A little gold swirl

[artemis]

I am subscribed to the Snoblove channel on YouTube. In her new video, it looks like she mixed gold mica and maybe glitter, too, with a little almond oil. Then, she poured it into soap batter a lá ITP and didn't mix it in. She used it as if it were a thin, colored batter and poured her "swirl". It ended up with a nice, little glittery golden swirl here-and-there in the bar. Here's the vid:

https://youtu.be/hgoZNHFPCZg

Thoughts? Opinions? Am I misunderstanding? Do you think that eventually the almond oil will fully absorb and leave indentations? Have you tried this? Is there a name for this trick?

 

[Obsidian]

I have done that before with mica in oil. It worked ok, it leaves little voids and cavities once the oil soaks in. I wouldn't use a lot, just enough to add a splash of color.

I don't have any pictures except for these freshly cut ones.

 

[artemis]

What was your mica to oil ratio?

 

[Obsidian]

I'm not really sure, made this one fairly early in my soaping days when I wasn't keeping notes.. Generally I just use enough oil to make a easily pourable slurry. The mix in the video looked really thin, I would have wanted it a bit thicker.

 

[SunRiseArts]

I have done that, but only for the top, and not much, and did not experience any problems

Not sure I would do the whole top. I think it could sweat in time.

 

[artemis]

I've done designs on the top, too, with no sweating. Doing the whole top, I've only ever dusted it with mica. Never thought of pouring mica in oil over the top. And now, I'm thinking about it! Hmmm...

 

[navigator9]

Artemis, if someone as swirl challenged as myself can do it, anyone can! This mica swirl on top is really one of the easiest to do.

 

[artemis]

Artemis, if someone as swirl challenged as myself can do it, anyone can! This mica swirl on top is really one of the easiest to do.

Yes, that way I have done before. This, though, was inside of a loaf, not on top. It made me wonder if I'd be left with cavities in the soap.

 

[DeeAnna]

If you mix mica and oil (or glycerin) and drizzle it within the soap, it is likely you'll get small cavities in the soap. They will weep for a time until the oil or glycerin is absorbed, leaving a mica coated cavity behind. I was very annoyed to learn this -- because of course I had to learn it the hard way. :think:

Anymore, I pretty much stick to using gold mica + glycerin (or oil) when decorating the top of soap, like Navigator. If I use gold mica within a soap, I use it dry to dust a pencil line.

The soap in the first pic looks like the colorant has been added to a portion of the soap batter instead to get that goldish swirl. My experience with gold mica when used this way is that it looks brownish orange -- pretty much like what you see in the pic. It might imply a golden color, especially in contrast with a clean white or blue, but it is not at all glittery gold looking.

If you want a shiny gold swirl within the soap, I don't think gold mica alone is going to create that effect. I'd try a bit of the mica to get the base color + gold skin-safe glitter for added sparkle.

 

[artemis]

The soap in the first pic looks like the colorant has been added to a portion of the soap batter instead to get that goldish swirl. My experience with gold mica when used this way is that it looks brownish orange -- pretty much like what you see in the pic. It might imply a golden color, especially in contrast with a clean white or blue, but it is not at all glittery gold looking.

If you want a shiny gold swirl within the soap, I don't think gold mica alone is going to create that effect. I'd try a bit of the mica to get the base color + gold skin-safe glitter for added sparkle.

As I mentioned in the first post, and as she does it in the video, it is mixed with sweet almond oil alone and poured into her turquoise batter just like you would do for an ITP type of swirl. It looked like it was maybe gold mica plus a little fine gold glitter.

 

[cmzaha]

Like DeeAnna, I learned the hard way, it does not work inside the soap. I do swirl the top with liquid mica at times, using a pipette to drops dots of liquid mica then swirl.

 

[artemis]

As I mentioned in the first post, and as she does it in the video, it is mixed with sweet almond oil alone and poured into her turquoise batter just like you would do for an ITP type of swirl. It looked like it was maybe gold mica plus a little fine gold glitter.

Edit: if you're talking about the oblong that's edged in gold, that was an agate she made of MP and added after the cut the bars. I'm looking at the little swoops of gold, but primarily the technique she used in the video to get it.

 

[penelopejane]

Edit: if you're talking about the oblong that's edged in gold, that was an agate she made of MP and added after the cut the bars. I'm looking at the little swoops of gold, but primarily the technique she used in the video to get it.

That's what they are talking about - the little swoops of gold in the centre of the bar. They will leave holes in the soap as the unsaponifies oil mixed with the mica dissolves/dries out.

Try it and see.