I always shrink wrap this way, but do not need anything to hold my heat gun, as it sits securely on the table wih the built-in kickstand. It's this the Dewalt Heat Gun (D26950):
What soapy thing have you done today?
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I always shrink wrap this way, but do not need anything to hold my heat gun, as it sits securely on the table wih the built-in kickstand. It's this the Dewalt Heat Gun (D26950):
Thank you Earlene, as I was just about to ask @violets2217 what I was supposed to be seeing in her picture. 
I love the idea of the heat gun holder, since mine does not have a kick stand.
@Peachy Clean Soap that was some deal you scored on the MCT oil! I don't remember what I paid at Costco but it was probably close. I'm not a huge fan of it in soap, but I do like it for lotions, shampoo bars, etc. Those spatulas look great, too! I'll have to keep an eye out next time I'm there.
I love the idea of the heat gun holder, since mine does not have a kick stand.@Peachy Clean Soap that was some deal you scored on the MCT oil! I don't remember what I paid at Costco but it was probably close. I'm not a huge fan of it in soap, but I do like it for lotions, shampoo bars, etc. Those spatulas look great, too! I'll have to keep an eye out next time I'm there.
Peachy Clean Soap
Well-Known Member
Now let me ask you for your expert opinion on the MCT oil in soap, why don't you like it in soap?. I dont use very much maybe an oz in 32 oz loaf. I think it improves the bubbles. Yes its good for lotions too.Thank you Earlene, as I was just about to ask @violets2217 what I was supposed to be seeing in her picture.
@Peachy Clean Soap that was some deal you scored on the MCT oil! I don't remember what I paid at Costco but it was probably close. I'm not a huge fan of it in soap, but I do like it for lotions, shampoo bars, etc. Those spatulas look great, too! I'll have to keep an eye out next time I'm there.
Well, I'm not an expert on soapy oils at all, but my personal feeling is that regular CO produces better bubbles at less cost. Sugar and castor are my other go-to add-ins for bubble boosts, and they are less expensive, too.
Peachy Clean Soap
Well-Known Member
Update on "wintergreen EO" in CP soap.
This is my 1st attempt at the "Feather Swirl" though Holly's Soapmaking on YouTube " Feather Swirl Tree Landscape Design" is a 'reverse feather swirl she mentioned in her video'.
White bottom layer I used wintergreen 3 drops in total, after the cut I cant smell wintergreen eo but the scent of something i can't describe, it's not a bad scent just not wintergreen, it did rice a little but i was expecting much worse after reading some reviews.
As you can tell I need much practice on this reverse feather swirl" the uper part of soap is scented w/ peppermint EO. I cut the bars Big so after the cure they will remain big. I think I'll name it "Charlie Brown Christmas".
Update: This is the video hope I posted it right' lol... Thank you @Zing fir your help
.
This is my 1st attempt at the "Feather Swirl" though Holly's Soapmaking on YouTube " Feather Swirl Tree Landscape Design" is a 'reverse feather swirl she mentioned in her video'.
White bottom layer I used wintergreen 3 drops in total, after the cut I cant smell wintergreen eo but the scent of something i can't describe, it's not a bad scent just not wintergreen, it did rice a little but i was expecting much worse after reading some reviews.
As you can tell I need much practice on this reverse feather swirl" the uper part of soap is scented w/ peppermint EO. I cut the bars Big so after the cure they will remain big. I think I'll name it "Charlie Brown Christmas".
Update: This is the video hope I posted it right' lol... Thank you @Zing fir your help
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Peachy Clean Soap
Well-Known Member
Well, I'm not an expert on soapy oils at all, but my personal feeling is that regular CO produces better bubbles at less cost. Sugar and castor are my other go-to add-ins for bubble boosts, and they are less expensive, too.
[/QUOTE
Yes I agree, though I think the MCT add's a little extra moisturizing to the bar w/ out being as cleansing as C-Oil, could be my imagination.
Peachy Clean Soap
Well-Known Member
@AliOop I was at Costco's yesterday' I did see the MCT oil can't recall how much it was but I remember thinking "boy that's much more expensive then Big Lots".
Thx it's such it's a good price.
.
Update: The prices are going up on soap supply's i've really noticed w/ EO & FO
. Yes across the board at the grocery stores too. Costco's was a 260.00 dollar day that was for my standard items, UGH. Sorry I digress.
Thx it's such it's a good price.
.Update: The prices are going up on soap supply's i've really noticed w/ EO & FO
. Yes across the board at the grocery stores too. Costco's was a 260.00 dollar day that was for my standard items, UGH. Sorry I digress.
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ResolvableOwl
Notorious Lyear
SAPONIFICATION CALCULATOR - HANDCRAFTED SOAP MAKING (per @earlene) says wrt Fractionated coconut oil:
I've used it in CP, but at too low usage rates to have a noticeable effect (well, it had an effect, a negative one: the soap didn't harden quite as well as I had expected it from regular coconut). Evidence is scarce if MCT soap gives off good or bad lather, if it's irritant or emoillent, and if it contributes to hardness. Plus, the SAP value varies wildly, depending on source (fractionated and/or transesterified coconut and/or palm kernel oil).
Safest bet (and the case with which I did make good experiences) is as post-cook superfat in HP (great carrier oil for problematic EOs), or for non-soapy applications. It is really impressive how it “disappears” into skin.
Peachy Clean Soap
Well-Known Member
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ResolvableOwl
Notorious Lyear
My foster child for tonight. Fortunately it was easy to get it out of that jar in one piece without force. First step: melting it all up. Then it'll take … some … time … until … cooled down … in a waterbath … until the onset of crystallisation (“false trace” in soapy speak) and then … some … more … time … with … cautious … heating … until … tempered … just to then have a mere minute (or two) to to pour all into that legion of small moulds, that are already waiting for it in the basement. I've been less gentle at melting&dividing cocoa butter before, but this turned out to not be a good idea. I'll take the tempering cycle as an exercise in patience.
It's made by a fairtrade cooperative in Ghana, who called themselves after their other major product, but this is their cocoa butter. In fact, the most aromatic cocoa butter I've had so far. The whole kitchen already smells like it. Like white chocolate, just ten times stronger. Everyone who has had chocolate that I made from (the previous batch of) it, were raving about it (me included
).Unfortunately (at least for the objective of this thread), only part of the cocoa smell survives the brutal lye bath that saponification is, is and it lacks the warm sweetness of cocoa itself. Hence expect that the vast majority of this cocoa juice will not end up in soap.
But it has come to my ears that edible uses of cocoa products have their friends among the folks here as well.
I've been working in the soap mines all day and I'm tired (My husband has started asking me how things are going in the soap mines when he knows I'm making soap) I made another batch of the thin blue line soap this morning. I'm kind of nervous that the bottom black layer didn't set up enough before I poured the middle blue layer, but I won't know until I cut it! I got a deeper black this time, so I think the colors are at least right on. Then I spent the rest of the day beveling (curse all of you who convinced me that I needed to bevel to get rid of those sharp edges), polishing, cleaning up and labeling 80 bars of soap. It is satisfying having everything organized and ready to go!
(My husband has started asking me how things are going in the soap mines when he knows I'm making soap) I made another batch of the thin blue line soap this morning. I'm kind of nervous that the bottom black layer didn't set up enough before I poured the middle blue layer, but I won't know until I cut it! I got a deeper black this time, so I think the colors are at least right on. Then I spent the rest of the day beveling (curse all of you who convinced me that I needed to bevel to get rid of those sharp edges), polishing, cleaning up and labeling 80 bars of soap. It is satisfying having everything organized and ready to go!
Catscankim
Well-Known Member
Sorry, deleted post due to it merging an earlier unpublished post together LOL
Peachy Clean Soap
Well-Known Member
Um, still looking for the "fail." Darn the luck that since you posted it here, you can't enter the challenge! Wow wow wow wow wow! Those colors are gorgeous and the swirl sublime. What are your colorants? Really stunning.I cut my Sugar cookie soap last night. Had to wait until today to touch it as it was still quite soft and didnt want to handle it too much.
If you remember, I was at a loss for this fo since it discolors dark brown. I figured that while I was experimenting with my new mold and a discoloring fo, i might as well go all in and throw in another experiment and do a butterfly swirl.
The batter overheated, but the soaps just needed a little xtra cleanup On the tops.
I used the main batter with td and fragrance (cream), a swirling pot with no color and just fragrance (brown), and a swirling pot with just td and no fragrance (white).
Immediately after the cut the colors were meh, but still nice. I knew they would intensify to at least the color of the top. I woke up this morning and
As for the butterfly swirl it was a fail, but only for the butterfly motif, as I am thrilled with the hanger swirl in general because I could never really get the hang of the hanger prior to the challenge instructions.
View attachment 61555
First attempt, huh?! No, I know what you mean -- but still you got a great result! I try this design every Christmas, some day I'll get it right. Good job with the trunk!
That one YouTube video of the evergreen and hills and dales and sky just makes me want to shrivel up and never post a photo again!
@Catscankim that is one gorgeous soap, and I think it's a butterfly!
@Peachy Clean Soap I love that little Charlie Brown Tree soap. You could paint one little ornament on it like
but be careful of trademark names if you are going to sell it. https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/very-eye-opening.85564/#post-914070
@Peachy Clean Soap I love that little Charlie Brown Tree soap. You could paint one little ornament on it like
but be careful of trademark names if you are going to sell it. https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/very-eye-opening.85564/#post-914070
Forgot AGAIN, that faux sea H2O distorts color. These were supposed to be a skosh purple in hue. Why did I choose purple for an owl confetti soap?! Maybe because it was 4:30am & purple is my favorite color & was dying to use those cavity molds!Teenager woke me @1am &woke me again @4am so I got up, fed the cat & made some
. Another batch of ZNSC*tweak with confetti. Placed some in a 2lb loaf mold & the remainder in cavity molds. I’m the only patchouli fan in my household, and for 1st time ever used “Earth Meets Sky” f/o from Nurture Soap. Smells so good in my kitchen! Can hardly stand the wait!
Peachy Clean Soap
Well-Known Member
They will be gifted to Daughter & Family for christmas. I used wintergreen EO though just 3 drops the adverse affects it could cause id never put in a soap that would be sold, truth be told I wont use it in soap again, the scent changes after it reacts w/ lye so it's a no go for CP soap for me.
"Trademark" Name issues could get me in trouble if I were to sale them in the mass market & internet, we can't be careful enough, though family will get a kick out of it.
.Hey I didn't even think of painting ornaments on tree, thats a wonderful idea.
Thank you big hugs
.
Peachy Clean Soap
Well-Known Member
Thank you, appreciate your kindness' I watched this video above & I chose her other video, knowing this one looked like I couldn't even remotely get close to duplicating this soap design.
.
I just came up from my soap shop. Since my inventory guy got on the ball, I put away oils, butters, mold, and colorants.
I also master-batched -- just a triple recipe. It's probably small potatoes for some of you but the scale was huge for this hobbyist -- 6.5 pounds of oils! I wanted to actually soap but the warm weather outside pulled me into gardening projects.
Soaping is coping -- it felt good to keep my hands busy and my mind off this stressful week, caring for the isolated Mrs. Zing, trying/failing to keep up with my job, and keep up with the housekeeping. I know I might be on thin ice here given this is a majority woman forum -- but how in the heck does Mrs. Zing keep the house so clean??!! I've been treading water this week. I know I shouldn't call my soap 'moisturizing' but I've been washing my hands constantly given Mrs. Zing's status but my hands feel great. Fortunately, she's turned a corner and is on the mend!
I also master-batched -- just a triple recipe. It's probably small potatoes for some of you but the scale was huge for this hobbyist -- 6.5 pounds of oils! I wanted to actually soap but the warm weather outside pulled me into gardening projects.
Soaping is coping -- it felt good to keep my hands busy and my mind off this stressful week, caring for the isolated Mrs. Zing, trying/failing to keep up with my job, and keep up with the housekeeping. I know I might be on thin ice here given this is a majority woman forum -- but how in the heck does Mrs. Zing keep the house so clean??!! I've been treading water this week. I know I shouldn't call my soap 'moisturizing' but I've been washing my hands constantly given Mrs. Zing's status but my hands feel great. Fortunately, she's turned a corner and is on the mend!
Thrilled to hear/read that Mrs. Zing is improving.
& didn’t you know that us “women folk” are super heroes?! 
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