe a boats wake in the water? It the "trace" supposed to stay there or slowly level back out? I need lots of info before I try things I don't understand and never have found any explanation of this. Thanks e! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugenia Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 Oh, kind of like a track or maybe a boats wake in the water? It the "trace" supposed to stay there or slowly level back out?You've got the idea. What you want to do is stop when it looks like pancake batter and add your FO. Depending on the reaction, it may thicken pretty quickly. If it's a thin trace, it will level back out. Thick trace the spoon mark will stay.e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted July 24, 2005 Author Share Posted July 24, 2005 Great! Ok, is it the thin or thick trace you want? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinInOR Posted July 24, 2005 Share Posted July 24, 2005 Trace is what happens when saponification occurs. Oils are splitting apart and are turning into soap and glycerin molecules. They are more opaque than the oils.You can stop at any level of trace, really. If you get it way too thin, you run the risk of everything separating out in the mold, especially if you're using tempermental ingredients.Thick trace the pattern of stirring stays around - very thick pudding. Use this if you want to design swirls and patterns on the top of your soap. I tend to pour at a pretty heavy trace on my botanical soaps.I like it when the drips from the spoon stay in place for a bit then disappear.Go for a thinner trace if you want to pour in a slab and do cool swirling. The thinner the better. If I can see a little bit of a pattern that fades back into the pot, but everything looks pretty emulsified and opaque, that should be fine.Thinner trace though can increasee the cure time (maybe since more saponification has to be done) and I've also found I get a bit more ash (maybe since there's more lye contacting the air)Try it at different levels and see which works the best for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatinDucky Posted July 24, 2005 Author Share Posted July 24, 2005 I'm hoping to find something for a mold this week. Then if I get next weekend off I may get brave and unlock the lye and give this a try Thanks e and Robin for the info! Added: AND if I find an easy recipe using the stuff I've collected so far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.