SMF Soapmaking Challenge November: Drop and Skewer

[Deedles]

My first try at this challenge should be called Pudding Slopping! The 2.5lb recipe I used is my regular GM posted below. The FO used...10g Oatmeal Milk & Honey, 5g Honey Almond.

I knew I needed a thin batter so I let the oils and lye cool to around 85º which is much cooler than I've ever done before. Once emulsion was reached, I used the SB just a few pulses to make sure it was all mixed and I separated it into 3rds. I had premixed my colors with SAO. I used TD, CC Cobalt Blue Ultramarine and CC Teal Green. After my first try at color where I got the navy blue soap and bubbles, I was a little gun shy with the amount of color powder to use as both the blue and green were alot lighter than planned. I'm thinking I need a quick tutorial in color mixing...how much colorant in how much oil and how much is needed per recipe.

So....shortly after I whisked the color into the batter in each pitcher it was the consistency of pudding, not the thin flowing stream LP had in her video. I've read that TD will accelerate trace so I added it last. It was just a bit thinner than the other two when I poured it. All I managed to do was layer some strips of color and stir it with a chop stick!

I'm thinking the fast trace is a combination of FO's and colorants.

Recipe....
OO 27.00%
PO 30.00%
CO 30.00%
SAO 8.00%
SB 5.00%

Lye 120g Milk to Lye Ratio: 2.5
Goats Milk 300g Milk % of Oils 38%

 

[amd]

Well I couldn't figure out how to attach pic to a private message so here's attempt #1. It doesn't feel right though and soap is terrible... I want to nominate it for pen holder status lol. Someone please let me know if this resembles a drop and swear. (The thread title changed but it is still stuck in my head...)

 

[newbie]

My first two stink. Too swirled. Makes me swear a lot.

 

[DeeAnna]

Haven't done my soaps yet, but I'm fixin' to get them done tomorrow. I am going to split my usual 1500 g batch into three batch-lets, and I plan to make each with a different color scheme. That will hopefully give me 3 chances to get something that looks nice. Fingers crossed.....

 

[mymy]

How to submit results?

 

[TeresaT]

Killing two soaps with one challenge

As I lamented in a post, I need to make a dozen lemon verbena soaps for someone for January.

I want to combine the challenge and the sale. My base would be natural with calendula petals (pour 2 inches). The drop swirl would be a combo of bright but undecided contrasting colors (poured about 3/4 inch or so). The skewer would be to a depth of 1 inch. For the challenge, can the base color be skewered in with the swirl?

Thanks!!

 

[afbrat]

How to submit results?

They will start a thread for submissions. The date should be in the original post with the rules. I think it's the 16th

 

[TeresaT]

amd, I like the soaps. What FO did you use? They're not pen-holder worthy IMO.

 

[lionprincess00]

My first try at this challenge should be called Pudding Slopping! The 2.5lb recipe I used is my regular GM posted below. The FO used...10g Oatmeal Milk & Honey, 5g Honey Almond.

I knew I needed a thin batter so I let the oils and lye cool to around 85º which is much cooler than I've ever done before. Once emulsion was reached, I used the SB just a few pulses to make sure it was all mixed and I separated it into 3rds. I had premixed my colors with SAO. I used TD, CC Cobalt Blue Ultramarine and CC Teal Green. After my first try at color where I got the navy blue soap and bubbles, I was a little gun shy with the amount of color powder to use as both the blue and green were alot lighter than planned. I'm thinking I need a quick tutorial in color mixing...how much colorant in how much oil and how much is needed per recipe.

So....shortly after I whisked the color into the batter in each pitcher it was the consistency of pudding, not the thin flowing stream LP had in her video. I've read that TD will accelerate trace so I added it last. It was just a bit thinner than the other two when I poured it. All I managed to do was layer some strips of color and stir it with a chop stick!

I'm thinking the fast trace is a combination of FO's and colorants.

Recipe....
OO 27.00%
PO 30.00%
CO 30.00%
SAO 8.00%
SB 5.00%

Lye 120g Milk to Lye Ratio: 2.5
Goats Milk 300g Milk % of Oils 38%

I've had milks cause batter to accelerate quicker than water fwiw. Td will thicken with a water discount, but I haven't used full water in a long time so maybe it doesn't so much with full water. Hope it turns out well for you!

 

[lionprincess00]

Well I couldn't figure out how to attach pic to a private message so here's attempt #1. It doesn't feel right though and soap is terrible... I want to nominate it for pen holder status lol. Someone please let me know if this resembles a drop and swear. (The thread title changed but it is still stuck in my head...)

It reminds me of flames on a fire pile. Cool effect! Not a drop and swear in my book.

 

[lionprincess00]

How to submit results?

Final results will be in a new thread on the designated day. Please all refrain from posting your final soaps here and wait til the new thread (shouldve mentioned this in my starter thread, will go check and edit if I forgot). Thx

 

[lionprincess00]

As I lamented in a post, I need to make a dozen lemon verbena soaps for someone for January.

I want to combine the challenge and the sale. My base would be natural with calendula petals (pour 2 inches). The drop swirl would be a combo of bright but undecided contrasting colors (poured about 3/4 inch or so). The skewer would be to a depth of 1 inch. For the challenge, can the base color be skewered in with the swirl?

Thanks!!

Yes good luck!

 

[TeresaT]

Awesome news, thanks. This attempt, no matter how bad has to be better than my first one. I hope I don't run out of FO.

 

[BlackDog]

Eeee! Just cut my first challenge attempt and I could not be more thrilled with results. It's my first time using this technique and it was much less stressful than the feather swirl, lol!

I had a ton of fun doing it and already have a second batch planned using a different scent/color combo for next weekend. Yay soaping!

 

[newbie]

Is it possible to get worse at drop swirling every time you do it? Yes, yes it is.

 

[Saponista]

I'm with you on that one newbie.

 

[doriettefarm]

I think this new 1lb mold is making me reckless because it doesn't feel like such a loss of materials. So I'm about to take the plunge and make my first attempt at the drop/swear/skewer swirl. Crazy me also decided it would be cool to try piping on top along with some M&P gumballs. Chances are good this will be a spectacular fail and you guys will be seeing a 'Nailed It (NOT)' kinda pic sometime tomorrow!

 

[penelopejane]

Is it possible to get worse at drop swirling every time you do it? Yes, yes it is.

Seeing you experience people having trouble is reassuring. I have 2 batches - on with too little swirling and one with too much base colour so the swirls are a no show.

 

[newbie]

I'm ready to throttle LionPrincess, in the nicest kind of way. 16 bars of crap in, I'm almost ready to throw in the towel. Drop swirls seem deceptively simple but they are not at all. I cannot get the look I want although, maybe I do with the drops but then I end up swirling them into oblivion.

 

[Judiraz]

I'm the newest member of the "drop & swear" club. For some arcane reason I started thinking about DOS. I've only had 1 bar out of one of my first batches that ever had anything that remotely looked like DOS, but I started thinking about it SO I decided to use the rosemary oleoresin extract that I bought a long while ago and never used. I got the decimal point wrong (duh) and my pale green base was a nice shade of baby poo brown. I went ahead and finished so I could practice the swirl. I'll see what that looks like tomorrow. On to Batch #2...