SMF October 2019 Challenge - Mini Drops Swirl

[dibbles]

Here is a link to Holly's (Kapia Mera) blog post. She does a good job about explaining how she did the individual drops. It seems that she found, even with thin batter, she needed more pressure than she thought she would. She mentioned that she felt like she was squeezing too hard. Which is subjective and hard to explain - what one thinks is a lot of pressure another may think of as medium pressure. So luck and practice are probably both needed for consistent results. Here's the link:
https://kapiamera.blog/2018/09/27/rainy-day-soap/

@dibbles Thanks for the new link. I think that’s the first “shooting” batter I’ve seen!

By the way, your WINNING purple soap, above, is beautiful!

Thank you

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Here is a link to Holly's (Kapia Mera) blog post. She does a good job about explaining how she did the individual drops. It seems that she found, even with thin batter, she needed more pressure than she thought she would. She mentioned that she felt like she was squeezing too hard. Which is subjective and hard to explain - what one thinks is a lot of pressure another may think of as medium pressure. So luck and practice are probably both needed for consistent results. Here's the link:
https://kapiamera.blog/2018/09/27/rainy-day-soap/

For her internal drops, she used pipette tips over her squeeze bottle tips. That will complicate the “how much pressure is needed” issue further, e.g. if the opening in the tip of the bottle is small, it will control the pressure needed, versus a bigger opening in the pipette tip. I’m basing this on my experiences with clogged caulk and super glue tubes...

I always turn the sound off on videos. I guess I should listen to what they’re saying!

This is not going to be my challenge entry, so I thought I would share the rough cut:



I first made batter for the base layer (and one of the colors in the top) using my “pink” indigo infusion, which apparently is still too weak to produce a pink color at 20% of total oils. Then I immediately managed to spill a significant amount of the oils for the remaining batter. I recovered, but only after dealing with a microwave that decided to hiss and smoke when I was tried to melt replacement lard. By the time I had the next batter portioned and colored, the base layer had set up. As a result, my drops were constrained by a firm boundary. It’s not good for the competition, but I like the effect for a layered soap.

edited to correct % fraction for infusion

 

[dibbles]

This is not going to be my challenge entry, so I thought I would share the rough cut:
I first made batter for the base layer (and one of the colors in the top) using my “pink” indigo infusion, which apparently is still too weak to produce a pink color at 15% of total oils. Then I immediately managed to spill a significant amount of the oils for the remaining batter. I recovered, but only after dealing with a microwave that decided to hiss and smoke when I was tried to melt replacement lard. By the time I had the next batter portioned and colored, the base layer had set up. As a result, my drops were constrained by a firm boundary. It’s not good for the competition, but I like the effect for a layered soap.

Sorry for the mishap, but your soap is great. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Michele50]

You aren’t a spammer, and I hope you get your posts to 50 so you can join the challenge.

@Arimara / @dibbles He @JoeyJ should have plenty of time to get 16 more posts/comments b/4 the deadline. I did b/4 the September Challenge. Yup, @dibbles' your soap was da bomb; such lovely wispy swirls. So many wonderful soap designs.

This is not going to be my challenge entry, so I thought I would share the rough cut:

View attachment 41924

I first made batter for the base layer (and one of the colors in the top) using my “pink” indigo infusion, which apparently is still too weak to produce a pink color at 20% of total oils. Then I immediately managed to spill a significant amount of the oils for the remaining batter. I recovered, but only after dealing with a microwave that decided to hiss and smoke when I was tried to melt replacement lard. By the time I had the next batter portioned and colored, the base layer had set up. As a result, my drops were constrained by a firm boundary. It’s not good for the competition, but I like the effect for a layered soap.

edited to correct % fraction for infusion

You were juggling a lot of things and did super carrying on and creating a lovely soap despite everything.

 

[Primrose]

1. Artemis -- love those little drops
2. Cellador-- I'm so busy... but I have been wanting to try this
3. AMD - my recipe moves far too fast for this, so wish me luck!
4. SoapySuds - I may try this without squeeze bottles!
5. Shunt2011 - Going to try to find time to give it a try. Haven't soaped since February.
6. Arimara - Edit: I definitely want to try this to though I may have to get some tools.
7. MarnieSoapien - IKEA here I come!!
8. DKing - I would like to give it a try.
9. bookreader451 - I really want to give this a try
10. Geniash - Excited to give it a try! First challenge.
11. amy78130 - I’m down!!! I haven’t tried this yet!
12. szaza - I told myself no challenges in October.. so I made my first try yesterday.
13. SYT - I've signed up for other challenges and then got too busy to soap or vote. But really need to try this one, so many possibilities!
14. Megan- This will be my first challenge! Very excited!! I've been wanting to try this technique for a while.
15. DeeAnna. Need to find some soapy mojo. This sounds like fun. I'm with Arimara -- If I sign up, I WILL make soap.
16. Dawni - rarely do I CP but I wanna see if I can pull this one off.. It's one of the few designs I'm drawn to try. Who knows, maybe I'll even attempt it in HP (like my previous
17. Msunnerstood - Can it be done in HP? Time to join Dawni and find out!
18. Mobjack Bay - of course I need to learn how to do this, right?
19. Primrose - done this once before but will have another go

 

[Primrose]

Does anyone know how some soapers are able to get their suspended drops outlined in a different colour?

 

[dibbles]

Does anyone know how some soapers are able to get their suspended drops outlined in a different colour?

I am not completely sure, but I think it happens when batter of one color is poured directly onto batter of another color causing it to sink through the existing color. I also think it's often a happy accident, because with the suspended drops you are not able to see the lines that have already been poured (or squirted ).

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Does anyone know how some soapers are able to get their suspended drops outlined in a different colour?

Are you seeing distinctly different colors for the lines? I’ve occasionally noticed what looks like a boundary line in a finished soap that formed between batter of different trace levels (or different colorants?) in the same soap. I think it usually looks darker, but I would need to check to be sure. I remember thinking that it might help to explain why some soap makers are constantly stirring their batters and scraping down the sides of the bowls.

 

[amd]

I had my fist try in CP and used piping bags

Oooh... how did that work? Did you use a piping tip? I have a large open tip (like what you would use for writing but much much bigger) so wondering if that would work... I'm not looking forward to cleaning out squeeze bottles, and just in case my recipe moves too fast I would still like the option to get at my soap batter without it being a royal hassle and still have a full soap loaf. Okay, I'm moving my second attempt up on the pecking order of my to do list But first... dishes.

My first attempt, using funnel pitchers is cut, and it's kind of mini drop swirl. I won't share it just in case it ends up being the best of my attempts.

The signup list:
1. Artemis -- love those little drops
2. Cellador-- I'm so busy... but I have been wanting to try this
3. AMD - my recipe moves far too fast for this, so wish me luck!
4. SoapySuds - I may try this without squeeze bottles!
5. Shunt2011 - Going to try to find time to give it a try. Haven't soaped since February.
6. Arimara - Edit: I definitely want to try this to though I may have to get some tools.
7. MarnieSoapien - IKEA here I come!!
8. DKing - I would like to give it a try.
9. bookreader451 - I really want to give this a try
10. Geniash - Excited to give it a try! First challenge.
11. amy78130 - I’m down!!! I haven’t tried this yet!
12. szaza - I told myself no challenges in October.. so I made my first try yesterday.
13. SYT - I've signed up for other challenges and then got too busy to soap or vote. But really need to try this one, so many possibilities!
14. Megan- This will be my first challenge! Very excited!! I've been wanting to try this technique for a while.
15. DeeAnna. Need to find some soapy mojo. This sounds like fun. I'm with Arimara -- If I sign up, I WILL make soap.
16. Dawni - rarely do I CP but I wanna see if I can pull this one off.. It's one of the few designs I'm drawn to try. Who knows, maybe I'll even attempt it in HP (like my previous
17. Msunnerstood - Can it be done in HP? Time to join Dawni and find out!
18. Mobjack Bay - of course I need to learn how to do this, right?
19. Primrose - done this once before but will have another go

 

[shunt2011]

I'm going to give it a go this weekend.

 

[dibbles]

@Mobjack Bay I think @Primrose means something like this:
by Lux Leonis Skincare

 

[Michele50]

@Mobjack Bay I think @Primrose means something like this:
by Lux Leonis Skincare
View attachment 41947

When the droplets are two colors it looks very nice. It'd be nice to be able to this 'at will.'

 

[szaza]

@amd I think it worked ok. I used plastic piping bags and cut off as small an opening as I could and didn't use a tip. My batter accelerated a bit after adding extra water (weird huh? I thought extra water slowed down trace?) But overall it worked well! I might not have time for another try so I don't dare upload a picture just yet..

 

[amd]

But overall it worked well!

Cool! I'm going to try it with the open piping tips, I was going to quick order a second large one with a coupler, but then I remembered that I have a medium open tip which might give it a cool drop effect with the right accent color and the different sizes. I think using the tip might give me a bit more control, especially for as quick as my batter likes to move. Now I'm excited, so no night off for me! LOL. And yes, weird about the water accelerating. Did you have TD in that portion? Sometimes that will move it regardless of whatever else is going on.

 

[szaza]

Did you have TD in that portion? Sometimes that will move it regardless of whatever else is going on.

Nope, frozen pandan and distilled water for the other portions. I started with a 50% lye solution, split and added the rest of the water at emulsion (total liquid made for a 30% lye concentration with a high oleic recipe, so should move slow). Both water and pandan accelerated the batter from emulsion (possibly very very light trace) to medium trace in no time where it stayed until everything was in the mold. I think I might start a new thread on it, because it really baffled me. Maybe there's a flip point where very high concentrations slow down trace again?

 

[Mobjack Bay]

@Mobjack Bay I think @Primrose means something like this:
by Lux Leonis Skincare
View attachment 41947

Look at the photo of that soap closely. I think it looks like the white line is double in the tail section. Perhaps the blue base batter was poured along the sides of the white batter to forcing it up and in, which would make it surround the inside of the drop i.e. the way those giant drops in soap are formed. The similar drops on the side soaps lack a tail, but it looks like the white soap is wrapped around the interior of those drops. That could explain why the two top point don’t match up. Just an hypothesis.

 

[Giangxamar]

The signup list:
1. Artemis -- love those little drops
2. Cellador-- I'm so busy... but I have been wanting to try this
3. AMD - my recipe moves far too fast for this, so wish me luck!
4. SoapySuds - I may try this without squeeze bottles!
5. Shunt2011 - Going to try to find time to give it a try. Haven't soaped since February.
6. Arimara - Edit: I definitely want to try this to though I may have to get some tools.
7. MarnieSoapien - IKEA here I come!!
8. DKing - I would like to give it a try.
9. bookreader451 - I really want to give this a try
10. Geniash - Excited to give it a try! First challenge.
11. amy78130 - I’m down!!! I haven’t tried this yet!
12. szaza - I told myself no challenges in October.. so I made my first try yesterday.
13. SYT - I've signed up for other challenges and then got too busy to soap or vote. But really need to try this one, so many possibilities!
14. Megan- This will be my first challenge! Very excited!! I've been wanting to try this technique for a while.
15. DeeAnna. Need to find some soapy mojo. This sounds like fun. I'm with Arimara -- If I sign up, I WILL make soap.
16. Dawni - rarely do I CP but I wanna see if I can pull this one off.. It's one of the few designs I'm drawn to try. Who knows, maybe I'll even attempt it in HP (like my previous
17. Msunnerstood - Can it be done in HP? Time to join Dawni and find out!
18. Mobjack Bay - of course I need to learn how to do this, right?
19. Primrose - done this once before but will have another go
20. Giangxamar - first time attending a challenge

 

[shunt2011]

@Giangxamar - Unfortunately at this point you don't have enough posts to participate (50). You may be able to get your count up if you start posting.

 

[dibbles]

@Giangxamar this is the first rule in order to be able to take part in the challenges:
SMF Challenge General Rules
1. To enter you must have a minimum of 50 posts and been a member for a month (sorry but no exceptions on this).

Right now your post count is at 29, so it's possible for you to get enough posts before the sign-up closes. I'm sorry, but I have to remove your name from the sign-up list for now. Once you are eligible, I hope you will add your name to the list again. We would love to have you join in.

 

[dibbles]

The signup list:
1. Artemis -- love those little drops
2. Cellador-- I'm so busy... but I have been wanting to try this
3. AMD - my recipe moves far too fast for this, so wish me luck!
4. SoapySuds - I may try this without squeeze bottles!
5. Shunt2011 - Going to try to find time to give it a try. Haven't soaped since February.
6. Arimara - Edit: I definitely want to try this to though I may have to get some tools.
7. MarnieSoapien - IKEA here I come!!
8. DKing - I would like to give it a try.
9. bookreader451 - I really want to give this a try
10. Geniash - Excited to give it a try! First challenge.
11. amy78130 - I’m down!!! I haven’t tried this yet!
12. szaza - I told myself no challenges in October.. so I made my first try yesterday.
13. SYT - I've signed up for other challenges and then got too busy to soap or vote. But really need to try this one, so many possibilities!
14. Megan- This will be my first challenge! Very excited!! I've been wanting to try this technique for a while.
15. DeeAnna. Need to find some soapy mojo. This sounds like fun. I'm with Arimara -- If I sign up, I WILL make soap.
16. Dawni - rarely do I CP but I wanna see if I can pull this one off.. It's one of the few designs I'm drawn to try. Who knows, maybe I'll even attempt it in HP (like my previous
17. Msunnerstood - Can it be done in HP? Time to join Dawni and find out!
18. Mobjack Bay - of course I need to learn how to do this, right?
19. Primrose - done this once before but will have another go