by Susan Hibberd

Created on: September 11, 2007

TIPS FOR GREAT SOAP CARVINGS

Carving in soap is a fab pastime. It's quick, easy, cheap, smells nice, is useful, and nothing is wasted!

Find the largest bar you can to start with, as it will be easiest to carve.Choose a plain bar with a regular oval or rectangular shape. The best sort of soap is quite soft and doesn't crack easily. You will find that this is usually the higher quality soap that has a high proportion of moisturising ingredients in it. The cheaper soap often crumbles when you try to carve it. You will soon get to know which brands of soap are the best. If you start on one that doesn't work well, just give up and use it to wash with instead!

You will need some carving tools that can be bought quite cheaply at craft shops, or start with a small paring knife with a sharp point.

As with all carving it is best to sketch out your ideas first, but of course most people just start right in! With practice you will get to know which ideas are going to work. Birds are always good.

The work is rather messy as tiny pieces of soap are chipped off, so work on a covered surface or have a cloth on your lap. You will want to gather up all the bits afterwards.

Cut out the main design first, then add details later. You will find that the best designs are made with smooth soap. Soaps with additives such as oatmeal and flower petals aren't good for carving as you can get holes developing where bits fall out. Marbled soap patterns can give a nice effect as if your carving is of real marble.

And what do you do with the bits left over? Put them in a saucepan with a few tablespoons of water and melt them down! Pour the liquid soap into moulds I(saved from chocolates) or ice cube trays.Alternatively, wait until it is cooler and mould it into shapes with your hands - eggs and spheres are easiest.

Happy carving!

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