Todd_in_Minnesota
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- Joined
- Oct 19, 2013
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Being the too-long accounts and discoveries of an intrepid saponificer.
The idea seemed so simple; "Why not make a Christmas Tree soap bar?"
After all, how hard can it be? I've seen a similar idea on the Interwebs. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MZEPOKYUECw/UUBMSro8MFI/AAAAAAAAGYs/lcT3EMW77oQ/s1600/CIMG8299a.jpg
So - I set out to achieve creative greatness.
Step One: The Master Plan
Deep thought, advanced engineering, design documentation.
What I need is triangles to define the treetop, rectangles to define the trunk, cylinders to be the ornaments, and all the rest will be the tree.
1. Build a scrap-wood mold for three triangles and a rectangle. Line it with freezer paper.
2. Create cylindrical molds out of rolled-up freezer paper. Find a tiny funnel.
Step Two: Fabrication
Trial One - "Who needs math? Why does this look funny?"
Trial One Conclusion - I need to fix the math and fix the colors and fix that funnel. Also - lining the mold takes an hour! Also, now I've used up the essential oils that say "Christmas" to me.... need different scents.
But - The ornaments are placed sort-of right.
On to Trial Two...
Trial Two - "Bold colors! Bold scents! Instant trace."
Trial Two Conclusion - Black soap makes black suds. Black suds are not Christmas-y. Also, the ornaments are too large and placed wrong, and the funnel still doesn't work. Also, the insty-trace mix meant the triangles aren't all complete, and they don't all lie where they should.
But - the green & red colors are OK
On to Trail Three..
Trial Three - "Let's change everything. What could go wrong?"
Trial Three Conclusion - Something (turmeric?) seems to make my triangles/rectangles crumbly. They fall apart when I un-mold them. Also, mixing up exactly the right amount for the tree, minus waste loss, means my tree is a bit too thin. And - The trace is different this time when I assemble it. Placing inclusions into a soft-trace mix allows them to wander around. The ornaments float down to the trunk of the tree, and the triangles seem to have shrunk, so they don't adjoin as I'd like.
By now I've run out of time for this Christmas season.
It's a never-boring procession of discoveries, but I still don't understand all the factors I need to manage and I'm still making new mistakes.
I'll try again next year.
Cheers!
Todd
"Nothing ventured, nothing learned."
The idea seemed so simple; "Why not make a Christmas Tree soap bar?"
After all, how hard can it be? I've seen a similar idea on the Interwebs. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MZEPOKYUECw/UUBMSro8MFI/AAAAAAAAGYs/lcT3EMW77oQ/s1600/CIMG8299a.jpg
So - I set out to achieve creative greatness.
Step One: The Master Plan
Deep thought, advanced engineering, design documentation.
What I need is triangles to define the treetop, rectangles to define the trunk, cylinders to be the ornaments, and all the rest will be the tree.
1. Build a scrap-wood mold for three triangles and a rectangle. Line it with freezer paper.
2. Create cylindrical molds out of rolled-up freezer paper. Find a tiny funnel.
Step Two: Fabrication
Trial One - "Who needs math? Why does this look funny?"
- Realize I need to pour the triangle/rectangle mold twice, each time using a mini-batch recipe. Realize my scale (and my nature) isn't precise enough to do mini-batches accurately. Math works! I fill the triangle mold to the brim each time.
- Color part of my mini-batch garish red for the ornaments. Pour it all over my workspace. Realize the tiny funnel is not tiny enough.
- After the triangles and cylinder have had a couple days to firm up, mix the 'tree', and put it all together. Remember to color it green. Ignore the math and mix up waaaaay too much tree. Assemble it all. Mold seems suspiciously over-full. Ornament-cylinders are dropped into wherever seems right.
- Two days later, un-mold and cut. Find the Christmas tree is actually a boabab tree - with ornaments.
Trial One Conclusion - I need to fix the math and fix the colors and fix that funnel. Also - lining the mold takes an hour! Also, now I've used up the essential oils that say "Christmas" to me.... need different scents.
But - The ornaments are placed sort-of right.
On to Trial Two...
Trial Two - "Bold colors! Bold scents! Instant trace."
- Make another triangle/rectangle mold, so I don't have to wait two days for the first batch to be done before I can pour the second. Now I can pour an entire tree's-worth at once.
- Again, mix the triangle/rectangle batch, this time using a normal-size batch recipe. I have enough to fill both triangle/rectangle molds and use the excess to make a partial-recipe of 3" round bars. But in a stroke of creativity I decide the original boring background color should be clearer, so I use black! Also, I use some bolder essential oils... which trace the triangle/rectangle mix immediately. I have press it into the mold with a spatula.
- Color another part of the batch garish red (again) for the ornaments. Pour it all over my workspace again. Realize the tiny funnel is not tiny enough again.
- After the triangles and cylinder have had a couple days to firm up, mix the 'tree', and put it all together. Remember (again) to color it green. DO NOT ignore the math. Mix up exactly the right amount to make the tree. Assemble it all. Ornaments' placement is more troublesome this time.
- Two days later, un-mold and cut. Find the Christmas tree is recognizable, but...
Trial Two Conclusion - Black soap makes black suds. Black suds are not Christmas-y. Also, the ornaments are too large and placed wrong, and the funnel still doesn't work. Also, the insty-trace mix meant the triangles aren't all complete, and they don't all lie where they should.
But - the green & red colors are OK
On to Trail Three..
Trial Three - "Let's change everything. What could go wrong?"
- Again, mix the triangle/rectangle batch, this time using a normal-size batch recipe. This time I back off the black, and instead color the base mix with turmeric, which should give a nice rich organic brown background. Trace behaves normally (whew).
- Make new cylinder molds at smaller diameter by rolling the freezer paper tighter. Abandon the funnel, and pour the garish red by mixing it in a ziplock baggie, and cutting off the tiniest corner of the baggie to allow it to flow into the cylindrical mold (Thanks to this Forum for that tip!) Ignore the math, and mix up waaaay too much garish red.
- After the triangles and cylinder have had a couple days to firm up, mix the 'tree', and put it all together. Remember (again) to color it green. DO NOT ignore the math. Mix up exactly the right amount to make the tree. Assemble it all. With the narrower tree-body, placement of the ornaments is much tougher. Also, they wander around in the mold after they're placed because the tree mix is at too-soft trace.
- Two days later, un-mold and cut. Find the Christmas tree is recognizable, but...
Trial Three Conclusion - Something (turmeric?) seems to make my triangles/rectangles crumbly. They fall apart when I un-mold them. Also, mixing up exactly the right amount for the tree, minus waste loss, means my tree is a bit too thin. And - The trace is different this time when I assemble it. Placing inclusions into a soft-trace mix allows them to wander around. The ornaments float down to the trunk of the tree, and the triangles seem to have shrunk, so they don't adjoin as I'd like.
By now I've run out of time for this Christmas season.
It's a never-boring procession of discoveries, but I still don't understand all the factors I need to manage and I'm still making new mistakes.
I'll try again next year.
Cheers!
Todd
"Nothing ventured, nothing learned."
