Simulating wood

[Gerry]

The way I've achieved the wood effect before is by painstakingly squirting out soap in little lines from squeeze bottles, and trying to get it out before it starts to set. It works really well, but it's so stressful. I've also experimented with an in-pot ribbon pour to get a wood type effect, with pretty good results. But being lazy, I wanted to experiment with other techniques that might be easier.

I decided to try something new yesterday by simply pouring in a messy way 3 different brown shades into a slab mold, then moving a chopstick back-and-forth through it all over and over and over (mostly side to side)... and this is the result.

Scented with patchouli and cedarwood.

Anyone know of other easy techniques to get the wood look?

 

[Marshall]

Sorry, can't offer a better pouring method but what you have going on here looks awesome!

 

[Susie]

Can't help you, but I am going to be copying that method. That looks awesome!

 

[shunt2011]

No idea but yours looks awesome.

 

[Soapprentice]

Ribbon pour is the only one I saw... this is perfect though

 

[MySoapyHeart]

Looking great!

I have actually made that effect to without squirting bottles, but not on purpose! It just came out that way by accidentand I noticed it looked a like wood, it was really cool.

I had to "ruin" the pattern though, as the soap was for a challenge, and another pattern had to be made. But thinking back, your post made me want to try this again, but with woodsy colours.

I noticed when I did it, as long I poured gently, sloooowly and have a very thin trace I got a similar effect.

I alternated the colours very carefully, as my trace was very thin and it would get muddled.

 

[earlene]

They look great, Gerry.

Newbie got a fabulous wood effect in one of her Ribbon Pour soaps that after much practice I finally managed once. I have not tried again, but it was a goal of mine to achieve that effect using the Ribbon Pour so I persevered.

The Sept 2016 Challenge was on the Ribbon Pour. The 3rd photo down in the second post of the thread is the soap to which I refer. The 3rd post down has the tutorial.

Every time I find an attractive wood grain type soap while browsing soap images on the internet, I am drawn to it and look to see if there is a tutorial. Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Here is one I like made by Teressa Mahoney:

video


Here is a description (no video) of how Nancy Jameson of Artwork Soaps in Texas did her grand prize winning Tulipwood Soap.


I would love to learn how Sarah Riedel in Sweden did her soap that looks like burl. That is just gorgeous!

Both produced winning entries in the Oct 2016 Great Cakes Soap Works Club Challenge.

 

[HowieRoll]

Your soap looks fantastic - nice job!!

I have run into difficulty using squirt bottles in the past and became fed up with trying to get frosting-like batter out of them when things go sideways. The last time I made a woodsy soap I devised a different strategy, which involves running a funnel along chopstick rails to get the even, straight pours. I use a plastic spoon to spoon it in and move the funnel back and forth along the rails. The spoon helps to measure out each pass more evenly, but pouring from the pitcher would have been an option, too. Having an extra set of hands is a bonus. I just did a mock-up for a photo so it would make more sense.

 

[earlene]

Brilliant, HowieRoll! I am going to be trying that!

 

[Luviesmom]

Would wood? Awesome! Nothing else to add.

 

[cmzaha]

I think they look beautiful and have nothing to add.

 

[Gerry]

Your soap looks fantastic - nice job!!

I have run into difficulty using squirt bottles in the past and became fed up with trying to get frosting-like batter out of them when things go sideways. The last time I made a woodsy soap I devised a different strategy, which involves running a funnel along chopstick rails to get the even, straight pours. I use a plastic spoon to spoon it in and move the funnel back and forth along the rails. The spoon helps to measure out each pass more evenly, but pouring from the pitcher would have been an option, too. Having an extra set of hands is a bonus. I just did a mock-up for a photo so it would make more sense.

OMG! Are you an engineer as well as an artist?

The even pours is what makes the ribbon pour so hard to get a realistic wood grain effect for me, unless I'm going for curly maple I suppose. That's why I decided to just pour 3 color browns in and use the chopstick.

I think next time I do this I'll use darker browns with less contrast and do the chopstick at thinner trace. It was at least good medium trace when I pulled the chopstick through it.

I don't own any brown pigment so I used a mixture of ultramarine blue, red oxide, and yellow oxide for the various shades of brown. And next time I'll premix the browns because it took me at least 15 minutes to combine the 3 colors in 3 pitchers which is why it was at medium trace when I finally got to pouring.

I would love to learn how Sarah Riedel in Sweden did her soap that looks like burl. That is just gorgeous!

I agree, that is just amazing! Have you contacted her yet to ask her for a YouTube demonstration and tutorial on the technique? :wink:

 

[nmjameson]

Sounds like I do my Tulipwood soap the same way you were doing your soap, Gerry. Squirt bottles and a chopstick run back and forth in the same direction as the "squirting." The things that helped me were making the lines of soap uneven (just squirting quickly all over the place), using a recipe that stayed fluid a long time and the main thing--choosing colors carefully that were as close to what I saw in the real wood. I really think the colors are key. I just did a soap that I was trying to make look like weathered wood. But mine has too many variations in color. I am having to go back and examine the wood again, pick fewer shades of grey and also put the soap down so that there are large areas of the same color. Very different from my other one. Still working on it! Hope that helps some, Nancy

 

[earlene]

I agree, that is just amazing! Have you contacted her yet to ask her for a YouTube demonstration and tutorial on the technique? :wink:

I have via Instagram. I discovered that her winning entry photo on the Great Cakes site has a link to her Instagram account. I had not realized that at first. Here is Sarah Riedel's description of how she made the soap. So I am going to have to give this one a try, too. So many ideas and only so much time!

I also asked her a question about how she added the liquid smoke. What a great idea to use liquid smoke. And I have SO MUCH of it!

Anyway, she says she used a faux funnel technique, then some swirls. After cutting the soap, she did some carving. There is also a photo of it after poured, so that helps with an idea of how she poured the faux funnel and a clue to her swirls. So I plan to give this one a try real soon. I need to infuse some oils with juniper berries. I don't have any juniper leaves & branches like she used, but I do have juniper berries.

She hasn't done a video but maybe with the information she posted, we can figure it out.

 

[HowieRoll]

Nancy, your Tulipwood soap is so incredibly beautiful and thank you for sharing joining the forum and giving the additional tips!

earlene, thanks for providing the additional information regarding Sarah Riedel's soap, and really, liquid smoke?! Who woulda thunk... Question: have you infused juniper berries into oil before, and is any of the smell retained? I've had THIS post by Lovin Soap Studio bookmarked for months but haven't tried it yet.

Gerry, no, not an engineer, just someone who has been overtaken by an obsession with soapmaking... and quite possibly spends way too much time thinking about it... But I have to say, your ingenuity about mixing blue, red, and yellow to make shades of brown is impressive!

 

[earlene]

Nancy, your Tulipwood soap is so incredibly beautiful and thank you for sharing joining the forum and giving the additional tips!

Here, here! Although, Nancy has been a member since April 2015.

earlene, thanks for providing the additional information regarding Sarah Riedel's soap, and really, liquid smoke?! Who woulda thunk... Question: have you infused juniper berries into oil before, and is any of the smell retained? I've had THIS post by Lovin Soap Studio bookmarked for months but haven't tried it yet.

No, I haven't but last time I bought some, my husband asked me if I was planning on making gin. I bought them because I had run out and needed to replenish my supply. I normally use them for tea or cooking. But now I want to try this out in soap.

 

[Susie]

Sounds like I do my Tulipwood soap the same way you were doing your soap, Gerry. Squirt bottles and a chopstick run back and forth in the same direction as the "squirting." The things that helped me were making the lines of soap uneven (just squirting quickly all over the place), using a recipe that stayed fluid a long time and the main thing--choosing colors carefully that were as close to what I saw in the real wood. I really think the colors are key. I just did a soap that I was trying to make look like weathered wood. But mine has too many variations in color. I am having to go back and examine the wood again, pick fewer shades of grey and also put the soap down so that there are large areas of the same color. Very different from my other one. Still working on it! Hope that helps some, Nancy

Oh, that Tulipwood soap is phenomenal! Even my non-soapy hubby thinks so! I am so glad you joined us here!

Yes, I know you have been a member since 2015, but now you are talking to us!

 

[Scooter]

Wow there is so much creativity and talent in this community, and it is so supportive too. I like this place.

 

[Relle]

You can't get any woody looking than that and a great smell to match it.