Any way to use CP icing on fresh-packed HP soap?

[LisaBoBisa]

This seems like a long shot, but worth asking. I have a fragile fragrance oil that won't survive CP, and I'd really love to make soap cupcakes with it.

If I pour HP cupcake bases with the fragile scent, I could add CP icing, but is there a way to make the CP frosting stick to the HP cake layer? Seems like HP instantly cools into something very non-sticky.

Maybe the CP icing would stick if I spray the HP with distilled water to get it damp?

I've seen videos of HP frosting, but it's not beautiful. I doubt HP would do a better job of sticking to itself.

 

[earlene]

This seems like a long shot, but worth asking. I have a fragile fragrance oil that won't survive CP, and I'd really love to make soap cupcakes with it.

If I pour HP cupcake bases with the fragile scent, I could add CP icing, but is there a way to make the CP frosting stick to the HP cake layer? Seems like HP instantly cools into something very non-sticky.

Maybe the CP icing would stick if I spray the HP with distilled water to get it damp?

I've seen videos of HP frosting, but it's not beautiful. I doubt HP would do a better job of sticking to itself.

I'd do this:

1. Cover the HP cupcakes with plastic wrap to hold the moisture content immediately after pouring into the mold(s). Keep covered until right before piping the tops.

2. Score the tops of the HP cupcakes. Use a knife to create criss-cross lines to give the frosting little crevices to hold onto. The scores don't need to be deep, just enough to provide a bit more for the new soap to grab hold of. If you plan ahead, you can score immediately after pouring into the molds (or wait until later.)

3. If the HP cupcake seems too dry, brush lightly with warm or hot water, but only very lightly; you don't want a runny watery mess on top.

4. Use a little leftover soap batter saved in the batter bowl (cover with plastic wrap to keep it moist until use) to paint the scored surface immediately prior to piping the CP icing.

5. Depending on the recipe & firmness of the tops, I may try CPOP in pre-heated oven (low temperature) to weld them together. (Click on the highlighted link below for more information on this process.)

Whether or not you feel comfortable CPOPing piped soap, it is another step you could take that I have done to ensure adherence of layers of soap when new soap is added to an older soap. I do know some folks have CPOP'd piped topped soap to encourage gel and had no problems, but I think it's fairly uncommon as I don't see it mentioned much. Most recently I saw it discussed on a reddit soapmaking thread.

I have successfully welded soap together many times using these methods (sometimes with the criss-cross roughening, and sometimes without). I find that wrapping in plastic wrap to retain moisture of the old soap (need to plan ahead for this part of it, of course), works great when I want straight lines at the 'weld'. (Link on this method.) But I have not done it with piped tops, so I'd try it to see how it works.

Caution if you decide to use the CPOP method to complete the weld: Allow the soaps to completely cool off inside the oven or on a tray removed from the oven and placed on a counter out of the way where they will not be touched for several hours. DO NOT TOUCH or pick up the soap while it is still hot because you may squish the soap and change it's shape or leave an indentation. Take my word for it - Do not touch until completely cooled.

I look forward to hearing your report of what you do choose to do and how it works for you and your soap. And pictures, too!

 

[LisaBoBisa]

@earlene This is so helpful—thank you!

How hot do you recommend CPOPing for soap welding? I’ve never tried welding; I usually just turn the oven to the lowest setting for a minute, shut it off, then put my towel-wrapped mold into the oven overnight for CPOP. Do you think that would be warm enough to weld? Or should I do it more like oven hot process (keep the oven on, prob only works with fragrances that handle 180+)?

 

[LisaBoBisa]

Just watched this video to learn about welding soap. Looks like she sticks the soap in a 200F oven for 10 minutes.
Someone in the comments asks how it affects fragrances, and she says it’s probably no hotter than the saponification reaction. Still might be too hot for my fragile HP fragrance, so I’ll try soap welding as a last resort. Really cool possibilities, though! You could do quilt blocks this way. Thanks for introducing me to a new technique

 

[earlene]

Yes, she uses 200° F. But I would look at the soap formula, too when deciding how hot is sufficient. That's what I used, too, but I think I went as low as 170° F for another soap and it worked. I can't quite recall what soap I used the lower temperature for, and would have to do some deep diving into past notes to find that information.

 

[earlene]

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Just watched this video to learn about welding soap. Looks like she sticks the soap in a 200F oven for 10 minutes.
Someone in the comments asks how it affects fragrances, and she says it’s probably no hotter than the saponification reaction. Still might be too hot for my fragile HP fragrance, so I’ll try soap welding as a last resort. Really cool possibilities, though! You could do quilt blocks this way. Thanks for introducing me to a new technique

Are you interested in or have you made quilt blocks soap? It is a project I've been working on on the QT (only my husband knows of this project, at this point. I have not even told my sons.)

I actually incorporated the welding technique idea into my first test quilt soap (last year), but am not satisfied with the end product. Not because of the welding, but because of other things in the making (thickness vs thinness of the cuts to create the planed design in some of the blocks & how they looked once the soap was cut into bars.) I am not ready to share until I have more success, hence the secretiveness at this point. Originally I was hoping to possibly be the 'inventor' of a new technique, but others have already created quilt soaps; I just don't see it mentioned very often, and had a lot of trouble finding much in the way of photos of anyone else's quilt soaps, let alone any kind of tutorial.

So if you made a quilt soap, I'd love to hear about your experience and how it worked out for you.

I think part of my problem was being too ambitious and doing a large sampler type quilt soap. Too many blocks in a biggish slab mold. I plan to do something on a smaller scale with fewer blocks, maybe a mini slab mold the next time and only 4 sampler blocks. In fact, I was hoping to get that done this month!

Earlene

 

[LisaBoBisa]

Are you interested in or have you made quilt blocks soap? It is a project I've been working on on the QT (only my husband knows of this project, at this point. I have not even told my sons.)

I actually incorporated the welding technique idea into my first test quilt soap (last year), but am not satisfied with the end product. Not because of the welding, but because of other things in the making (thickness vs thinness of the cuts to create the planed design in some of the blocks & how they looked once the soap was cut into bars.) I am not ready to share until I have more success, hence the secretiveness at this point. Originally I was hoping to possibly be the 'inventor' of a new technique, but others have already created quilt soaps; I just don't see it mentioned very often, and had a lot of trouble finding much in the way of photos of anyone else's quilt soaps, let alone any kind of tutorial.

So if you made a quilt soap, I'd love to hear about your experience and how it worked out for you.

I think part of my problem was being too ambitious and doing a large sampler type quilt soap. Too many blocks in a biggish slab mold. I plan to do something on a smaller scale with fewer blocks, maybe a mini slab mold the next time and only 4 sampler blocks. In fact, I was hoping to get that done this month!

Earlene

My mom was a quilter, so it sounds like a fun idea to try sometime, but the are so many soap ideas I want to try that it might be awhile before I get to it. I'd probably try something simple without diagonals, like a 9 patch, if I tried anything. I love your idea of beveling the individual pieces; it'd make the bar look pillowy and quilt-like.
I hope you make a tutorial--I'd love to watch it