To reduce the number of pages in your purchased scraper pack, I have moved the basics to here. This will allow me to go into better detail (not to mention have it in color).
Before we get started let’s go over what the images in this document and your printed instructions are trying to tell you.
We have the outline of a scraper, you can clearly read the word “Envelope” and the number 1 (buried in the gray). The astute among you will also notice the “2 or 3” are upside-down and backwards. The design of the scrapers are mostly two sided. To make sure when you turn it over that didn’t turn it around as well, the labels at setup so if you can read the “working end” correctly then you are holding it correctly. Can you use it incorrectly, yes; your soap will be automatically cooler than everyone else, you are quite the Picasso!
The pink “square U” is the representation of the mold. Note how the scraper is resting on the mold top.
The speckled black of each image is the soap you are adding for each step. You put the scraper into the back side mold and fill the mold to just over where the picture is showing you. Don’t worry each step in the instruction will also give you a recommended weight of soap to get you to that level.
In subsequent steps the scraped soap will be colored (or gray in your instructions) and the speckled black will again be the added soap.
Each step in the instructions contains soap weights. The weights provided are assuming you are using my mold size: 2.75” Wide, 3” deep and about 10.25” long.
You got them from Amazon or China and it isn’t the narrow version, you will be fine.
If you mold is the correct width but is deeper or longer then you can adjust the weights accordingly.
NOTE: If you do adjust weights for another mold, send them to me and I’ll add your info to the product page to help others.
The instructions included in your scraper package are VERY brief, because they are expecting that you used this guide to learn how to scrap first. You may not have purchase the Envelope scraper or one of its sets, but you can easily replace the Envelope scrapers 1 and 2 step with your own scraper (that is why they are numbered).
Three tips for every step:
- Put the scraper into the back side of the mold before you pour. Once the added soap is at or over the displayed volume (speckled black) you have put in enough. You can pour the rest into the other molds.
- Have extra molds handy and prepare a little more soap than I suggest. As various combinations of oils have different masses, you want to have enough. Better to have extra than not enough.
- Don’t panic if you don’t make enough soap, you can loosely form the shape with a spatula as the soap starts to harden. Or if you are really off, you have time to make more.
When is it ready? That is a very good question, and experience will set you free. I can safely say that with my recipe (best one ever) in my 60-degree basement at 40 percent humidity and the supervision my dashing good looks…it takes an hour to firm up enough to scrap.
How will you know? Use a spatula or spoon. Move the soap where the scraper will remove it anyway. Does it stay or ever so slowly sluff back. No sluffing is what we are looking for.
Just so you don’t feel alone in this, when I started scraping I played with it, trying to rush and moved it because I poured too little. It returned to shape quickly, not “every so slowly”.
It can become too hard, you need to be vigilant when you are learning. It still needs to soft enough to pull the scraper through it.
TO SCRAP. Hold the scraper firmly and pull it forward. You do NOT have to finish this in one pull. The soap will bunch up in front of the scraper, you can lift it out with the scraper and smush (technical term) it into that mold you have next to your working one. Save the SOAP! When I do this I return to the start and pull again.
Repeat the pulling until you get a clean pull and are overcome with joy.
If you have voids, fill then with your scraped soap and scrap again to clean it up.
You got this, let’s get started.
Alright, you got the first scrap done, excellent work. Guess what? Make more soap!
For this step you will want to make X oz or X grams of soap. Note that the 1 is backwards, but the 2 or 3 is correct, you are doing it right.
Here we are at the top of the envelope. This step is optional. You will want to add the soap, but ultimately this is a top dressing step.
If you are like me, you want the top to be smooth and level. You will use the flat part of the scraper to make the clean top.
If you want to dress it up, you can do that without scraping, that is entirely up to you.
You did it, cover that soap and put it in the corner to let it consider its life choices. You know what to do from here.
Tips on all that extra soap you just put into extra molds. Depending on when you scrape it, it may not be the prettiest soap. My tip is to make confetti with it. I think the top or the bottom on the envelope here would look great with confetti in it.