"blacksmith" fragrance help

[GuacamoleSalad]

A friend has asked me to replicate the smell of a bar of soap he got on etsy once. It was called something like "Blacksmith" and the fragrances he remembers were "hot iron, coal, and smoke." From what he says it wasn't, like, VIBES of blacksmith-- the actual smell was something like hot metal.

Any ideas?

 

[KiwiMoose]

You can get a tobacco fragrance?

 

[GuacamoleSalad]

You can get a tobacco fragrance?

Would a tobacco fragrance smell like smoke? Or smoky? Forgive me, I don't really have any idea how fragrances work - I barely have my head around lavender.

 

[not_ally]

The ones I use - both are called Tobacco and Bay Leaf - are from Brambleberry and Midwest Fragrance Company. They don't smell like smoke, more woodsy with some sweet/honey notes, like tobacco curing. I love the scent, but it's hard to describe. Very unisex. If you decide to get it, get the MWFC one, it's half the cost of the Brambleberry version, and very close to it.

However, it doesn't smell like "hot iron, coal and smoke". Although frankly that doesn't sound like it would smell very nice.

 

[GuacamoleSalad]

The ones I use - both are called Tobacco and Bay Leaf - are from Brambleberry and Midwest Fragrance Company. They don't smell like smoke, more woodsy with some sweet/honey notes, like tobacco curing. I love the scent, but it's hard to describe. Very unisex. If you decide to get it, get the MWFC one, it's half the cost of the Brambleberry version, and very close to it.

However, it doesn't smell like "hot iron, coal and smoke". Although frankly that doesn't sound like it would smell very nice.

I know, I don't think it would smell very nice at all. Sort of "manly death" vibes. But the man is who he is & I want to try to make it happen.

Thank you!

 

[Maple_Street_Bath]

I would recommend Candle Science Tonka & Oud. A local [to me] brewery does a candle in this scent and asked me to make a soap for them. To me it smells very smokey and metallic, but not unpleasant.

As an aside, if you do use this in a soap, my experience with my "usually fast moving recipe" was slowed down trace, and I had no issues with discoloration - despite the supplier notes of mild acceleration and dark discoloration. I did the soap in black, gray and light blue, taking my chances with the discoloration. Neither the gray or blue have discolored at 3+ months since making it.

 

[GuacamoleSalad]

I would recommend Candle Science Tonka & Oud. A local [to me] brewery does a candle in this scent and asked me to make a soap for them. To me it smells very smokey and metallic, but not unpleasant.

As an aside, if you do use this in a soap, my experience with my "usually fast moving recipe" was slowed down trace, and I had no issues with discoloration - despite the supplier notes of mild acceleration and dark discoloration. I did the soap in black, gray and light blue, taking my chances with the discoloration. Neither the gray or blue have discolored at 3+ months since making it.

This is SO helpful. Thank you!!

 

[GuacamoleSalad]

Update: I found the soap and the seller on etsy. Is there any angle from which it would be okay to ask another soapmaker about what fragrances they use? I don't want to insult them or breach any etiquette.

 

[not_ally]

It would make me uncomfortable to ask about it, to me it seems like part of what makes the soap unique and sellable. It seems different than (eg) asking another soapmaker here which FO they used if I got something in a swap. Even then, though, for example, @cmzaha has a dragon's blood blend that people here really love, but I I'm pretty sure no one on the board would ask her for the recipe blend because she created it and is/was a seller.

But reasonable minds could differ on this. I guess if they didn't want to tell you they could just ignore the question.

 

[GuacamoleSalad]

It would make me uncomfortable to ask about it, to me it seems like part of what makes the soap unique and sellable. It seems different than (eg) asking another soapmaker here which FO they used if I got something in a swap. Even then, though, for example, @cmzaha has a dragon's blood blend that people here really love, but I I'm pretty sure no one on the board would ask her for the recipe blend because she created it and is/was a seller.

But reasonable minds could differ on this. I guess if they didn't want to tell you they could just ignore the question.

Thanks. That's kind of the feeling I had.

 

[A-Polly]

Would it be too expensive to just buy a bar (or have your friend buy one) to see what you think it smells like? It's so hard to go by the impressions and scent descriptions of others!

 

[GuacamoleSalad]

Would it be too expensive to just buy a bar (or have your friend buy one) to see what you think it smells like? It's so hard to go by the impressions and scent descriptions of others!

That's a good idea, thank you. I might do that.

 

[paradisi]

Update: I found the soap and the seller on etsy. Is there any angle from which it would be okay to ask another soapmaker about what fragrances they use? I don't want to insult them or breach any etiquette.

No, there is not.

Maybe you haven't considered the other person's side of it. They work hard, like you do, for their ideas & sources to make their business successful. "Please give my your work for free" is just bad.

 

[not_ally]

@GuacamoleSalad, I had forgotten about this company because it's been a long time since I've ordered from them, but you might want to try searching at Save On Scents. They have a billion (almost!) different types of fragrances of all kinds, including odd ones.

Also, they have a "sniffie sample" set for $6.99 (including postage, I think) where you can order five tiny, 1.2ml sample bottles - enough to do cotton puff tests/blends but not soap - of their fragrances. They don't have a Blacksmith FO, but maybe you could combine other ones, like Campfire, Smoke, Metallic Steel, Coal/Tar, Lump of Tar, Gunpowder - those are some of the ones I found with a relatively quick search. Here's a link to the sniffie option: https://www.saveonscents.com/product_info.php?products_id=4802

I don't know how those scents would hold up in CP. Many of them have reviews, you could see if any mention that.

ETA: It just occurred that this might not be worth it unless he is a very good friend indeed, or was willing to underwrite the costs. In any scenario with a scent like this you'd probably have to purchase a bunch of different FO samples for sniffies, and then enough of the final contenders to do small sample CP batches. It would end up being a pretty expensive experiment that might not work in the end anyway either because the scent doesn't stick or because the recipient says something like "it's not quite right, maybe it needs a soupcon of ___". Which for me, after all that work, might end in a dead-friend-scenario

If you've found the seller it might make more sense to just buy your friend a couple of bars.

 

[GuacamoleSalad]

@GuacamoleSalad, I had forgotten about this company because it's been a long time since I've ordered from them, but you might want to try searching at Save On Scents. They have a billion (almost!) different types of fragrances of all kinds, including odd ones.

Also, they have a "sniffie sample" set for $6.99 (including postage, I think) where you can order five tiny, 1.2ml sample bottles - enough to do cotton puff tests/blends but not soap - of their fragrances. They don't have a Blacksmith FO, but maybe you could combine other ones, like Campfire, Smoke, Metallic Steel, Coal/Tar, Lump of Tar, Gunpowder - those are some of the ones I found with a relatively quick search. Here's a link to the sniffie option: https://www.saveonscents.com/product_info.php?products_id=4802

I don't know how those scents would hold up in CP. Many of them have reviews, you could see if any mention that.

ETA: It just occurred that this might not be worth it unless he is a very good friend indeed, or was willing to underwrite the costs. In any scenario with a scent like this you'd probably have to purchase a bunch of different FO samples for sniffies, and then enough of the final contenders to do small sample CP batches. It would end up being a pretty expensive experiment that might not work in the end anyway either because the scent doesn't stick or because the recipient says something like "it's not quite right, maybe it needs a soupcon of ___". Which for me, after all that work, might end in a dead-friend-scenario

If you've found the seller it might make more sense to just buy your friend a couple of bars.

Thanks so much. I appreciate this idea!

It's partly that it is a good friend, and partly that I enjoy figuring out little mysteries like this. So far it's part of the fun of soap. As is talking about it here.

 

[GuacamoleSalad]

No, there is not.

Maybe you haven't considered the other person's side of it. They work hard, like you do, for their ideas & sources to make their business successful. "Please give my your work for free" is just bad.

That's the sense I had. Thanks.