Failed attempt at marble texture :\

[SpaceCorgi94]

I was going for a nice marble texture as seen on a few videos on YouTube but evidently, nay.

I'm not sure if my pigmenting was too dark, or if the coloured portions were too large in % of the total batch, or if I'd reached too thick of a trace, or if my application of the swirl into the mould was incorrect, or if any other number of things just went over my head in all the research I did in order to do it :\

Either way, here's the result of the cutting after 18 hours. Usually I'm much more careful but I grew disheartened and started feeling indifferent about it. I will say that when I used a very rudimentary guitar string tool to slice into the bars, the design didn't smear nearly as much which was nice. I'll hopefully be using this method from now on.

 

[sarahmarah]

I think there’s a special way to cut the soap with some of the marble techniques? So that you achieve the look. Similar to how you might cut fine line striped soap.

 

[Obsidian]

They look fantastic

 

[Catscankim]

I really like those!!!

 

[dibbles]

So often when we cut a soap and it doesn't look the way we had planned or envisioned it, we are disappointed. These are lovely and I would encourage you to look at them with fresh eyes in a week. I think you will like them so much more once the expectations are removed. Maybe not what you wanted them to be, but lovely in their own unique way. And now - you get to try again

 

[AliOop]

I also like them a lot! Are you doing this for the Soap Challenge Club this month? I am signed up and plan to give that a try probably next weekend, unless one of my evenings opens up this coming week.

 

[Jersey Girl]

This may not have turned out as you envisioned but it is a very pretty result!

 

[SpaceCorgi94]

Thank you all very much for being so supportive in a time when I've been so disappointed in myself.

So often when we cut a soap and it doesn't look the way we had planned or envisioned it, we are disappointed. These are lovely and I would encourage you to look at them with fresh eyes in a week. I think you will like them so much more once the expectations are removed. Maybe not what you wanted them to be, but lovely in their own unique way. And now - you get to try again

It's been a day since I cut it, and, I really am starting to realise how nice it looks. While it's far from what I'd hoped to achieve, it's still a pattern I'm glad I got to practice a bit on before I do it "for realisies" this time hah, thank you so much for imploring me to look at it again

I also like them a lot! Are you doing this for the Soap Challenge Club this month? I am signed up and plan to give that a try probably next weekend, unless one of my evenings opens up this coming week.

Thank you for your kind words I am not actually, where can I find out more about this SCC? I think I might be keen to check it out! (I'm new here so I'm not all that familiar with the forum ><)

 

[DeeAnna]

Maybe you didn't get the marble texture you wanted, but I really like the pattern you did get.

I think it's good to start with a goal -- the marble pattern -- but soap making has taught me, over and over, to let go of that goal once the batter is in the mold and to become eager to see the pattern that actually appears. A happy surprise, rather than a disappointment.

If the surfaces of the soap are smearing, the soap is still too soft to cut cleanly. The reasons may be related to the blend of fats you're using and/or simply cutting too soon and/or not gelling the soap and/or a high water content.

I do think you should doublecheck on the direction the bars are cut for the marble look -- that might be a key reason why the pattern isn't what you were expecting.

 

[pmrosie]

My first thought was it looks like a tiger! I think it looks GRRREAATTT!

 

[dibbles]

Here is a link to the Soap Challenge Club current challenge.
https://soapchallengeclub.com/current-challenge/

 

[SpaceCorgi94]

Sooo.... hey y'all.... been doin some research again... realised exactly where I went wrong

Turns out all the videos/methods I'd been watching were using a slab mould method and that the marbly texture they'd achieved was through the surface that first hits the very base of the mould. With a loaf mould however, the "Face" of the soap is really a cross section, two completely different factors which had never occurred to me until now. Thank you everybody for urging me to check again the cutting methods used to achieve the marble texture, I now know exactly where I went wrong because of it.

A hint as to what was going on should have been when I filled the mould up and saw a nice marblesque texture on the very top, as seen here:

(Don't worry, this isn't where I leave the soap, I just had to put it somewhere quick for a photo and this was already out for another crafts project)

But either way! I now know where I went wrong, thank you everybody so much for the kind words and suggestions throughout the day. I know it took me a while to realise exactly how/where I can improve next time, but I finally got there

 

[PieBorg]

The colors and design are gorgeous, even though they aren't what you were shooting for. Personally, I'd make that "mistake" again intentionally since it's so pretty!