Two questions

[morena_mama]

Working with td is getting tedious. Either I can't get it it fully incorporated or it's clumpy and streak. I oil disperse and then add it to the batter. Is that wrong?

Second part is... if you add imbeds to a loaf of soap to you leave them unscented?

 

[newbie]

I have the same problem. It looks like it's smooth but then there are small clumps. I think you have to use a frother to make certain it's really really mixed well.

When I do embeds, I will add FO's to those when I make them. I have had embeds scented with browning FO's (dragon's blood, vanilla, etc...) color the surrounding soap after it's put together, though, so beware!

 

[morena_mama]

I could not for the life of me figure out how to spell embeds. My mind was BLOCKED hahahahahahaha

I will look for a little mini frother this weekend thanks.

It will be the same FO that the loaf is. It hasn't browned on me yet so I'm hoping it keeps.

 

[IrishLass]

I second using a frother of some kind, or a stickblender. Just hand-stirring it in with a spoon or whisk has always resulted in TD specks and streaks for me. My stickblender has worked wonders at keeping those pesky specks and streaks at bay.


IrishLass

 

[morena_mama]

Just sprinkle the TD in or oil disperse and then stick blend?

 

[newbie]

How do use the stick blender for that? I have blended extremely thoroughly after adding some in oil to my soap and I still get small clumps. I hate using TD for that reason, but it's dead useful.

And I didn't even notice your spelling of embed! I had to go back and look after reading your post.

 

[IrishLass]

I have the water dispersible TD. Basically, this is what I do:

If I will be coloring my whole batch with TD, I hold some of my water back in an 8 oz plastic measuring cup- enough water to cover over the bell of my stickblender (very important to prevent splattering). I then spoon the TD into the water and stickblend until smoothly white, and then I pour the blended TD/water into my oils and further stickblend well before adding my lye. As I mix my soap batter, the TD further benefits from my normal practice of stickblending off and on until trace.

When I'm just coloring a portion of my soap with TD to swirl with or whatever, I hold only a small amount of water back (maybe a tbsp or 2) in an 8 oz plastic measuring cup, hand-stir the TD in with a plastic spoon, and set aside. When my oils and lye are just emulsified, I remove about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of my soap batter (my normal swirling amount) into my TD/water cup and stickblend well until smoothly white and swirl it into the main batter when I'm ready to swirl.


IrishLass

 

[Dennis]

I use this tiny battery operated mini mixer. It has three different attachments. It's so fast it cleans itself off quite well in the cup out of the oil. Thought it was junk when I bought it but it has become a very useful little tool.
Put the TD in a cup with a oz or so of oil and mix. Then mix some more. When you're happy with what you have pour slowly into the oil or batter. If you pour slowly and there happens to be a clump it will probably be left behind. Works well for me.

 

[Stinkydancer]

I have always stick blended TB into my oils without issue- nothing special is needed IMO.

 

[newbie]

You can only stick blend it into the oils if you're coloring the whole batch. It's really hard to do that if you want just a small amount of white for swirling or such. I have only the oil dispersible kind, so I haven't found any great way to blend it- I don't have a frother like Dennis....yet.

 

[Stinkydancer]

How small is small? I have stick blended 2 ounces in a cup and it was fine.

 

[dOttY]

I've resorted to buying liquid TD... I too, would seem to always get streaks.

I don't scent my embeds.

 

[Dragonkaz]

I don't scent my embeds. I made soap in a variety of colours and then turn these into embeds.

I rarely use TD, but the few times I've used it, I mix it in water with my frother. Then after adding some soap batter to the container with my TD, I use my stick bledder to ensure it's mixed.

 

[green soap]

I have no experience with TD in soap so can't help there.

I do make a lot of embeds. I was accumulating them and when I had contrasting colors and compatible scents I would scent the base soap with something to match. Sometimes i get ideas on essential oil blends from blending embeds and soap balls.

I was also saving them in the unscented versions. I leave the soap base without scent and the whole thing is unscented. I do not sell as many of those, but some folks prefer unscented and they still like pretty soaps.

I am saying 'was' because i resized my batches so I don't cut the tops off for embeds. I have too many embedded soaps right now. People admire them but most buy the plain ones. Most of us buy plain soaps for ourselves and fancy ones for gifts.

 

[Fragola]

People admire them but most buy the plain ones.

Are those more expensive ?

 

[green soap]

People admire them but most buy the plain ones.

Are those more expensive ?

Yes, a little more per ounce. They come out to $4 a bar rather than $3.50.

However, most batches I took to the market I had made squarish, people prefer the basic deck of card shape. I resized to get that, but have not had a market exposure yet. Markets help me learn what people like in soap - I mean in my area because soap preferences varies a lot even geographically.

In any case, our siblings love them, they are nice for gifts. I just need to scale down my production so I make one embed batch for ten regular batches, rather than one in four like I was doing.

Here is a picture of chocolate mint. I added peppermint essential oil to the chocolate base. The inserts are mint eucalyptus, spearmint peppermint, and sandalwood. The sandalwood is not distinguishable but adds to the complexity. They smell like a peppermint patty wishes it could smell like....


IMG_2313 by rosetalleo, on Flickr

 

[dcornett]

I was having the same trouble with my TD, I even posted a thread about the little clumps that I had at the bottom, it was sooooo hard to get it fully "desolved" and mixed in...but then I switched to water dispersable and the difference is unreal. I don't have the issues I had with the oil dispersable at all.

As far as embeds I haven't done too many, and I've done them both ways, scented and unscented. To me it really depends on how much space they'll take up (if that makes sense) If they're going to be a big part of my log I want them scented too.

 

[Fragola]

Ahh, so yours are smelly inserts. I have also noticed sometimes that people sometimes admire but avoid complex scents - they are unfamiliar to them.

 

[dcornett]

Ahh, so yours are smelly inserts. I have also noticed sometimes that people sometimes admire but avoid complex scents - they are unfamiliar to them.

I use the same fragrance as I do in the rest of the batch...like in these embeds that I did some time back the balls are scented (with the same FO as the base they are in)

http://soapmakingforum.com/forum/viewto ... =embed+fad

 

[Sunny]

grr, the frother hasn't worked for my TD but I will try your method in the cup, IrishLass, maybe that'll work.