What is the best way to make a hole/tunnel through a bar of soap?

[Mobjack Bay]

I’m getting ready to make “soap on a rope” gift soap for family members. The bars will be 2.5” x 3.5” x 1.5” and made from a lard-rich recipe that won’t be gelled. I will be using a small slab mold. I plan to run braided cord through a hole at one end of the soap. I’m not sure how and when to make the hole. I have some plastic straws in the house, but I don’t know if the plastic is heat resistant. I can test that by heating them in water. If they are heat resistant, should I just “glue” them in place in advance?

 

[Nanette]

Your plan sounds good!

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

how about wrapping some wooden dowels in press and seal and putting them in the soap if using a slab mold maybe try gluing or screwing the dowels to a board that you can add the dowels to the soap and have a little weight on the dowel to hold them in place

 

[dibbles]

If you wait until your batter thickens up enough, you can push the straws (or dowels) into the batter and have them stay in place. If you aren't gelling, you shouldn't have to worry about heat. FWIW, I've used plastic straws without a problem. If you look at post #4, you will see how @HowieRoll used straws in a challenge awhile back.
https://www.soapmakingforum.com/thr...ge-entry-thread-minimalism.65392/#post-668020

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Wooden dowels sound like a smart idea, but unfortunately I don’t have dowels and I need to make the soap today. I’ll go check out the HowieRoll post. Thanks!

 

[Relle]

What's wrong with a drill, after the soap has cured ?

 

[SoaperForLife]

I've used an apple corer to make a hole in a bar of soap before - worked fine.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I put off making the soap until tonight or tomorrow. My embeds seemed a little soft and I wanted to give them another day. The apple corer and drill approaches will be easy enough to test on other soap before I decide. Thanks @Relle and @SoaperForLife!

 

[clouser]

If you have a pumpkin carving kit, there might be a round, pointed punch in there for punching holes in pumpkins. I bet that would work.

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

What's wrong with a drill, after the soap has cured ?

I thought about that and then remembered how when I drill wood sometimes the wood takes of on me and all i could picture was my soap spinning around

 

[Rsapienza]

I have made soap on a rope and have used a drill. While it worked great as far as making a hole, all of the soaps developed a brownish sticky gunk where the whole was drilled.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I have made soap on a rope and have used a drill. While it worked great as far as making a hole, all of the soaps developed a brownish sticky gunk where the whole was drilled.

I decided to try the drill approach. If I make the hole a little smaller than the final size using a drill, I should be able to enlarge it with something tbd that’s made out of stainless or plastic. Thanks!

 

[SoaperForLife]

I have made soap on a rope and have used a drill. While it worked great as far as making a hole, all of the soaps developed a brownish sticky gunk where the whole was drilled.

I wonder if the soap was reacting to the drill bit?

 

[lsg]

Why not use individual cavity molds. You can make and pour just enough soap to hold down the rope in the molds: and then when it hardens, make and pour enough soap to fill the molds.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Here’s what I made in the slab mold. It’s not bad for the first try, but I may need to give it a second (or third) try to get it just right. I don’t have cavity molds that are big enough for the anchors, which I think look pretty big even for these soaps, which are 2.5” x 3.5”. I’m planning to drill the hole through the top of the anchor. The batter firmed up a bit more than I intended which means the white base isn’t as smooth as I hoped it would be. Next time I will make the red stripes in a loaf mold so I don’t have to worry about lining up my seams.

 

[Rsapienza]

I wonder if the soap was reacting to the drill bit?

I'm sure it was. I have also made a hole with a pencil with no issues down the line. It was somewhat difficult to keep it straight, but most came out correct. BTW, I can hardly draw a straight line. LOL