SMF May 2021 Challenge - One Pot Wonder

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I did my first try. I used two colours and noncoloured batter for white - hope this counts? I just don't have three colours of the same type that I really like together so only used two. I improvised a loaf mould using a milk carton. I somehow made it to resemble a tall and skinny mould but then ran short of batter. So it won't be tall which isn't needed anyway.
I was afraid the batter was too thick but now I think eventually it was a bit too thin.
The mould is sitting covered on a heating pad and I'm waiting impatiently to unmould the loaf and cut it.
 
It is supposed to be beach scene: sand, waves, foam. I guess it's a storm though and all the sand is being thrown about by the waves! 😁
Still pretty though!

Im Old School D&D. The
original founder (Dave Arneson) used to play with my brother and me in our basement. Everything was written in a 3 ring binder. Theres a film out called secrets of blackmoor. My brother and friends and dave are on the cover image.
My son would be so jealous!
 
1. peachymoon - I’ve been wanting to try this! 😄
2. dibbles - I wonder what colors to put in my one pot 🤔
3. AliOop - this one has been on my Try List, too!
4. Tara_H - great excuse to keep trying this!
5. Vicki C - oh this looks like fun... 😬
6. Jersey Girl- Another technique I’ve been wanting to try! 😁
7. maxine289 -looking forward to this!
8. The_Phoenix - I was going to sit this one out...
9. bookreader451 - I have done this before and liked the results. I will carve out time this month!
10. The_Emerald_Chicken - I was thinking of trying this sometime. Now to find the time...
11. msunnerstood - I'm In!
12. catscankim - always wanted to do this, although I stink at wall pours
13. KiwiMoose - Woot! I'm in! It's been a while since I did a challenge
14. mommycarlson - I have tried and "failed" at this one a number of times......
15. Stephd31 - I've never done a soap challenge. This should be fun, I hope.
16. slpowers - haven't made soap in awhile - this one looks fun.
17. Asweetsavour - yea I'm eligible! My first challenge :)😬
18. Guspuppy - YES!!!!
19. Violets2217 - I’m in! Resistance was Futile!!!!
20. MarnieSoapien - I love how this looks and can't wait to try it!
21. earlene - I am going to have try it Left-handed -
22. Ladka - my first challenge!
23. DKing - I absolutely need a distraction so count me in!
24. Gardengeek - jumping in to the mix
25. Zanzalawi - about time i did another challenge :D
26. This is one of my favorites. Asides from the actual challenge, you really need to pick great colors!
 
1. peachymoon - I’ve been wanting to try this! 😄
2. dibbles - I wonder what colors to put in my one pot 🤔
3. AliOop - this one has been on my Try List, too!
4. Tara_H - great excuse to keep trying this!
5. Vicki C - oh this looks like fun... 😬
6. Jersey Girl- Another technique I’ve been wanting to try! 😁
7. maxine289 -looking forward to this!
8. The_Phoenix - I was going to sit this one out...
9. bookreader451 - I have done this before and liked the results. I will carve out time this month!
10. The_Emerald_Chicken - I was thinking of trying this sometime. Now to find the time...
11. msunnerstood - I'm In!
12. catscankim - always wanted to do this, although I stink at wall pours
13. KiwiMoose - Woot! I'm in! It's been a while since I did a challenge
14. mommycarlson - I have tried and "failed" at this one a number of times......
15. Stephd31 - I've never done a soap challenge. This should be fun, I hope.
16. slpowers - haven't made soap in awhile - this one looks fun.
17. Asweetsavour - yea I'm eligible! My first challenge :)😬
18. Guspuppy - YES!!!!
19. Violets2217 - I’m in! Resistance was Futile!!!!
20. MarnieSoapien - I love how this looks and can't wait to try it!
21. earlene - I am going to have try it Left-handed -
22. Ladka - my first challenge!
23. DKing - I absolutely need a distraction so count me in!
24. Gardengeek - jumping in to the mix
25. Zanzalawi - about time i did another challenge :D
26. linne1gi - This is one of my favorites. Asides from the actual challenge, you really need to pick great colors!
27. ResolvableOwl - No margarine test runs this time. It'll have to work on the first try.
28.
 
So I've just finished my second attempt, and this time I used a T & S mold. Not so successful with this pour because it thickened up a lot more nearer the end (once they were all in the big pot together) so there was a bit of shaking to get it out of the pot.
I think it will look nice though - but the first one might be better for the challenge entry. We'll see after the cut tomorrow.
 
On the first glance, not a particularly micro-batcher-friendly method. I hesitated long if to participate or not. No instantaneous idée fixe like with the Lollipop swirl.

Eventually, it was Ladka's comment above that inspired me how to outsmart my inner curing shelf bureaucrat.

@Tara_H: Noteworthy news from your ice cube?
 
Well I'm with Tara, third time must be the charm! First attempt was too thin, yesterday's was too thick due to ricing and the subsequent beat down. I like it though! I couldn't use it for the challenge anyway because there was no time to get an in the pot photo!

B149738B-D05E-4920-8C8F-B01B01AA9C8A.jpeg


(That last piece got dropped on the cutting board. I am never ever going to sell because I am too much a klutz! 😂)
 
Well I'm with Tara, third time must be the charm! First attempt was too thin, yesterday's was too thick due to ricing and the subsequent beat down. I like it though! I couldn't use it for the challenge anyway because there was no time to get an in the pot photo!

View attachment 57110

(That last piece got dropped on the cutting board. I am never ever going to sell because I am too much a klutz! 😂)
Wow, it looks like wings with feathers! Beautiful!
 
I have the size of the pouring pot under suspicion to have a marked impact on the degree of mixing of the colours.
If it has the volume to just hold the whole soap batter, colours flow out largely one by one, and when it's a lot too large, then the colours come out a lot more intermixed.

Is this pure dry-run imagination, or does this agree with your experiences?
 
I have the size of the pouring pot under suspicion to have a marked impact on the degree of mixing of the colours.
If it has the volume to just hold the whole soap batter, colours flow out largely one by one, and when it's a lot too large, then the colours come out a lot more intermixed.

Is this pure dry-run imagination, or does this agree with your experiences?
I was theorising the same thing, I'm planning on trying a different pot for my next pour (hopefully this evening) to see if it holds out.

To be clear, not precisely the volume of the pot, but the diameter, is what I think has this effect.

Oh and my ice cube is quite pretty, thanks for asking!
IMG_20210510_185732.jpg
Although a little tricky to focus on, being so small.
 
@Tara_H & @ResolvableOwl, I thought the same thing. My pouring container is a 2000ml beaker and by the time I added all my batter the bottom color was completely covered. I got a little scared between the 2nd and 3rd colors so I split them up, probably messed the whole symmetry thing up by doing that.

According to Tree Marie on the video @amd provided, it also makes a difference where you pour your colors into the pouring container. I've noticed on most of the videos that the mixologist pours them in at the spout, but Tree Marie added her colors halfway between the spout and the handle. She mentioned at the end of the video when she was showing previous attempts that she also added the colors between the halfway point and the handle (example ~20 minute position on a clock) so I went with that positioning.

My first try is still in cure so I don't know how it looks, but my batter did thicken up by the time I poured out the last color in the bucket (first one in).
 
Though I'm not participating this month I'm going to presume and make a suggestion to participants: Save posting photos of your attempts/failures until after you've posted your entry photo. Ok, that is all. :)

This suggestion is haunting me and can't help but ask... WHY? LOL! I'M SOOOO CURIOUS!!! Anyways, I'm sure the answer wont effect/affect (which one??? need to look that up!) me either way. I've done two attempts and have not posted because I can't decide which one I like the most yet!!! So anyways... Have a great day!
 
This suggestion is haunting me and can't help but ask... WHY? LOL! I'M SOOOO CURIOUS!!! Anyways, I'm sure the answer wont effect/affect (which one??? need to look that up!) me either way. I've done two attempts and have not posted because I can't decide which one I like the most yet!!! So anyways... Have a great day!
Affect is the action, effect is the result of the action
 
This suggestion is haunting me and can't help but ask... WHY? LOL! I'M SOOOO CURIOUS!!! Anyways, I'm sure the answer wont effect/affect (which one???
I think KimW may have suggested it because of the rule that your entry photo can only be posted in the entry thread. So if you post a pic of what you think is a "failure" here (or anywhere else on the forum), you cannot submit it as an entry if you change your mind later. You can share any attempts that you make if you are certain that you won't be using it as an entry.
 
So I unmoulded and cut my first try at the One Pot Wonder to obtain this:
IMG_5065.JPG
I can't say it's a disappointment cause I knew the dark violet was meant for MP soap. I tried to melt it first in warm oil ant then in soap batter and passed it through a strainer but spots are still in it.
The part that shows hints of pale pink was coloured with this
IMG_5066.JPG
It is a fine powder my neighbour brought for me from India many years ago. I asked her to bring me some colouring agent from her trip to India (I am a natural dyer) and she brought the small packet which bears no inscription whatsoever. It disperses well both in water and in oil. I used oil and added batter to it. The colour of the batter was very intense (similar to that in the plastic jar in the picture). When the lye ate it I have no idea because the loaf spent the night well covered, and in the morning it already developed ash on the top surface.
Anyway, I'll have to use my other set of (maybe) three colours in my second try.
P.S. Or I might hope for a miracle and see an intense colour tomorrow morning :p
 

Latest posts

Back
Top