Did my first pencil line!!
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It's Pumpkin Spice from New Directions. Only the top half is fragranced, since it's known to discolour, although I don't see any of that so far (used copper mica in the top half). I made some jack o lanterns with it, too. Never to early to start on fall stuff, I'm thinking...
It looks great! Nice job!
Todd Ziegler
Circle Z soaps
When doing a pencil line, is your batter thick but still pourable or does it need to be spooned out?
Ok ok time for the big reveal. I knew this all along, as I posted after the cut, which is why I praised my soap so much....because I already knew that their heads fell off!!!
I probably had read about doing a thin pencil line so that the soap would still stick, but of course it was my first and I wanted to be sure to make it visible. Didn't think it was THAT thick. I was so thrilled when I cut the first slice off the end, and while walking upstairs to show the family, it fell apart in my hand!!
A couple other pieces are still intact if I lift them straight up, but I'm pretty sure that won't last long.
Oh well....the good news is, I now have lots of soap to cut up into chunks for confetti. Wasn't I complaining about that just the other day?
Other good news....I really like the fragrance (Pumpkin Pie by NDA). I really like apple cider, pumpkin pie, spiced chai, etc, etc, in real life, but I rarely find a fragrance/candle/etc. in that family that I can even tolerate. I only bought this FO because I had purchased pretty much every single other FO they stock and I decided to take a chance.
@Todd Ziegler , my trace was medium when I poured, definitely not thick. I'm not actually sure how it got so wavey, because I didn't really make waves or scoops or anything. I did have to stick blend forever, and I remember thinking that I'd used up all my lard on this recipe that I didn't need to be slow-moving at all....
I probably had read about doing a thin pencil line so that the soap would still stick, but of course it was my first and I wanted to be sure to make it visible. Didn't think it was THAT thick. I was so thrilled when I cut the first slice off the end, and while walking upstairs to show the family, it fell apart in my hand!!
A couple other pieces are still intact if I lift them straight up, but I'm pretty sure that won't last long.
Oh well....the good news is, I now have lots of soap to cut up into chunks for confetti. Wasn't I complaining about that just the other day?
Other good news....I really like the fragrance (Pumpkin Pie by NDA). I really like apple cider, pumpkin pie, spiced chai, etc, etc, in real life, but I rarely find a fragrance/candle/etc. in that family that I can even tolerate. I only bought this FO because I had purchased pretty much every single other FO they stock and I decided to take a chance.
@Todd Ziegler , my trace was medium when I poured, definitely not thick. I'm not actually sure how it got so wavey, because I didn't really make waves or scoops or anything. I did have to stick blend forever, and I remember thinking that I'd used up all my lard on this recipe that I didn't need to be slow-moving at all....
Todd Ziegler
Circle Z soaps
Now you have 2 beautiful soaps to give away. Problem solved.
Dude, they are messy! I haven't even gone back to clean up the mould and the counters and the everything with that AC there. I clearly used waay too much...and then spilled a bunch too!
You could try cleaning them off a little and welding them.. worth a try they were so pretty... nothing to loose now
Yes, welded soap is this month's challenge! Do it, do it!
When I first saw them, I wondered how you got them to stick together because that was a beautiful contrast. I'd try maybe rinsing one to get rid of most of the AC and see if you can get it to stick with the welding technique. Mind you, I failed spectacularly at welding soap, but it might work for you. That soap was so pretty, it might be worth a try.
I did my first pencil line the other day too. Was so excited that it actually turned out !
Thanks to @dibbles for fluid recipe and to @Jillyb for trick re pencil line. My batters were all quite pourable, I lightly dusted between the two layers with charcoal... it was a very light dust because I don't have much charcoal.... but I spritzed lightly before and after dusting with my hand sanitizer !! Hand sanitizer BECAUSE I went to grab the bottle of isopropyl alcohol and it wasn't there...SO next best thing I thought, why not... it's mostly isopropyl alcohol...with aloe juice & lemongrass... which was one of the eo's in my soap. Thanks too @Jillyb for citrus beer idea... I used 1/2 lime beer, 1/2 water.
Thanks to @dibbles for fluid recipe and to @Jillyb for trick re pencil line. My batters were all quite pourable, I lightly dusted between the two layers with charcoal... it was a very light dust because I don't have much charcoal.... but I spritzed lightly before and after dusting with my hand sanitizer !! Hand sanitizer BECAUSE I went to grab the bottle of isopropyl alcohol and it wasn't there...SO next best thing
I thought, why not... it's mostly isopropyl alcohol...with aloe juice & lemongrass... which was one of the eo's in my soap. Thanks too @Jillyb for citrus beer idea... I used 1/2 lime beer, 1/2 water.Attachments
penelopejane
Well-Known Member
Next time try using a tea leaf holder (mesh) or a really small strainer. Sprinkle the AC or mica really, really lightly so you can still see the batter below and so the AC or mica becomes totally wet. Good idea to leave the very edge of the edges clear as this gives the soap even greater sticking power.
Nice looking soap!
The first time I used AC I accidently dumped half the container. Instead of 'lesson learned', I bought more. Then I used it for a layer in testing two different Dragon's Blood FOs and the cleanup just wasn't worth...it just seemed to stick to everything.
From watching YouTube, I learned to have a light hand with any kind of "line"...mica, oxide, clay, cocoa, AC because of what happened to you. I have had great success using mesh snap ball tea infuser...it allows me to get along the edges and corners without making a mess all over my mold and then I just run a damp paper towels along in the insides. I put on just enough to cover the soap, but not so much that the batter cannot absorb it...so the line should look 'wet'.
I was thinking that if I wanted a thicker line...more 'marker' than 'pencil', that I would mix my line ingredient with a light oil and then use a pipette and then give it a few minutes.
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Thanks for the tips, everyone. I especially like @TheGecko 's idea re: mixing with oil. I did use a small strainer, but I think I just went over it too many times.
Yes, AC is so messy, both in making and using. But such a rich colour!
I've still been avoiding the cleanup....can't make anything new until I do, and it's probably not going to evaporate on its own....
Yes, AC is so messy, both in making and using. But such a rich colour!
I've still been avoiding the cleanup....can't make anything new until I do, and it's probably not going to evaporate on its own....
