Southwest Girl joins SMF

[Peggyrae]

Welcome, Lisa!


IrishLass

Thank you!

No, but my granddaughter used to dream of owning a horse ranch, which was why I planned the wild horse adventure. We traveled to a few different spots around the NM, AZ and Colorado areas to known herds of wild horses roamed, mostly on BLM land to get our glimpses. We both had a fabulous time on that trip, with memories to last a lifetime.

Yes, NV has some gorgeous freeway art as well, but my first recollection of truly beautiful freeway overpasses will always remain those of NM.

Your life in NM sounds quite lovely and I do hope you are able to have horses again someday. I do understand about the traveling being a deterrent to it though. My husband & I came to an agreement long ago that, although each of us has always loving having animals in our lives, that due to the amount of travel we do, there is just no way we could provide a good life for animals in our household. So we choose to appreciate whatever wildlife comes our way.

Yes, I understand completely. Love traveling. We also have 4 dogs that we take with us everywhere. Two of them are old and not in great health. Despite how much we adore them we think of the day that we have fewer to care for and how much easier traveling will be.

Here is a good video for that technique

You can see it doesn't take much movement of the pouring vessel. You will want to keep your batter fluid, so use a slow tracing recipe and split for colors at emulsion. Note in the video how far the pour advances when she removes the first piece of the wood she uses for elevation on the far end, and again when she levels the mold. I don't think it's too critical other than you don't want to remove it too soon. Good luck, and post pics!

Thank you for your suggestions and I will post if it isn't a complete fail. I am still working on a fluid recipe. I have struggled with that but have had success along the way. The struggle is always that different recipes will hold longer than others. I have never had one just stay at a light trace as long as I like but I am getting closer.

Here is a good video for that technique

You can see it doesn't take much movement of the pouring vessel. You will want to keep your batter fluid, so use a slow tracing recipe and split for colors at emulsion. Note in the video how far the pour advances when she removes the first piece of the wood she uses for elevation on the far end, and again when she levels the mold. I don't think it's too critical other than you don't want to remove it too soon. Good luck, and post pics!

I have one question, did you pour yours to be one layer thick ( 1 + inch cut horizontally) or a regular size loaf approx 2.5 - 3" batch cut horizontally? I am wondering, because I am thinking of doing my batch in my 5 lb loaf mold. Will this process stand up to a deeper pour?

 

[Deborah Long]

@Peggyrae - I'm originally from Ohio, moved to Phoenix 20+ years ago, met a guy, got married, having a great time! I love the southwest! After traveling most of the eastern part of the US, it's been wonderfully fun seeing the western half! I ended up loving the desert and the hot weather seldom bothers me - I actually like it hot! lol

 

[dibbles]

Thank you!


Yes, I understand completely. Love traveling. We also have 4 dogs that we take with us everywhere. Two of them are old and not in great health. Despite how much we adore them we think of the day that we have fewer to care for and how much easier traveling will be.


Thank you for your suggestions and I will post if it isn't a complete fail. I am still working on a fluid recipe. I have struggled with that but have had success along the way. The struggle is always that different recipes will hold longer than others. I have never had one just stay at a light trace as long as I like but I am getting closer.


I have one question, did you pour yours to be one layer thick ( 1 + inch cut horizontally) or a regular size loaf approx 2.5 - 3" batch cut horizontally? I am wondering, because I am thinking of doing my batch in my 5 lb loaf mold. Will this process stand up to a deeper pour?

I just poured one layer. I haven't tried doing two layers so I don't know, but it seems that - in theory - it should work. The bottom layer might not be as well defined, but it should still be pretty!

 

[earlene]

I have created soap in layers with different designs in different layers. Someone else here has mentioned doing it, and I've seen a couple of artistic soapers online who do it as well, so decided to try it myself. It makes for an interestingly changeling type of soap bar as it gets used in the bath or at sink-side. Look at Vicki Frost (Black Cat Blues) soap making channel for several examples of layered soaps with different designs in each layer. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdw8dVf0eaCtUHiaxB2pAmw/videos

One way I did layers to get both the top and the bottom (in a slab) to look like the top, was to wait until after the first layer was firm enough to remove from the mold and turn it over so the top became the bottom. Then made a new batch of soap which I poured for the second layer and made the design again. Then CPOP'd the whole thing. The layers stayed together, even though they were made a day apart. I don't know if that would work with a recipe with a lot of hard oils, though.

You can also do a cosmic shimmy in a tall & skinny mold, although I found it a bit more challenging to perfect. In fact I haven't perfected it yet, but plan to give it a go again because I really like the look.

 

[dibbles]

I was insomnia sleep deprived when I wrote my response in the wee hours of the morning. Instead of saying I haven't poured two layers, I should have said I haven't poured at a thickness for two layers of soap to be cut. @earlene I'm not sure if what you are calling a cosmic shimmy is what I am calling a zig zag cosmic wave pour (as in my avatar and the video by Fraulein Winter I linked). I think @Peggyrae wants to do a zig zag cosmic wave poured at a, for instance depth of 2-3" and cut horizontally ending up with two bars cut horizontally to be 1"-1.5" thick. So that the top of the soap poured into the loaf mold would be the face of the soap, and the center of the soap would also be the face of a second bar. OK, I'm not sure if I am making any more sense now. Badly need more coffee.

 

[earlene]

I was insomnia sleep deprived when I wrote my response in the wee hours of the morning. Instead of saying I haven't poured two layers, I should have said I haven't poured at a thickness for two layers of soap to be cut. @earlene I'm not sure if what you are calling a cosmic shimmy is what I am calling a zig zag cosmic wave pour (as in my avatar and the video by Fraulein Winter I linked). I think @Peggyrae wants to do a zig zag cosmic wave poured at a, for instance depth of 2-3" and cut horizontally ending up with two bars cut horizontally to be 1"-1.5" thick. So that the top of the soap poured into the loaf mold would be the face of the soap, and the center of the soap would also be the face of a second bar. OK, I'm not sure if I am making any more sense now. Badly need more coffee.

No, they are variations of the cosmic wave, however and it is a deeper pour, so that's why I mentioned it. (My video link was also by the same soaper as yours, btw - I didn't even realize that until today.)

PeggyRae asked if the design would survive a deeper pour and I had this thought. I don't know if it would as a slab mold, but offered the layers as a way to create a thicker soap in a slab mold and still use the same design for top & bottom when one might want a thicker soap. But I wasn't thinking of a thicker slab that would then be cut like a log splitter cut to create twice as many bars of soap. I was thinking more along the lines of a bigger soap, like the large chunky ones I like. It may not be what PeggyRae is after, just one other way to approach getting a thicker soap without a deeper pour. But I suppose the only way to know if the zigzag cosmic wave would hold up to a deeper pour, would be to try it and as you say, cut like horizontally, then vertically to see how well the design carries through.

 

[Peggyrae]

Welcome to the forum! I love your cactus soaps!

Thank you. I was going for a Southwest sunset but added too much of the other colors. I was working with half the weight I am used to and had mixed too much before I realized what I had done. I did like the colors though!

 

[Peggyrae]

I was insomnia sleep deprived when I wrote my response in the wee hours of the morning. Instead of saying I haven't poured two layers, I should have said I haven't poured at a thickness for two layers of soap to be cut. @earlene I'm not sure if what you are calling a cosmic shimmy is what I am calling a zig zag cosmic wave pour (as in my avatar and the video by Fraulein Winter I linked). I think @Peggyrae wants to do a zig zag cosmic wave poured at a, for instance depth of 2-3" and cut horizontally ending up with two bars cut horizontally to be 1"-1.5" thick. So that the top of the soap poured into the loaf mold would be the face of the soap, and the center of the soap would also be the face of a second bar. OK, I'm not sure if I am making any more sense now. Badly need more coffee.

You read me perfectly which is an accomplishment in itself! I am always confusing my hubby...

 

[Peggyrae]

No, they are variations of the cosmic wave, however and it is a deeper pour, so that's why I mentioned it. (My video link was also by the same soaper as yours, btw - I didn't even realize that until today.)

PeggyRae asked if the design would survive a deeper pour and I had this thought. I don't know if it would as a slab mold, but offered the layers as a way to create a thicker soap in a slab mold and still use the same design for top & bottom when one might want a thicker soap. But I wasn't thinking of a thicker slab that would then be cut like a log splitter cut to create twice as many bars of soap. I was thinking more along the lines of a bigger soap, like the large chunky ones I like. It may not be what PeggyRae is after, just one other way to approach getting a thicker soap without a deeper pour. But I suppose the only way to know if the zigzag cosmic wave would hold up to a deeper pour, would be to try it and as you say, cut like horizontally, then vertically to see how well the design carries through.

I was asking if it had been tried in a 5lb (or smaller) at a depth of 2.5-3 inches. It sounds like no one has tried, so I have to decide if I want to give it a go on my first run out of the gate. Translated to “Am Isucker for punishment.” or another translation “do you want to risk a 5 lb failure?” Well maybe I am if it’s a 3 lb loaf.... hmmm.

 

[Peggyrae]

@Peggyrae - I'm originally from Ohio, moved to Phoenix 20+ years ago, met a guy, got married, having a great time! I love the southwest! After traveling most of the eastern part of the US, it's been wonderfully fun seeing the western half! I ended up loving the desert and the hot weather seldom bothers me - I actually like it hot! lol

I haven’t gotten to the point where I like hot weather. I am thrilled to live at 6000’ elevation. But the western US is marvelous. I can’t deal with humidity so this area is great for me. We play in the desert in the spring and winter and enjoy our summer and falls at home!

 

[Peggyrae]

I just poured one layer. I haven't tried doing two layers so I don't know, but it seems that - in theory - it should work. The bottom layer might not be as well defined, but it should still be pretty!

Hah, just learned that additional comments are found on a link. Think I will try a smaller loaf and not risk my soap thickening up on me as much with a longer pour.

 

[dibbles]

I found a bar I made around the same time that was poured a little deeper than normal, so I cut it to see what is inside. On the left is the top as it was poured. On the right is the center of the bar. So it works, but in this case anyway the result is a more muted version

Well I see the pic is sideways. The bar on the bottom is the one from the top of the loaf.

 

[Peggyrae]

I loves your cactus soap with the pretty sunset colors. M&P can be a lot of fun

There is actually high quality M&P bases available and some folks cannot even use lye based soaps. Although in the last few years m&p became less all surfactant based and now is lye soap based except the ultra clear bases. So I am not sure if the lye based m&p bothers those folks or not.

I do see all those beautiful mp soap designs out there. I did notice some of the plasticy feeling is going away as my soaps cure. I still don’t understand anyone saying they can’t use lye based Soaps since all soaps are lye based.

 

[Peggyrae]

I found a bar I made around the same time that was poured a little deeper than normal, so I cut it to see what is inside. On the left is the top as it was poured. On the right is the center of the bar. So it works, but in this case anyway the result is a more muted version
View attachment 38205
Well I see the pic is sideways. The bar on the bottom is the one from the top of the loaf.

Well that is enough to make me reconsider. Maybe a thinner pour is the ticket.

 

[Peggyrae]

Welcome to the forum!

Southwest in your title caught my eye....I just moved away from Aztec a few years ago Lived in the Four Corners for nearly 20 years. Beautiful area!

Wow AZTEC is close! It is beautiful country. We live pretty close to the Colorado border in La Plata. The further north you get the greener it gets!