Today I made myself a T&S mold and dividers out of a corrugated plastic sheet. I have everything planned in my mind. Hopefully I get the time to get everything ready and have a go at it. Shooting for tonight, if not tomorrow morning.
SMF Soap Making Challenge October: Hidden Feather Swirl
- Thread starter Sonya-m
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QueenBeeSoap
Well-Known Member
Okay, I'm going for it! Count me in. :smile:
1. Snappyllama (woohoo I'm first)
2. Saponista (really looking forward to this!)
3. Commoncenz (If at first you don't succeed ... you're probably soaping
4. TheDragonGirl (Trying should at least be entertaining)
5. BlackDog (First challenge! Woop!)
6. Rparrny (looking forward to my first!)
7. GalaxyMLP (Ive never done a feather swirl...)
8. osso (...it's been a long week)
9. TwystedPryncess (Oh, Lawd. Just, Oh, Lawd.)
10. dibbles (been on my want to try list for a long time-the time has come)
11. KristaMarie (First challenge and first feather swirl!)
12. doriettefarm (my 2nd feather swirl attempt has to turn out better than the 1st, right?)
13. Newbie (quaking in my shoes as everything's been a bust in the last week.)
14. Green soap (can't believe I am doing this.)
15. skayc1 (I've wanted to try this technique for some time now! Oh and Green Soap & I posted at the same time.)
16. SunWolf (woo hoo, I got an idea...time to build a "tall & skinny" mold)
17. Dillsandwitch (Insert witty line here)
18. traderbren (look out birdies- now my soap can have feathers, too!)
19. KristaY (Yipee! County fair is over so I can soap again! Now to shake off the "feather" nerves....)
20. Kumudini ( finally ordered some regular Palm oil, so can think of making white soap with swirls)
21. Gigi (gonna pour n pray lol)
22. MissChief (I guess I did it wrong the first time... oh well, I'm IN)
23. Mrs. Spaceship (Gonna spread my wings and hope to fly!)
24. mintle (no dividers, no hanger to bend, no very slow moving recipe - scared but I go for it!)
25 JuneP New micas and new Palm oil have arrived and will definitely make time to give this a go in the next day or two.
26. Judiraz ( never tried this, should be fun)
27. TeresaT (This challenge has to turn out better than my last two challenge disasters. Doesn't it? Please!)
28. Jules92207 (So gonna have to McGyver this cause I don't have anything I need to do this as elegantly as Sonya...this should be interesting)
29. Soapswirl (last time I attempted something like this - a hidden Christmas tree - was a disaster! Must try harder this time...)
30.Songwind (Sounds like fun. I wanted to learn this technique anyway, so... )
31. Rowan (terrified, but can't resist)
32. Luv2Soap (Hot damn...count me in!!!)
33. Afbrat (Hope it's not too late to enter)
34. Lionprincess00 (better late than never!)
35. QueenBeeSoap (No turning back now!)
1. Snappyllama (woohoo I'm first)
2. Saponista (really looking forward to this!)
3. Commoncenz (If at first you don't succeed ... you're probably soaping
4. TheDragonGirl (Trying should at least be entertaining)
5. BlackDog (First challenge! Woop!)
6. Rparrny (looking forward to my first!)
7. GalaxyMLP (Ive never done a feather swirl...)
8. osso (...it's been a long week)
9. TwystedPryncess (Oh, Lawd. Just, Oh, Lawd.)
10. dibbles (been on my want to try list for a long time-the time has come)
11. KristaMarie (First challenge and first feather swirl!)
12. doriettefarm (my 2nd feather swirl attempt has to turn out better than the 1st, right?)
13. Newbie (quaking in my shoes as everything's been a bust in the last week.)
14. Green soap (can't believe I am doing this.)
15. skayc1 (I've wanted to try this technique for some time now! Oh and Green Soap & I posted at the same time.)
16. SunWolf (woo hoo, I got an idea...time to build a "tall & skinny" mold)
17. Dillsandwitch (Insert witty line here)
18. traderbren (look out birdies- now my soap can have feathers, too!)
19. KristaY (Yipee! County fair is over so I can soap again! Now to shake off the "feather" nerves....)
20. Kumudini ( finally ordered some regular Palm oil, so can think of making white soap with swirls)
21. Gigi (gonna pour n pray lol)
22. MissChief (I guess I did it wrong the first time... oh well, I'm IN)
23. Mrs. Spaceship (Gonna spread my wings and hope to fly!)
24. mintle (no dividers, no hanger to bend, no very slow moving recipe - scared but I go for it!)
25 JuneP New micas and new Palm oil have arrived and will definitely make time to give this a go in the next day or two.
26. Judiraz ( never tried this, should be fun)
27. TeresaT (This challenge has to turn out better than my last two challenge disasters. Doesn't it? Please!)
28. Jules92207 (So gonna have to McGyver this cause I don't have anything I need to do this as elegantly as Sonya...this should be interesting)
29. Soapswirl (last time I attempted something like this - a hidden Christmas tree - was a disaster! Must try harder this time...)
30.Songwind (Sounds like fun. I wanted to learn this technique anyway, so... )
31. Rowan (terrified, but can't resist)
32. Luv2Soap (Hot damn...count me in!!!)
33. Afbrat (Hope it's not too late to enter)
34. Lionprincess00 (better late than never!)
35. QueenBeeSoap (No turning back now!)
QueenBeeSoap
Well-Known Member
I'm excited to participate in my first challenge! I'll enter my second attempt on the other thread, but here's my first attempt. I tried to learn from what did and didn't work for everyone else, but of course, I made plenty of my own mistakes to share here.
For the fragrance, I used Scents of Morocco from NDA. I hadn't used that FO before, so I checked some reviews, didn't see any major red flags, and charged ahead. A few unexpected problems came up:
1. The FO caused the soap batter to accelerate. I should know better than to try a new FO and a new technique at the same time.
I ended up with batter that was way too thick and some serious air pockets.
2. I also didn't realize that this FO discoloured. You can see it starting to discolour in the picture, but I think it will turn out darker.
3. I don't even like the smell of the FO! (Not that this is relevant for the purposes of the challenge, but I had to live with it! To me, it has an unpleasant, overpowering powdery smell. It was way too strong and stunk up my house for days. A few days after I made the soap, a guest commented that it smelled like her grandma's house. :shock: Not exactly what I was going for.)
4. Two of the colourants I used - blue and green oil locking mica from WSP - instantly morphed to shades of greyish brownish purple. :-( I didn't even give the colourants any consideration as a potential problem. Some of the blue and green on the top seems to have survived. You can see the original colours in the picture.
Oh, and did I mention that...
5. I coloured too much batter for the feather. Ooops.
6. The wire I used wasn't thick enough.
7. I am going to avoid using squeeze bottles at all costs in the future!
For the fragrance, I used Scents of Morocco from NDA. I hadn't used that FO before, so I checked some reviews, didn't see any major red flags, and charged ahead. A few unexpected problems came up:
1. The FO caused the soap batter to accelerate. I should know better than to try a new FO and a new technique at the same time.
I ended up with batter that was way too thick and some serious air pockets. 2. I also didn't realize that this FO discoloured. You can see it starting to discolour in the picture, but I think it will turn out darker.
3. I don't even like the smell of the FO! (Not that this is relevant for the purposes of the challenge, but I had to live with it! To me, it has an unpleasant, overpowering powdery smell. It was way too strong and stunk up my house for days. A few days after I made the soap, a guest commented that it smelled like her grandma's house. :shock: Not exactly what I was going for.)
4. Two of the colourants I used - blue and green oil locking mica from WSP - instantly morphed to shades of greyish brownish purple. :-( I didn't even give the colourants any consideration as a potential problem. Some of the blue and green on the top seems to have survived. You can see the original colours in the picture.
Oh, and did I mention that...
5. I coloured too much batter for the feather. Ooops.
6. The wire I used wasn't thick enough.
7. I am going to avoid using squeeze bottles at all costs in the future!
commoncenz
Well-Known Member
Well, not as bad as I had thought it would be ... but definitely not something I'd like to repeat. I hate air holes and yet I have them even after dang near slamming that batter through the table ... lol. I won't be posting an entry this month as I've posted my failed attempts and don't have time to have another go at it ... Anyway, pics of failed attempt #3 ("The Leaning Tower Of Feathers").
mintle
Well-Known Member
QueenBeeSoap, your entry on the official thread reminds me of owl - the feather has owl ears so cute!
so cute!
JuneP
Well-Known Member
I came to the same conclusion about the bottles as you did. Mine were the 12 oz with normal openings. Never again! But, I did order some of the 12oz bottles with the wide openings which I'll try; and just in case they don't work, I also order a couple of more plastic pitchers with the longer narrow spout.
Gauging how much batter to allow for the four colors I used was difficult and pure guesswork. For my mold, I settled on about 2.5 to 2.6 oz on the bottles measurement; and if I hadn't been afraid of running out and used a bit more on each layer, I would have be fine. I wound up having more colored soap than I needed at the end and used it to make two guest ovals.
Gauging how much batter to allow for the four colors I used was difficult and pure guesswork. For my mold, I settled on about 2.5 to 2.6 oz on the bottles measurement; and if I hadn't been afraid of running out and used a bit more on each layer, I would have be fine. I wound up having more colored soap than I needed at the end and used it to make two guest ovals.
I'm excited to participate in my first challenge! I'll enter my second attempt on the other thread, but here's my first attempt. I tried to learn from what did and didn't work for everyone else, but of course, I made plenty of my own mistakes to share here.
For the fragrance, I used Scents of Morocco from NDA. I hadn't used that FO before, so I checked some reviews, didn't see any major red flags, and charged ahead. A few unexpected problems came up:
1. The FO caused the soap batter to accelerate. I should know better than to try a new FO and a new technique at the same time.
2. I also didn't realize that this FO discoloured. You can see it starting to discolour in the picture, but I think it will turn out darker.
3. I don't even like the smell of the FO! (Not that this is relevant for the purposes of the challenge, but I had to live with it! To me, it has an unpleasant, overpowering powdery smell. It was way too strong and stunk up my house for days. A few days after I made the soap, a guest commented that it smelled like her grandma's house. :shock: Not exactly what I was going for.)
4. Two of the colourants I used - blue and green oil locking mica from WSP - instantly morphed to shades of greyish brownish purple. :-( I didn't even give the colourants any consideration as a potential problem. Some of the blue and green on the top seems to have survived. You can see the original colours in the picture.
Oh, and did I mention that...
5. I coloured too much batter for the feather. Ooops.
6. The wire I used wasn't thick enough.
7. I am going to avoid using squeeze bottles at all costs in the future!
JuneP
Well-Known Member
Some people seemed to have a problem with dividers. I used my home made dividers for this challenge. They're made from foam core board that you can buy at art supply and office supply and maybe other places. You can buy a big sheet for about $9. I made the dividers, a one lb mold (Made it a bit bigger than the standard one you can buy to allow room to cut off ends and still have 1" bars), a tall skinny mold and have plenty of leftover.
There is a video on you tube where I got the idea and the gal show how to cut and bend the foam core board. It was a great idea for making and trying out new mold sizes and shapes without first investing a lot more money for the wood or silicone ones.
The nice thing about the foam core board is that it's easily cut and you can make a real tight fit for these type of soaps.
There is a video on you tube where I got the idea and the gal show how to cut and bend the foam core board. It was a great idea for making and trying out new mold sizes and shapes without first investing a lot more money for the wood or silicone ones.
The nice thing about the foam core board is that it's easily cut and you can make a real tight fit for these type of soaps.
Commoncenz I love your leaning tower of feathers. I was wondering if it was possible to do a tilted feather and you did it! Great colours too. Mintle, I love your feather and colours, it looks amazing!
Wow Sonya, this has been a doozy of a challenge!! I've had 3 attempts. Each time I correct one problem I get another one. I have feathers that look like leaves stuck to the bottom of the soap, splotchy feathers and everything in between. I forgot the hanger on my first feather, the titanium dioxide on the second and lost my wits on the third attempt. I've loved every moment of it though. I'll try and post photos tomorrow.
Wow Sonya, this has been a doozy of a challenge!! I've had 3 attempts. Each time I correct one problem I get another one. I have feathers that look like leaves stuck to the bottom of the soap, splotchy feathers and everything in between. I forgot the hanger on my first feather, the titanium dioxide on the second and lost my wits on the third attempt. I've loved every moment of it though. I'll try and post photos tomorrow.
Sonya-m
Well-Known Member
I think that does make a big difference. My dividers slipped at one end and the wider end wasn't as feather like
annalee2003
Well-Known Member
Can I just say that all the entries look absolutely fantastic so far! This is going to be a hard contest to vote in. I know there's still some time left, but good luck to everyone!
MrsSpaceship
Well-Known Member
Ok, mad dashing to make it in time (these last couple of weeks have just been... ahem, yes well. I have until midnight tomorrow right? Where's my SL?!?
Alright, things I'm learned.
Keep the dividers closer together... Ok, I can do that.
Make sure that your hanger isn't too thick or to thin... um...ok
Recipe that isn't too loose or too thick (Oh, jeesh, I'm doomed)
Wish me luck folks, I'm goin' in!!
Alright, things I'm learned.
Keep the dividers closer together... Ok, I can do that.
Make sure that your hanger isn't too thick or to thin... um...ok
Recipe that isn't too loose or too thick (Oh, jeesh, I'm doomed)
Wish me luck folks, I'm goin' in!!
Finally, I made my soap for the challenge. But I really think it's going to be a flop because I didn't have a proper hanger tool. Will have to wait and see. I blended some colors and got the shades I wanted, made several layers in spite of the thick trace, basically spooned in all the layers but my hanger, oh my, oh my, why didn't I get a good one? May be because I've never seen one for sale but then even if I saw one, would it be the right size? My makeshift mold was 12" long because I wanted 12 bars out of it. Oh well, this was my only real attempt and with a proper tool it probably would've been a good one. That's still ok in my book.
Oh BTW, I'm really loving all the entries, beautiful colors and so many different effects in one seemingly straight forward technique. And matching scent themes to boot.
. But I really think it's going to be a flop because I didn't have a proper hanger tool. Will have to wait and see. I blended some colors and got the shades I wanted, made several layers in spite of the thick trace, basically spooned in all the layers but my hanger, oh my, oh my, why didn't I get a good one? May be because I've never seen one for sale but then even if I saw one, would it be the right size? My makeshift mold was 12" long because I wanted 12 bars out of it. Oh well, this was my only real attempt and with a proper tool it probably would've been a good one. That's still ok in my book.Oh BTW, I'm really loving all the entries, beautiful colors and so many different effects in one seemingly straight forward technique. And matching scent themes to boot.
Gear ties are the best thing ever for swirling . . . they're flexible like a giant twist tie covered in silicone, get some K!
"Gear ties are the best thing ever for swirling . . . they're flexible like a giant twist tie covered in silicone, get some K!"
Where do you find those??
Where do you find those??
Lowe's or Home Depot . . . maybe even Wally World
Thanks Doriettefarm... I try to avoid Wally World but the others? We have those!! I will hunt them down.
I hear ya Misschief, I avoid Wally World like the plague! Pretty sure my hubby got a 2-pack at Lowe's but I've also seen them on Amazon if you're a mail-order lush like me.
Gear ties are the best thing ever for swirling . . . they're flexible like a giant twist tie covered in silicone, get some K!
Oh, I miss not_ally, she always calls me K! Wonder why she's not dropping in to post something
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I second or third or fourth the gear ties. They can be a little tricky to get bent to a 90 degree without some wobbles but it doesn't seem to matter. You can bend them to fit every mold you have and they hold up really well. And WAY cheaper than the SS ones sold that are specific to certain mold sizes. I got mine from Amazon because I hate shopping.
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