SMF March 2021 Soap Challenge - Air Blow Technique aka Dutch Pour Technique aka Wind Blow Technique
- Thread starter earlene
- Start date
Help Support Soapmaking Forum:
KimW
Well-Known Member
Well, it may not be what you were going for, but it was a stunning result. I call the Julia Child card: There's no reason to tell anyone that a delicious dish (or soap) doesn't taste or look like it's supposed to!This was the inspiration for that attempt. As you can see...off by a mile on the execution.
Looks great, sorry to hear I put you off!
For future reference, even if you had copied from me I wouldn't have minded anyway, I believe the saying is: “Good artists borrow, great artists steal.”
Looks great, sorry to hear I put you off!
For future reference, even if you had copied from me I wouldn't have minded anyway, I believe the saying is: “Good artists borrow, great artists steal.”
Catscankim
Well-Known Member
Wish I could join in the Soap Challenge this month...sadly I am going to have to sit out this one. Good luck every body! I am sure this will be a very hard month to vote on again.
I’m going to change mine. Weirdly, I’m unable to edit any of my posts.
KimW
Well-Known Member
I think it depends on the age of the post... If you can't edit your entry thread post, I'm sure Earlene or an Admin can help, though you might have to private message them.
Thank you, @KimW! I’ll do that.
KimW, go ahead and make a new post indicating the replacement entry, and then you can get an admin to edit or delete the first entry post.
Thank you, @earlene.
KimW
Well-Known Member
What's there not to love?!My first attempt ... I am not in love
Hoping to have a second crack at it just before the entry closes
A
amd
aaaaggggghhhhhh! I still haven't gotten mine made. I think I have a plan and will be coming in at the 11th hour.
I posted my first attempt as my entry for the challenge, so here are my second and third attempts, both made with Mother’s Day in mind. They’re colored with micas from Nurture and the slabs are scented with BB’s Heavenly Honeysuckle. I left the batter for the top pours unscented. For soap #2, I created the top using the same technique I described for my entry soap, except that I created more detail using the pipette. I also added gold mica in oil over the top of the blown design and then coaxed it into the pattern using the pipette. The batter was getting a bit thicker by the time I added the gold, which turned out to be a good thing because it helped to keep the gold in ”veins” rather than spreading out too much. For soap #3, I poured the green in two meandering rivers that I blew out towards opposite corners using a straw and a glass pipette. To create the flowers, I layered a darker pink (Love Song), a lighter pink (Amaranth) and white in small circles and then blew those out with the pipette. The top layers of both of these soaps ashed even though I used 38% lye concentration. I’m not convinced that either top gelled all the way, which may have been a contributing factor.
Soap #2
Soap #3
Soap #2 is actually a redo soap on a slab that I flipped over after the first top didn’t gel at all. I was sooo sad about that top because it really did look like I made a cake that was good enough to eat. Here’s a wet soap photo of that pour.
Soap #2
Soap #3
Soap #2 is actually a redo soap on a slab that I flipped over after the first top didn’t gel at all. I was sooo sad about that top because it really did look like I made a cake that was good enough to eat. Here’s a wet soap photo of that pour.
Last edited:
violets2217
Well-Known Member
So looking at everyone’s entry I know have a question for @earlene. I didn’t plane the top of my soap thinking it wouldn’t be allowed because it would alter the design. But the other entry tops look so smooth. Is it because they managed to keep the batter fluid or because they planed the top design? If I can plane the top of my soap I want to edit my entry photo! Lol!
@violets2217 My tops are not planed. I used a recipe I normally use for swirling, but subbed in 25% HO sunflower for the olive and 15% avocado oil for the rice bran oil so it would stay as fluid as possible. (Edited to correct the oil percentages).
Last edited:
violets2217
Well-Known Member
I figured that was the case... I just can’t win in the fluid batter game! Lol!
Primrose
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2017
- Messages
- 935
- Reaction score
- 1,803
Here is a photo of my second attempt..I am starting to get closer to what I wanted, and getting used to the technique, but I don't have time for a third attempt.
With this one I actually used old bar I had, fitted them into the slab mould and then poured the black base colour on top.
My soap accelerated a bit with this one which gave me more defined, clean lines but also gave a textured top to the soap which I don't like as much. It also meant I couldn't do as many patterns as I'd hoped.
Interestingly, on both this one and attempt number one, I am seeing some separation of the base layer from the underlying soap. The first attempt I actually did the slab, and the base and top all at the same time, except I used an accelerating FO for the slab so it was pretty much hard by the time I then poured the base and swirls. I think if I do this again I will make the slab and base all the same pour and then do the accent swirls on top.
For my first attempt I poured at pretty much emulsion because I thought I'd need the time, and as a result my colours sank into the white base a bit and ran together. I didn't get as clean lines as I was hoping. Then again the batter did move around more easily. I also think I used too many colours the first time round and I personally prefer the more simplistic two or three colours.
With this one I actually used old bar I had, fitted them into the slab mould and then poured the black base colour on top.
My soap accelerated a bit with this one which gave me more defined, clean lines but also gave a textured top to the soap which I don't like as much. It also meant I couldn't do as many patterns as I'd hoped.
Interestingly, on both this one and attempt number one, I am seeing some separation of the base layer from the underlying soap. The first attempt I actually did the slab, and the base and top all at the same time, except I used an accelerating FO for the slab so it was pretty much hard by the time I then poured the base and swirls. I think if I do this again I will make the slab and base all the same pour and then do the accent swirls on top.
For my first attempt I poured at pretty much emulsion because I thought I'd need the time, and as a result my colours sank into the white base a bit and ran together. I didn't get as clean lines as I was hoping. Then again the batter did move around more easily. I also think I used too many colours the first time round and I personally prefer the more simplistic two or three colours.
