SMF Soap Challenge -July 2017 Mermaid Tail Soaps

[earlene]

Cherrycoke, good point! I would hope she smells like the salt sea air.

 

[jewels621]

Why, oh, why is this such a difficult challenge for me???? There's such a fine line between not enough trace and too much trace and, so far (at least at my house) it doesn't exist. This challenge is teaching me patience and humility. Attempt #3 coming up.....:headbanging:



ETA: I think the third time was the charm and I may have made an acceptable entry for the elusive (at least in my wold!) siren-of-the-sea scales replication challenge. I think I was just overthinking things. Again. I feel better now. Can someone please come and take the soap gremlins off my hands now?

 

[dibbles]

After two failed tries, I decided my mermaid needed to grow some teeth and be a dragon. That idea backfired, and it bit me. I ended up swirling the top to try to save it. Maybe one more try - undecided.

 

[jewels621]

Maybe one more try - undecided.

Do it, dibbles! There's a secret mermaid hiding in there somewhere waiting for the right opportunity to show up. It took me three tries! Go for it!

 

[galaxyMLP]

You are all so hard working! I'm really sorry that this is proving to be such a difficult challenge. I didn't expect that to be the case. I was hopping it wouldn't be that hard since it looks easy to do.

Jewels, I'm so glad you finally got a soap made that you're happy with.

Dibbles, try again if you want to but only if it's still enjoyable. Something about making soap when you are not having fun spells disaster. I hope that if you do decide to make another one, that it is exactly as you envision it.

 

[dibbles]

You are all so hard working! I'm really sorry that this is proving to be such a difficult challenge. I didn't expect that to be the case. I was hopping it wouldn't be that hard since it looks easy to do.

Jewels, I'm so glad you finally got a soap made that you're happy with.

Dibbles, try again if you want to but only if it's still enjoyable. Something about making soap when you are not having fun spells disaster. I hope that if you do decide to make another one, that it is exactly as you envision it.

No worries. Making soap is always fun. I will likely try again.

 

[SunRiseArts]

You are all so hard working! I'm really sorry that this is proving to be such a difficult challenge. I didn't expect that to be the case. I was hopping it wouldn't be that hard since it looks easy to do.

Jewels, I'm so glad you finally got a soap made that you're happy with.

Dibbles, try again if you want to but only if it's still enjoyable. Something about making soap when you are not having fun spells disaster. I hope that if you do decide to make another one, that it is exactly as you envision it.

Not to be sorry galaxy! For me that is what challenges are all about ... learning techniques and the process. I really appreciate that because I learn so much, and something always new. I never expect to be in the first place myself.

I did lots of HP, they were so nice, but one color wonders.

 

[SunRiseArts]

After two failed tries, I decided my mermaid needed to grow some teeth and be a dragon. That idea backfired, and it bit me. I ended up swirling the top to try to save it. Maybe one more try - undecided.

 

[BattleGnome]

You are all so hard working! I'm really sorry that this is proving to be such a difficult challenge.

Would it be a challenge if it wasn't challenging?

Even though I've only made one attempt so far I've enjoyed hearing about everyone else's attempts and puzzling out my next attempt. I'm currently caught between using up the last of the FO I chose to fulfill my vision or scrap it and attempt some dragon scales with clays.

I figure if we can master this challenge we are all up for anything you decide to throw at us in the future (except maybe that emulsion challenge mentioned in another thread)

 

[earlene]

No, I had not tried steaming the soap tops with the gold. I don't like burning my fingers, and I keep fearing I'll drop the soap on the teapot or the stove, but I did it anyway, and it does work. Of course I still burned my fingers and the soap got pretty slippery. I steamed 2 bars over my whistling tea kettle as carefully as I could. (I had turned the fire off, but the steam was still quite hot, of course.) The gold mica stayed put and the colors did come out much more clearly than before. I have them side by side to the un-steamed ones and it really is an improvement. Today I will try the rest.

Is there some other method to steaming that doesn't require to go out and purchase a steamer machine that would allow me to do this without holding it over a tea kettle and burning myself?

 

[jewels621]

You are all so hard working! I'm really sorry that this is proving to be such a difficult challenge. I didn't expect that to be the case. I was hopping it wouldn't be that hard since it looks easy to do.

Jewels, I'm so glad you finally got a soap made that you're happy with.

Dibbles, try again if you want to but only if it's still enjoyable. Something about making soap when you are not having fun spells disaster. I hope that if you do decide to make another one, that it is exactly as you envision it.

Don't you dare apologize! The operative word here is CHALLENGE. I have learned so much! And as my luck would have it, I woke up to a little crack in my scales this morning. Ugh! I still think I can save it and get a few good bars. I resorted to making one pound batches so I'm hoping three of the four bars will be good.

FWIW, I have loved this challenge because it makes me slow down and think. I'm kind of sure that my husband is tired of hearing about mermaid scales, though! :silent:

 

[penelopejane]

No, I had not tried steaming the soap tops with the gold. I don't like burning my fingers, and I keep fearing I'll drop the soap on the teapot or the stove, but I did it anyway, and it does work. Of course I still burned my fingers and the soap got pretty slippery. I steamed 2 bars over my whistling tea kettle as carefully as I could. (I had turned the fire off, but the steam was still quite hot, of course.) The gold mica stayed put and the colors did come out much more clearly than before. I have them side by side to the un-steamed ones and it really is an improvement. Today I will try the rest.

Is there some other method to steaming that doesn't require to go out and purchase a steamer machine that would allow me to do this without holding it over a tea kettle and burning myself?

I use my iron that has a button to give you a boost of a shot of steam. I have my soap on a low table and shoot it with steam from the bottom of the iron. Fingers are no where near it.

After I pour my batter I spray it with alcohol, cover my mold and keep it wrapped for 24 hrs and spray it again just before I cut it. Then I don't get ash. Miss one of those steps and I do but the steam iron works wonders.

 

[dibbles]

No, I had not tried steaming the soap tops with the gold. I don't like burning my fingers, and I keep fearing I'll drop the soap on the teapot or the stove, but I did it anyway, and it does work. Of course I still burned my fingers and the soap got pretty slippery. I steamed 2 bars over my whistling tea kettle as carefully as I could. (I had turned the fire off, but the steam was still quite hot, of course.) The gold mica stayed put and the colors did come out much more clearly than before. I have them side by side to the un-steamed ones and it really is an improvement. Today I will try the rest.

Is there some other method to steaming that doesn't require to go out and purchase a steamer machine that would allow me to do this without holding it over a tea kettle and burning myself?

If the ash isn't too heavy, this will sometimes work for me. https://soapjam.wordpress.com/2013/07/31/removing-soda-ash-efficiently/

 

[galaxyMLP]

Thank you guys! I'm having trouble coming up with next months challenge and I'm not sure if I want it to be design or technique. I looked at the thread that newbie started and there are so many great ideas there. I'll speak with the other soap challenge hosts to see what there ideas are!

Dibbles, that's the one I was about to recommend for stealing the soap.

Penelopejane, I didn't think of the iron. That's a good idea.

I would also just try heating a pot with a little bit of water on the stove. Pour that bit on a paper towel and invert the hot pot over the soap. This is similar to the one dibbles recommended but it might give you a little more power.

 

[BattleGnome]

Do you have kitchen tongs? The rubber/silicone ones should be rated for higher temps than boiling water and shouldn't leave marks on the soap. If you only have metal ones a washcloth might work to pad it.

Edit: missed that there was a next page. This was supposed to be a reply to Earlene

 

[earlene]

Okay, I'll try an inverted tent with a cup of boiling hot water that I will pour from my tea kettle. That sounds the easiest. I hate to iron, so just getting my iron out is a major pain. It's in a spot hard to reach and the whole process of getting it out is more than I want to do considering how much I hate to iron.

Thanks for all the great ideas!

 

[earlene]

Okay, I'll try an inverted tent with a cup of boiling hot water that I will pour from my tea kettle. That sounds the easiest. I hate to iron, so just getting my iron out is a major pain. It's in a spot hard to reach and the whole process of getting it out is more than I want to do considering how much I hate to iron.

Thanks for all the great ideas!

Well the inverted steam tent idea didn't really work at all with just steam. So I decided to just lightly spray with alcohol & then put under the steam 'tent' instead of just the steam tent. Actually it was a large stainless steel mixing bowl turned upside down over a freshly poured cup of boiling water.

I don't think I even needed the steam at all, but what the heck, I'd already tried the steam alone and it was still steamy.

So I took wet pictures and am letting the soap dry again. I sure hope the alcohol doesn't make pock marks in my soap. I always wipe it off by hand because when I don't, I sometimes got tiny little pockmarks on the surface of my soap.

Well, if I don't have another chance to make more, I do like how these look, even if they're not perfect. We are off for a trip for 3 days, so I should have another chance before the deadline, but we will see.

 

[penelopejane]

So I took wet pictures and am letting the soap dry again. I sure hope the alcohol doesn't make pock marks in my soap. I always wipe it off by hand because when I don't, I sometimes got tiny little pockmarks on the surface of my soap..

Earlene, are you using just a light spray with a very fine mist? I wait till the top is tacky to spray when it is just made and don't get lock marks.
After it's cured I am more liberal with it but I get no problems at all. Spray it on and let it dry. I don't think mine is 100% isopropyl.

 

[Wyredgirl]

Can I still enter? I was busy setting up my soap shop and making soap for an event in August...but I think this would be fun

 

[Kittish]

Can I still enter? I was busy setting up my soap shop and making soap for an event in August...but I think this would be fun

Yep, haven't seen anything yet that says entries are closed. I'll be making my first swing at the challenge tonight. I look forward to seeing yours and everyone else's.