SMF April 2020 Challenge - Strainer Pour/Pull Through Technique
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My pull through tipped when pulling it up. I have a lovely design on the top quarter of my soap. second attempt tomorrow working on a different color combo. Has anyone done this using ombré colors?
atiz
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Well, mine didn't quite turn out as planned either. Haven't unmolded yet, but the colors mixed together more than I wanted, and the soap batter zaps (which for me usually never). I guess we'll see; I probably won't have time to make it again this month 
Sooooo pretty!
So my first try thickened up and I tipped the pull-up and only one part had a design. My second try was too thin and the colors muddled together into the ugliest soap ever. I think I am going to call this month's challenge a knock-out. The challenge won.
@Primrose I'm so sorry the colors blended together. They look so lovely in the second picture!
@dibbles that ombre pull through is amazing!!
I did my pull through yesterday and I'm quite happy with how it worked out. For now I don't see my third color coming through, so I hope it shows up in the coming week or I'll have to try again if I want to enter.
I watched some YouTube videos on colander pours (I totally mispronounced the word colander) and one of them specifically mentions not to use a colander like the one I have, so I think I'll stick with pull through this month.
@dibbles that ombre pull through is amazing!!
I did my pull through yesterday and I'm quite happy with how it worked out. For now I don't see my third color coming through, so I hope it shows up in the coming week or I'll have to try again if I want to enter.
I watched some YouTube videos on colander pours (I totally mispronounced the word colander
) and one of them specifically mentions not to use a colander like the one I have, so I think I'll stick with pull through this month.
@bookreader451 you only need to have one bar that you are happy with to enter. I hate to see you not enter since that was your goal for this year. I also hate it when soap wins but, sadly, sometimes it does. There is still lots of time, so I hope you try again, but if not I understand completely.
I will enter, failure or not. I may try again. None of the soap goes to waste. I just donate it to our shelter.
I just ordered the tool from Etsy. Might be cutting it close but I will try again.
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Primrose
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Bookreader I am the same ... I have made four attempts so far, might do a fifth today and I did order a thingy off eBay which may or may not arrive in time (our post is now useless with coronagate) so there may or may not be a final attempt. None are looking very inspiring however I will pick the best of a bad bunch and enter it anyway. I feel like the colander pour is not going to be one on my routine techniques LOL
atiz
Well-Known Member
Haha, the colander has won on my soap (and me) too. It became mushy. I still kind of like how it turned out (soft mushy colors, kind of like a watercolor painting), but definitely no discernible pattern
Maybe next time!
Maybe next time!
I've had my own misadventure as well! I usually don't gel my soap because I like to use low water/high lye concentration. But this time I used 30% lye concentration because I wanted my soap to gel so the colors would be vivid. And it didn't gel. 
It was just very soft and took 5 days to unmold! I even tried @DeeAnna's oven method, but it didn't work for me (it's just me . . . I'm sure the method is good). I did the cut today and I really like the design. I just wish the colors were brighter.
It was just very soft and took 5 days to unmold! I even tried @DeeAnna's oven method, but it didn't work for me (it's just me . . . I'm sure the method is good). I did the cut today and I really like the design. I just wish the colors were brighter.
I don’t think I’m going to have a chance to even start on this challenge until late this week. Y’all are not giving me a lot of confidence
atiz
Well-Known Member
You'll be fineI don’t think I’m going to have a chance to even start on this challenge until late this week. Y’all are not giving me a lot of confidence
FWIW, here are the 2 things I messed up, for prosperity's sake:
1. I had a colander that I thought *just* fit my little slab mold. Well, it just fit when you kept it pushing it down, but in its natural state it ended up sitting about half inch above the bottom of the mold. I could not push it and pour the batter at the same time. Something that really just sits on the bottom is better.
2. I was so proud of myself, really, for just SB-ing to emulsion, adding the lovely cucumber-melon fragrance, separating my batter into 4, and mixing my colored clays pre-dispersed in some water, like the cool kids do
. All seemed to be going well. Then realized that for the white part I did not pre-disperse the clay in water, and without much thinking I just dumped the clay in the remaining batter and SB-ed a bit more. So what I ended up with was 3 very fluid batters and one that (with the extra SB-ing) became quite thick, so thick indeed that it ended up clogging the colander towards the end so I had to stir and press it through the colander -- definitely a no go for anything pretty....So I ended up with a bit of a fugliness. But it was still fun, and will try it sometime when I make soap again (but probably not for another month or two, so out of the challenge...). I think batter consistency is really the key; not too thin but not too thick either.
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You can certainly split a batch. The intent of the rule is just that a base can’t be made first, and then another fresh batch made for the pour/pull through part if you are doing that. This just adds a technical element. But you can split a batch to add something to it.
atiz
Well-Known Member
Thanks! Yeah, I don't mind it too much, it just isn't what was planned, but I'm getting used to the fact that soaps have their own lives
I had a floating strainer issue when I tried using multiple strainers in a slab mold last summer. Nine strainers bobbing in soap batter was not exactly what I had in mind. Giant rubber bands or bungee cords might help!You'll be fine
FWIW, here are the 2 things I messed up, for prosperity's sake:
1. I had a colander that I thought *just* fit my little slab mold. Well, it just fit when you kept it pushing it down, but in its natural state it ended up sitting about half inch above the bottom of the mold. I could not push it and pour the batter at the same time. Something that really just sits on the bottom is better.
2. I was so proud of myself, really, for just SB-ing to emulsion, adding the lovely cucumber-melon fragrance, separating my batter into 4, and mixing my colored clays pre-dispersed in some water, like the cool kids do
So I ended up with a bit of a fugliness. But it was still fun, and will try it sometime when I make soap again (but probably not for another month or two, so out of the challenge...). I think batter consistency is really the key; not too thin but not too thick either.
That is why I split my batch and poured a base with an accelerating FO. It set up quickly enough to support the sink strainers/colander without the remaining batter getting too thick.
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