Adventures in pull-throughs

[Feelin' Soapy]

Made my first attempt at kaleidoscope soap today, and learned it's trickier than it looks!
When I started pouring, my batter was too thin, and since I was pouring directly out of paper cups, it was a long way down so the colors mixed. I suspect that part will look like an ITP swirl when I cut it.
As the batter thickened, it might have been better but it was hard to pour into the center. This section will probably be very lopsided.
So next I placed a funnel on top and poured through that. The rod holding my disk was on the side, so the funnel sat cockeyed, but pointed to the center. Seemed to work better, but awkward to work around a slanty funnel and the long rod. Almost lost an eye trying to peer down the tube!
Eager to see what it looks like, and see about learning from my mistakes when I try again. I'm thinking of getting some 500 ml plastic syringes to pour from. Has anyone tried these?

 

[KiwiMoose]

They look great! Depends on how thin your batter is I guess.

 

[akseattle]

Eager to see what it looks like, and see about learning from my mistakes when I try again. I'm thinking of getting some 500 ml plastic syringes to pour from. Has anyone tried these? View attachment 80523

@Feelin' Soapy , I have never tried kaleidescope soaping, so no help on that front. But, I have found that some of my mistakes end up looking more creative than my original plan I suspect your soaps will look great! Would love to see you post your result!

 

[Relle]

They look great! Depends on how thin your batter is I guess.

I don't see any photos.

 

[Feelin' Soapy]

They look great! Depends on how thin your batter is I guess.

I'll take that as an optimistic comment since I haven't even unmolded this batch yet

 

[Vicki C]

Made my first attempt at kaleidoscope soap today, and learned it's trickier than it looks!
When I started pouring, my batter was too thin, and since I was pouring directly out of paper cups, it was a long way down so the colors mixed. I suspect that part will look like an ITP swirl when I cut it.
As the batter thickened, it might have been better but it was hard to pour into the center. This section will probably be very lopsided.
So next I placed a funnel on top and poured through that. The rod holding my disk was on the side, so the funnel sat cockeyed, but pointed to the center. Seemed to work better, but awkward to work around a slanty funnel and the long rod. Almost lost an eye trying to peer down the tube!
Eager to see what it looks like, and see about learning from my mistakes when I try again. I'm thinking of getting some 500 ml plastic syringes to pour from. Has anyone tried these? View attachment 80523

Yes I have four big syringes like that - they are ok but the gaskets tend to get stuck in the barrels. I have tried lubricating them with spray cooking oils which sort of helps.

 

[Feelin' Soapy]

Yes I have four big syringes like that - they are ok but the gaskets tend to get stuck in the barrels. I have tried lubricating them with spray cooking oils which sort of helps.

Do they get stuck while squirting batter into the tube or after they're empty and you go to clean the syringes to use again?
Do you spray oil on the gaskets or into the syringe itself?

 

[Feelin' Soapy]

Just cut my bars and they came out better than I expected for a first try. I'm not crazy about the colors (Nurture's Maya Gold, Green Vibrance, Mocha, and TD for the white), but they do smell yummy (Juicy Pear and Champagne).
At about 22 hours I put it in the freezer for about 2 hours, then banged it on the counter, and it slid right out (no liner).
I had soap drips along the inside of the tube, and when the soap slid out those drips smeared along the sides of the soap cylinder (right photo). I was able to wipe them off, but I need to learn to pour more carefully down the center.
For some reason, about 1/3 inch of the bottom of the loaf is very soft while the rest of it is fine. Is that because it was poured at the thinnest trace?
The rod was attached to the side of the disk I used, and it appears to have come up on a slight angle, distorting the pattern. Not sure how to avoid that.
I see lots more experimenting in my future. After years of soaping, I feel like a total novice again!

 

[Relle]

@Feelin' Soapy, I haven't even started these yet, only watching lots and lots of videos.

The rod was attached to the side of the disk I used, and it appears to have come up on a slight angle, distorting the pattern. Not sure how to avoid that.

The only thing I can suggest from fiddling with the discs ( the ones I have are in the centre) is to make sure the nuts are really tight, I'm finding they loosen easily, so might try tightening with some plyers and make sure they are level. I need to get my act together and just try.

 

[Vicki C]

Do they get stuck while squirting batter into the tube or after they're empty and you go to clean the syringes to use again?
Do you spray oil on the gaskets or into the syringe itself?

Mostly they get stuck when they are empty but iirc it was both ways. I spray the cooking oil right in to the gasket.
I haven’t used them in a while because they ended up being more trouble than they were worth. I think a squirt bottle with an extender made from a plastic pipette is more effective.

 

[Feelin' Soapy]

The only thing I can suggest from fiddling with the discs ( the ones I have are in the centre) is to make sure the nuts are really tight, I'm finding they loosen easily, so might try tightening with some plyers and make sure they are level. I need to get my act together and just try.

That makes sense. The nuts are tiny and hard to loosen or tighten. I just hand tightened them and that's likely why it tipped. Maybe adding a washer above and below would help steady it as well.