Peak Envy

[DWinMadison]

How do you guys achieve those beautiful tall peaks on top of your soaps?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

You mean like this?

You can get that by mixing your PT soap until it is almost solid and then trying to mould it up!

But I think you mean the more gentle peaks - when the soap has set up a little bit, so it's a fairly thick trace, use a spoon and play with it. There are some great you tube vids on it

 

[lionprincess00]

SB, or wait a few minutes and the trace thickens considerably. Then plop, and use a spoon pushing down and rolling towards you, move a step forward, push down and roll away, back and forth in rows. I think this is the best way. I tried to SB to thicken the tops on one and whipped air on accident. Waiting for trace to thicken is probably best.this was one of my first questions I had when learning about cp soap making lol!
I think this is it, but who knows. I've been wrong before!

 

[jcandleattic]

I just take my paring knife and swirl and peak the batter up toward the middle - I get great swirled peaked tops that way.

 

[HorseCreek]

Pour your soap and let it set up a bit. I usually add any extra I have right down the middle when it's set up enough to stay where I put it instead of just running all over. Then when it's thick enough (and there can be a fine line between that and too far set up) just take a spoon or whatever you use and start pushing it up from the sides towards the middle. If it's not thick enough yet, it just kinda runs back down. Do it a couple times and you'll get a feel for it. At any rate, just shape it until you like it.


ETA: I"m making a "peaked" soap today, I'll try to remember to take some pics of the process.

 

[KatieShephard]

After its thick enough, use a small spoon and make swooshing motions...think Nike swooshes

 

[Meganmischke]

I have been obsessed with how bluekettlesoapworks on YouTube textures her soaps. She calls it smocking.

 

[grumpy_owl]

I soap pretty warm and get the batter to thick trace, then fill a loaf mold to the top. Tap hard. Then I start glopping on the remainder, using a stainless steel spoon and starting down the center lengthwise. Glop, glop, glop, smooth to the edges, glop some more, swirl with the back of the spoon, glop. I build up from the spine out for the humpy-whipped-mountain-peak look. With a discoloring FO, I leave about 1/8 of the batter unscented so a dark soap has fresh white peaks.
The picture is Mocha Mint. This is my first effort but they've gotten better since. Sorry, I'm a terrible photographer. Gah...can't rotate photo...

 

[Seawolfe]

I just saw this tutorial and thought it had some good tips on texturing tops.

 

[El_Granado_Loco]

You mean like this?

You can get that by mixing your PT soap until it is almost solid and then trying to mould it up!

Haha! I have conquered that technique!!