I used 5%. I usually go with 3% but since citrus is notorious for fading, I just went with the higher amount.
What soapy thing have you done today?
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bumbleklutz
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Thanks for the info. Truth be told, I got the Satsuma Orange as a sample from Nurture Soaps, and liked it oob so much I had to soap it.
I just used the entire sample bottle in the batch. The full bottle weighed 29 grams including the bottle, and the empty bottle weighed 9 grams. So, it was 20 grams. That's a generous sample. In my recipe it worked out to 4.25%, that's where the wonky number came from. I think 5% would be the perfect strength for that fragrance though.
Thanks for the info. Truth be told, I got the Satsuma Orange as a sample from Nurture Soaps, and liked it oob so much I had to soap it.
I also got it as a sample originally. I used that mixed with cinders in a soap. My son loved it so much oob that I figured I better order more!
Finally made my soap for the swap. Also made some others. 30 lbs of soap in their molds.
I cut Sunday's soap today. The one in the mold and cut photos didn't turn out exactly as I had pictured while planning. Sometimes what looks good on paper isn't as great as the reality. And silly me, I instinctively thumped the molds after pouring in the square white imbeds, causing them to sink... even into my (formerly perfect) black layer. Oops!
The round ones are further experiments in divided pvc tubes using a vertical hanger swirl (circular mixing). I really like the way those turned out.
The round ones are further experiments in divided pvc tubes using a vertical hanger swirl (circular mixing). I really like the way those turned out.
Marshall
Well-Known Member
I Joined SMF right at a year ago and with this communities help I feel I have progressed enough to make some gift baskets for a few friends and family members. I still need some work on the whole color swirlie thing but I am confident that beyond that the bar quality is good.
Feels good to gift something hand made with some thought behind it.
Thanks to all in this wonderful group, your collective knowledge made these gifts possible.
I hope you all have an amazing holiday season!
Marshall
Feels good to gift something hand made with some thought behind it.
Thanks to all in this wonderful group, your collective knowledge made these gifts possible.
I hope you all have an amazing holiday season!
Marshall
While I was having my soapmaking marathon in Branson, I didn't do any posting here. I made several pounds of soap, though. All my SMF Home Swap soaps and some other fun soaps. My first spin swirl ever. That was fun. I had bought a small Lazy Susan at Goodwill just for that purpose.
Also did a couple of salting-out batches while away. When I was packaging soaps recently, I thought that the fact that salted out soap floats would make it a nice kids soap. So I plan to try a kid-type mold with the salted out soap and see how it turns out.
I used up most of my infused oils this past week, but saved some to pair with scents that I had not brought with me on the trip.
Today I cut, trimmed & beveled some of the soaps that were still in the molds when I left. One more large loaf and the small spin swirl soap are yet uncut.
Offered Hubby soaps to give as co-worker gifts this year. He hasn't given me a count yet, so I don't know for sure what kind of dent it's going to make in my 'stock.'
Also did a couple of salting-out batches while away. When I was packaging soaps recently, I thought that the fact that salted out soap floats would make it a nice kids soap. So I plan to try a kid-type mold with the salted out soap and see how it turns out.
I used up most of my infused oils this past week, but saved some to pair with scents that I had not brought with me on the trip.
Today I cut, trimmed & beveled some of the soaps that were still in the molds when I left. One more large loaf and the small spin swirl soap are yet uncut.
Offered Hubby soaps to give as co-worker gifts this year. He hasn't given me a count yet, so I don't know for sure what kind of dent it's going to make in my 'stock.'
I discovered that the 5 pounds of soap I made yesterday were rancid. Yep. I finally made that "Home Sweet Home" swap soap yesterday morning, then unmolded and cut it last night before I went to bed. This morning the kitchen smelled odd. It was the soap. The unscented soap was apparently scented with funk. I went over to the 5 gallon master batched bucket and opened it up to take a whiff. It stunk. Why did I not notice this funky odor yesterday when I was making the soap? OH YES! I know. Because I had a wax tart melting in the kitchen making my house smell like Christmas baked goods. THAT'S WHY!! When the fake Christmas cookies went to bed, the funk came out to destroy the kitchen. I didn't have time this morning to deal with this, so my house will really stink like funk tonight when I get home. Note to self: NEVER leave the bucket warmer plugged in (especially for a month). I hadn't made soap since the last SMF challenge. The bucket warmer was still plugged in. (I completely forgot about it.) I noticed it was plugged in on Friday and decided, "Oh, great! I can make soap on Saturday." Which actually turned into Sunday. But the point is, leaving a bucket warmer on for a month will cook your oils and make them rancid. And then you end up wasting not only what is in the bucket, but the extra .652 pounds of kokum butter you added to the 4.6 pounds of master batch you used to make the batch of rancid soap you are going to throw away when you get home from work. And the vinegar. And the EDTA. And the sugar. And the 50% master batched lye solution. I suck.
No, you don't suck, Teresa. Accidents happen. YOU are fabulous!
Thanks, Earlene. I was so frustrated yesterday when I realized what happened. I tossed the soap and the bucket full of oils in the trash. I'm off from work tomorrow; I'll haul everything to the dump in the morning and then make a couple of new batches when I get back. Last night before I went to bed, I discovered the hole in my ceiling grew exponentially during the day. It now looks like a frog is in the ceiling. The roofers were on my roof this morning at 8:00 tearing it apart. There have been some delays. I hope most of the repairs and construction work will be finished today and the actual shingles will be finished by tomorrow. I'm going to need another contractor to remove the rotted insulation and replace it and the ceiling. I think there's some nasty mold up there, too.
TBandCW
Well-Known Member
Waiting not so patiently for my very first loaf mold to arrive. It apparently is taking a tour around the U.S. Already been from Indiana to the pacific ocean and back again to Illinois. Hopefully now it is done sight seeing and will find it's way to Nevada!
Made some more 100% CO (SF: 20%) soap with 8 oval cavity molds, about 5 oz weight each before shrinkage. Also, made a 5 lb loaf mold with my favorite 4-oil recipe and some cedar EO I got a while ago.
I don't soap nearly as much as I would like b/c I use just a little more than 2 bars a month. :-(
Scooter
I don't soap nearly as much as I would like b/c I use just a little more than 2 bars a month. :-(
Scooter
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I haven't been soaping as much as I would like, but I did manage to make some baby shower soaps for my friend last weekend so I started unmolding them. They are doing a Winnie the Pooh theme so we did honeycomb and honey pots in yellow and grey.
Ordered two tall & skinny silicone molds from Brambleberry after much deliberation. I researched a few T&S mold out there, made a diagram to see what the bar shape would look like for each mold, compared prices, etc... Probably overkill but I'm so excited for my new molds to arrive! I plan on making my own wooden boxes for them to prevent bowing (which seems to be a commonly reported issue with the BB T&S).
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TBandCW
Well-Known Member
I also measured soap, soap box etc. before I ordered my new mold. Not overkill, just common sense!Ordered two tall & skinny silicone molds from Brambleberry after much deliberation. I researched a few T&S mold out there, made a diagram to see what the bar shape would look like for each mold, compared prices, etc... Probably overkill but I'm so excited for my new molds to arrive! I plan on making my own wooden boxes for them to prevent bowing (which seems to be a commonly reported issue with the BB T&S).
The traveling Soap Mold! What stories it will have to tell.
:mrgreen: Just hope it doesn't have jet lag, aka any damage, after it's adventure!
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A
amd
Researching breast milk soap for a couple ladies at work. Wrapping Christmas presents (only one of which is soap related which makes me wonder what is wrong with the rest of my family).
I am officially done for the year. Hope to make some fun things next weekend after the holiday and after my daughter and grandkids are gone from visiting. Just some baking and gift wrapping left to do.
TBandCW
Well-Known Member
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