I'm MP Challenged

[KristaY]

I've been making CP and HP liquid soap for about a year so decided to branch out a bit and try my hand at MP. I decided on a couple of molds that require 2 or 3 colors so thought, no problem. WRONG! It's a disaster! The first 2 pics are the white tailed deer mold which should have white antlers, brown body and green background. I added the white for the antlers using a plastic pipette which kept getting too cool too fast. Then I decided to pour the brown bodies. That ran all over. When I added the green I think I forgot to spritz with alcohol so the antlers and body are still in the mold (except for one poor detached leg & ear). I never even poured the green into the top 2 cavities as I just need to start over with those. The ONLY reason the pine cones look decent is because I sat with a small paring knife trimming the excess brown away.

So here are my questions. First, can I re-melt the green, spray the body and antlers with alcohol, then re-pour? I added scent which has a flash point of 188 degrees F. Second, what's the best way to get the colors in those very small areas?

This was my first MP attempt and boy did I learn a lot about what NOT to do! Thanks in advance for any advice you can give the MP challenged.

 

[Val-11]

Krista, I feel your pain. I often wondered how people do that to!

 

[eucalypta]

Oh man!!! I hate it when this happens. :-x
There are people with patience like angels; they use pipets and other tools; scrape away every single minuscule ill poored soap particle ...
Spraying alcohol like a madmen should help to let the layers stickj together.

Melting at a low temp in the microwave - the soap cut in tiny dice, short - 10 sec - bursts, will give you no problems. Best to cover the pitcher you use, toavoid moisture loss.
(otherwise the soap willl dry out too much).

Why not try your hand at free-style MP ? Much more fun and you can be as creative as you wish!

Love the deer mould; I've got it too.
Do you know how cool a white saltbar, sprinkled with glitters looks out of that mould?

 

[KristaY]

Oh man!!! I hate it when this happens. :-x
There are people with patience like angels; they use pipets and other tools; scrape away every single minuscule ill poored soap particle ...
Spraying alcohol like a madmen should help to let the layers stickj together.

Melting at a low temp in the microwave - the soap cut in tiny dice, short - 10 sec - bursts, will give you no problems. Best to cover the pitcher you use, toavoid moisture loss.
(otherwise the soap willl dry out too much).

Why not try your hand at free-style MP ? Much more fun and you can be as creative as you wish!

Love the deer mould; I've got it too.
Do you know how cool a white saltbar, sprinkled with glitters looks out of that mould?

OOOOhhhh....salt bar???? How interesting! Do you do it with MP or CP? I was wondering if I could use these molds for CP but not sure if they hold up to the lye. I'll have to find out.

When you talked about melting in 10 second bursts, do you mean the scented portion I've already got? I really want to give that one another go but not sure about the scent. I can start over with a new batch of MP and give this one to my nephew who won't care what it looks like, lol.

Thanks for your advice, Eucalypta!

 

[Obsidian]

Yeah, you can use those molds for CP. make sure the soap is good and hard before unmolding or it can be a pain. I've actually ruined one of my plastic molds banging it on the table to remove stuck soap. Mine have deeper details though and doesn't like to let go.

I really like the pinecone molds. Yours soaps aren't too bad for a first try, you should see the awful MP I makeroblem:

 

[Ellacho]

I also feel your pain, too . MP soapmaking requires much patience especially when you are making with individual molds.

Hope these answer your questions:

First, can I re-melt the green, spray the body and antlers with alcohol, then re-pour?

Instead of re-pouring remelted green color on the body & antlers, I would re-do it all over again. Even with alcohol, soap is cooled too much to glue back together.


Second, what's the best way to get the colors in those very small areas?

I use the disposable piplette to fill in small details with contrasting colors. I usually pour around 130 degree to avoid melting the layer below.

Make sure you spray well with alcohol between layers.


*** When melting MP soap, I reduce the microwave power to 50% for 30~60 seconds at a time.

 

[KristaY]

I also feel your pain, too . MP soapmaking requires much patience especially when you are making with individual molds.

Hope these answer your questions:

First, can I re-melt the green, spray the body and antlers with alcohol, then re-pour?

Instead of re-pouring remelted green color on the body & antlers, I would re-do it all over again. Even with alcohol, soap is cooled too much to glue back together.


Second, what's the best way to get the colors in those very small areas?

I use the disposable piplette to fill in small details with contrasting colors. I usually pour around 130 degree to avoid melting the layer below.

Make sure you spray well with alcohol between layers.


*** When melting MP soap, I reduce the microwave power to 50% for 30~60 seconds at a time.

Hi Ellacho ~ I was hoping to hear from you! You're my MP hero.

Ok. I'll just start the deer all over and see if I can improve my fine motor skills and patience. Maybe I started too cool with the white because my pipette kept clogging due to cooled soap. Or maybe I'm just that slow. I'll also decrease my microwave power and cut smaller chunks. I was melting the base at full power but only 15-20 seconds at a time. I know I forgot the alcohol spray a couple of times (obviously) so I really need to get that into my head.

I really appreciate your advice and hopefully I'll have successful photos to share soon!

 

[eucalypta]

OOOOhhhh....salt bar???? How interesting! Do you do it with MP or CP? I was wondering if I could use these molds for CP but not sure if they hold up to the lye. I'll have to find out.

When you talked about melting in 10 second bursts, do you mean the scented portion I've already got? I really want to give that one another go but not sure about the scent. I can start over with a new batch of MP and give this one to my nephew who won't care what it looks like, lol.

Thanks for your advice, Eucalypta!

YW

What Ellacho says
I'm a bit less patient, hence the 10 sec bursts, full power.
The scent doesn't suffer too much if you keep the remelting time to a minimum, and you could always add some extra drops FO if necessary.

Allthough the plastic moulds ar not made for CP soap; they work fine.
A normal CP salt bar recipe, perhaps a little less salt to keep it pourable.
When ready to unmould, stick the mould in the freezer for half an hour for easier release. The soap pops out like a charm. Then sprinkle the glitters.

Some plastic moulds are sturdier than others, which ar more flexible.
(The hard ones may splinter when you bang them too hard (if frozen))