Entry thread for the September 2022 SMF Soap Challenge - Hybrid soaps, pouring CP and MP together.

[szaza]

This is the entry thread for the September 2022 SMF Soap Challenge - Hybrid soaps, pouring CP and MP together. As a reminder, this entry thread is for challenge photos only. Please post any comments to the general challenge thread here.

You are welcome to post more than one photo, but the photo you want used for the voting survey should be first, at the top of your entry post. Your entry may include information about your design, process, colors, fragrance or inspiration.

The entry thread will remain open until September 27 at 11:59pm GMT. After the entry thread closes, the winning entry will be chosen using Survey Monkey. A message with the voting survey link and password will be sent to those who signed up for the challenge. Voting will remain open until September 29 at 11:59pm GMT and the winner will be announced on September 30, 2022. There is no prize attached to this challenge.

Good luck to all!

P.S. Please remember that each participant will need to look up the correct time for the location where they live. Here is a link to one mechanism for determining the correct time in your time zone versus GMT: GMT to CST Converter - Savvy Time

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Rubies in the Rough
I was inspired to try a rock/rough gemstone design after watching some of the YT videos by From Grace to You. Queen Elizabeth had just passed and even though she seemed to favor diamonds, sapphires and emeralds, I couldn’t resist using some new Red Ruby mica to mimic rubies. I was quite sure that I had a disaster by the time this soap was in the mold, but I like it and would try this technique again. The largest bars above are about 2”x3”. The soap is scented with an EO blend of orange, patchouli and a little cedar. The M&P I started with was a wee bit honey-colored and the micas were Nurture’s Shimmer Gold, Copper Penny and Ruby Red, plus some AC for the black layering and uncolored soap for white. I poured alternating layers of cp and mp batter into a tube and then let it flow out the bottom. I may have done that more than once, but things were moving fast and it’s all a blur now. Here’s the inside of the tube the next day.

 

[VikingChick]

I’m not impressed with myself. My intent was to make a tiger stripe soap, but there was too much difference between my CP and MP consistencies that it didn’t work. But it’s usable……sometimes that’s all you can say, right?

ETA: Please ignore my wrinkled dishtowel background. I loves y’all, but I ain’t ironing!

 

[The_Phoenix]

Fire and Ice

Poured the M&P base, then using a squeeze bottle filled with orange, yellow, a little bit of black, little bit of white and a variety of shades of red, continued to drop down mini drop swirls. Then added a layer of brown. It did not execute exactly as I had envisioned. But I’m out of M&P and motivation to have another go at it

Scented with BB’s Frosted Fir. Very lovely.

 

[melonpan]

My idea for this soap was to have a very dark CP base (activated charcoal) against the transparent handmade M&P diagonal lines, but as you can see it didn't exactly go as planned

I prepared the CP batter, split it in 3 and worked one layer at a time. I had a very difficult time heating and keeping the handmade M&P fluid enough to pour it, as soon as it touched the CP batter it would turn solid, so the lines are not as straight as I had hoped for - and it had so many bubbles it turned out quite whitish.

 

[szaza]

The Entry Thread is now closed. I'll send out a voting link soon.

 

[szaza]

Drumroll please... The winners of this month's challenge are....

1. @The_Phoenix
2. @Mobjack Bay
3. @VikingChick and @melonpan

Congratulations, you're all winners

 

[melonpan]

Congratulations to everyone, I loved all the other soaps and for once it was a stress-free vote!

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Congratulations @The_Phoenix @VikingChick and @melonpan on your inspiring soaps.

 

[VikingChick]

Congratulations, everyone! This was a fun and different challenge. Thanks for hosting, @szaza!

 

[mx5inpenn]

Congrats! Beautiful soaps from all!!

 

[The_Phoenix]

Aw, thank you, all! I was truly challenging and a fun experiment. Congrats @Mobjack Bay @VikingChick and @melonpan!

 

[Serene]

Congratulations to all the winners. Gorgeous Soaps.

 

[mobe_45]

Drumroll please... The winners of this month's challenge are....

1. @The_Phoenix
2. @Mobjack Bay
3. @VikingChick and @melonpan

Congratulations, you're all winners

Good job all!

 

[akseattle]

My idea for this soap was to have a very dark CP base (activated charcoal) against the transparent handmade M&P diagonal lines, but as you can see it didn't exactly go as planned

I prepared the CP batter, split it in 3 and worked one layer at a time. I had a very difficult time heating and keeping the handmade M&P fluid enough to pour it, as soon as it touched the CP batter it would turn solid, so the lines are not as straight as I had hoped for - and it had so many bubbles it turned out quite whitish.

View attachment 68794

@melonpan, was there shrinkage between your cold process soap and your M&P layers?
Have you mixed M&P embeds/ layers with CP often? There's been a thread where someone suggested that the M&P gets harder and can end up with a different texture than the CP
What suggestions or thoughts do you have on M&P embeds with CP soap?

 

[Relle]

@melonpan, was there shrinkage between your cold process soap and your M&P layers?
Have you mixed M&P embeds/ layers with CP often? There's been a thread where someone suggested that the M&P gets harder and can end up with a different texture than the CP
What suggestions or thoughts do you have on M&P embeds with CP soap?

This person hasn't been here in 1 1/2 yrs. This thread is from 2022.

 

[akseattle]

Now how will I ever know how their M&P worked with their CP soap

 

[Mobjack Bay]

@akseattle - if it's any help, the hybrid soap I made held up very well. In fact, I'm still using a tiny piece of it at the kitchen sink. There was no de-lamination or separation of the layers and no obvious differential shrinkage of layers over time. My CP recipes have fairly high longevity #s (around 30) and I usually use a high lye concentration (40%), two factors that would serve to reduce shrinkage of the CP soap and textural differences between the M&P and CP. I poured the M&P and CP at the same time, which may have increased the chances of the layers sticking together. For a more traditional M&P embed, I believe the usual recommendation is to lightly spray the embed with alcohol to help with the bonding.

 

[Tammyfarms]

Now how will I ever know how their M&P worked with their CP soap

When looking at older posts, you can always click on the name of the poster to see when they were last seen on the forum.

 

[AliOop]

@akseattle - if it's any help, the hybrid soap I made held up very well. In fact, I'm still using a tiny piece of it at the kitchen sink. There was no de-lamination or separation of the layers and no obvious differential shrinkage of layers over time. My CP recipes have fairly high longevity #s (around 30) and I usually use a high lye concentration (40%), two factors that would serve to reduce shrinkage of the CP soap and textural differences between the M&P and CP. I poured the M&P and CP at the same time, which may have increased the chances of the layers sticking together. For a more traditional M&P embed, I believe the usual recommendation is to lightly spray the embed with alcohol to help with the bonding.

I've also made soap with M&P embeds, and there hasn't been any separation. I also used a high lye concentration (40%) so perhaps that's the key?