Shaving my soap

[Muzhik]

I miscalculated the size of my soap batch. As a result, after cutting my block of soap into bars yesterday, I have bars that weigh over 6oz instead of the 4oz I was planning on. Right now they look properly proportioned but big. If I cut them down I don't think I would get them looking right, plus I'd have all these soap chunks laying around.

I've read elsewhere of soapers using a vegetable peeler to take the edges off their bars, rounding the edges to make them look nicer. Although I certainly wouldn't be shaving off 2oz per soap bar, I can more easily work soap slices into other projects than I can soap chunks. My question is if I should shave off the edges of the soap bars now, or wait another two weeks until they've cured. IOW, will this work better now when the soap is soft or later when the soap has firmed up?


(Sorry if the subject heading seems a tad risque...)

 

[IrishLass]

They will lose water weight over the next few weeks, so I'd definitely wait until after they are cured to trim them up. If you do it now, you may unwittingly take off too much and end up short-changing the final desired weight of your soap.

Soap is always easier to trim when it is fairly new, but unless you made a really, really hard batch like a salt soap or a 100% coconut oil soap, you should still be able to trim fairly well after cure. I've done it with a batch or two and they came out fine.


IrishLass

 

[Muzhik]

Thanks, IrishLass! I'll wait a couple of weeks before trying to trim the bars. I suddenly flashed on a childhood memory of watching someone carve soap. These bars are just the right size and shape to do that.

I just started using my first hard soap that I made two weeks ago. I screwed up the molding and got a broken jigsaw puzzle rather than nice bars, but the soap product feels really nice. (for the record, "Sandy Maine's Basic 3-Oil Soap" using Crisco 44%, coconut 28%, and olive 28%) THIS soap is "Basic Lard Soap", so it should be harder and taking carving better.

 

[bala]

Hi,

I do buy mini wood hand planer and change it for good looking then sell it again.
For some soap planers, I just wonder those soap planers are not safe planer, such knife and planer angle.

In case of making good curve of soap bar, you can use vegetable peel . You can make a assist tool such as " plastic name card".