SMF October 2019 Challenge - Mini Drops Swirl

[Karmic]

I hope that it's alright to ask this here, but is there a deadline to sign up? I know I don't hit my month till just around the time entries need to be in. If I can get my posts in would it be possible for me to participate in this challenge? Or would I not be able to get in till November? It's fine if it's the latter. I'm trying this technique out either way for my own sake, I'm just looking for clarification.

 

[DeeAnna]

Even if you can't enter the challenge this month, please post your work here, @Karmic. We enjoy seeing what others are doing.

 

[dibbles]

I hope that it's alright to ask this here, but is there a deadline to sign up? I know I don't hit my month till just around the time entries need to be in. If I can get my posts in would it be possible for me to participate in this challenge? Or would I not be able to get in till November? It's fine if it's the latter. I'm trying this technique out either way for my own sake, I'm just looking for clarification.

Sign up is open until the entry thread closes on the 25th. If you can't enter this challenge but make a soap, do post it here. And there is a new challenge every month.

 

[lionprincess00]

I just logged back in here dibbles, today. It is so ironic. My bday was yesterday and I finally got the opportunity to make my 1st soap in a year (or was it 2 years?) yesterday. It was this technique lol! Of course I used 40% lye concentration (old habits die hard), and it accelerated. It isnt pretty, but it is descent. It was a 3 colored drop swirl, but with the A it stayed close to the surface.

Excited to see the challenge entries and winner!

 

[dibbles]

I just logged back in here dibbles, today. It is so ironic. My bday was yesterday and I finally got the opportunity to make my 1st soap in a year (or was it 2 years?) yesterday. It was this technique lol! Of course I used 40% lye concentration (old habits die hard), and it accelerated. It isnt pretty, but it is descent. It was a 3 colored drop swirl, but with the A it stayed close to the surface.

Excited to see the challenge entries and winner!

Happy belated birthday, and so happy to see you here! I hope to see you around more regularly, and hope that you have more time to make soap now. Well, if making soap is what you want to do

 

[Karmic]

This was the one attempt I've done so far. I was so very pleased with my colors and I had managed to get it to behave a bit at first but then the bottles started seizing up on me and I had to abort. Got a couple raindrop shapes before everything went south on me. Check out my lovely glycerin rivers too



Did I say I still love the colors? I'm debating switching the base up for the one tealy green and use the darker blue more as an accent in the drops. My white went completely to hell on me and wound up more in the mold then the loaf to try and keep from losing the squeeze bottle lol. Not that that would have been really that bad, I found mine at the dollar store so it's not like I would have wasted a lot of money on them.



Gonna try to get my next attempt tomorrow in after my post-work nap. Going sans fragrance for round 2 since the only ones I have left all either discolor or accelerate.

 

[Kiti Williams]

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. Kiti - I think I can do this. I like the idea of using some powdered herbs in the swirl!

 

[dibbles]

Sign up 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. Mommycarlson - Love this technique!
21. KristaY-I've been dying to give this a go!
22. Kiti - I think I can do this. I like the idea of using some powdered herbs in the swirl!

 

[artemis]

I finished, cut, and photographed my first attempt. I like how it looks, but I don't think it's a good example of the technique. If I have time, I'll try again.

 

[msunnerstood]

I gave it a go in HP yesterday and I think its possible but my drops were far to shallow and then the soap got to hard to do more so Im going to adjust my method a bit and try again this weekend

 

[bookreader451]

I finished my second try last night. I went full on halloween gothic. Love me a theme!

 

[msunnerstood]

Second and last attempt just now. We will see how it comes out.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I bombed out today when my emulsion separated in the mold , but it was only 500 g of oil so I don’t feel devastated. I so wanted to get those really long drops... Maybe I need to try the “shooting technique” instead of risking another failed batch.

 

[msunnerstood]

I bombed out today when my emulsion separated in the mold , but it was only 500 g of oil so I don’t feel devastated. I so wanted to get those really long drops... Maybe I need to try the “shooting technique” instead of risking another failed batch.

Thats why my 2nd is my last attempt. this isnt a technique that looks very good when its failed. My first one got cool too quickly and hardened and I would up with very small bars I will use as samples. I lost a third of the batch. Hopefully this ne wll turn ut well and if not for the challenge, at least salable.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Thats why my 2nd is my last attempt. this isnt a technique that looks very good when its failed. My first one got cool too quickly and hardened and I would up with very small bars I will use as samples. I lost a third of the batch. Hopefully this ne wll turn ut well and if not for the challenge, at least salable.

Hopefully your batch will turn out. I could take mine out of the mold and cook it, but I’m not going to bother because I used contrasting colors that will look sickly when blended together. I can’t let it sit around as an experiment because I need the mold.

 

[bookreader451]

In attempt 2 I got the teardrop right but I must have squeezed too hard because the drops are to deep and the colors didn't pop like I wanted. On the bright side it smells heavenly and my sister claimed them.

Onto my third and final attempt.

 

[szaza]

Just tried my first hp and probably took on a bit too much.. itp swirl in bottom layer+ 5 different colors in the drops was probably already going to be hard enough in cp.. this soap would probably win a contest for ugliest soap top and I'm very curious/scared about cutting..

 

[Mobjack Bay]

History shows that I am an expert at getting my batter to just shy of stable emulsion stage. I put better/brighter light bulbs over the soaping area, but I guess I‘m still having a problem judging when it’s far enough along. The good news is that the soap from yesterday is getting firmer. As much as I would like to have the mold for my run today, I’m going to leave that batch to do it’s thing. I poured off a very thin layer (a bit more than a film) of oil on the top, which I guess means the soap will be zappy. It’s an opportunity to see how long it takes to become unzappy. I can also tell from the side that my drops ended up at about the depth I hoped for and that one of my colors is not the intensity I would like for the challenge soap. It’s progress .

Just tried my first hp and probably took on a bit too much.. itp swirl in bottom layer+ 5 different colors in the drops was probably already going to be hard enough in cp.. this soap would probably win a contest for ugliest soap top and I'm very curious/scared about cutting..

That qualifies as “extreme” hp. About that ITP swirl in the bottom layer... in the rules it states that the bottom layer should be one color.

 

[MarnieSoapien]

I might only get one chance at this. We had friends visiting from the US this week and next week my lil ones are out of school. And you all know that kids and soap making don't mix. Fingers crossed that I get to IKEA, get some squeeze bottles, make a decent attempt and can get an entry in. Thank for all of the posts about your attempts! I'm doing my best to learn from your misadventures.

 

[szaza]

That qualifies as “extreme” hp. About that ITP swirl in the bottom layer... in the rules it states that the bottom layer should be one color.

Woops I forgot about that..
The HP version actually turned out well, except it doesn't look like a drop swirl at all..
Here's a picture
I made it with raw cocoa butter and colored with melted chocolate and cocoa powder (and annatto and AC). It smells like chocolate!!
I then decided to make my next try another CP. The 'EO' that I was using (that someone gifted me and I had doubts if it wasn't a FO) decided to accelerate like crazy. I forgot I had only used it in HP before.. My base batter went from emulsion to thick trace with just a turn of my whisk. I plopped it into the mold and textured a bit.. left the top colors unscented, and tried to make the best out of it. Thanks to the accelerating fragrance only the bottom part gelled which left me with a pretty funky color combo..

I did enjoy working with the super fluid top batter and will try to squeeze in another batch on wednesday.. fingers crossed!!