How do you make even swirls?

[NatureandNurture]

I've seen pictures of soaps (bar and round) that have beautiful swirls of color. But how in the world do you get them uniformly in the soap from top to bottom? Especially the round bars, which I know are made with a tube mold. I just can't figure it out. When I tried it with M&P ages ago, I just could not get the color to go to the bottom of the mold, I had nice swirls... but only on the bottom side of the soap!

 

[Dixie]

If you find out will you please share with me?!

 

[Guest]

The theory is, that if you hold the color you want to swirl as high as you can and still get it in the mold , it will sink lower into the soap and gradually lower your arm so it does not sink as far down. Then swirl it with a chopstick or what have you. I am still working on making this work , I am going to try putting the mold on the floor next time and pour the swirl that way.

You can also pour some of your base soap in the mold drizzle your swirl color over it in an S shape down the mold , add more base and do the top swirl from high and then swirl it with the tool of choice.

I made a blue and white swirl in a downspout mold , poured the colors alternately and swirled it with a coat hanger , it worked very well. You could do the same in a PVC pipe.

HTH

Kitn

 

[Milla]

Kitn, thanks so much for those tips. I was just asking myself tonight why I didn't try swirling. My soaps are so boring!

 

[gekko62]

Hi Milla

Have you tried ITP swirls? My swirl attempts all end up being gloop glops cos Im still not 100% on trace vs emulsion,so keep mixingmixing mixing..so thats gonna be my next thing to try.Have seen some really pretty soaps done that way.

Plus have a look at this....funnel swirling...I reckon that'd work in downpipe
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/forum/vi ... php?t=7559

 

[gekko62]

oops sorry Milla I meant to say HI Natureand Nurture

But Milla,I noticed in another thread you mentioned playing with natural colourants? Was wondering about alkanet,I know I can infuse in my base oil,but I really just want to do a swirl (see previous post! lol),so do you know how it goes added straight to the soap?

N&N.would love to know how your next swirlies go )

 

[Ganiggle]

Would it work if you used a turkey baster? Just kind of put it deeper into the soap and squirt some of the colorant around?

 

[Milla]

Would it work if you used a turkey baster? Just kind of put it deeper into the soap and squirt some of the colorant around?

Hi Ganiggle! Kind of reminds me of putting cream filling in a twinkie! I wonder if anyone has tried that? Very interesting.

But Milla,I noticed in another thread you mentioned playing with natural colourants? Was wondering about alkanet,I know I can infuse in my base oil,but I really just want to do a swirl (see previous post! lol),so do you know how it goes added straight to the soap?

Hi gekko! I wish I was the expert on testing natural colorants but I'm kind of a failure at it, and can't offer any advice.

Thanks for the link to the funnel swirl. Somehow I missed that before. I actually own a funnel and will have to try that. I'm thinking about a green/brown combo and a pink/yellow combo!

 

[vivcarm]

My first swirl was a disaster somebody very kindly said it was marbling, they were being very kind! My next one, I took some out of my mixing pot mixed it with colour, then added it at different heights, like kitn said. Then poured it into the mould, and took a spatula, and moved it about a bit, it worked a lot better that time, I still have a lot to learn, but give it a go

 

[AshleyR]

My favourite and most successful way to swirl is in the pot (ITP swirl). As soon as your lye and oils are thoroughly mixed, separate some of your soap into another container (or 2, or 3, or more!) and add colour to each. It should start to thicken up on it's own while you're working so by the time you are done mixing all the colours well, the soap will probably be at trace. Then pour each colour one by one back into the pot, from different heights, swirling the container you're pouring with around the pot as you pour. Once all the colours are back in the pot, I take my spatula and give one quick stir around the pot, then pour it all into the mold.

I always get pretty swirls throughout the soap when I do it this way! The key is to make sure your soap is at a light trace when you pour it, in order to get nice thin swirls. If the soap gets too thick it will look kinda gloppy. Still nice, but not as detailed as some of the really nice swirls you see.

There are a few tutorials on the net with pics showing you how to do this, in case I didn't make a lot of sense!

 

[eucalypta]

There is another way - or in fact a combination of earlier mentioned ways.

let's say you have a base color already poured.
You pour in the second color from up high in the lenght of your mold,
At the end lower your hand and pour the way back to where you started,
Do the same again until you reach the top.

Now take a spoon.whisk, fork or whatever you like.
Put it in at a corner - touching the bottom.
Make movements - circular, wavy or straight , like you would do with a "top" swirl.

After unmolding, you cut the soap horizontally. Best to see the illustration below - hope that clarifies it a bit. (easier to do the vertical cuts first).

Result (this one has multiple colored swirls, but the method is the same)

HTH - enjoy

 

[Milla]

eucalypta, I think I get what you're saying. By moving your hand down after each pass you are getting the colored soap into the base color at different levels? Also when you pour the colored soap along the length are you pouring a line across or swirling it across or zigging it? Am I making sense?

 

[eucalypta]

I tried to draw it for you - HTH

Then cut as indicated before.
The fun thing is that the bottom bars look (exactly) the same as the top bars.

One more thing: you have to pour at a thin trace, otherwise the swirl colour doesn't sink deep enough into the soap.

I Promise to do a photo tut of swirling types during summer holidays 8)

 

[gekko62]

Here's another how-to...basically the same principal as yours Eucalypta,gets the contrast colour at differing depths.

http://beauxeaux.com/swirltutorial/howtoswirl.htm

HA! I've found all these great instructions,still not quite game....

 

[Milla]

Thanks eucalypta! Yes, that helped a lot! Fancy drawings too.

I just ordered some new FOs and I now I'm looking at colors. I promised myself that my next soap batches with my new FOs have to be swirls. DH thinks I've become obsessed with soap.

Gekko....go for it!

 

[gekko62]

Eucalypta! You should FRAME those soaps-they are real works of art

 

[Jamn!]

Those are very pretty soaps!!


I haven't yet tried swirls but I am wondering if you could use a cordless drill on a low/slow setting to get your swirls.
You could also put some sort of something on the end to get shapes?


Some people use drills to make twisties for glass work and they get really even twists.

 

[gekko62]

Hi Jamn

I can't stop thinking of soap made in that lovely watercolour effect of your ribbons-which are sooo beautiful btw. Soft colours,with swirls that run into each other.Most people try to avoid the bleeding,I think it'd look amazing!

 

[Jamn!]

Oh Thank-you!

Like the soap swirls if you blend too much you get blahhhh!! I have been pondering making some swirls in soap. I can't wait to get my colorants and FO's!!
I am wondering if the colors would blend a bit into each other if you added them at "super light" trace?? hehehe

 

[gekko62]

I'm in NO way qualified to answer that one LOL

.....but I'm sure there's a super-knowledgable ultra helpful & very wise soaper out there that would LOVE to share