Teach Soap

Hello, Could someone please tell me how to pour undercut colors when pouring in a silicone mold? TIA

Hello! I would love to help you but am not sure what you mean by 'undercut colors' if you can explain or maybe show a pic or something I am sure we can get some ideas going!

Bramble Mama, Thanks for your response. I purchased some petroglyph molds from Acorn Soap & Candle. Their ad says "These eye catching flexible molds allow you to create beautiful soaps, but are works of art in themselves. Their interesting flexibility allows for undercutting, producing realistic natural shapes."

http://www.acornsoapncandlesupply.com/c ... D=82425768

You can see examples at the url above. What I am trying to figure out is how to get the terracotta, turquoise and grey colors to blend together. I am assuming because the molds are flexible that as one color drys you can pour another color and squeeze the mold so it flows under in places. Is that what they mean by undercutting? Does anyone have any hints on doing this? TIA
MJ

Ok - I'm still not sure on what they mean by 'undercut' but here are a few ideas to achieve the same look.

1. Soap Paint. Fill the mold with your soap as you normally would then when the soap has hardened remove it from the mold and paint in the indented design with soap paint.

2. Double Pour. Again fill the mold with soap as normal then when it is hardened, remove it from the mold and get a dropper full of melted soap and carefully fill in the indented design.

3. Mica. This would be my last option. You can brush some mica on the inside of the mold and then fill it in with soap. Pour carefully or you will wash away the mica that you brushed on the mold. You can pour to the side or onto the back of a spoon. When the soap has hardened this mica will wash away fairly quickly.

We have a tool kit that PJ designed that would be very helpful in getting the detail to show through here; http://www.brambleberry.com/Hardware.aspx

Or on that same page you can just get a dropper and a mini scraper.

To get the three colors in the background you can tilt the mold as you pour in one color, let it sit a minute then do the next, and again with the third. The tool kit again will be very helpful for thinning out the edges of each color to make them look more blended.

"Undercutting" is a term used in the mold making industry. With plastic molds (because of their limited flexibility) can not easily release portions of the soap that have more than a 90 degree angle. Silicone does not have this limitation because it can be virtually turned inside out it can release nearly complete spheres.

I do have a silicone mold that I have to tip and inject soap in order to complete the object in it's same color. Tip, pour, let harden, spray with alcohol and pour again (as often as needed).

Sometimes undercuts in silicone molds can capture air bubbles as well, to prevent this spray the inside of the mold itself before pouring in your soap, then tap the sides to nudge any air pockets out.

Paula (who just won Best Soap at the GA Spring Fling! This was the winner:

YAY!

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PJ,
http://www.pjsoaps.com

Congrats on your winning PJ!

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Yes, congrats! That soap is amazing! Thanks for the explanation!

Wow PJ! Beautiful!
Thanks everyone for the tips. Will be pouring this weekend!
MJ

Very well deserved PJ!

Wow PJ, does it ever end

IT IS BETTER TO HAVE SOAPED AND NOT SAPONIFIED, THAN NEVER TO HAVE SOAPED AT ALL ©

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