1st SMF Soap Challenge- July

[newbie]

Cut into bars, it looks like pieces of cake. Great colors, Balloon.

I have to say, I really like the pretty fanning affect you got with that pattern, Seawolfe. If you want finer lines, you could pour the same way, then zigzag fairly tightly across the stripes and then do your C pattern (the comb) across THOSE lines and the zig zag again. That first zig zag across the heavier stripes will pull them into nice lines. Love the pattern!

 

[TeresaT]

So, I did my first attempt today. The final product isn't too bad for a beginner. Especially since the stupid FO accelerated (even though I did test it out and it didn't in the test!). When I poured the batter, it was pudding. I used four colors: blue, green, black & white. I shouldn't have used black, or at least as much black. (However, if the batter wasn't so thick, I think it would have been more of what I was aiming for.) I poured in a parabola shape, alternating the colors. First I did a leapfrog using a comb. Then I did diagonal loops using a two-pronged fork. Then I did vertical lines with the two-pronged fork. I did not think it would turn out okay at all after looking at the leapfrog. However, it doesn't look too bad. I'll see how it looks when I cut it. The tools I used were actually a grill cleaner and a grill fork.

 

[Obsidian]

I decided to give this a try. My first pour is in the mold and soon to go into the oven for CPOP. I already think I failed, I used too much accent color and too fat of a swirl stick. The first pattern looked ok but the second pattern pretty much turned it into a muddled up mess.
Hopefully I can get the second layer better. I will make a lot less of the accent color and use a thinner swirl stick.

 

[TVivian]

Teresa, I think what you ended up with looks cool! I also think you did pretty well with your consistency. Seems like it was flowable enough to swirl! ::thumbs up!::

 

[lionprincess00]

I cut my soaps open to make small guest sizes...they were far too clunky to handle. Really neat pattern inside! I was pleasantly surprised.

 

[TVivian]

I cut my soaps open to make small guest sizes...they were far too clunky to handle. Really neat pattern inside! I was pleasantly surprised.

Ooh! I just saw yours too!! Love those colors!

 

[Obsidian]

Here are my early results. I think both turned out awful

layer #1

colored with clay, my tool was a chop stick I did design A and D

too much pink and yes, I know what it looks like

first swirl, too far apart and too big of a stick

next swirl, mucked the colors together too much

 

[Obsidian]

Layer #2. Used design A and something similar to B.

Used a skewer this time

still too much color, needed more white

this looks nice

ruined it

 

[newbie]

I disagree that you muddled the colors too much, Obsidian. What you got is what I would expect for the proportions of your soaps. I am no pro at eyeballing proportions because I just mis-guessed again on my own soap, but I do know that black/very dark has way more impact than you think so you need less than you guess, and white seems to have far less than you'd think, so you need more than you'd guess.

This thread is intended to troubleshoot too so I'm curious what you were hoping they would look like. I did two soaps this weekend that I will not be entering and I used A then B. I was in the bottom of a green loaf mold but one was at heavy trace and one was at thin. Pretty much same colors and pour.

First one was not poured cleanly because it was quite thick and I needed to get it in. I used a wooden dowel that was about 1/4" thick because I needed to physically move the soap, not let the liquids swirl. I used a dowel because it's rough and catches more soap and moves it better than a smooth tool. I did A, then B with the same dowel. Yes, after A, I obliged to swirl because it looks like lady parts, which I will just say before someone else does. I moved fast because that moves more soap than going slowly.

The second soap was poured at light trace. I used the same dowel for it, so you can see how different the trace makes the swirl. Same thing, A then B, but it looks to me like the patterns were a bit looser in the second soap that the first. I think it's fairly easy to see how tightly or loosely the pattern went in. Let me know if it's difficult to follow.

On your second one, Obsidian, it's possible the skewer was too thin for the trace and didn't move things as much as you would have liked. IT's also possible that you swirled more slowly and if you sped up, you'd get something different. If you tighten up the pattern, meaning more passes back and forth inthe mold, you'll get finer lines but I don't know if that is what you wanted or expected, but tighter pattern will get you more and finer lines and a looser pattern will leave a fatter swirl, where more color stays together.

I will apologize ahead if this seems pretentious or too obvious for words or somehow irritating.

 

[Seawolfe]

Newbie I think you are being too hard on yourself - those are really striking! I was thinking of using a bit of black in mine too, but wanted to go simple at first.
Im still laughing about the lady parts bit

Obsidian - those are pretty - I think (like me) we put too much accent color in - but that only means it doesn't look like what we had hoped. They are still pretty soaps - yours looks kinda like damask.

Heres my babies unmoulded (you can see how my zig zags were uneven top to bottom, and pay NO attention to the ash), cut to 10 bars, and 2 bars posed. Im actually quite pleased with them and have plans for improvement.

 

[newbie]

Wow! I can really see the pattern now. It's fabulous! I see what you mean about more accent color but with a touch of refinement... Man, that's a keeper.

 

[Obsidian]

Newbie, that you for the detailed post. I guess I was expecting more wispy drawn out swirls and not so many areas of one color. I know my portions have a lot to do with that. I'm really thinking I should stick with my ITP and drop swirls, at least I know wht to expect with them.
I also think your two soaps are really pretty. The colors are great and the swirls are long and drawn out, the way I like them.

Seawolfe, Your is awesome. It reminds me of a field of tall grass swaying in the wind.

 

[newbie]

Obsidian, I think if you had more passes, say doubled the number of times you went back and forth and went faster, you would draw your lines out more and have more variation of color in the swirl. You might still have more red than you wanted because of how white just gets overshadowed by color, but I think you'd get your wispier lines/swirls.

 

[Saponista]

I am going to have another go tomorrow and I intend to swirl way more times than I would normally, I worry about over swirling, but some of the soaps on this thread have made me realise that sometimes more passes can really improve the look of the swirl. It fills me with panic to keep swirling as I often fear that I will end up with a homogenous mud coloured top, but I am going to push past that and see what happens.

I really liked that pink swirl newbie, you got some really nice definition.

I don't think you muddled the colour too much either obsidian. I really liked your second try.

I never seem to get the white right in my swirls, I always find I should have added more.

 

[newbie]

I also wanted to add that I think your lines work well, Obsidian, and they can be very predictable, but figuring out thickness and all that is a matter of trial and error. I hope you'll try lines again and not give up on it!

I was looking at a calendar and thought I would open the entry thread on July 18th. That will give a week for people to post.

I am also pushing the swirling a little. I swirled the thick one once more which I hesitated to do but thought I should see what happened. I ended up with a discoloring FO so now the colors are different but this is the end result of my thick swirl. So I did A (zig zag), then B (diagonal loop), then I used F (round loops) but did one series of loops with the crossing point next to the wall on each side, so the tops of loops just touched each other in the middle of the soap. I wanted to kick myself after I did the third swirl but it turned out okay.

First pics is wet and the second is cleaned up a bit and starting to DC.

 

[Saponista]

Of the two attempts, I think I prefer the thick swirled one newbie. It's really unusual and the definition between the colours is better. It's amazing what a difference trace thickness makes.

 

[TeresaT]

Gave my second attempt a shot today. I left out the FO so I would have more time to play with the batter. It didn't help. The batter thickened up like pudding by the time I got to divide it into the containers for colors. Just after I added the colors to the batter, the power went out. I had the batter poured into tall thin pitchers that hold 16 oz fluid. It was just big enough for the SB, so I was only going to zap it once or twice to begin with, but all I could do was move it up and down. I tried mixing with a spoon but that didn't help. So, I did my pour and took a photo in the dark, then started swirling. After the first swirl, I was too hot in my gear to care. The soap is in the bathroom on the shelf doing its magic. I sprayed it with 91% alcohol. The first was covered in ash. After examining my recipe and everything I did, I realized I was using te wrong version of the recipe. I was using my 30% lye solution version instead of my 38% water to oils. I was 78 gm water short!! No wonder the stuff was pudding! I should have realized something was up when I reached trace in less than two minutes. My excuse is, "Hey, I've only been making soap since April. What do I know?" I'm going to set up all of my oils and lye solution tonight so it will be ready tomorrow. Today's disaster colors were pink, violet and yellow. Looking at all of your photos, I think I'm going to get rid of the comb and fork and just try it with a stick and/or a skewer. Like my "entry" says, I have visions of grandeur, but no talent to back them.

 

[not_ally]

Newbie, I really liked both of your soaps. I have a feeling you have now done this so many times you have set an impossibly high standard for yourself. I liked the first b/c it was pretty, but the second b/c it was interesting, almost like a story. Something gothic and dark.

Seawolfe, I think you should quit while you're ahead. I don't see how you are going to improve on that, it is stunning. I LOVE the uneven zigzags, that is one of the things that makes it stunning.

 

[newbie]

I don't know. I think the longer you do something, the higher your bar gets set naturally. Otherwise there is nothing to work toward.

I tend to like to work at thin trace but there have been times I've had acceleration and I decide to manhandle the soap. It gives such a different result and different feel but can still be just as nice. It was very surprising to me. After I made the thick one, I decided to do the same at a thin trace just to compare what happens. The thick one is more dramatic for certain, better definition as Saponista said, and gives in some respects better swirls which is not what I was expecting. Goth is a good word. It has an old-fashioned feeling to it too in some way that I can't define but maybe I think that because it looks tea-washed.

I hope you aren't getting too frustrated, Theresa! I imagined you working in the dark when your power went out and having to swirl blind, which would be interesting. I hope your next one is easier for you to work with!

 

[not_ally]

I finally got a batter that was at the right consistency to swirl, but forgot to take pictures w/the darn tool! And it was super simple, chopstick, one pattern, two passes. But I did not love the colors, so that is OK. Will try again tonight. Actually typing this made me realize that I think we had to do a min. of two patterns? Will go back and re-read the rules.

ETA: yes, two patterns, for others who were tempted to take the KISS approach.