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.
Pouring batter before emulsion.
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I LOVE the mental image of you licking all your bars. That is going to stick!
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This is also really helpful if you are going to get to emulsion, separate and then blend a bit more, particularly if you poured off a small amount. Can't get that stick blender into a small cup, but these work well if you want to be more certain you have a small portion entirely blended.
I will also say that batter gives off a certain smell when it is finally at emulsion and getting to trace. I can't explain it, but if you start paying attention, you will notice it.
Behold, the Badger.
I will also say that batter gives off a certain smell when it is finally at emulsion and getting to trace. I can't explain it, but if you start paying attention, you will notice it.
Behold, the Badger.
@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!
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!
Soaping, like life, is about trade-offs. The earlier you pour (certainly after emulsion) the more risk you have of your soap separating. The longer you wait, there’s less time to swirl color. Some more complicated designs simply require more time to execute, so starting at a lighter trace is necessary. Others, where you want less movement in the color actually work better at it later trace. Every soaper is always seeking the holy grail of a batter that stays at trace for a long time (e.g. mix of oils, temperature, blending method, fragrances that don’t accelerate, etc.). Here's two examples. One has a lot of fluid color movement and had to be poured at lighter trace. In the later I was trying to create something that looked like cotton growing in a field, so I needed the colors to stay where I put them requiring a much thicker trace at pouring. Hope it helps.
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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.
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.
This, along with master arching lye has completely changed how I soap! Yay!
I haven’t mastered the concept of master batching my lye yet. Working on it. I guess I’m over thinking it.
DeeAnna brings up a good point about soap-top details. If you want texture on top of your bars (mounds, ripples, waves, etc.) just be sure it's advanced enough to stay where you put it. Even if you poured at a thin trace, you can simply let it sit for a few minutes until you get to a sturdy trace to hold your desired texture/rivers/valleys/etc. Try to get your desired effect without disturbing the colors below. If it's still too thin, make a cup of coffee, then come back...nothing lost. For cool colors and swirling effects on top, you'll probably want to do those while the batter is still more liquid. Sometimes you can get lucky, have your cake (texture) and eat it too (swirled color) but I find those are harder to achieve and have them look right. Often you have a plan A, then have to go with a plan B in soaping because stuff happens...your batter doesn't behave, you had to spend time tweaking your colors, etc. It is important to have everything laid out and organized as best your can, so the pouring goes as quickly as efficiently as possible. I try to have more color mixed than I think I will need (better to waste a bit of mica than mess up a whole batch of soap). Be sure your EO/FOs are somewhere visible so you won't forget to add them (that happens a LOT). Have more mixing utensils than you think you need--extra spatulas, spoons, etc.. Be sure your mold is lined and easily accessible when you're ready for it. So many things you just have to learn from mistakes along the way. Even then, sometimes stuff just happens.
SWIRLS
Different effects in swirls can be achieved with different batter thicknesses.
Once the batter is separated, how you mix in the colours and fragrances (speed, method and time) and which additives you use (some can speed up trace and some can slow it down) all influence how quickly the batter thickens.
Thin trace: The most ethereal, wispy swirls are achieved with a thin batter. A narrow tool, like a wire, can be used to catch tiny bits of colour, to wisp them through the base colour.
Medium trace: Heavier shapes, like drop swirls, rely on the batter below being thick enough to support the incoming batter, and the height of the pour is used to control the depths of the drop.
Thick trace: This texture gives the least movement in the soap. A stiffer batter can be used to make "camo" soaps, and if any swirling is to be done, a larger swirl tool is needed to move the batter about (a spoon handle or thicker is good).
The batter will go from emulsion to thin trace all the way through to completed soap if it is left to sit (that is why pouring at emulsion is possible - the soap, if it is sufficiently mixed, will continue to thicken as it stands (and continues to react)).
PATTERNS ON TOP
Thick: 3 dimensional swirls, where the batter is thick enough to move around with a spoon, are best done at thick trace.
Medium: Delicate patterns, where the batter is moved and smooths out but doesn't vanish back into the surface (like drawings into the soap, or raised patterns like reverse stamping) are achieved well at medium trace
Thin: Perfectly flat tops can be obtained at thin trace (and a few light taps) ... a spirit level helps once you start looking for perfect edges and corners
ADDITIVES
Additives that need suspending in (or on) the batter are best added when at least medium trace has been reached.
(too thin and the additives can drift to the bottom of the soap, which can be an interesting effect, but only if you want it
)Light powders can be swirled through a thin batter, but won't get through a thick one, so again, for wispy effects a thin batter is best.
An easy way to remember it is ... 3D needs Thick, Wispy needs Watery
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