Help with getting clean layered stripes...

[not_ally]

I have not found that it does, Gigi. For some reason I have occasionally had problems w/honey overheating, even at recommended amounts/no evident issues otherwise, but sugar has always been fine.

 

[gigisiguenza]

I have never heard that sugar accelerates. It can cause soap to heat up, so you have to watch it if you soap hot, CPOP or use a heater fragrance.

Ahhh ok the heat up is what I was remembering wrong. I thought it accelerated. TY

 

[gigisiguenza]

I have not found that it does, Gigi. For some reason I have occasionally had problems w/honey overheating, even at recommended amounts/no evident issues otherwise, but sugar has always been fine.

Good to know. I think I was misremembering heating up for acceleration. Ty

 

[TVivian]

When I do my striped soaps, the issue with getting nice lines is rarely in my oil recipe. I use butters and plenty of castor. The issue is the FO and when it's added. FO almost always speeds up trace no matter how well behaved. So I leave the FO for the very last second before I pour that layer.

 

[dixiedragon]

I think your soap is very pretty! If you want sharp stripes, I have found the best way to do it is to slice the soap with a cheese slicer. Using your soap as an example, making a log of pink and a log of white with green specks, slice them, then make a batch of grey. Put in a slice pink, pour some grey, slice of white and green, pour some grey, slice of pink. It is helpful to gel bc that will melt your slices a bit and bond them together with your new soap better. I have found this to be MUCH easier, because you don't have to move as fast to try to separate each batch into 3 colors and get it stirred, pour it, etc.

 

[not_ally]

If you are still interested in even layers, Gigi, do look at the thread I posted in my first post here. In it, Viv talks about one of her soaps, which has beautifully clean, level layers. I don't do these v. level layers a lot, but that thread gave me some great info about how to do it.

 

[dixiedragon]

IME, heating up = acceleration, and vice versa. BC the chemical reaction happening more quickly is what causes acceleration, at that is a) caused by heat or b) causes more heat. They pretty much go hand in hand. If you have thick soap that isn't hotter than normally, than it's probably false trace or something else going on. Again, this is my experience. Possibly the group chemists can correct me!

 

[galaxyMLP]

When I do my striped soaps, the issue with getting nice lines is rarely in my oil recipe. I use butters and plenty of castor. The issue is the FO and when it's added. FO almost always speeds up trace no matter how well behaved. So I leave the FO for the very last second before I pour that layer.

I do this as well. If I'm doing lets say, 5 layers, I split my FO into 5 equal parts in separate containers. I bring my soap to very light trace/emulsion (I have a recipe w/ 7% castor and 15% shea). I separate it into 5 parts or even just separate 1 at a time. Then I mix the FO in really well before I pour one of my layers. It works really well. I received that recommendation from someone here but I can't remember who it was now...

Oh and dixie, thats my thinking on the hotter soap, more acceleration. Turns out that my "flub" soap from earlier last week wasn't due to an accelerating FO. It really was due to my temps. I usually soap @ 100 but, that day I couldn't find my thermometer and I had forgotten to let me lye cool. I probably ended up soaping at around 140 F.... and that was waaay to hot.

 

[KristaMarie]

I think those are beautiful! How much activated charcoal did you use? I use 1T PPO and CPOP to ensure gel. With that recipe, I don't think you have much risk of over heating, but I have no experience with lard. I set the oven to 170 and shut it off before I put the soap in. You should get a beautiful black that way; it may produce gray lather, but I haven't had any issues with staining.

Give gelling a shot! I don't do it often, because I prefer the look of ungelled, but it's good for these instances

 

[gigisiguenza]

I think your soap is very pretty! If you want sharp stripes, I have found the best way to do it is to slice the soap with a cheese slicer. Using your soap as an example, making a log of pink and a log of white with green specks, slice them, then make a batch of grey. Put in a slice pink, pour some grey, slice of white and green, pour some grey, slice of pink. It is helpful to gel bc that will melt your slices a bit and bond them together with your new soap better. I have found this to be MUCH easier, because you don't have to move as fast to try to separate each batch into 3 colors and get it stirred, pour it, etc.

I hadn't considered that Dixie, Ty

 

[gigisiguenza]

If you are still interested in even layers, Gigi, do look at the thread I posted in my first post here. In it, Viv talks about one of her soaps, which has beautifully clean, level layers. I don't do these v. level layers a lot, but that thread gave me some great info about how to do it.

Ally I did read it at the time you suggested it and got great tips I will be trying. Tyvm

 

[gigisiguenza]

I think those are beautiful! How much activated charcoal did you use? I use 1T PPO and CPOP to ensure gel. With that recipe, I don't think you have much risk of over heating, but I have no experience with lard. I set the oven to 170 and shut it off before I put the soap in. You should get a beautiful black that way; it may produce gray lather, but I haven't had any issues with staining.

Give gelling a shot! I don't do it often, because I prefer the look of ungelled, but it's good for these instances

Kristen Tyvm As to the activated charcoal I used 1 tsp in about 7 oz of batter. I think it was too little or the fact that I mixed it in glycerin first. And I'm going to work up the nerve to try gelling LOL. I prefer the look of ungelled but I'm experimenting, so it's on my list

 

[gigisiguenza]

When I do my striped soaps, the issue with getting nice lines is rarely in my oil recipe. I use butters and plenty of castor. The issue is the FO and when it's added. FO almost always speeds up trace no matter how well behaved. So I leave the FO for the very last second before I pour that layer.

I forgot to add the FO, so I know it wasn't that, but it could have been over enthusiastic stick blending lol.

 

[regansoap]

That's is sooooooooooo pretty don't give yourself such a hard time it might not be what you have envisaged but it's still beautiful well done.

 

[gigisiguenza]

That's is sooooooooooo pretty don't give yourself such a hard time it might not be what you have envisaged but it's still beautiful well done.

Tyvm