SMF January Challenge Black and White

[newbie]

That picture is not of my soap, for clarity. It is from the person whose video Saponista referenced.

Finger's crossed for you, Blackdog!

 

[CaraBou]

Oh! Well is yours black and white? Post it! I hope you're not going to keep everything from us now, lol

 

[newbie]

Nope. Mine is purple.

 

[BlackDog]

Annnnd #4 was the worst disaster yet. I'm tagging out, everyone. The black and white challenge broke my spirit. Looking forward to seeing what everyone else comes up with!

 

[Serene]

So Sorry, Blackdog. :cry:

 

[CaraBou]

Annnnd #4 was the worst disaster yet. I'm tagging out, everyone. The black and white challenge broke my spirit. Looking forward to seeing what everyone else comes up with!

I'm not exactly challenging you, BlackDog, but these sound a little like a soaper's famous last words. With two weeks left, we shall see if it rings true!

But I get where you're at. It's amazing how many crappy batches I've made in the name of soap challenges. Even this one, where I got a good result my first try, I had to keep wrecking oils. I've got 2 more batches that I doubt I'll ever use for the amount of black in them. One batch I even made a scentless castile, recognizing I would not likely use it even if it turned out. I was tempted to go again today, but in a moment of clarity I decided to make salt bars instead -- they are not B&W!

 

[jules92207]

Just got done with Trial #2 this evening. I am struggling with this assignment because black and white seems so stark to me. But as always I'm learning something.

Anyways, on to my question --

Does anyone add a little dark blue to black soap batter to make it "blacker"? Or maybe it doesn't make any difference for soap?

I learned this tip from old leather workers who wanted their black color to be really inky black. Adding a bit of blue to a black leather dye helps to counteract the gold/tan color of the leather. Since soap is often ivory to yellow, I wondered if it worked for soap too.

I tried it myself -- added a bit of ultramarine blue to the black batter -- but being so new to this, I don't have any basis for comparison. I was hoping some of y'all more experienced with black soap might have an opinion!

I have to thank you for this DeeAnna, I added a bit of potent purple (while not blue it's an almost black purple) I found I got the blackest black I've ever gotten so far.

 

[BlackDog]

I was tempted to go again today, but in a moment of clarity I decided to make salt bars instead -- they are not B&W!

Hahah, yes! Every time I get the urge again I think I'll just remind myself not to make a batch that destroys my self-esteem. I CAN make pretty bars of soap! Just not black and white ones!

 

[Steve85569]

Black and white works great for salt bars! My last attempt ( so far) is a brine batch. The black is black and the white is white. I may be on to something.:think:

 

[Deedles]

I'll admit right up front that these challenges intimidate me! Even everyone's rejects look good to me. But that's part of the reason to do them. So far, my biggest challenge of them all has been to get batter thin enough to do anything with it. On the last challenge I did, I soaped at room temp and everything was good until I added the FO. Most of the one's I have I bought when I first started and they were chosen for their scent description...I totally didn't understand enough to look for reviews for acceleration. This batch just may not have any FO in it at all so I can be sure that it IS the FO's that's giving me the problems.

I see alot of you making 2-3, or more, batches to get it just right. Right now I'm struggling with justifying more than one batch! I don't sell and already have more soap than DH and I and friends will use in 6 months or longer! Of course, having more than I can use hasn't stopped me from adding yarn or fabric to my stashes so why should soap be any different? :mrgreen: Even if it doesn't work out it's still good soap and will eventually get used up and disappear. Fabric and yarn can be taken apart and reused when it doesn't work out...it stays around forever in some shape or form.

 

[JuneP]

Made my black and white soap today and what a long day it was. I decided to do a hanger swirl in part of the design, but I didn't have a hanger that size (I was just using a l lb mold). So the search began in the closets and there was one metal hanger to be found. After I made the hanger tool, I had to make a separator, so the search was on again for a scrap piece of foam board. Luckily I did have a leftover piece big enough that I could make fit after some measuring and cutting.,

Then I had to do the math for my design, as well a a web search for information on how much charcoal I should use for the amount of black soap I wanted in the recipe. I wound up adding a bit more since the color didn't look right after adding the amount recommended. I didn't want to name the soap 50 shades of grey, so I hope that I added enough of the charcoal to give a good black. All will be revealed when I cut it in a couple of days.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was a real mess inside, because I made my batter pretty thin on purpose and when I poured my black, I got a little seepage that I had to clean up. I let it sit a while before adding the white, but I have no idea if that worked. I'll find out soon enough,.

Then I decided to make some black embeds for the top. Do you know that the strawberry and raspberry embed molds look exactly alike! Now I have some black strawberry embeds! LOL Well, at least I know now which mold is the strawberry one.

While the embeds were firming up, I retrieved my oils from the barn fridge, got all my tools laid out, and weighed everything. So far so good. Then I realized I forgot to add cream, but not a big problem, since I never adjusted the water for the cream addition. For the second time in a row, I forgot to strain my lye solution with the tussah silk; but again, not a real problem. I just strained the soap batter through a very fine sieve as I poured it into the two containers. Are you sensing a pattern here

I don't know if my design will work, but my top looks pretty even though I had to change my design plan when my embeds turned out to be strawberries instead of black raspberries! LOL

 

[newbie]

Time to start unloading at the local shelter and work and your mailman and the UPS driver (Yes, I and my UPS driver have a relationship now with me putting soap out for her on delivery days and then she sneaks a coffee card onto one of my packages and next delivery, I run out and tell her never to do that again and then I leave soap out of her and she sneaks a card onto my packages....) and anyone else you can think of.

I dropped down to making only 1 pound batches in part because of challenges. There is no way I could limit myself to one try, but trying several times, each making 7-8 bars of soap, was killing me. I ordered another 1 pound mold from WPS at the sale so I have more to work with, but I'm still waiting for the 1 pound T&S mold to show up somewhere.

 

[CaraBou]

I CAN make pretty bars of soap! Just not black and white ones!

Oh yes you can BlackDog, trust me, it's just a batch or two away...

Black and white works great for salt bars! My last attempt ( so far) is a brine batch. The black is black and the white is white. I may be on to something.:think:

Good grief Steve; now I need to make another salt bar???

I don't sell and already have more soap than DH and I and friends will use in 6 months or longer!

You just need to roll up your sleeves and get a little dirtier Deedles, or make new friends! :grin: But seriously, testing a batch without your FO to see the effect on trace is not a bad idea. Another option is to learn restraint with stickblending, so that you can quit when you've hit emulsion or light trace. newbie is the queen of that -- newbie, can you post a link to your video(s) and other posts where you show people what to look for?

 

[CaraBou]

I think a thinner trace is more likely to produce gray from black and white, depending on the mixing characteristics of your swirl. For example, with an ITP, light trace will give a lot of gray. I really love black and white and gray in my soap, so I tested this out with a couple of friends this weekend. We blended both the black and white to what I'd call a thin trace, with the white being closer to medium and the black thinner. I didn't expect the colors would stay distinct and they did not. But I must say, we got an effect that I am pleased with. Scented with anise EO at 4%.

This marks the end of my time off from work for awhile, and my time available for soaping

 

[Deedles]

.....You just need to roll up your sleeves and get a little dirtier Deedles, or make new friends! :grin: But seriously, testing a batch without your FO to see the effect on trace is not a bad idea. Another option is to learn restraint with stickblending, so that you can quit when you've hit emulsion or light trace. newbie is the queen of that -- newbie, can you post a link to your video(s) and other posts where you show people what to look for?

I've been pretty diligent about not stickblending too much, at least I think so. YouTube videos from all over the place that have been watched, notes taken from here, etc. have taught me alot. But I can definitely stand to watch Newbie's videos again!

Carabou...I love yours! I hear what you're saying about the effects you get from thinner vs thicker trace. I'll keep it in mind as I do this one.

 

[newbie]

Not sure if this is helpful to anyone or not, but the bit about SB'ing only to emulsion starts at about 1:30 minutes.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CytRNXh7-Xk[/ame]

 

[Stacyspy]

I didn't enter this month because I wasn't sure if I'd manage to actually soap...lol... but here is my non-entry, non-black ( it's a pretty grey though), not-quite-white ( I used BB's Drakkar Type, so it's slowly turning lavender), one-handed attempt

 

[dixiedragon]

Tried it last night. Used Bittercreek North's Lime Leaf. Not loving the FO - it's very soapy smelling. It's not gross or anything, and it behaved well, it just smells like a laundry detergent scent. I really struggled with laying clean, even stripes - any tips on this? It looks so easy in the videos!

 

[dixiedragon]

I dropped down to making only 1 pound batches in part because of challenges. There is no way I could limit myself to one try, but trying several times, each making 7-8 bars of soap, was killing me. I ordered another 1 pound mold from WPS at the sale so I have more to work with, but I'm still waiting for the 1 pound T&S mold to show up somewhere.

This is why I really wish somebody made a 4-bar slap mold!

 

[Deedles]

Thanks, Newbie, for posting your video again.