I want to second the caution against licking soap as a method for zap testing. It is extremely painful to lick lye heavy soap. I did it once and my tongue was not normal again for several weeks.
Im just used to being the only one that thinks I’m funny
@SaltedFig and @newbie
I have been using the “stir to emulsion” method and I am really happy with it.
Now I want to try swirling etc and I need some clarification/ advice. I am not 100% sure how to phrase the Qs I have so if I am not clear let me know.
It seems like swirling etc is done with soap that has reached different levels of trace. Do you have to blend to trace before you can swirl?
Patterns on the top of loaf - cool patterns in batter - this also seems like you have to be at pretty firm trace so the patterns hold?
Additives such as poppy seeds - unless you want all additives to migrate to the bottom of the loaf (which might be cool looking) you must have to have a higher trace as well?
Thank you so very much for all your insight and advice!
...Do you have to blend to trace before you can swirl?...
This is a interesting info. It seems like I’m stick blender happy. thats why my soap thicken before I can try a swirl. Need to get this. I thought I should see trace before separating to do swirls.Emulsion and trace are two different things. Emulsion is once all the oils and water/lye are mixed and you no longer see oil on top. Trace is once the saponification starts and it starts to thicken. I rarely take mine to trace - if so - just a VERY LIGHT trace. This allows for swirls, designs etc. what you are seeing is once emulsified, they separate out - add separate colors, fragrance, etc and then take it to trace and pour. You have much longer working time this way.
And no! You do not lick the whole bar...haha! Search “zap test” and you will find lots of posts on how to do it. Good luck!
This, along with master arching lye has completely changed how I soap! Yay!
Not necessarily, unless the design you're making requires thicker batter to look right. For example, if I do a hanger swirl, it's nice to have the batter be fairly thin to get a delicate pattern. A drop pour works better with thicker batter because you want each "drop" of color to lay on top of the previous drop rather than flow through the previous layer of color.
Patterns on the top of loaf - cool patterns in batter - this also seems like you have to be at pretty firm trace so the patterns hold?
It depends on what patterns you want to make. Some need the soap to be pudding-y thick and some work better with thinner soap. I never pour the batter at the right time for the top design -- I want to pour the soap when it's at the thickness needed for the pattern within the soap. I then wait until the batter on the top is thick enough to do the top decoration. Sometimes there's no waiting required (and sometimes I'd like the clock to run backwards a little bit!) and sometimes there is a wait.
If I want to do a chopstick pattern on a fairly flat top, I think it works best to make the chopstick pattern when the batter is fairly thin so the colors swirl nicely but the chopstick doesn't leave too much of a groove in the soap.
If I want to do an embossed pattern like Auntie Clara does, I want the top as flat as possible. To do that, I choose an internal design that lets me pour the batter at emulsion or very light trace. That way the top is really smooth and flat. I then wait until the top reaches a medium thick gravy texture and do the embossing at that point.
If I want a swoopy peaked top, then I'd want the top to be at medium to heavy trace.
Additives such as poppy seeds - unless you want all additives to migrate to the bottom of the loaf (which might be cool looking) you must have to have a higher trace as well?
I don't do that kind of thing except for a couple of batches of salt bars. The denser the additive, the thicker the trace.
@SaltedFig and @newbie
I have been using the “stir to emulsion” method and I am really happy with it.
Now I want to try swirling etc and I need some clarification/ advice. I am not 100% sure how to phrase the Qs I have so if I am not clear let me know.
It seems like swirling etc is done with soap that has reached different levels of trace. Do you have to blend to trace before you can swirl?
Patterns on the top of loaf - cool patterns in batter - this also seems like you have to be at pretty firm trace so the patterns hold?
Additives such as poppy seeds - unless you want all additives to migrate to the bottom of the loaf (which might be cool looking) you must have to have a higher trace as well?
Thank you so very much for all your insight and advice!
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