Hanger swirl tool - any DIY tools?

[Carl]

I use a piece of scrap 12 gauge Romex cable (the same stuff the electricity in your house runs thru). If you take the sheathing off, there are 3 smaller wires inside. Each of these can be used for hanger swirl. Just bend it to the shape of your mold.

I keep the plastic/rubber coating on the individual strands though.

If you use the bare copper one, I'm not sure how it will react with the soap.

 

[IrishLass]

Thanks, that's quite a process! But I have been searching in vain for her cherry blossom tutorial.

Here ya go! It's one of her older videos, so you have to keep hitting 'Scroll Down" on her Youtube channel:




IrishLass

 

[Meena]

I used to "beef up' my wire hangers with either plastic straws or with bamboo skewers taped securely to the hangers, but I removed them all after watching Ione from Eve's Garden Soaps make the most beautiful flowery hanger swirls with just a regular wire hanger still in its triangular shape. The soap pictured in my avatar is a soap I swirled with just such a plain wire hanger (wrapped tightly with Glad Press n Seal to line over the wire). Here's a bigger version of it to see the swirls up close:

View attachment 35688

The swirls I use to make with my 'beefed up' hangers always came out nice enough, but never as pretty as the swirls I make with my skinny wire hangers. I confess I'm really partial to my skinny hangers.


IrishLass

So delicate and gorgeous!! Simply superb, dear!

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

Here ya go! It's one of her older videos, so you have to keep hitting 'Scroll Down" on her Youtube channel:




IrishLass

she does beautiful work--I think I could watch her videos for hours

 

[IrishLass]

I could as well! Sometimes I have!


IrishLass

 

[SaltedFig]

... If you use the bare copper one, I'm not sure how it will react with the soap.

Very badly

Copper (and it's cousins Brass and Bronze) are possibly the worst (common) metals for triggering DOS in soap ... you could possibly start a new line in DOS swirls ... oh, see? Even the jokes are bad

Beautiful soap @IrishLass - thank you for sharing how you created it

 

[KimT2au]

@IrishLass , how do you do the routing around the edge of your soaps?

 

[Dawni]

Would the soap melt a plastic hanger?

After reading here I was curious enough to check the hangers we have and they're all wooden or plastic. The wooden ones are too long for the molds I have.

@IrishLass I've always admired that avatar of yours

 

[Cherrydene soapy]

I have searched high and low for an old fashioned plastic coated hangers, asking everyone I know I even put it on Facebook and blow me down I walked into a local store and guess what....by the washing line pegs, plastic coated hangers. I have spent time bending one very gently to the size of my mould and will be using it for the first time this morning will post pictures of how it turns out. Excited

 

[Chris_S]

Gear ties at walmart work well.

Would cable ties work the same? maybe a few locked together?

 

[shunt2011]

I'm trying to figure out how you would use a chopstick?

I just pour my soap in strips up and down the mold or however you want to pour. Then take my chopstick, the thicker end at a low angle and start at on end and make small or large circles down the length of the mold. I have long plastic chopsticks. I do have a hangar type thing if I remember to pull it out. But pretty much use the chopsticks.

 

[earlene]

Some hangers are made of steel, and I have purposely bought the steel ones to use for hanger swirls, but the gear tie is really easier to work with. But I have used a broken plastic hanger when one broke once. Didn't like it because it was too thick. I prefer a more delicate thinness in my hanger swirl tools.

Spoon swirl is easy to do with what you may already have on hand. You can use plastic spoons or stainless steel spoons.

Skewers and chopsticks are other items often used for swirls and while not everyone has those in their kitchen, they are easily obtainable if you don't. I always have chopsticks and find them to be useful for all kinds of things (gardening, for example) besides being an eating utensil.

Chris_S, I think plastic cable ties are would work, but the kind I use are not amenable to shaping the way a gear tie is. But it would work for a fine line, sure.

 

[Chris_S]

Some hangers are made of steel, and I have purposely bought the steel ones to use for hanger swirls, but the gear tie is really easier to work with. But I have used a broken plastic hanger when one broke once. Didn't like it because it was too thick. I prefer a more delicate thinness in my hanger swirl tools.

Spoon swirl is easy to do with what you may already have on hand. You can use plastic spoons or stainless steel spoons.

Skewers and chopsticks are other items often used for swirls and while not everyone has those in their kitchen, they are easily obtainable if you don't. I always have chopsticks and find them to be useful for all kinds of things (gardening, for example) besides being an eating utensil.

Chris_S, I think plastic cable ties are would work, but the kind I use are not amenable to shaping the way a gear tie is. But it would work for a fine line, sure.

Thank you i will have a try cant do any harm after all. Iv never heard or come across anything called gear ties before until i read this topic so i suspect we either call them sokething different or just dont sell them in general shops i googled it and never seen anything of that description either

 

[earlene]

Chris_S, here is a link to a soap made using a gear tie:

https://www.lovinsoap.com/2015/09/how-to-make-lavender-pumpkin-gear-tie-swirl-soap/

Here are what they look like when sold in packages containing various sizes.

Maybe they go by a different name in the UK?

Here is a video showing some traditional uses for gear ties:

 

[soapmaker]

Here ya go! It's one of her older videos, so you have to keep hitting 'Scroll Down" on her Youtube channel:




IrishLass

Thanks IL, I'm not quite computer illiterate, but maybe almost! I was just googling.

 

[soapmaker]

I just pour my soap in strips up and down the mold or however you want to pour. Then take my chopstick, the thicker end at a low angle and start at on end and make small or large circles down the length of the mold. I have long plastic chopsticks. I do have a hangar type thing if I remember to pull it out. But pretty much use the chopsticks.

Oh, I get what you mean. I'm not able to think it through if that would give you the same effect. I have chopsticks that I use to swirl my tops, wooden ones, but it works. I'll have to try that!

 

[Cherrydene soapy]

Would cable ties work the same? maybe a few locked together?

I got the hangers from The Range I don’t know if you have one where you are?

 

[Chris_S]

I got the hangers from The Range I don’t know if you have one where you are?

We do but are they suitable for lye soap? they have to be stainless steel i think other metals can react with the lye

 

[Cherrydene soapy]

I thought they could to be plastic coated ?

 

[Chris_S]

I thought they could to be plastic coated ?

they should be ok but my issue is that they need to be bendable because a standard hanger is too long for my loaf mold. If you watch the videos of hanger swirls its usually done lenght ways not width. Not sure iv seen any videos of it done width ways actually