debratant

BW is Backwoods Fragrance Supply, she has some great oils too!

For this months SOTM, I decided to do my version of a swirled Melt and Pour, mainly just to show that you CAN swirl it....though

it's not as easy as swirling CP soap.  It's simple enough to do and quite fun waiting to see how it will look

Supplies needed:

Clear Melt and Pour

White Melt and Pour

Colorants

Fragrance....I used 1 oz.

Rubbing alcohol spray bottle

Mold

Scale

Saran Wrap

Measuring Cups

Spoons

Bamboo skewer or similiar

You will want to cut up your soap and put into measuring cups to go into the microwave.  You should also use saran wrap to cover your

soap chunks while it's microwaving.  I used about 2 lbs of soap here, to fill my tall skinny mold. Feel free to add additives to your base

if you want, there is a great thread here somewhere on what additives you can add to M & P  I didn't...I like these bases as they are.

I wanted a Holiday theme soap....so I chose green and red colorants.  I chose Mulberry Fragrance Oil.

Melt your soap chunks in your microwave.  I did 1 minute...then 30 second bursts until my soap was melted.  Add your colorants to your different soap cups.

I used about 10 drops of colorant to achieve these colors....your mileage may vary.

You will want the white to be white, so no need to color this one.  You can, I just didn't because I think it shows the swirl better.

Add your fragrance

Pour your first layer when the soap is at about 150. Spritz with Alcohol.

It's going to get thick quick, so pour your white and immediately start moving it around with your skewer or chopstick. 

Don't over swirl too much or it will become muddied.  Spritz with alcohol.

Allow to set up so a skin forms....then spritz with alcohol again and s l o w l y pour your red layer, I poured over a spoon. 

Do the same as you did with the green layer...immediately pour your white and work it around with your skewer

Move your skewer around until the top looks like you want it.  Spritz with alcohol.

You can glitter the top at this point if you like

I waited overnight and unmolded in the morning before work.

Looks promising!

The first cuts!

The end result!  So fun....and relatively easy to do.  And you can use immediately.

To prevent sweating, you should wrap each bar in saran wrap, or shrink wrap...up to you.

My base is low sweat...so I have not wrapped it yet, but I will at some point.

Look for December's Soap of the Month further down in the Soap of the Month forum.  I will be doing it for December

and I am planning a melt and pour   Welcome to the forum.  Sometimes this forum can be slower, but hang in there 

and someone will always answer   

On 11/14/2016 at 6:33 PM, Clear Black said:

I just wanted to leave some feedback on a fellow member, debratant. Not only was this the easiest member-member transaction Ive ever had, but her replies to any questions I had were immediate and thorough. When asked for a few more pictures to ease my mind they came through to me almost within an hour. All and all very pleasant experience and I thank you very much debra    Cheers

Thanks, same to you!  Very pleasant transaction and I hope you like it!

I think these are great!  You did a GREAT job on matching the rest of the label to the colors in the images of the scent.  

Awesome Job!

On 11/8/2016 at 9:02 PM, Clear Black said:

 

 

PM sent

Here is my presto.  Tried to PM the pics, but it won't let me upload

Thanks everyone!  

I'm not sure I'm liking the scent as it is curing....but it sure feels good.  Just still undecided about the scent now that it's in the soap. Hopefully 

more time on the rack smooths it out.

Here is mine...I love it.  I don't have any other pictures of it...but hopefully this gives you a start on a design.  I can take more if you need me to. 

I bought this off Etsy.

The part with the knob adjusts back and forth by loosening the knob and moving the wood piece to the width you want.

Moonstar....I have a presto that I've been considering posting on the classifieds.  I installed the spigot, or rather, my husband did...lol....but I no longer

use it.  It is exactly like the one in the link....except mine does not have the interior basket.  I will try to get some picks of it.  I would let it go for 25 plus shipping.

There is nothing wrong with it....I just don't make candles in large amounts anymore so it's sitting in my basement unused.

Hello everyone!  Today is the cutoff to join in on the Tart/Melt swap.  Go to the swap circle forum and sign up!  C'mon don't be shy!

This is my FIRST swap.....so anyone who is a scaredy pants....come join in with me so I'm not the only swap newbie!

Zincs mushroom.  If you are using 4627 with a high FO load...and zincs...you are going to have crazy big mushrooms lol

This link is EXCELLENT from Peaks.  I use this calculator all the time.

http://www.candletech.com/candle-making/tips-and-tricks/handy-calculators/calculate-wax-weight-container-candle/

If I have any wax left over in my pour pot....I pour it into little plastic dixie cups.  Just in case I need to do a repour the next day...I simply cut a slit in the cup

and rip it away from the wax and remelt that.  If I have more of that left...I make tea lights for myself instead of throwing it out.

I heat my 4627 to 190....add my color and uv....stir...take it off the heat and add my FO around 185 or so and as soon as it's stirred I pour.

I do not use the max load that this wax holds 12% when doing jars, because it affects the burn.  I would start at 6%.

What is the diameter of your jar, and what size wick are you using?  

A cut and finished bar.  Not beveled or cleaned up.

Well....my planned soap did not go as I wanted.  It seems like every batch  I have made over the last couple months has seized or thickened up so

much it ruins what design I had in my head.  Sooooo.....with that said, I am submitting this one for my November soap of the month anyway....because

well....crap happens in soap making....so figured you all  should see it regardless of prettiness or whether things went as planned.  And....I now work full

time, sooooo my soap making is limited and I don't know if I will have time to do another batch before my December soap is due lol.

So....my plan was a fall soap.  I decided to use Indian Summer from Backwoods....which I have had for quite awhile and never used.  There really was only 1 review for it and

that person said it did not accelerate, so I thought....ok...it's all good. Wrong.  It's a great smelling fragrance though....and I believe it is discontinued too

Here is my recipe: 

2 lb loaf mold

1oz FO pp INDIAN SUMMER

5% superfat as the default on soapcalc.

I used full water, run the recipe thru soap calc and print it out.

http://soapcalc.net/calc/SoapCalcWP.asp

As I weigh out each item, I check it off on my sheet....

I weigh in grams

Water 344.73 Grams

Lye  129.98 Grams

Coconut Oil    263.08 Grams

Palm Oil         226.80 Grams

Olive Oil         226.80 Grams

Hemp Oil       136.08 Grams

Castor Oil        54.43 Grams

Measure out your oils and melt and set aside to cool.  Measure out your water (or any liquid you choose) and lye and set aside to cool.

Get your colorant ready and your fragrance measured out.  I'm using these below.  Lets just note here....that this is my first time using activated charcoal too.

I take a bit of oil from my batch and mix my mica's with that in the little dixie cups.

Get your mold ready.

I typically soap around 100 more or less.  Add your lye mixture to your oils and stick blend to emulsion.  

This was at a very light trace in the below picture.  Then I added the fragrance oil lol.......

Things got out of hand here when I divided up my batch into 3 measuring cups.  I couldn't get pictures of everything because it was thickening very quick and 

I needed to get moving or I knew I'd never get it molded.

The plan was to do a drop swirl at a very thin trace....but that went out the window in a flash!

I ended up doing a scrape and plop.....

And being my first time using activated charcoal....I'm thinking the black would be very black....nope....

had to quickly add more charcoal to get a darker color...and I still ended up with a very dark grey.   

At this point it was just plop plop plop.  I made a total mess.  I'm really quite anal about making a mess while I soap...

I do not like flinging soap all over my mold LOL.

So....decided I better get a spoon out and try to do a spoon swirl or something

I had to bang the mold quite a bit on the floor

Added my left over mica for some swirls on the top

Not looking too great at this point

I sprayed some alcohol on the top.....and there she is.   She actually doesn't look too shabby here.  

Hopefully when I cut it....it will be acceptable.  Right now she is resting in the corner of the room with her wooden lid on.  

Started to develop a tiny crack after about 2 hours, so I took the lid off and put her in the basement where it's cooler.  

AWESOME Soapies!   I love love fall soap!  These are adorable!

Excellent Tutorial Puma, thank you so much!  These are gorgeous! 

Congrats TallTayl! Having just read of Vicky's passing...I'm still stunned.  You will be a great admin.  Thanks also to Alan.This site is very much appreciated.  This is the first site I joined...and I just feel so at home here.

I have absolutely no idea HOW I missed this post.  I am shocked!  I don't even know what to say.

Vicky...her husband Bob and son Brandon are certainly in my thoughts and prayers.  

Could it be Glass Glow Container Palm Wax?  CS no longer sells it but Peak still does.  

Here's the link so you can see instructions

http://www.peakcandle.com/products/Glass-Glow-Container-Palm-Wax-10-lbs__PW2322A.aspx

I've used HTP's and Zincs for my 4627 candles

Yes, you will want to push the wick all the way down.  If you are using 4627 you should find it easy enough. My skewer is a tad larger than the wick sometimes...but I just heat gun the top and it fills in the hole. You could use a blow dryer on low if you don't have a heat gun.  

 You will likely need to melt these down in the oven...low heat...I use 170 keep an eye on them....then pour into your pour pot to use to repour into new containers. In future, I would pour test candles without wicks to test.  When your wax hardens, simply poke a hole in the center with a skewer...and cut off the wick tab and just put your wick in that hole.  This is for melt pool and HT testing only. If the wick isn't burning right, you just yank it out and put in a new wick until you are happy with your outcome.

Also....to attach your wicks in the future, I would use hot glue at the very least, not wax

I store mine in a bin....I cut the thick plastic down all sides...I don't remove it....just cut it.  I wear the disposable throw away gloves and use a large kitchen knife to cut off chunks as I'm weighing.  I then put the plastic up as best as can be and back in the bin it goes lol.

Edited to add....I also run my knife under hot water...dry it off quick then slice my chunks to weigh.  Makes cutting thru that vaseline like wax

just a tad easier.  You may need to heat your knife often....I do

I wish I had a workshop!  I make candles in my kitchen....but I'm a hobbyist....so not mass producing!  

I soap in the kitchen in our rental unit next door that's been empty for, well....7 years now! LOL  I kind of took it

over after our last tenant got married and moved 7 years ago.  And I honestly don't care if we ever get a tenant again....because

ALL of my soaping stuff is there....in every cabinet in the kitchen!  

The Sun & Sand....so thick you can see the top is a total mess and I over estimated this mold so had to pile it on.

But it came out pretty cool looking.

The Wild Hyacinth however....is a butt ugly disaster