Newbie Have A Few Questions

[Nienna]

Hi,
So I am going to give melt and pour soap a go, just order a little starter kit to have a go on a very small scale. But one thing I am not clear on is the isopropyl alcohol spray for the bubbles and to stick layers together, do I just get isopropyl and use it straight or do I dilute it? One tutorial I saw said to mix a little isopropyl alcohol with your mica so create a solution you can drop into the base using a pipette to create a marbled, swirl look or put drops in the molds so it swirls as it pours. Looked cool but didn't say how much to use, I am guessing there is such a thing as too much alcohol but how much is too much and how much is not enough?

 

[cmzaha]

Use straight alcohol for spraying. The other is a coloring technique which would be better saved after you learn to work with m&p. Never forget to spray your m&p it is necessary.

EDTA: I am not an expert with working with M&P my daughter was. I actually sucked at it. I learned from my watching my daughter...

 

[lsg]

Use alcohol when making layers. Wait until the bottom layer has formed a "skin", spray with alcohol and pour the next layer carefully. Do this in order for multiple layers.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

So I am going to give melt and pour soap a go, just order a little starter kit to have a go on a very small scale.

Instructions come with this Beginners Kit. There's also a video you can watch and learn. By the way, the SFIC brand melt & pour they sell is the best! ENJOY!

I am guessing there is such a thing as too much alcohol but how much is too much and how much is not enough?

Think "spritz lightly" at first until you get the hang of it. No worries. Doing it right the first time would be nice, but messing up is a whole new other learning experience!

 

[Nienna]

Cheers everyone for the responses. Looking forward to giving it a go.

 

[AliOop]

I only use alcohol for spraying the top of my M&P to kill the bubbles or to make the layers stick together - not for premixing mica. When I want to add mica for coloring, I stir it into the melted base. A little bit goes a long way.

 

[Nienna]

I only use alcohol for spraying the top of my M&P to kill the bubbles or to make the layers stick together - not for premixing mica. When I want to add mica for coloring, I stir it into the melted base. A little bit goes a long way.

What if say, when I am more experienced and feel confident trying something new, I wanted to try out a technique I saw where they made up the colour separate and put drops into the mold and then a squirt into the base and just poured it like that so it 'swirled' as it poured. How would you mix the colour up for that kind of technique?

I know a lot of my questions aren't relevant for a beginner, but I like to have a pretty good understanding of how things work before even starting a new project/hobby.

 

[AliOop]

What if say, when I am more experienced and feel confident trying something new, I wanted to try out a technique I saw where they made up the colour separate and put drops into the mold and then a squirt into the base and just poured it like that so it 'swirled' as it poured. How would you mix the colour up for that kind of technique?

I know a lot of my questions aren't relevant for a beginner, but I like to have a pretty good understanding of how things work before even starting a new project/hobby.

I think that would be a lot of fun to try! You would want to disperse the mica in alcohol in that case. I'm sure that after a batch or two, you will be ready to try that.

 

[Nienna]

I think that would be a lot of fun to try! You would want to disperse the mica in alcohol in that case. I'm sure that after a batch or two, you will be ready to try that.

Thank you very much for the advice. It's lovely to have the encouragement.

 

[Arimara]

While this video is not a beginner project, Dean Wilson is one of those soap makers who is a real wiz with M&P soap. You should check his channel out.
Also, a lot of YT soap makers also work with M&P. I'd check out Royalty Soaps, Ariane Arsenault, & Koala Soaps to see if you would like to give M&P a go. The first two work with CP mostly but Koala, I have not check everything out.

 

[Nienna]

While this video is not a beginner project, Dean Wilson is one of those soap makers who is a real wiz with M&P soap. You should check his channel out.
Also, a lot of YT soap makers also work with M&P. I'd check out Royalty Soaps, Ariane Arsenault, & Koala Soaps to see if you would like to give M&P a go. The first two work with CP mostly but Koala, I have not check everything out.

Awesome, thanks I will check them out tomorrow.