Thank goodness for practice

[elizmar2006]

I joined a soap swap and decided to be crazy and do 2 kinds of soap. A CP and a MP.

I have in my head what I want to do and had some MP base so I made a tiny test batch in a muffin pan. Tiny test was not exactly what I was going for but pretty close. Being impulsive I then made a bigger test. OMG it all went wrong. I am using a clear base I colored with honey and white goats milk base. The clear is suppose to be drizzled in on top.
When I try to drizzle I either get the 2 completely mixed or the white layer has that soap skin on top and does not bust through.

I cannot seem to find a happy medium. I'm still learning about MP. I think I learned tonight MP does not swirl like CP.

To save my batch I started making curls and embeds. Hopefully tomorrow I will having something nice looking.

 

[FGOriold]

You can swirl melt and pour but not in the same way you do cold process and it will not look the same either. Anytime you layer, embed or drizzle melt and pour soap you have to be very aware of the soap temperatures. You also need to use rubbing alcohol (91%) when layering or embedding melt and pour so that the soap "sticks" together. If your base layer is too hot, the drizzled soap pour will just sink in and disperse. If the drizzled melt and pour is too hot, it will melt the base that you are pouring it onto. Different bases will recommend different temperatures for layering or swirling so check with the manufacturer. Also, do not mix bases from different manufactures.

If you want the drizzle to stay on top of the soap base, let that base cool down so that the at least a thick skin is formed. Get your soap to drizzle melted and ready and at the right temp (I use 125 degrees F). When ready, spritz the base layer really well with the rubbing alcohol then pour your drizzle. The rubbing alcohol will allow the soaps to adhere better to each other and not fall apart.

If you do not want this drizzle to stay on top of the soap but to swirl into it, not sure you are going to get the look you are after - but then again, I am not 100% sure what you want your final soap to look like.

 

[lsg]

I think it is recommended that when working with melt & pour, you use the same base. Different base types may have different densities. By mixing honey and goat's milk to the base you may have changed the density. Try drizzling the colored base on top of the clear.

 

[elizmar2006]

Thanks!Lucky me I have time before I need this ready for the swap. Maybe it's time I invest in a thermometer. I'm a bad newbie soaper and don't check my temps. I just cross my fingers and see what happens.
As for the effect I'm going for in my head it is something like this. http://kalleosoaps.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/dsc_8488.jpg
I know it's a CP soap but I was hoping to get a similar effect with MP. I saw this awesome looking MP/CP soap where they did the swirl with clear MP in the CP base. However I cannot find the image to save my life.