Peacock from a Taiwan

[newbie]

WEll, I thought I would try it. I used 6 colors and started with a taiwan swirl and then tried to peacock it. I used Ginger Ale which seems to really slow down trace because it felt like it was getting about the right consistency and then, when I started the Taiwan part, it was too thin and my stripes are too thin and fine. You can't really see the 6 colors that well. Maybe it will set up better than it looks right now but I really need to remember to use Ginger Ale if I want forever to monkey around with something. I can't say I'm good at the peacock part- there is one whole strip down that isn't right but so be it. At any rate, I think the taiwan is a good swirl to use for this because you can pour the 6 colors is 6 lines, using a divider or by hand, instead of having to squeeze bottle numerous fine lines in a mold. A thicker batter would get you thicker lines for more color pop than what I have. Kind of disappointing but maybe it will set up so the colors show more.

 

[neeners]

that looks fun! wish I could swirl like that.....

 

[newbie]

Oh but you can! YOu just need to make sure you don't over-SB to start and go in kind of thin. This was a bit too thin but still, it swirls better than when it's thick. Heck, try BB's Ginger Ale. YOu might be able to take all day to swirl!

 

[CaraBou]

Disappointing?? You nuts? It's delicately and intricately gorgeous! Really nice, newbie!

 

[DayStar]

Swirls amaze me! I've still never made soap, but I learned to marble paper when I was a kid and this makes me think of that!! Love it so much. Is this something you can only do with CP soap?

 

[ourwolfden]

Wow, hardly a disappointment those are really pretty!

 

[shunt2011]

I wouldn't consider that a dissapointment at all. I think it's beautiful. I haven't even ventured into trying those yet. The peacock swirl is on my list of things to try after all my holiday shows are over and everything is restocked.

 

[neeners]

Oh but you can! YOu just need to make sure you don't over-SB to start and go in kind of thin. This was a bit too thin but still, it swirls better than when it's thick. Heck, try BB's Ginger Ale. YOu might be able to take all day to swirl!

one day! I'm waiting on my molds and will get back into the CP swing of things!

 

[newbie]

I'm not disappointed in the soap. I'm disappointed that the individual colors are not showing up very well. It was very thin- I think the FO slows things down much more than I expected. I got it to gel and it's now cooling. When I've made soap but poured too thin, it will have this funny off look and different texture and I usually won't try to gel because i'm sure it will separate. I decided to try gelling this time but it's still in gel phase so I can't tell what it will look like. I'll post a follow up pic when it's cooled.

Also, I think this is like the lazy person's peacock because it doesn't require as much handwork to lay the lines, but still gives the final effect. Easier to do and less chance that you'll end up with soap that's too thick to swirl properly by the time your done getting it all in the mold.

 

[newbie]

This soap did not turn out well. It was not mixed well enough so the texture is poor, it is very soft in spite of it being a very hard recipe and it has a very translucent quality. The colors are wan and light. IT will lather fine with time and be soap but it would definitely not be one I would gift or anything. I tried to get a picture but I can't get it to download to my computer. If I can get it, I will post one.

 

[CaraBou]

Aw, that sucks to get a beautiful swirl like that and not be satisfied with other aspects. Well, now that you've discovered this new and improved technique, it's all the more reason to try again! And maybe the soap will look better to you after a good night's sleep.

 

[lionprincess00]

It really is beautiful. Thin clean swirls. Gorgeous.

 

[jules92207]

Newbie this is a beautiful swirl! I really like the intricacy in it. Rarely do my attempts to swirl ever work out how I plan so I feel your frustration but it really is lovely.

 

[newbie]

YOu can see how soft it is in the second, where I can easily dent it with a finger. And the colors are not right as there is plenty of white and bright yellow in it but that's how it looks when it's poured probably just before true emulsion. The pattern is nice and I like the fine lines too but texture wise, it's not good.

 

[neeners]

that sad! the swirls and colours were so pretty. hate it when batter doesn't work the way you wanted. oh well.....guess it's a good excuse to try it again.

 

[Ellacho]

Aw~Newbie, this is so pretty! I've tried it (with 6 colors) once, I failed miserably. My soap batter got thick quickly and I had no choice but dumped everything in the mold! Perhaps I should try the Taiwan swirl first, with 2 or 3 colors, it looks bit easier. Is it?

 

[DayStar]

I actually like the way it looks!

 

[CaraBou]

They look great! Won't a long cure harden them up?

 

[newbie]

Ellacho, my thought is the taiwan is much easier to start and much faster. You don't have to pour everything into squeeze bottles and then squirt individual lines to fill up the entire mold, which increases chances of success. I use 4-5 sections lengthwise for the mold and then as you zig-zag across the mold, it pulls those colors into fine lines the short way across the mold. You could then comb it really quickly and then do the peacock lines, if you wanted one of the more complex peacocks like Manada Griffin does. The peacock I made is not as complex.