What soapy thing have you done today?

[Misschief]

I did a confetti rebatch, using part of the batch that accelerated. It's gelling right now and I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I'm also playing with my soap dough, making a few more bits for February's challenge. I can't finish my entry until my Voyageur order comes in; I'm waiting for colorants.

 

[ItsForrest]

I've been lurking here for a while so finally here's some participation.

After looking for several day for molds that I liked, I finally gave up and made a couple. It cost me about $35 for wood and hinges for the two molds. They came out 13.5 x 4 x 4 inside. I plan to make bars ~ 4 x 2.5 x 1. I'll have to round up on the cuts to take up that extra 1/2"

I also unmolded two small 500g batches from yesterday.

 

[earlene]

Very nice mold, ItsForrest.

 

[SunRiseArts]

"I'm giving my dual soap (cp and m&p) another try. It's in the oven gelling right now. I'm keeping my fingers crossed."

Mischief, Why did you put it in the oven? If you use MP and 270 which is the lowest oven temperature, might get all melted together.

 

[lsg]

Great-looking mold!

 

[Misschief]

"I'm giving my dual soap (cp and m&p) another try. It's in the oven gelling right now. I'm keeping my fingers crossed."

Mischief, Why did you put it in the oven? If you use MP and 270 which is the lowest oven temperature, might get all melted together.

I wanted to make sure it would stay together as my MP layer was just that, a layer. The first attempt, which I kept cool, fell apart coming out of the mold. I didn't keep the oven on; I turned it off when I put the soap in to help with gel in the CP part and it worked perfectly.

 

[SunRiseArts]

I am glad it worked! I have never had separation problems. But I know weather can affect the soap, and where I live is not as cold. Insane, two days ago was 40 degrees, today was 75.

 

[amd]

My daughter had swim meets over the weekend and I have a friend visiting from OK, so I did not get much done. Made two small batches of soap - one riced horribly, and after the third time of getting it smooth and then it ricing as I was putting it in the mold I said "forget this" and just left it. It has a weird texture on the top, and I haven't unmolded and cut it yet, so no idea if it is a good soap or not. Made some MP balls, going to try getting them placed correctly on soap one more time. (The last time I tried this I wound up stressing out my multi-bar cutter because I did not have them placed correctly and had to cut through some of them.) Worked on the soap dough challenge. Why did I think hand molding teeny tiny leaves in 6 shades of green was a good idea? I don't think I'm going to finish my entry in time to enter. I'm still going to finish it, but at the rate I'm going it might be June. I finally found the mini hedgehog mold a friend had given me, so my daughter used some soap dough to play with that. The soap dough will need to set a bit before each piece is unmolded, she had a hard time getting them out without damaging the details, but it is much better than the larger mold my friend gave me. Will probably design a soap with the mini hedgehogs for later in the year. I have two more soaps I want to make this week - I want to do the January hearts challenge in green hearts using BB's Jade FO, and then a beer soap using WSP's Bamboo & Teak. Don't tell my husband but I already have some of his home brewed lager decanting in the soap lab... I also need to get more bubble scoops made for my nieces, I gave them IOU's at Christmas and one of them has a birthday this coming weekend. I also had a customer ask me if I had some in kids scents, so I'll have to make a few extra for her. I don't have any kids scents, other than a Grape Soda. I used to carry Monkey Farts, but it never really sold well. I should have enough SLSa yet to do all that and one more batch for the store. Just don't know how much time I'll have this week to do it. My oldest has an eye doc appointment tonight, and I really need to have an office day - I haven't done any bookkeeping for the business in 2018 and I can't see my desk for all the paper that has been tossed on it. Probably time to work on a paper system for the whole household.

 

[MorpheusPA]

We're running out of guest soaps, so I knocked together these. They're mostly tallow, but with enough coconut to make removing them easier. The scent is honeydew melon.

They'll still have to sit in the mold for two weeks before removal.

 

[Misschief]

I received my Voyageur order today so my challenge soap is on the schedule for the weekend. I also received a soap cutter/plane. I'm looking forward to using it.

 

[Thelastspellapothecary]

I spent a lot of time googling how to make ingredient labels and how to keep the soaping going. My soaps are a M&P with EOs and sometimes dried flowers added. My packaging is simple- parchment paper and twine.

 

[lizzysoap]

I made a soap drying rack out of thing I found in the junk yard, it was originally a greenhouse rack I think, it only had one original shelf, so I am improvising all the other shelf. It is huge and currently taking up 4 square feet of my living room, and it is 7 feet tall. I am happy that it seems like it will be great. I want to spray the metal shelves with some kind of coating but not sure what the best thing to use is. Any advise?

 

[earlene]

I made a soap drying rack out of thing I found in the junk yard, it was originally a greenhouse rack I think, it only had one original shelf, so I am improvising all the other shelf. It is huge and currently taking up 4 square feet of my living room, and it is 7 feet tall. I am happy that it seems like it will be great. I want to spray the metal shelves with some kind of coating but not sure what the best thing to use is. Any advise?

Maybe something like this: https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=27418&catid=699
But even if you plastic coat the metal, it would still be best to place something like plastic mesh sheets on the shelves so the soap is raised above the shelf. It would allow for a bit more air flow and prevent any metal-on-soap issues if the plastic coating were to deteriorate.

 

[lizzysoap]

Thanks I will look into that.

 

[wardbond]

Maybe something like this: https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=27418&catid=699
But even if you plastic coat the metal, it would still be best to place something like plastic mesh sheets on the shelves so the soap is raised above the shelf. It would allow for a bit more air flow and prevent any metal-on-soap issues if the plastic coating were to deteriorate.

Hammerite look like hammered metal
https://www.google.ca/search?client...Y5bfZAhWry4MKHb54AlMQ4lYIFSgF&biw=592&bih=280

 

[wardbond]

I spent a lot of time googling how to make ingredient labels and how to keep the soaping going. My soaps are a M&P with EOs and sometimes dried flowers added. My packaging is simple- parchment paper and twine.

I saw similar ingredient in a fancy store and they wrapped in in glassine. And had a specimen like label

For higher end sallons and stores by seeming clinical. With. Batch numbers etc

With those natural ingreeidnt you could also go "country witch" angle and tell the magical properties of the soap
.. the same ingredients can be inturpreted from so many paradigms alchemical aromatherapy, health safety, granolla natural, clinical. Etc

 

[earlene]

With those natural ingreeidnt you could also go "country witch" angle and tell the magical properties of the soap
.. the same ingredients can be inturpreted from so many paradigms alchemical aromatherapy, health safety, granolla natural, clinical. Etc

Depending on which country's labeling regulations one is required to follow, making claims about 'magical properties' and such may very well put a soapmaker/seller in legal jeopardy.

 

[earlene]

Last night I ordered Ice Resin for making a soap stamp. I want one that says something along the lines of 'Handcrafted Soap' and my name in a sort of circular or square design. I spent quite a long time last night mocking up a design, trying different fonts. Not sure if I will go with my saved design or maybe ask my granddaughter to help me come up with something else. She's quite the artist and might find such a project fun. I'd really like to put an eagle in the center, but have yet to figure that out. I used to be able to free-hand embroider intricately detailed eagles on fabric. But for a soap stamp intricacy is a detriment and my freehand sculpting skills are questionable anyway. In any case, at least I have a sort of a plan.

 

[GreenDragon]

I received my latest order from BB the other night, so I just had to test out my new 10" mold and the Modern Floral Fragrance kit. Used the Daisy Chain FO and my wife's favorite soap recipe. Was kinda surprised at the glycerin rivers in the AC layer, but I think it looks cool so I'm not worried about it. Wife liked it, so that's all that matters!

 

[amd]

Last night I ordered Ice Resin for making a soap stamp. I want one that says something along the lines of 'Handcrafted Soap' and my name in a sort of circular or square design. I spent quite a long time last night mocking up a design, trying different fonts. Not sure if I will go with my saved design or maybe ask my granddaughter to help me come up with something else. She's quite the artist and might find such a project fun. I'd really like to put an eagle in the center, but have yet to figure that out. I used to be able to free-hand embroider intricately detailed eagles on fabric. But for a soap stamp intricacy is a detriment and my freehand sculpting skills are questionable anyway. In any case, at least I have a sort of a plan.

@earlene if you get tired or frustrated messing with it, check out fiverr.com. For $5 I had my handdrawn logo converted to a clean file and text added. They have all kinds of people who can take your basic idea and edit it for you.

I did cut one of Monday's two soaps last night. The one that riced on me came out as poorly as expected. I was about to chuck it, but then decided I would try rebatching it over the weekend, so it is sitting off to the side waiting to be shredded. I was going to work on my soap dough entry while watching TV, but one of the stepkids had knocked over the tray that I was using and so not only did my soap design end up on the floor, but the million tiny leaves that I had made wound up scattered through the family room, and the unused soap dough was mashed out of the plastic wrap and into the carpeting as if a herd of elephants had come storming through and stopped to dance the cha-cha. Sigh. I'm trying not to be too angry, because I should have taken the tray back to the soap lab instead of leaving it on the coffee table, but still... I'm mad. Now I have to make new soap dough. If anyone has any advice for getting soap dough out of carpeting, I have a stepson who is VERY interested.