SMF October 2021 challenge - butterfly hanger swirl

[Catscankim]

Sign up sheet:

1. The_Phoenix - What could go wrong?
2. Peachy Clean Soap
3. dibbles - the elusive butterfly...
4. ScentimentallyYours - Lepidoptera
5. earlene
6. The_Emerald_Chicken - 'Tis in the mold already!
7. Jersey Girl- My very favorite design!
8. Vicki C. Love this.
9. SideDoorSoaps - I'm heading to make this soap NOW!
10. Catscankim - probably going to be unscented lol

 

[cerelife]

Sign up sheet:

1. The_Phoenix - What could go wrong?
2. Peachy Clean Soap
3. dibbles - the elusive butterfly...
4. ScentimentallyYours - Lepidoptera
5. earlene
6. The_Emerald_Chicken - 'Tis in the mold already!
7. Jersey Girl- My very favorite design!
8. Vicki C. Love this.
9. SideDoorSoaps - I'm heading to make this soap NOW!
10. Catscankim - probably going to be unscented lol
11. Cerelife

 

[SoapDaddy70]

Sign up sheet:

1. The_Phoenix - What could go wrong?
2. Peachy Clean Soap
3. dibbles - the elusive butterfly...
4. ScentimentallyYours - Lepidoptera
5. earlene
6. The_Emerald_Chicken - 'Tis in the mold already!
7. Jersey Girl- My very favorite design!
8. Vicki C. Love this.
9. SideDoorSoaps - I'm heading to make this soap NOW!
10. Catscankim - probably going to be unscented lol
11. Cerelife
12. SoapDaddy70
13.

 

[SoapDaddy70]

For the life of me I cannot visualize the hanger movement based on the diagrams that were posted. Do I really have to post a diagram drawing? How do you draw a diagram of something occurring in a three dimensional environment on a flat piece of paper? I know all I am going to do is dip the hanger in and make a few circles and hope for the best.

 

[MellonFriend]

For the life of me I cannot visualize the hanger movement based on the diagrams that were posted. Do I really have to post a diagram drawing? How do you draw a diagram of something occurring in a three dimensional environment on a flat piece of paper? I know all I am going to do is dip the hanger in and make a few circles and hope for the best.

The diagrams are edge on. Like if you were viewing it from the short side of the bar.
Maybe this three diagram I made will help you visualize.

 

[ResolvableOwl]

@SoapDaddy70 Imagine you have taped a pencil along the hanger wire, and a piece of paper on one narrow side of the mould. Do your hanger swirl, and the pencil “records” your motions on the paper.
Mathematically speaking, your soap lives in three-dimensional space, but one of these dimensions is the hanger wire (that does the work), so there are two dimensions left to move it around: the two dimensions of the soap cut surface, or, as a matter of fact, the paper onto which you draw your movements

ETA: Lol, I just realised you don't have to imagine this, you just as well could do it. Or, if you're really fancy, you could even bend a super-high-tech self-recording hanger:

where you tape a piece of paper (red) on the outside of the mould, and the pen makes exactly the same motions as the hanger wire inside the soap batter.
(Clarification: I haven't done this, and probably won't. The sketch is rather meant to help imagination of hanger swirls as such.)

 

[Primrose]

My apologies @SoapDaddy70 I included.the bit about drawing your hanger swirl because I thought it might be a good learning experience for everyone, to see if different patterns create a different butterfly effect. It did not occur to me that this might be difficult for some people to visualise and put into paper

 

[MellonFriend]

Wow @ResolvableOwl, your diagram is so much better than mine.

 

[SoapDaddy70]

My apologies @SoapDaddy70 I included.the bit about drawing your hanger swirl because I thought it might be a good learning experience for everyone, to see if different patterns create a different butterfly effect. It did not occur to me that this might be difficult for some people to visualise and put into paper

No need to apologize. I have always had trouble with this kind of stuff. In high school we had to take mechanical drawing and it was always hard for me to visualize things like this.

Wow @ResolvableOwl, your diagram is so much better than mine.

Both your drawing and @ResolvableOwl drawings and explanation helped quite a bit. Thanks to the both of you. Greatly appreciated.

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

@SoapDaddy70 Imagine you have taped a pencil along the hanger wire, and a piece of paper on one narrow side of the mould. Do your hanger swirl, and the pencil “records” your motions on the paper.
Mathematically speaking, your soap lives in three-dimensional space, but one of these dimensions is the hanger wire (that does the work), so there are two dimensions left to move it around: the two dimensions of the soap cut surface, or, as a matter of fact, the paper onto which you draw your movements

ETA: Lol, I just realised you don't have to imagine this, you just as well could do it. Or, if you're really fancy, you could even bend a super-high-tech self-recording hanger:
View attachment 61552
where you tape a piece of paper (red) on the outside of the mould, and the pen makes exactly the same motions as the hanger wire inside the soap batter.
(Clarification: I haven't done this, and probably won't. The sketch is rather meant to help imagination of hanger swirls as such.)

I love both your diagrams' now I have a better understanding of the "Swirling In Motion". This is gonna be one difficult challenge.

 

[ResolvableOwl]

Wow @ResolvableOwl, your diagram is so much better than mine.

Don't say that. They're rather complementary. Mine is just the tool; you have drawn the actual motion path, and dared go to the third dimension, and it actually works!
I'm a bit anxious how many more or less mediocre sketches we'll see later on in the entry thread.

 

[violets2217]

For the life of me I cannot visualize the hanger movement based on the diagrams that were posted. Do I really have to post a diagram drawing? How do you draw a diagram of something occurring in a three dimensional environment on a flat piece of paper? I know all I am going to do is dip the hanger in and make a few circles and hope for the best.

This is my problem as well and have been hesitant to sign up! But I do love a beautiful swirl. And thinking and planning this soap for the last week has helped me visualize my swirl. Now I just need to work on my math and percentages of splitting the batter! I’m going extra again… it seems to work for me! Lol!

 

[violets2217]

Sign up sheet:

1. The_Phoenix - What could go wrong?
2. Peachy Clean Soap
3. dibbles - the elusive butterfly...
4. ScentimentallyYours - Lepidoptera
5. earlene
6. The_Emerald_Chicken - 'Tis in the mold already!
7. Jersey Girl- My very favorite design!
8. Vicki C. Love this.
9. SideDoorSoaps - I'm heading to make this soap NOW!
10. Catscankim - probably going to be unscented lol
11. Cerelife
12. SoapDaddy70
13. Violets2217- 2 birds one stone… Christmas soap, new design, new fragrance….what could go wrong!?!?!
14.

 

[violets2217]

Well, it’s definitely harder to hanger swirl a “mapped” swirl, than just the Willy-nilly hanger swirl I’ve done before! I panicked a few times because I went off course! And pouring drop swirls in designated areas is also harder that I thought! Lol… I knew I should have not used my tall & skinny mold for this one! We shall see if it qualifies for the challenge, Either way I got my Christmas soap, the colors are beautiful and the top is just how I imagined!

 

[SoapDaddy70]

Here is my first stab. Here are a couple of things I think I will do differently next time.

1. Wait for a thicker trace
2. Use less accent colors. I split this batter into 40% Winter White and 20% of the other 3 colors. I am thinking 70% White and 10% of other 3 colors next time.
3. Plan a better swirl pattern. This time I just made a few random passes without thinking.

Will definitely take another stab. I think one of the patterns looks like an XRay of the top half of a person.

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

Here is my first stab. Here are a couple of things I think I will do differently next time.

1. Wait for a thicker trace
2. Use less accent colors. I split this batter into 40% Winter White and 20% of the other 3 colors. I am thinking 70% White and 10% of other 3 colors next time.
3. Plan a better swirl pattern. This time I just made a few random passes without thinking.

Will definitely take another stab. I think one of the patterns looks like an XRay of the top half of a person.

That is awesome for your 1st hanger swirl. Thx for the tips appreciate your input. I had to laugh when you said looks like a X-ray, In the 2nd image I can see that too, the 1st image is fantastic & I see a butterfly .

 

[SoapDaddy70]

That is awesome for your 1st hanger swirl. Thx for the tips appreciate your input. I had to laugh when you said looks like a X-ray, In the 2nd image I can see that too, the 1st image is fantastic & I see a butterfly .

I just meant my first stab at this challenge. I have messed around with hanger swirls before but it’s always just a haphazard pattern and what ever happens happens. I think for this challenge I might have to actually think about it.

 

[violets2217]

I tried one more time just because I had a lye solution that I added something to that turned it brown and didn’t want to use it with my first attempt. I ran out of lard, so I messed with the recipe to add HO Sunflower, and Cocoa & Shea Butter. Had fun playing around with the calculator to get the exact numbers for the lye/water And Since I used up the ugly yellow Shea and the brown lye… I went with clays and AC for colorant. I need to study up on the color wheel, got some interesting blends of color. And tried out another new FO that doesn’t go with the neutral tones of this soap at all! Used my long spout pitchers to pour this time, so the colors are a wee bit more where I wanted them. I just can’t seem to get the hanger to swirl in the direction I picture in my head.
Yesterday’s try turned out beautiful, I think…. So I’m optimistic about this try!

I am thinking 70% White and 10% of other 3 colors next time.

With all three hanger swirls I’ve tried so far I’ve went with a 70/30 split and I’ve like the results. The colors didn’t take over the base and we’re still definitely distinct.

 

[melonpan]

I am thinking 70% White and 10% of other 3 colors next time.

With all three hanger swirls I’ve tried so far I’ve went with a 70/30 split and I’ve like the results. The colors didn’t take over the base and we’re still definitely distinct.

I've just done my first (and only, as I will be out of town for a few weeks) attempt and I tried with 65/35 for the base/colours batter but now reading your comments I think 70/30 would have been better. I had the feeling while pouring the colours that I would have benefitted from more base colour.

I had my swirl planned out and, as much as I think I followed the diagram I made, I'm not so sure as I was moving it kinda blindly?
I will need a bit more confidence with this technique, but I'm really excited to try this again.

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

Just cut my soap' 2nd try @ this BS, I knew I couldn't see a butterfly but wanted affirmation & asked hubby his opinion, his reply I do see a butterfly "After It Hit's My Windshield!" .
Back to making another batch