SMF Challenge October 2023: Ciaglia/Plain Straight Line
- Thread starter KiwiMoose
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Got my entry up. The soap was incredibly soft so was unable to truley trim it up. We have a Christmas show coming up so I expect to sell the other attempts (4) at the show.
Don't hit too hard.
Don't hit too hard.
Everyone's entries so far look amazing! I actually made soap tonight for the first time in a few months, I think. We are running low at home, a friend asked for some bars, and hey! there's a challenge deadline in less than 48 hours! No pressure!
Seriously, I have no idea how tonight's soap is going to look. I made a batch of CHAL-YA first, pouring one rectangular loaf on a diagonal, one rectangular loaf just flat, and one flat in a square loaf. I started to add a mica line to the flat square one, but it wasn't looking that great, so I quit. The others will be just plain (and hopefully straight) lines.
Then I realized I was out of MB lye... hmmm. Remembered some rice-water cubes in the freezer. Made up a new batch of lye with that and recalled how fun it is to make lye solution with icey stuff. No fumes!
By the time I was done with all that faffing around, the first batch had firmed up well in the molds. Made the second batch of plain stuff, and was pleasantly reminded just how much a good measure of OO plus citrus EO will really sloooooow down trace. Wow. Plenty of time to use that SB before reaching even light trace, with such a nice fluid pour. There was even enough leftover from the plain batch to pour into a few of my wave cavity molds, which are always favorites.
Now everything is covered and on the heating pad to gel for a bit. Soap room smells great, I'm happy, and maybe tomorrow there will be a challenge entry. Maybe.
Seriously, I have no idea how tonight's soap is going to look. I made a batch of CHAL-YA first, pouring one rectangular loaf on a diagonal, one rectangular loaf just flat, and one flat in a square loaf. I started to add a mica line to the flat square one, but it wasn't looking that great, so I quit. The others will be just plain (and hopefully straight) lines.
Then I realized I was out of MB lye... hmmm. Remembered some rice-water cubes in the freezer. Made up a new batch of lye with that and recalled how fun it is to make lye solution with icey stuff. No fumes!
By the time I was done with all that faffing around, the first batch had firmed up well in the molds. Made the second batch of plain stuff, and was pleasantly reminded just how much a good measure of OO plus citrus EO will really sloooooow down trace. Wow. Plenty of time to use that SB before reaching even light trace, with such a nice fluid pour. There was even enough leftover from the plain batch to pour into a few of my wave cavity molds, which are always favorites.
Now everything is covered and on the heating pad to gel for a bit. Soap room smells great, I'm happy, and maybe tomorrow there will be a challenge entry. Maybe.
That's a wrap.... I enjoyed the Ciaglia method very much. Batches planned for next week. Ciaglia Bella!
Every time I read a post on here I learn something useful! So, citrus EO and EVOO will slow down a trace, eh? Ooooo, ahhhhh!!! The lightbulbs are popping off in my head!! Thank you! Can’t wait to see your soaps!Everyone's entries so far look amazing! I actually made soap tonight for the first time in a few months, I think. We are running low at home, a friend asked for some bars, and hey! there's a challenge deadline in less than 48 hours! No pressure!
Seriously, I have no idea how tonight's soap is going to look. I made a batch of CHAL-YA first, pouring one rectangular loaf on a diagonal, one rectangular loaf just flat, and one flat in a square loaf. I started to add a mica line to the flat square one, but it wasn't looking that great, so I quit. The others will be just plain (and hopefully straight) lines.
Then I realized I was out of MB lye... hmmm. Remembered some rice-water cubes in the freezer. Made up a new batch of lye with that and recalled how fun it is to make lye solution with icey stuff. No fumes!
By the time I was done with all that faffing around, the first batch had firmed up well in the molds. Made the second batch of plain stuff, and was pleasantly reminded just how much a good measure of OO plus citrus EO will really sloooooow down trace. Wow. Plenty of time to use that SB before reaching even light trace, with such a nice fluid pour. There was even enough leftover from the plain batch to pour into a few of my wave cavity molds, which are always favorites.
Now everything is covered and on the heating pad to gel for a bit. Soap room smells great, I'm happy, and maybe tomorrow there will be a challenge entry. Maybe.
@therealshari and @Ford I love your soaps too. They are awesome and I love the colors, I really like the color purple you chose and I really like the color orange you chose I've been looking for a orange that looks like peach for a very long time to make peach soap but haven't found any I have to make my own by mixing pink and yellow. Nice work! 
Yes, citrus EOs definitely slow trace, as long as they aren't old/oxidized. I believe it is our challenge hostess @KiwiMoose who adds citrus EOs to naughty FOs to slow trace. She counts on the scent of the citrus EO to fade quickly during cure, so it doesn't end up interfering with the FO itself. Genius, eh?
Like lard, regular/light OO and EVOO are slow-tracing oils, for sure. EVOO is also too green (and costs too much of the green stuff!!) for many of my soap color schemes. I generally use light OO for soap, and save the EVOO for salad dressing and other places where taste matters.
Pomace OO, however, is the outlier. It almost always accelerates trace dreadfully - often as much or worse than you get from a naughty FO. A few folks have posted here on SMF that their pomace OO doesn't accelerate, but it always has for me.
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In her column pour video Teri of Tree Marie Soaps says that citrus oils actually decelerate trace because citrus contains degreasers, which keep the batter loose for longer, or even make it a little looser when added. In that video she's referring to WSP's Pink Grapefruit FO, so I think she is applying it to FO's as well (I guess as long as they contain the same aroma chemicals that are in citrus generally?), which I thought was interesting. I'm not sure if the leap from EO's to FO's (re citrus slowing trace) is correct or not, but that FO is definitely slow/great to work with. It's a really fun video to watch, and the FO info is at 7:00.
Learning a lot thru these challenges. This is my first attempt at the ciaglia design. Already planning on my next usage of this style. Crazy 8,s are coming......
Beautiful soaps everyone! @MomInWA and @therealshari , great first entries.
I’ve noticed several people have said this is their first ciaglia and not their last. This is my second ciaglia and I will definitely be using it again. Great challenge selection @KiwiMoose!
I’ve noticed several people have said this is their first ciaglia and not their last. This is my second ciaglia and I will definitely be using it again. Great challenge selection @KiwiMoose!
Thanks all for the compliments. We generally shut down our soaping operations for the winter, however, I'm looking at all my options. I really would like to continue soaping. I have 150 bars to trim and wrap, but figure I can make another of the same amount for next season.
We also make Traditonal Mexican Caramel Sauce using our goat milk. I make all the sauce in May-July for our show needs.
Our goats give us (humans) all their milk from May through September before we rest them for a month. Then the bucks go in and we repeat the process. We have 20 does and 2 bucks, Nubian, Alpine and crosses thereof.
We also make Traditonal Mexican Caramel Sauce using our goat milk. I make all the sauce in May-July for our show needs.
Our goats give us (humans) all their milk from May through September before we rest them for a month. Then the bucks go in and we repeat the process. We have 20 does and 2 bucks, Nubian, Alpine and crosses thereof.
Sign-up List for SMF October 2023 Challenge: Ciaglia/Plain with straight line. To sign up, please copy and paste these instructions and the list below into a new message. Then add your name and the next number for the next sign-up:
1. ScentimentallyYours
2. Tammyfarms
3.dmcgee5034 - let’s get straight and scrappy
4. Ford
5. MomInWA
6. not_ally - what the heck, I have lots of botched batches and need the practice. Grater at the ready.
7. CLMP Woohoo another challenge!
8. Therealshari, first time entry.
9. AliOop - managed to get this done just in time!
10.
ETA: here is pic of bars from the other two loaves that I poured at the same time, including the pink mica line fail. LOL
1. ScentimentallyYours
2. Tammyfarms
3.dmcgee5034 - let’s get straight and scrappy
4. Ford
5. MomInWA
6. not_ally - what the heck, I have lots of botched batches and need the practice. Grater at the ready.
7. CLMP Woohoo another challenge!
8. Therealshari, first time entry.
9. AliOop - managed to get this done just in time!
10.
ETA: here is pic of bars from the other two loaves that I poured at the same time, including the pink mica line fail. LOL
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Only 20 minutes to go until the challenge closes - get your entries in!
Loving all the outcomes so far. There are some beautiful soaps.
Loving all the outcomes so far. There are some beautiful soaps.
@AliOop and @ScentimentallyYours I love your soaps! I'm glad we got a couple of soaps on a diagonal shape I think it looks sharp. I also really like the colors you both used. @ScentimentallyYours you really have a nice crisp line nice work! Also I want to thank everyone for participating and A Big Thank-You to @KiwiMoose for hosting I had alot of fun and I really like this technique and I will definitely use it in the future! I also thought I should let everyone one know I'm doing alot better and my new medication is working perfectly for my blood pressure so I'm out of the woods now!
@ScentimentallyYours I saw your recommendation in the entry thread about pouring the ciaglia section last/on top. I totally agree! As soon as I had poured in my ciaglia, I realized that the chunks, no matter how small, were going to prevent me from having a perfectly straight line. If I'd poured in the plain portion first, at a nice thin emulsion, it would have flattened out perfectly and created a straight line onto which I could pour the ciaglia portion. Oh well. Live and learn!
Honestly, with the citrus EOs and with more OO than I normally use, I had plenty of time to SB to mix my shreds, oils, and lye solution together for almost a minute before reaching a light trace. I'd rather do that than grate soap any time, unless I had a salad shooter to do the grating for me.
Honestly, with the citrus EOs and with more OO than I normally use, I had plenty of time to SB to mix my shreds, oils, and lye solution together for almost a minute before reaching a light trace. I'd rather do that than grate soap any time, unless I had a salad shooter to do the grating for me.
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For my example batch, I poured the ciaglia first with a cardboard divider already wedged into the corner of the mold, and then as I poured the ciaglia portion I leaned the cardboard over the top to the opposite corner until the ciaglia was encapsulated into a triangle shape. I left it sitting in the mold with the cardboard on top while I mixed up the plain part. When that was ready to pour I dragged the cardboard divider up the diagonal, scraping it against the top edge of the mold to ensure a slick edge. Gave it a quick press over the top with a flat knife to ensure it was straight, and then poured the plain into the triangular shaped cavity left in the mold. I preferred the ciaglia first because I was using an accelerating FO with the ciaglia so i knew I would get a crisp edge to put the plain soap directly onto in the same soaping session.@ScentimentallyYours I saw your recommendation in the entry thread about pouring the ciaglia section last/on top. I totally agree! As soon as I had poured in my ciaglia, I realized that the chunks, no matter how small, were going to prevent me from having a perfectly straight line. If I'd poured in the plain portion first, at a nice thin emulsion, it would have flattened out perfectly and created a straight line onto which I could pour the ciaglia portion. Oh well. Live and learn!
Honestly, with the citrus EOs and with more OO than I normally use, I has plenty of time to SB to mix my shreds, oils, and lye solution together for almost a minute before reaching a light trace. I'd rather do that than grate soap any time, unless I had a salad shooter to do the grating for me.
Can I just say I'm well jel of how fine some of you can get your ciaglia 'lumps'. I can't seem to get mine as fine as that, no matter how much I stick blend!
If that is true, I wonder if citrus EO’s could be added to a bad FO to decelerate it? For instance, I could add it to Cracklin’ Birch, knowing that I would usually get soap on a stick. If it slowed the trace down, even a little, that would be great because the citrus fragrance would disappear by the end of the cure. It’s worth an experiment, isn’t it?
That's what I do.
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