October 2022 SMF Soap Challenge – Laminar Flow Swirl

[AliOop]

Sign up list:

1. dibbles - off to start obsessing about color combinations
2. The Phoenix - Time to dust off my dividers.
3. melonpan - have been wanting to try this for some time!
4. Kiwimoose - alright then, you twisted my rubber arm
5. Mx5inpenn - count me in with another Christmas-y plan
6. MrsZ - I would like to try this one!
7. dmcgee5034 - am I too late to sign up? It’ll be my first challenge, and looks fun!
8. VikingChick - This sounds like fun!
9. Vicki C - these look like 1970s Marimekko prints - very cool!
10. AliOop - wanted to make sure the soap could be made before entering. It’s made, so I’m in.
11.

 

[MrsZ]

Here is my fail! The colors muddied too much.

 

[AliOop]

Well, your so-called fail is very pretty to me, and looks remarkably similar to what I was going to post as my entry (even pink but with different contrasting colors). Maybe I should try to squeeze in another try.

 

[MrsZ]

Well, your so-called fail looks remarkably similar to what I was going to post as my entry (even pink but with different contrasting colors). Maybe I should try to squeeze in another try.

I'm sure yours is great!

 

[dmcgee5034]

I think it’s really pretty, @MrsZ

 

[MrsZ]

I think it’s really pretty, @MrsZ

Thank you! It smells really nice, and will make friends happy I'm sure.

 

[dmcgee5034]

Thank you! It smells really nice, and will make friends happy I'm sure.

Oh, now I need to know the scent!

 

[MrsZ]

Oh, now I need to know the scent!

It is Blackberry and Magnolia 767, from WSP. It's sweet and summery.

 

[AliOop]

My third try is in the mold and on the heating pad. This time, I heated the oils to almost 210F by mistake. I used some of the cool-down time to prepare my colors in the pouring cups; measure out my additional water and mix in the CA and sorbitol; measure out my MB lye solution; and mix the MB lye with the additional water mix. That way the lye solution would cool back down while the oils cooled down.

That's when I realized I had to wash up my stickblender, my dividers, and a few spatulas before I could make another batch! And by then it was time for lunch, and laundry needed folding. By the time I got back to the soap room a few hours later, everything was around 95F. I split it up when it was barely emulsified, and hand-mixed the colors. This time I poured all from the same end of the mold, with the end tilted. The batter stayed fluid for most of the pour, but once again, I mixed up the color order about half-way through.

Ah well. We shall see what the cut reveals tomorrow. I'm ok with my second try as a potential entry if this one doesn't turn out as hoped. It was a super-relaxed soaping session; maybe I should take a break between set-up time and go time more often.

 

[VikingChick]

Here’s my fail. I was going for the “channels“ (for lack of a better word) not being parallel, which you can see best in the lower left bar. I guess I didn’t add enough colorant because the colors really didn’t get as vibrant as I’d pictured. I still like them, though. The black (gray?) is Black Onyx mica from NS….you can’t tell in the picture, but it’s got a little glitter and it actually comes through in CP! I just unmolded them today and they were too soft to bevel.

So….the wavy lines are because as I was taking the dividers out of my mold, I dropped them, right into the soap!

 

[KDP]

Here’s my fail. I was going for the “channels“ (for lack of a better word) not being parallel, which you can see best in the lower left bar. I guess I didn’t add enough colorant because the colors really didn’t get as vibrant as I’d pictured. I still like them, though. The black (gray?) is Black Onyx mica from NS….you can’t tell in the picture, but it’s got a little glitter and it actually come through in CP! I just unmolded them today and they were too soft to bevel.

So….the wavy lines are because as I was taking the dividers out of my mold, I dropped them, right into the soap!

Still look good to me!

 

[MrsZ]

@VikingChick I love your entry! Purple and yellow were my husband and I's wedding colors.

 

[dmcgee5034]

My third try is in the mold and on the heating pad. This time, I heated the oils to almost 210F by mistake. I used some of the cool-down time to prepare my colors in the pouring cups; measure out my additional water and mix in the CA and sorbitol; measure out my MB lye solution; and mix the MB lye with the additional water mix. That way the lye solution would cool back down while the oils cooled down.

That's when I realized I had to wash up my stickblender, my dividers, and few spatulas before I could make another batch! And by then it was time for lunch, and laundry needed folding. By the time I got back to the soap room a few hours later, everything was around 95F. I split it up when it was barely emulsified, and hand-mixed the colors. This time I poured all from the same end of the mold, with the end tilted. The batter stayed fluid for most of the pour, but once again, I mixed up the color order about half-way through.

Ah well. We shall see what the cut reveals tomorrow. I'm ok with my second try as a potential entry if this one doesn't turn out as hoped. It was a super-relaxed soaping session; maybe I should take a break between set-up time and go time more often.

That was an eventful session, @AliOop! I’m sure it’s lovely!

 

[melonpan]

I'm sorry to say too much is going on for me to make soap and I'm now away from home for a few days. I'm still going to try and make this at some point, but I won't be able to submit my entry in time Good luck everyone!

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I'm sorry to say too much is going on for me to make soap and I'm not away from home for a few days. I'm still going to try and make this at some point, but I won't be able to submit my entry in time Good luck everyone!

I hope you get to try it when the pressure is off and you can enjoy your soap making time.

@VikingChick I love that you tried for channels with non-parallel (diverging/converging?) sides. What a clever idea that I will need to borrow at some point .

 

[AliOop]

I won't post my first try since it accelerated into a complete plop, glop, and smash job. Here is my second try, which was poured from opposite ends of the mold. I had a really hard time deciding whether to enter this one or the third try, but DH picked the other one as his fave, so this is my non-entry. I didn't gel this on a heating pad, but it probably gelled on its own because the colors are identical to the one that did go on the heating pad. The FO is Awaken from Nurture, chosen because it doesn't accelerate but does turn yellow, which works fine with this color scheme.

 

[VikingChick]

I won't post my first try since it accelerated into a complete plop, glop, and smash job. Here is my second try, which was poured from opposite ends of the mold. I had a really hard time deciding whether to enter this one or the third try, but DH picked the other one as his fave, so this is my non-entry. I didn't gel this on a heating pad, but it probably gelled on its own because the colors are identical to the one that did go on the heating pad. The FO is Awaken from Nurture, chosen because it doesn't accelerate but does turn yellow, which works fine with this color scheme.

 

[VikingChick]

@AliOop Awaken is one of my favorite FOs. And I love the colors!

 

[AliOop]

@AliOop Awaken is one of my favorite FOs. And I love the colors!

Thank you, and yes, I love Awaken, too - so fresh and easy on the nose! It's only drawback is that it turns very yellow in my standard soap recipe, so I can't use it with any lighter colors except yellows.

 

[MrsZ]

Your entry is beautiful, @AliOop !