Beveling soap

[Catscankim]

I am going to have so many noob questions, sorry.

i have watched a hundred soaping videos. I cant get the beveling. To be specific, beveling withe a peeler. It really does not look nice by the time i am done. Is this an acquired skill? Lol.

when is the best time to start messing with your soap....right after cutting or do you let it sit ?

 

[shunt2011]

I use a potato peeler to bevel my soap. I don't generally bevel them for at least 3-4 days most times after a couple weeks. I do run the peeler over the top sides when I take them out of the mold but wait to bevel the rest until cut and a harder as I seem to get a cleaner bevel. There is a bit of a learning curve.

 

[artemis]

I let mine sit for at least a couple days after cutting. I use a light hand and a try not to go too slowly-- a quick, smooth swipe.

I have also dragged a chopstick down the corners, when I don't want a bevel, but I want to slightly round the edge.

Most soaps, though, I don't bevel. They lose their edge pretty quickly in the shower.

 

[Megan]

I sometimes have issues at the end of my "swipe." For some reason I go in instead of out if that makes sense. I've gotten much better over the span of two years, my first ones I did were all wavy and weird. I wait till my soaps have been curing a few weeks before beveling, like shunt2011 says, it makes for a cleaner bevel and the bevel is usually smaller (not taking as much off), which I like. You can also buy a planing tool with a bevel attachment, I found that helped me at the beginning to get an even bevel.

 

[Catscankim]

Im going to buy a wood mitre box tonight when i get paid. It has a planer and beveler on the bottom. I have a cutter tool, but they arent coming out straight no matter how hard i try.
Thanks for your replies. I have lots to learn

 

[IrishLass]

I really suck at using a potato peeler to bevel my soaps. Instead, I use a Japanese radius plane, which works beautifully and leaves me with amazing-looking bevels. Here's a pictorial thread where I talk about it and show how to use it: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/how-do-you-bevel-soap-share-your-method.64433/

IrishLass

 

[amd]

Is this an acquired skill?

A little bit? It took me a bit of practice to get it right - I'm clumsy in a million different ways. I have some tips that helped me get myself sorted out, that I'll share at the end.

when is the best time to start messing with your soap....right after cutting or do you let it sit ?

It depends on how hard your recipe is. I have a recipe that I can unmold in 12-18 hours and sets hard in about 24 hours. Typically I unmold, cut, let my bars sit 2-3 hours, and then I can stamp and bevel.

So a few tips - your bars should be hard when you bevel - like a good firm cheddar cheese, not like velveeta. If it's smooshy or sticky when you bevel, you're beveling too soon.

When I started beveling, after failing a few times with the potato peeler, I started to wait until my soaps were fully cured, then I used the flat side of butter knife to scrape away the rough cut edge. It takes 2-3 passes with the butter knife, and it doesn't look as nice a beveled edge, but it does a nice job of cleaning up rough edges and giving the soaps a nice hand feel when you first use them. I still use this method on round soaps that are difficult to bevel with the peeler.

Keep practicing with the peeler, it takes a bit to get the feel for how "deep" or "hard" to push the peeler in, but once you get it, it is so fast and easy.

 

[Catscankim]

IrishLass I love the look of that bevel!

Amd, I think i might need a new peelr lol. I dunno. Mine has a weird shape i think.

I also hate to have what looks like a decent (for me) bar of soap and destroy it by trying to bevel it lol.

I have a shipment coming in from Brambl Berry this week. I am making the Lemon Bars and the lavender charcoal. I cant wait. The lemon bars are made in square molds that dont need cutting, so hopefully i wont need to bevel them lol.

Kim

...and since i received a 20% coupon from them, i got lots of other goodies coming too!

 

[ShySoaper]

I am going to have so many noob questions, sorry.

i have watched a hundred soaping videos. I cant get the beveling. To be specific, beveling withe a peeler. It really does not look nice by the time i am done. Is this an acquired skill? Lol.

when is the best time to start messing with your soap....right after cutting or do you let it sit ?

Catscankim me personally rather use the soap planer. I tried the potato peeer and I spoiled my soap. My hand is heavy and going light and fast on the soap is a problem for me. If you are new to soaping like myself I recommend the soap planer also a soap cutter.

 

[Catscankim]

IrishLass, i dont see that radius plane on their site

 

[shunt2011]

@ShySoaper, a soap planer is different from a beveler. Unless it's one that does both. A planer takes off slices. Planer generally does an angle. I have a soap beveler but it takes off way too much soap.

 

[ShySoaper]

Shunt2011 thanks for the correction I ordered a planer keep spoiling the soaps with the peeler. Do you have a picture of your beveled so I know what it looks like

 

[SPowers]

I ordered a planer/beveler from Amazon but it won't be delivered til late July or early August!

 

[KDP]

IrishLass, i dont see that radius plane on their site

Catscankim,I typed in radius plane in their search box..came right up.

 

[IrishLass]

IrishLass, i dont see that radius plane on their site

Here are some direct links to a few different places that sell them:

https://www.woodcraft.com/products/...I6NXw2IG05wIVkhx9Ch1DYA1qEAQYAiABEgJKlPD_BwE#

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/sho...ese/41232-japanese-round-molding-wooden-plane

IrishLass

 

[Catscankim]

Thank you. I really love the look it gives your soap!

 

[LilianNoir]

I know this is like two months later but this was the first post that came up when I searched "beveling", which I searched for because my beveling skills are AWWWFFULLLL.
I don't want to bevel all of my soaps, I like the clear sharp edges on some, but others, especially when I cut a little too early and they're soft and I smush them<ahem>, I thought beveling would make it look nicer..

NOPE!

It's definitely got a learning curve. And I'm finding that waiting to bevel makes a big difference too.
I started making soap last year but didn't do much, so I think I'm about the same place you are @Catscankim, so keep asking your questions because I'm learning too!

 

[AliOop]

I am glad you posted, @LilianNoir, because I had forgotten about @IrishLass' cool beveling tool. My husband does a lot with wood, so he said, "Sure, get one." He knows it will live in the soaping cabinet, however, and not in his workshop.

 

[LilianNoir]

I am glad you posted, @LilianNoir, because I had forgotten about @IrishLass' cool beveling tool. My husband does a lot with wood, so he said, "Sure, get one." He knows it will live in the soaping cabinet, however, and not in his workshop.

Yay! I was helpful!
Funny, I mentioned the beveler IrishLass uses to my husband too, kind of off-handedly, and mentioned that it was on sale for like $50 and he was like "that's a good price."
"So I should get it?"
"Yeah"

Kinda surprised because we're probably about to drop a lot of $$$ on a sick cat (taking him in for CT scans this Friday. It looks like cancer so far, but need better imaging to know and I absolutely am that person who will get their cat a CT scan if it will help to make his quality of life better)
but he was also distracted lol (and I make more money than he does )

so needless to say, I now have that beveler on it's way to me.

I hadn't even seen a beveler like that and I think that look is beautiful; so yay!

 

[AliOop]

@LilianNoir I'm so sorry about your kitty, and happy that you got the planer, too.