SMF June 2020 Un-Challenge - Half & Half

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Just to clarify, this isn't a regular challenge. I started a sign up list to keep the thread more visible, but anyone that has made a soap after June 1 that fits the half & half requirements should feel free to post a picture of it if they would like to. A normal challenge (not an un-challenge) does require sign up.

@szaza - nice! I'm sure your parents will appreciate having more of that scrubby soap!

@Adobehead of course it's fit to show - it's soap, right? We love all soap pictures!
 
I can't tell you all how much you have inspired me and expanded my soaping style. Thank you, everyone. Even though I have recently acquired 7 new different molds, this represents a double batch made in my ancient 8 pound wooden molds with cardboard lids. I fussed with the paper lining like never before. It is the old classic formula with about 20% palm, I am finishing up my store of pre-measured oils. Only one batch left to make before the switch to Tallow in the future. With my new wire cutter, I got 60 bars instead of 54 plus odd ends. They are just barely trapezoidal.
This is my first attempt at a pencil line, I 'm not going to make half and half without it ever again.
One half is colored with indigo and uses betonite clay at 1 t. ppo. The scent is a blend of mostly pachouly with a touch of lavender, copaiba balsam & vetiver. The funky indigo I bought from the Oaxacan weaver is full of "seeds & stems" (ahem) but I did put it through a fine screen and love the remaining speckles. Don't want to feel them, though.
The other half is the same soap formula and the same essential oil blend using micronized rhassoul clay and all the glycerin rivers it offers plus just one teaspoon for the whole batch of walnut hull powder to darken it just a little.
These are freshly cut and not trimmed up yet.
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Love your pencil lines. They are so clean. Just made a mess with mine cutting down on my soap instead of across to avoid streaking guess practice makes perfect will remember not to do that again now.
 
no, I have never discounted the water, don't understand that, ha ha. I do think in a plain soap I always get this with clay, it is in the other part, too, but doesn't show up hardly at all with the white clay and speckles.... I have just learned to like it, I think it is added interest. The effect is more subtle today after a bit of drying out, but still shows. I used a big slab mold with a lid and it seems the gelling has something to do with it. I like that the soap is alive in there and kind of moving around during the process. In this batch, I took someone's suggestion and put the essential oils into the clay, added that to the batter before trace and blended it in real well. It still separated itself out a ittle, probably the minerals in clay causing a temperature difference?
 
Mobjack Bay said:
@Adobehead cool rivers! Are you saying the rhassoul clay helps to accentuate the rivers? Do you have to adjust the water?
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no, I have never discounted the water, don't understand that, ha ha. I do think in a plain soap I always get this with clay, it is in the other part, too, but doesn't show up hardly at all with the white clay and speckles.... I have just learned to like it, I think it is added interest. The effect is more subtle today after a bit of drying out, but still shows. I used a big slab mold with a lid and it seems the gelling has something to do with it. I like that the soap is alive in there and kind of moving around during the process. In this batch, I took someone's suggestion and put the essential oils into the clay, added that to the batter before trace and blended it in real well. It still separated itself out a ittle, probably the minerals in clay causing a temperature difference?

by the way, i love your sig line.
 
I made my first Un-Challenge soap today and can’t wait to cut it. (When in the natural progression of soap making does the impatience subside???) The top of the slab looks good and hopefully the rest will follow. I’m less than 100% certain because I CPOP’ed at a fairly high temperature to try to force it to gel. I’ve been using 35% lye concentration when I can to cut down on ash and, if the FO doesn’t heat the recipe up a bit, gel can be quite elusive. The side of the mold pulls away cleanly at the 9 hr mark, which is promising, plus the top has no ash, woo hoo!
 
Well, shame on me... had my Half'n'Half all planned out, and at the last minute, added a new-to-me sample of Aztec's Lemongrass FO to a well-behaved EO blend that I often use. Batter went from very light trace to thick pudding in about 60 seconds. My now-irrelevant grand plan was immediately adjusted to a simple two-layer plan with some VERY chunky swirls on top. 😅

I used the same batter and scent for both halves. The dark color is actually from alkanet-infused OO, and should eventually turn some shade of purple over the next week. The lighter color is a cheap yellow mica from Michaels. I am pretty sure the inside will have a bunch of air pockets, plus some muddied spots from running a chopstick through, trying to remove said air pockets. We shall see....
Half N Half UnChallenge.JPG
 
Adobehead said:
no, I have never discounted the water, don't understand that, ha ha. I do think in a plain soap I always get this with clay, it is in the other part, too, but doesn't show up hardly at all with the white clay and speckles.... I have just learned to like it, I think it is added interest. The effect is more subtle today after a bit of drying out, but still shows. I used a big slab mold with a lid and it seems the gelling has something to do with it. I like that the soap is alive in there and kind of moving around during the process. In this batch, I took someone's suggestion and put the essential oils into the clay, added that to the batter before trace and blended it in real well. It still separated itself out a ittle, probably the minerals in clay causing a temperature difference?

by the way, i love your sig line.
Click to expand...
Rivers are more common with higher water amounts. I sometimes force them by adding extra water. I usually don’t get them because my recipes use 35% or higher lye concentration.
 
Mobjack Bay said:
I usually don’t get them because my recipes use 35% or higher lye concentration.
Click to expand...
Well, that is another thing I don't really wrap my head around, the lye concentration. Until I recently discovered soapcalc, I didn't see that information at all, using another calculator so have not thought about it before. I just use the maximum of the range given, not being inclined to anything that sounds like a shortcut. (I just figured out that water discounting is a tool, not necessarily a shortcut, duh.)

This soap has a 35% lye concentration as it turns out. Thank you for taking time to mention this fine point, I think I am starting to get it. Will experiment with this. I think I see ghost swirls in my future, especially using clays.
 
Mobjack Bay said:
It was a bit early to try to clean up this soap, but I found the most perfect flowering tree branch to go with it, so I had to get a shot. I’ll wait to brush off the impression mat side and trim the edges until after it firms up a bit more. The colorants are AC and a mix of white mica and a little TD.

View attachment 46734
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Stunning!
 
Mobjack Bay said:
It was a bit early to try to clean up this soap, but I found the most perfect flowering tree branch to go with it, so I had to get a shot. I’ll wait to brush off the impression mat side and trim the edges until after it firms up a bit more. The colorants are AC and a mix of white mica and a little TD.

View attachment 46734
Click to expand...
Mobjack where did you get your impression mat. Went to the store looking for a plastic lace pattern no luck
 
Mobjack Bay said:
It was a bit early to try to clean up this soap, but I found the most perfect flowering tree branch to go with it, so I had to get a shot. I’ll wait to brush off the impression mat side and trim the edges until after it firms up a bit more. The colorants are AC and a mix of white mica and a little TD.

View attachment 46734
Click to expand...
mmmmm, secret feather, tuxedo, pomegranate. Lovely.
 

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