SMF October 2016 Soap Challenge- Spoon Swirl

[lionprincess00]

Woo Hoo! I made 14 lbs of soap this week - 3 loaves are spoon swirls. I'll enter the competition if I can get them cut in time...what time is the official end on the 24th?

I sb'ed batter at 1:30, poured the last one at 2:30, went to pick up kid from school and was back at 3:15 to clean up and the bits of leftover batter were barely at medium trace! Seven hours later and they're still too soft to lay plastic wrap on top! I'm hoping the sodium lactate I added will help me unmold in time.

Btw, Nurture's Lush dupes of Kerbside Violet and B Scent were a breeze to work with.

Since I said it closes the 24th and didnt specify a time, if it posts before midnight (still technically the 24th), I will accept it.

That being the case, I will upload the survey the morning of the 25th so I can add any last minute entries.

 

[CaraBou]

No worries LP. I didn't have any reason to believe that it would be approved since the rules clearly stated you must use a loaf. I also didn't realize when I posted the Q that the entry thread was already open - which meant it was too late for me to sign up. I took a shot in the dark, and not surprising, I didn't hit the light switch.

But I will put in a plug to the challenge mods for thinking more broadly about mold types (or other constraints). For example, if you don't want people using a slab mold (which may or may not have been the case here), then I'd encourage directly stating that rather than just saying to use one type of mold/material.

Now I'll tell you why I was asking about a column mold. I was wanting to make a purposeful pattern that went all the way around an undisturbed center of the soap, which I think is about impossible to do in a loaf. A spoon would be a reasonable tool to try to get the design I wanted. I've had this idea in the back of my mind a long time (a few years?), and I always knew a spoon might work, but it didn't occur to me until late into this challenge that a column would give me a 360 degree playing field. I feel kinda dense for not realizing that earlier - but better late than never. One day I'll give it a try and let you know how it works.

Contestants: You all have some very cool soaps posted! I haven't had a ton of luck with spoon swirls, so your results are very encouraging. Between your beautiful creations and my long dormant idea, I am inspired again to try this technique.

 

[apples]

My first challenge and I just get to make soap today (I'll make it after this post)! If I'm not able to cut it and submit the entry on time, I'll just wait for next month's challenge. I missed making soaps!

 

[BattleGnome]

My attempt is in the mold and I am belatedly heating the oven (I decided on it as soon as I put my bowl in the sink).

I've got everything crossed that this turns out. I have no real reason to worry, it will be soap after all. It just feels like this attempt started all wrong. (It's been a stressful week)

 

[earlene]

I like all the entries! Teresa, you are so funny (re: the spoon.)

Now that my granddaughter's Quincinera is done and the girls from the sleepover have gone home, I will finally have time to get out my last two batches and decide which one to submit. They both need a bit of trimming and clean-up before I can get a good photo, but with another day to work on it I will be okay. However there are so many beautiful entries already, I don't expect much from mine.

 

[penelopejane]

My attempt is in the mold and I am belatedly heating the oven (I decided on it as soon as I put my bowl in the sink).

Sorry you had a stressful week.
I see on the entry thread you said you had some problems with CPOP. it shouldn't make a sticky bar.
How did you CPOP it?

 

[lenarenee]

Since I said it closes the 24th and didnt specify a time, if it posts before midnight (still technically the 24th), I will accept it.

That being the case, I will upload the survey the morning of the 25th so I can add any last minute entries.

I didn't sign up for the challenge as I thought I'd be chaperoning a camping trip last week, but it was postponed. It's too late to enter once the entry thread is open?

 

[kisha]

I dropped my soap! I hope my (quick, make another one) backup will be ready to cut before the entry thread closes. That's what I get for waiting until the last minute.

 

[BattleGnome]

Sorry you had a stressful week.
I see on the entry thread you said you had some problems with CPOP. it shouldn't make a sticky bar.
How did you CPOP it?

I preheated the oven to 170F (lowest my oven goes) then turned it off when I put the soap in. I had the mold in there for 15-20 min with the door cracked (a bit worried about over heating since I only used a 1# mold). After that I closed the door and went to bed. It was in the oven for roughly 9 hours with the door closed. I cut the bars as soon as I took it out of the oven.

The oven did cut out a few days of soap in my counter but the bars were roughly as sticker as when I usually get fed up and cut them. There was also significantly less sticking to the mold (usually I have two corners and part of a side stick).

I will admit that I am probably pouring as much of my stress as I can on this poor soap. We went on vacation last week and as a result I ended up with 9 days in a row of work (I'm only on day 7).

 

[penelopejane]

I preheated the oven to 170F (lowest my oven goes) then turned it off when I put the soap in. I had the mold in there for 15-20 min with the door cracked (a bit worried about over heating since I only used a 1# mold). After that I closed the door and went to bed. It was in the oven for roughly 9 hours with the door closed. I cut the bars as soon as I took it out of the oven.
.

Your oven is too hot. Try it with the temp only the temp of a very hot day: 100*F. Turn it to preheat 170*F then turn it off and wait 1/2 hr or so and open the door if necessary. If you don't have a cooking thermometer then put your hand in the oven to test that it is only the temp of a hot day. Cover and wrap your soap in a piece of an old blanket. Close the oven door and leave it overnight or for 12 - 24 hours without opening the door.

It doesn't matter if your soap in the mold sits on the bench for an hour or two until the oven gets to the right temperature.

Once you get the hang of it it is a breeze. A cooking thermometer makes it easier.

Good luck at work!

 

[lionprincess00]

I didn't sign up for the challenge as I thought I'd be chaperoning a camping trip last week, but it was postponed. It's too late to enter once the entry thread is open?

Nope, so long as you post it before midnight tonight, it is a valid entry
Be sure to copy and paste the list of names adding yours to it if you want to enter.

 

[lionprincess00]

My attempt is in the mold and I am belatedly heating the oven (I decided on it as soon as I put my bowl in the sink).

I've got everything crossed that this turns out. I have no real reason to worry, it will be soap after all. It just feels like this attempt started all wrong. (It's been a stressful week)

I don't think your oven is too hot fwiw. Mine only goes down to 170. I preheat and turn off. I then place in there. Difference is I only leave it in a few hrs, maybe 2-3 tops.

 

[lionprincess00]

ATTENTION: I am closing the thread midnight tonight meaning any posts past midnight will not appear on the survey. The survey will open tomorrow morning (as soon as I'm up and sure all submissions are added that may have posted tonight). I pm'd all who signed up the password for the survey. If you signed up, you can vote. Thx all!

 

[earlene]

Midnight in what time zone?

I may change my entry, but can't cut the new soap just yet. I am currently in Central Time, so for me midnight is about 7 hours away, but I don't want to count on that.

I did not really think I'd be up to making another batch of soap because I was so exhausted, but I had a spurt of energy this morning. Or maybe it was just bad judgment. I had to readjust my recipe on the fly because I made a transcription error which lead to a lye weighing error. But I realized my error immediately and changed my oil weights in my lye calculator so my soap would be safe. Then it seemed to take forever for my dual lye mixture to cool down, which wasn't too bad. It was the spilling and cleaning up that I kept having to do that was annoying. First it was a neon mica, then it was the soap batter (more than once.) I was just generally mistake/accident prone today!

Anyway it's done and I am hoping will be ready to cut and nicer than my entry, which I don't really favor all that much. If it passes muster and I have time, I may replace my entry.

 

[lenarenee]

1. Mx6inpenn - I'm in!
2. dibbles - Me too!
3. MissChief - Come hell or high water, I'm making soap this month!
4. Judiraz- Starting today!
5. Wyredgirl- cuz why not?!
6. Arimara- We will see...
7. earlene - time permitting
8. crispysoap - I've got plenty of spoons so bring it on.
9. doriettefarm - Spoon swirls I can do! Maybe I should use my new neons . ..
10. TeresaT - I've been wanting to try this technique!! I'm in.
11. BattleGnome - I finally got a bunch of colorants!
12. apples - am I eligible yet?
13. JuneP - Definitely going to try to do this one.
14. Kisha - It's been a while, gotta give this one a go!!!
15. Steve85569 - I'm back from canning! Neon fall colors?
16. PenelopeJane - Looking forward to trying this.
17. Rusti - also time permitting...
18. BlackDog - have yet to do a successful spoon swirl so maybe this will inspire me!
19. BrewerGeorge - I think I can do this one.
20. Artemis - I think I can manage two colors...
21. Newbie- another deceptively difficult technique- it's harder than it seems to get what you want!
22. Lenarenee - finally!

 

[apples]

I just looked at my soap, it's not ready for cutting yet...and disappointingly it gelled after removed from fridge and seemed overheated. I can see small white dots on all sides except the top, which means the dots are all over the inside too. I've been watching it like hawk (until the hawk took a nap)

Will know for sure when I cut. I'm leaving on a trip later so will cut it when I return on Saturday.

 

[lionprincess00]

Midnight in what time zone?

I may change my entry, but can't cut the new soap just yet. I am currently in Central Time, so for me midnight is about 7 hours away, but I don't want to count on that.

I did not really think I'd be up to making another batch of soap because I was so exhausted, but I had a spurt of energy this morning. Or maybe it was just bad judgment. I had to readjust my recipe on the fly because I made a transcription error which lead to a lye weighing error. But I realized my error immediately and changed my oil weights in my lye calculator so my soap would be safe. Then it seemed to take forever for my dual lye mixture to cool down, which wasn't too bad. It was the spilling and cleaning up that I kept having to do that was annoying. First it was a neon mica, then it was the soap batter (more than once.) I was just generally mistake/accident prone today!

Anyway it's done and I am hoping will be ready to cut and nicer than my entry, which I don't really favor all that much. If it passes muster and I have time, I may replace my entry.

Central standard time earlene, sorry!

 

[Arimara]

I feel bad I could not get in a batch this month. I got sick earlier this month and have been coughing since 9/28. Only in the last few days has my coughing finally died down in frequency and intensity. I made an attempt at a try but it didn't come together very well in technique and the soap was rebatched a few days ago. I would have tried again today but I'm still trying to get this cold completely squashed (I don't think I had a normal cold).

I really just wanted to say you guys did an amazing job and even though I'm not going to be doing any challenges for a while, thanks for teaching me some new things. I can't wait to really get a chance to soap and try these swirls again and NOT be medicated.

 

[lenarenee]

Its so aggravating when those viruses hang on. Hope it ends soon Arimara.

 

[earlene]

Arimara, I hope you are back to 100% real soon.

Well, my newest attempt was a real failure. It crumbled as I cut it. Too bad, because I really liked how the swirl looked and the colors, too. Maybe if I had cut it while still warm, it may have held together well enough for a photo. But the soap would probably still crumbled when used, so I guess it doesn't matter.