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Welcome to the May 2021 SMF Soap Challenge. This month’s challenge is the One Pot Wonder.
The One Pot Wonder technique is simple, quick, and forgiving enough for even new soapmakers to enjoy and create. The “One Pot Wonder” was inspired by a technique done by Tania of Soapish. It requires layering all the colored soap in one pot, then pouring it in the mold in a particular way to create feathering between the layers.
PLEASE READ ALL RULES for the challenge.
SMF Challenge General Rules
1. To enter you must have been a SMF member for at least one month and have a minimum of 50 posts at the time the Challenge is posted (sorry but no exceptions on this).
2. The only members eligible to vote are those with their names on the sign-up list - regardless of whether or not you have submitted an entry. The sign-up list will be posted in this thread.
3. This month’s voting will be password locked. Passwords will be sent by private message (via SMF conversations) to registered participants ONLY, so please check your messages when the voting begins.
4. A separate entry thread will be created and this is where you will post photos of your entry soap. Please do not post photos of your entry until the entry thread is opened. Post pictures of your entry soap only in the challenge entry thread.
Non-entry photos are always welcome and may be posted in the general challenge thread. The challenge thread should be used to upload pictures of any of your challenge attempts (other than your entry) where you can ask for advice and discuss the technique with other members, and provide helpful hints you learned along the way.
5. Your soap must be made after the monthly challenge has been announced.
6. You are allowed to change your entry photo until the entry thread closes. If you decide you want another try after you post your entry, and you like the second better, you can change it up until the deadline.
7. In the spirit of advancing our soap making skills, all members who sign-up for a SMF Challenge do so with the expectation that they will make every attempt to make a soap for the challenge. Writing about your experience in the challenge is encouraged. By doing so, each participant has a better knowledge of your process when voting. We do understand that sometimes things come up in our lives and throw our plans out of whack, however signing up with no intent to participate and only to vote is not in the spirit of the challenges and is not allowed.
8. Please add your name to the sign-up list if you wish to participate (you don’t have to enter a soap at the end if you don’t feel happy with what you have produced), but please do post your experiences in the main Challenge thread and be prepared to be encouraged to continue trying.
9. Constructive criticism is welcomed, but please keep your comments polite.
* * * *
Competition entries must be uploaded to the separate entry thread before the closing date.
The entry thread will open on May 22, 2021 at 11:00 pm GMT (Please follow the challenge specific rules as to what you need to enter).
After the closing date on May 28, 2021 at 11:59 pm GMT the winning entry will be chosen using Survey Monkey. Voting will be open from May 29-31, 2021 and the winner will be announced on June 1, 2021 (or after all votes are received, whichever comes first).. There is no prize attached to this challenge.
If you fail to make the challenge deadline, you are still welcome to upload pictures of your soap onto the thread, but your entry will not be eligible for voting. We always love to see anything you have created.
Even though there is no prize, this is still a competition. If your entry is deemed not to fulfill the general rules or the rules specific to the challenge in any way, then you will be given the opportunity to amend your entry. If this is not possible, your entry will not be included in the voting.
All the challenge mods reserve the right to have the final say on whether a soap is eligible for voting.
* * * *
SPECIFIC RULES FOR THE May 2021 CHALLENGE
The One Pot Wonder is essentially an in the mold swirl. You will separate your batter into colors, pour each color fully down the side of the main pot in the same location. Your mold will be tilted at an extreme angle during pouring. You will then pour your soap slowly along the wall of your mold, passing back and forth at the same rate. As your mold fills, you may adjust the angle of your mold. Please see the video linked below to show how the One Pot Wonder is poured.
1. You may use any loaf mold.
2. You must must use a minimum of three colours (you can use many more if you so desire)
3. Your entry will have two photos. The first of at least two bars from your batch, and the second of your main pot before pouring.
HELPFUL TIPS:
1. Choose a well behaving fragrance oil which will remain at a steady/predictable trace for the duration of the pour.
2. A light to medium trace appears to work best for this technique.
3. It is better to start with an extreme angle on the mold and adjust as you pour, so having multiple options for reducing the angle is very handy.
4. It is better to use a main pot that has a pour spout. (See my examples below where I didn’t use a pour spout)
5. The pour locations into your main pot will affect how the colors layer into the mold. The color that you want to be on top of the soap bar should be the first color into your main pot. Also consider where the soap layers lie in relation to your pour spout on your main pot.
* * * *
Tree Marie video (skip to 9:30 if you don't want to watch all the soap mixing)
Soap Challenge Club for inspo photos One Pot Wonder Winners
And here are a few soaps I have made with this technique. A few things to note about my pours: my main pot does not have a pour spout, so I found it very difficult to control the wall pour along the mold. I also used a very low (or no) angle when I started my pours.
The blue soap was my first attempt without any angle on the mold. I would not consider this an entry, but I did want to show the importance of getting the angle in the pour.
The pink and black soap was my second try, this time with the mold angled (I used a 7/8” board to angle one side of my mold) but I didn’t line up my pour location very well with how the colors were layered in the bowl. I poured out of the bowl in the same place that I poured into the bowl…
The pink and brown soap was my final try. I used the same low angle, but this time pouring out of the bowl from about a quarter turn from where I poured into the bowl (like the video above). You can see how not having enough angle at the beginning causes the last bit of the pour to go wonky on you if you have no further adjusting options.
As usual, I had planned to make a few more attempts with what I learned from first attempts [slow learner that I am], but life happened and I ran out of time. I may play alongside of you without entering of course, to see if I can get better results. I’m a bit obsessed with this design at the moment
The One Pot Wonder technique is simple, quick, and forgiving enough for even new soapmakers to enjoy and create. The “One Pot Wonder” was inspired by a technique done by Tania of Soapish. It requires layering all the colored soap in one pot, then pouring it in the mold in a particular way to create feathering between the layers.
PLEASE READ ALL RULES for the challenge.
SMF Challenge General Rules
1. To enter you must have been a SMF member for at least one month and have a minimum of 50 posts at the time the Challenge is posted (sorry but no exceptions on this).
2. The only members eligible to vote are those with their names on the sign-up list - regardless of whether or not you have submitted an entry. The sign-up list will be posted in this thread.
3. This month’s voting will be password locked. Passwords will be sent by private message (via SMF conversations) to registered participants ONLY, so please check your messages when the voting begins.
4. A separate entry thread will be created and this is where you will post photos of your entry soap. Please do not post photos of your entry until the entry thread is opened. Post pictures of your entry soap only in the challenge entry thread.
Non-entry photos are always welcome and may be posted in the general challenge thread. The challenge thread should be used to upload pictures of any of your challenge attempts (other than your entry) where you can ask for advice and discuss the technique with other members, and provide helpful hints you learned along the way.
5. Your soap must be made after the monthly challenge has been announced.
6. You are allowed to change your entry photo until the entry thread closes. If you decide you want another try after you post your entry, and you like the second better, you can change it up until the deadline.
7. In the spirit of advancing our soap making skills, all members who sign-up for a SMF Challenge do so with the expectation that they will make every attempt to make a soap for the challenge. Writing about your experience in the challenge is encouraged. By doing so, each participant has a better knowledge of your process when voting. We do understand that sometimes things come up in our lives and throw our plans out of whack, however signing up with no intent to participate and only to vote is not in the spirit of the challenges and is not allowed.
8. Please add your name to the sign-up list if you wish to participate (you don’t have to enter a soap at the end if you don’t feel happy with what you have produced), but please do post your experiences in the main Challenge thread and be prepared to be encouraged to continue trying.
9. Constructive criticism is welcomed, but please keep your comments polite.
* * * *
Competition entries must be uploaded to the separate entry thread before the closing date.
The entry thread will open on May 22, 2021 at 11:00 pm GMT (Please follow the challenge specific rules as to what you need to enter).
After the closing date on May 28, 2021 at 11:59 pm GMT the winning entry will be chosen using Survey Monkey. Voting will be open from May 29-31, 2021 and the winner will be announced on June 1, 2021 (or after all votes are received, whichever comes first).. There is no prize attached to this challenge.
If you fail to make the challenge deadline, you are still welcome to upload pictures of your soap onto the thread, but your entry will not be eligible for voting. We always love to see anything you have created.
Even though there is no prize, this is still a competition. If your entry is deemed not to fulfill the general rules or the rules specific to the challenge in any way, then you will be given the opportunity to amend your entry. If this is not possible, your entry will not be included in the voting.
All the challenge mods reserve the right to have the final say on whether a soap is eligible for voting.
* * * *
SPECIFIC RULES FOR THE May 2021 CHALLENGE
The One Pot Wonder is essentially an in the mold swirl. You will separate your batter into colors, pour each color fully down the side of the main pot in the same location. Your mold will be tilted at an extreme angle during pouring. You will then pour your soap slowly along the wall of your mold, passing back and forth at the same rate. As your mold fills, you may adjust the angle of your mold. Please see the video linked below to show how the One Pot Wonder is poured.
1. You may use any loaf mold.
2. You must must use a minimum of three colours (you can use many more if you so desire)
3. Your entry will have two photos. The first of at least two bars from your batch, and the second of your main pot before pouring.
HELPFUL TIPS:
1. Choose a well behaving fragrance oil which will remain at a steady/predictable trace for the duration of the pour.
2. A light to medium trace appears to work best for this technique.
3. It is better to start with an extreme angle on the mold and adjust as you pour, so having multiple options for reducing the angle is very handy.
4. It is better to use a main pot that has a pour spout. (See my examples below where I didn’t use a pour spout)
5. The pour locations into your main pot will affect how the colors layer into the mold. The color that you want to be on top of the soap bar should be the first color into your main pot. Also consider where the soap layers lie in relation to your pour spout on your main pot.
* * * *
Tree Marie video (skip to 9:30 if you don't want to watch all the soap mixing)
Soap Challenge Club for inspo photos One Pot Wonder Winners
And here are a few soaps I have made with this technique. A few things to note about my pours: my main pot does not have a pour spout, so I found it very difficult to control the wall pour along the mold. I also used a very low (or no) angle when I started my pours.
The blue soap was my first attempt without any angle on the mold. I would not consider this an entry, but I did want to show the importance of getting the angle in the pour.
The pink and black soap was my second try, this time with the mold angled (I used a 7/8” board to angle one side of my mold) but I didn’t line up my pour location very well with how the colors were layered in the bowl. I poured out of the bowl in the same place that I poured into the bowl…
The pink and brown soap was my final try. I used the same low angle, but this time pouring out of the bowl from about a quarter turn from where I poured into the bowl (like the video above). You can see how not having enough angle at the beginning causes the last bit of the pour to go wonky on you if you have no further adjusting options.
As usual, I had planned to make a few more attempts with what I learned from first attempts [slow learner that I am], but life happened and I ran out of time. I may play alongside of you without entering of course, to see if I can get better results. I’m a bit obsessed with this design at the moment
