SMF February Challenge - Spin Swirl

[JuneP]

When I went back to her page, I couldn't find the 9 bar mold again, so I wrote her and she said she will have one next week. So I wrote her again and said I want it as a kit with all the features of the 18 bar one, I just hope it comes in time for me to have a entry, otherwise I'll have to figure another way to do this!
Thanks again for recommending it!

It is a great mold, and I think you will he happy with it. I know I am. It is so well made, I just love it.

 

[Misschief]

This was done in a 4" x 4" x 4" cardboard box lined with freezer paper. I'm so not happy with it but it does (sort of) look like rock. It was nothing like the vision in my head. And, obviously, not my entry.

 

[Saponomancer]

I'm actually digging those colours Misschief, I like the way it looks like a really pretty stone

 

[dibbles]

Please keep me posted on how it turns out dibbles. No pics required if it ends up being a keeper . . . I just want to know if you got enough movement to consider the spin a success.

I'm going to go ahead and post a picture because I really hope I can do something better. My batter was a good consistency I think. Should I have spun it more?

 

[kchaystack]

I'm going to go ahead and post a picture because I really hope I can do something better. My batter was a good consistency I think. Should I have spun it more?

Yeah that looks to me like there was not a lot of movement in the spin.

When I did this for the Great Cakes challenge months ago, I found you really have to spin for a while to get movement all the way thru the batter. And it really helps to make the jerky movements like Sonya demonstrated in the video. Inertia is your friend with this technique.

But that aside, it is a very nice looking bar of soap!

 

[Saponista]

Thanks for adding me to the list kchaystack I found from the great cakes challenge that the batter needs to be fairly fluid in order to get maximum swirling from the spin, but not so fluid that you end up with colour mixing. You need to put some serious effort into the swirling though and the jerky movements seem to have a good effect. I used a lazy Susan and you get a sort of slightly feathered effect that way as you can see on my great cakes entry.

 

[dibbles]

Very pretty Saponista! I think my batter was fluid enough. I think I need to put more muscle into it. It was swirlier on the top, and the colors were starting to blend around the edges so I stopped. I did a small batch because I knew I wouldn't nail it the first time out.

 

[navigator9]

Well, mine was a fail. There's a reason why I don't do fancy soaps. I suck at them. I'm not really comfortable with how much color to use, so when I mixed mine today, with what I thought was enough, they came out kind of paleish, so I scrambled to add more, then had to mix more, then things started getting really thick, so halfway through the pour, it was more of a glop than a pour. When I tried to spin, I had to laugh. It was like trying to spin mashed potatoes. :wtf: So I gave it a twirl with my spatula to kind of mix the colors, and now it's in the oven CPOPing. So hopefully it's not too fugly, but it sure isn't a spin swirl. Another case of "they make it look so easy."

Saponista, I just saw your entry...OMG. That's what I was hoping for with mine, but not even close! Not even in the neighborhood. LOL Beautiful work. :clap:

And Dibbles, I just saw yours too, beautiful! Why do I find this so hard? You did a really nice job.

Misschief, you'll be very happy with yours, once you see mine. :crazy:

 

[Sonya-m]

Yep, definitely need the jerky, quick movements and I find going in both directions helps

I was trying to achieve my Great Cakes entry but it didn't happen

This was my GC entry after pouring, after spinning and the cut

 

[BlackDog]

Great colors, dibbles!

 

[newbie]

The bottom also spins less than the top. It can look almost slightly blurred all over the top and you think you ruined it, but cut 1/4 inch off the top and the colors are crisp and spun. The bottom will have quite a bit less movement than the top though.

 

[Steve85569]

I already know mine is not going to look anything like the two GC examples.
But I have a plan and I'm going to go for it any how. Otherwise I'll never learn.

Got "gun shy" with my SB on my "let's have a try" batch, soaped too cold and got false trace. Came out of emulsion.
Ended up in the crock pot. Still made soap but not what I had planned. I'll make my attempt at this Thursday and see if I can get something to look like swirled colors. Might only achieve rustic...

 

[newbie]

I made my spin swirl but it is a single thickness soap and I just don't have the heart to cut it in half for the butterfly. I am happy as a clam with it as I was trying for a galaxy look and got pretty close. I sliced a very thin layer off the top but it broke because my knife slipped. It's hard to capture the variations in black and grays. I don't think I can do better than this so will just post this and not enter.

 

[dibbles]

It's lovely, Newbie.

 

[doriettefarm]

dibbles - I'm actually encouraged by your 'failure' in the 1lb mold. The color combo was really nice if you just had a little more oomph in the spin. I may give it a shot with my 1lb mold once I decide on color & fragrance. I'm sure it won't be my only attempt because I'm curious if a larger surface area with the 8x8 brownie pan will produce more movement.

 

[dibbles]

dibbles - I'm actually encouraged by your 'failure' in the 1lb mold. The color combo was really nice if you just had a little more oomph in the spin. I may give it a shot with my 1lb mold once I decide on color & fragrance. I'm sure it won't be my only attempt because I'm curious if a larger surface area with the 8x8 brownie pan will produce more movement.

I think the larger would probably move better. If you try the 1 lb mold, let me know how it goes. My slab mold is pretty big, and I won't be doing too many tries in that. I might try to find a box to use, but I'm pretty hopeless with freezer paper. Maybe I should give Newbie's suggestion of using a loaf mold a spin!

 

[LisaAnne]

I had made these earlier in the month, while reading about spin swirls I realized I didn't cut them to show the swirls. They are tiny little bars and now I want to cut them all open! I think I will.

 

[newbie]

I have also used a smallish box, maybe 5x5 with high sides. I did line it with freezer paper but you could also use a plastic bag for the liner. Then I stuck a dowel in one corner and used it as the anchor around which I spun the box, kind of like you would use your arm and a hula hoop. Boy could you get it spinning!! Different than the jerky movements in a regular spin swirl because the centrifugal force pulls the soap to the opposite corner and when you stop it slides back into place.

This is a piece off the side of one I did like that.

 

[Sonya-m]

I have also used a smallish box, maybe 5x5 with high sides. I did line it with freezer paper but you could also use a plastic bag for the liner. Then I stuck a dowel in one corner and used it as the anchor around which I spun the box, kind of like you would use your arm and a hula hoop. Boy could you get it spinning!! Different than the jerky movements in a regular spin swirl because the centrifugal force pulls the soap to the opposite corner and when you stop it slides back into place.

This is a piece off the side of one I did like that.

Oooh that is pretty!!

 

[Sonya-m]

I have also used a smallish box, maybe 5x5 with high sides. I did line it with freezer paper but you could also use a plastic bag for the liner. Then I stuck a dowel in one corner and used it as the anchor around which I spun the box, kind of like you would use your arm and a hula hoop. Boy could you get it spinning!! Different than the jerky movements in a regular spin swirl because the centrifugal force pulls the soap to the opposite corner and when you stop it slides back into place.

This is a piece off the side of one I did like that.

Oooh that is pretty!!