What soapy thing have you done today?

[shunt2011]

Beveled, wrapped and labeled 100 soaps. Getting ready for a small show on the 24th. Have another 100 or more to go. Still haven't made my sugar scrubs. Will have to light a fire and get those done this week or next weekend at the latest. Also need to do some lip balm and several more batches of soap to get ready for show season.

 

[Karens62]

I love the embeds you 'threw on' there. It looks so much like pinecones between those leaves, is that what they are?

They are tiny chrysanthemums which are a deep deep purple/burgundy. I have a whole box in multiple colors I make when I bored or have a little extra MP from another project.

 

[earlene]

Thanks guys. It wasn't actually the motor that was the problem. It is the type that unclicks in the middle for cleaning. That click no longer happens so as I'm using it it comes apart. Unfortunately I don't have the receipt. I could return it and get a replacement but I'm not sure.

There are several stores that will do direct exchanges without a receipt. Both WalMart and Target will do a receipt look-up if you show them the credit card used for purchase. And both will do a return/exchange without a receipt if you show your ID. Other big chain stores have the same policy of exchange without a receipt, especially if you say it was a gift.

 

[amd]

I wrestled with the soap gremlins all weekend. I have not had this many failed batches in my entire soaping career as I have had in 2018 alone. So... where do I even start with my disaster of a weekend? I guess the stuff that DIDN'T fail is good: cleaned, photographed, and packaged about 54 bars of soap and posted to my website and Etsy store. I made a batch of lilac bubble scoops, and another batch of Endless Love dupe. The lilac was made specifically for a friend who is coming to visit me next week from OK. That was all the good.

The bad: I made two batches of regular soap - fortunately 1lb batches - and they are absolute mush! I did manage to talk the spa owner into waiting for soaps and bubble scoops until her Grand Opening event so that they will have almost 4 months to cure if I get them done by the end of February. So I tried to make one batch of the salt bars and they are mushy too! I'm suspecting it's a lye issue, as I did have some older lye when we moved and I think the rotation (FIFO) got messed up when we moved, and I am down to the last 3 containers which could be from early 2017... or they could be from 2015. The soap also took much much longer to come to trace. I'm debating if I should try a different container tonight or just wait for my new shipment of lye that is coming tomorrow and just chuck everything I have left.

The ugly: I went to work on my Feb entry and discovered some of my dough colors had turned rock hard, so I had to make some new dough colors. I'm not sure if it is changing the technique, or (again) a lye issue, but my dough is a gooey mess. Instead of pouring it into cups and covering with plastic wrap, I decided to try the idea suggested of pouring into sealable plastic bags. Usually I can unmold my dough at 12 hours, give it a good kneading to get the color completely mixed, and then wrap it and leave it for another 12-24 hours to finish up (although a few times there has been no zap at 12 hours so I have used it straightaway). There's no way this goopy nonsense is leaving the bag unless I can squeeze it out like frosting.

Tonight's plan is mostly trying not to cry. I might try a second batch of soap dough tonight using a different container of lye and my tried and true cup method, if I can do it without crying. Otherwise it is Manicure Monday and making a valentines box with my daughter, so that will be a wonderful evening in itself.

 

[Misschief]

AMD, that is SO disheartening! It does sound like a lye issue, especially since it wasn't just a single batch. Have a cry if you need to but Manicure Monday sounds like a great idea at this point.

 

[toxikon]

Cut my Flame Tree soap. I'm really surprised at the pattern! I was expecting it to look like a mess, but I was pleasantly surprised.

 

[loriag]

Since my soap areas are busy with loaves setting up today I decided to mix EO's for some lovely test scents. So fun! Did I say how much I am enjoying learning to soap?!

 

[earlene]

Cut my Flame Tree soap. I'm really surprised at the pattern! I was expecting it to look like a mess, but I was pleasantly surprised. View attachment 28747

Those are absolutely gorgeous, toxikon!

 

[toxikon]

Those are absolutely gorgeous, toxikon!

Thank you!! It's hard to capture the colours on my phone but the base is a deep brownish green, looks quite striking in person!

 

[GreenDragon]

It was rainy and cold (30f) all weekend, so I decided to do some soaping. Made a batch of my favorite shaving soap, a pound of a Dr. Bonner type liquid soap concentrate for the wife, a batch of my favorite man soap with charcoal, pumpkin seed oil and tamanu oil, and a batch of my wife’s fav soap using some freshly mixed green and blue lab color concentrates as a test batch. Samples of each in picture attached.

 

[Karens62]

Cut my Flame Tree soap. I'm really surprised at the pattern! View attachment 28747

I just want to keep looking at it, it’s intriguing!

 

[Karens62]

I cut my rebatched lilac soap. Not quite the white, green and two shades of purple swirl I was originally going for! It’s not as bad as I thought and smells wonderful. I used True Lilac from WSP. My husband the geologist has named it Lilac Breccia Soap as he says it looks just like rocks.

 

[Misschief]

View attachment 28755 View attachment 28756 I cut my rebatched lilac soap. Not quite the white, green and two shades of purple swirl I was originally going for! It’s not as bad as I thought and smells wonderful. I used True Lilac from WSP. My husband the geologist has named it Lilac Breccia Soap as he says it looks just like rocks.

Nicely done. That's one of the best looking rebatch soaps I've seen!

 

[amd]

Spent the night making one unicorn Valentine box (completely out of found items around the house!), didn't get manicures done because we are out of nail polish remover. Then spent the rest of the night trouble shooting my failed soaps. Checked the scale to make sure it was measuring right. Ran the recipes thru 2 calculators. Figured out how to find lot codes in Soapmaker software (my lye is good, whew! I did not want to figure out how I was going to dispose of it.) My soap dough is fine today, if still a bit sticky, but not gooey. Should be fine tomorrow when all the zap is out of it. The two 1lb batches are still soft, but firming up so I'm going to leave them in the mold for another day before I try to cut. They do have a bit more sunflower oil than I usually use so maybe it is just a softer soap than what I am used to. (Soapmaking teaches me something new every day. And patience. So much patience...) The salt bars are a mystery. I unmolded them and the top layer is zappy, the middle layer is mushy and the bottom layer has all the salt in it. These were not supposed to be layered bars! Ha. So I redid them. The only different component is that the FO is a brand new bottle that I opened for the previous batch. I have used the FO before but it always soaped well. The first batch I took to emulsion because usually I add salt, separate for colors, and it's at a really nice trace when it's time to mold. Well I think I was rushing and didn't notice that it never traced, so the soap separated in the mold. That's all I can figure. So batch 2 I made sure I got to trace. After 20 minutes of blending and switching between two SB... It was nowhere near trace. The FO seems to be decelerating trace. FUN! So I grabbed a chair and a beer and caught up on FB. Apparently it just wanted to be left alone because in 5 minutes it was perfect trace. So far seems to be holding itself together! Keeping my fingers crossed. Still going to be doing a gremlins exorcism from the soap lab tomorrow. Funky juju begone!

 

[Lin19687]

Got Bb done yesterday, sorry they are upsidedown to dry so i turned one up.
Got soaping room more set up

 

[cmzaha]

Your soaping room looks so much neater than mine!! I have a kitty that looks just like yours named Squeegie. Aren't the moon cake presses fun, they have such pretty designs.

 

[Lin19687]

HAHA, that is just because I just moved in there
I have 2 kitties like that, that one is not suppose to be in there. grrr
This is the other side of the room, that is where the mess is .
i have tubs of CO on the 2nd shelf and I didn't feel like moving the AC on the bottom shelf. It will go in the window as soon as Spring starts.

 

[Elaine69]

I made 100% co soap, cut it and then put through my salad shooter so it could dry. I make this for my laundry detergent.

 

[Misschief]

I cut this soap this morning, before work. My mold was a 3" core from a roll of architectural paper, lined with freezer paper and a silicone impression mat. I did get partial gel and the open end did crack a bit but the soap is already beautifully hard and smells amazing (petitgrain and bergamot). It makes me happy!

DSCN1607

• Misschief
• Feb 13, 2018

Green Goddess soap, scented with petitgrain and bergamot.

DSCN1604

• Misschief
• Feb 13, 2018
• 2

 

[Lin19687]

I Love that ! I wonder if I can get the silicone impression mat off Amazon

I was going to HP soap today after trying out Bath melts yesterday BUT............ I tripped outside while taking DD to school, my Charger plug for my EV car had ice in it , and I just spilled a 1/2 bottle of cleaner ( 1/2 Vinegar, 1/2 Dawn) all over the bathroom rug.

I may just not do anything today


OH and my DD said she wanted my Melts mold to make Chocolates in... no