SMF November 2023 Challenge - Splash Swirl Technique

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Next weekend is my soaping weeping so 🤞🤞🤞 I chose to work this weekend to make extra $$$ (yesterday was double time and a half for the holiday and today straight overtime), but I have Friday off next week so that will be my 3 day weekend 😁
My plan is to work with what I have, a regular wire hanger ~ I will have to enlist the hubby to bend it though so that should be entertaining 😂
 
So not really a happy camper right now because I just unmolded and cut my batch! Uffda! Regarding the design specifically, I used 3 accents at 25% and it looked like A LOT when I was pouring -- but the accents barely registered! If I do another attempt, I'll drop it to two accents at 25%. Also, it seemed like I plunged my hanger too many times -- but I didn't do it enough! Next time I'll be more aggressive. @dibbles said she went across, then back, then a couple more. I think I'll do 3 passes next time. I was also worried that all the colors would be muddled together. My accent charcoal black and main color cappuccino brown mica did get muddled, the black barely registers at all.

When I was stirring, I saw a coupla stearic spots forming so I was prepared for a few spots. When I unmolded, though, it's like nothing but stearic spots!
So old me would have beaten myself up. New me says I still got soap and me and Mrs. Zing will enjoy how it feels -- despite how it looks. But I won't be giving any away!!
 
Last edited:
So not really a happy camper right now because I just unmolded and cut my batch! Uffda! Regarding the design specifically, I used 3 accents at 25% and it looked like A LOT when I was pouring -- but the accents barely registered! If I do another attempt, I'll drop it to two accents at 25%. Also, it seemed like I plunged my hanger too many times -- but I didn't do it enough! Next time I'll be more aggressive. @dibbles said she went across, then back, then a couple more. I think I'll do 3 passes next time.

When I was stirring, I saw a coupla stearic spots forming so I was prepared for a few spots. When I unmolded, though, it's like nothing but stearic spots!
So old me would have beaten myself up. New me says I still got soap and me and Mrs. Zing will enjoy how it feels -- despite how it looks. But I won't be giving any away!!
AWWWWWWW. I understand beating oneself up for minor normal mistakes. Be kind to yourself! :)
 
Sign-up List for SMF November 2023 Challenge: Splash Swirl Technique. 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 person:

1.Ford, how did you know? It was on my list. Spooky around here. Woopi...
2. KiwiMoose. Yay! I've always wanted to try this!
3. The_Emerald_Chicken - Splashing back into soaping after a hiatus
4. Tammyfarms - looks like another fun challenge!
5. not_ally - I’m in, I was curious about this one too.
6. CLMP OK I think I have a plan!
7. Karen L. - I love the look of this design.
8. MomInWA - I’m going to give it a go!
9. Zing -wicky wicky what, Zing is entering? Guess I'm committed now.
10. dmcgee5034 - I got myself together to be able to give it a go! 🌸
11.
 
Sign-up List for SMF November 2023 Challenge: Splash Swirl Technique. 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 person:

1.Ford, how did you know? It was on my list. Spooky around here. Woopi...
2. KiwiMoose. Yay! I've always wanted to try this!
3. The_Emerald_Chicken - Splashing back into soaping after a hiatus
4. Tammyfarms - looks like another fun challenge!
5. not_ally - I’m in, I was curious about this one too.
6. CLMP OK I think I have a plan!
7. Karen L. - I love the look of this design.
8. MomInWA - I’m going to give it a go!
9. Zing -wicky wicky what, Zing is entering? Guess I'm committed now.
10. dmcgee5034 - I got myself together to be able to give it a go! 🌸
11. Mobjack - Splish, splash…splash…splash!
12.
 
So not really a happy camper right now because I just unmolded and cut my batch! Uffda! Regarding the design specifically, I used 3 accents at 25% and it looked like A LOT when I was pouring -- but the accents barely registered! If I do another attempt, I'll drop it to two accents at 25%. Also, it seemed like I plunged my hanger too many times -- but I didn't do it enough! Next time I'll be more aggressive. @dibbles said she went across, then back, then a couple more. I think I'll do 3 passes next time. I was also worried that all the colors would be muddled together. My accent charcoal black and main color cappuccino brown mica did get muddled, the black barely registers at all.

When I was stirring, I saw a coupla stearic spots forming so I was prepared for a few spots. When I unmolded, though, it's like nothing but stearic spots!
So old me would have beaten myself up. New me says I still got soap and me and Mrs. Zing will enjoy how it feels -- despite how it looks. But I won't be giving any away!!
Sorry things didn't go quite right, but I'm happy new you is around to enjoy what you made. I think colors with high contrast show better. My example soap has 3 accents, and the dark and light blue show a lot better than the light blue and light green. My batter was very fluid and dropped into the base quite well. If the batter is at medium trace, more times across the mold might be better. How much is too much? I don't know the answer to that.
 
Y'all! I was ding some research on the splash swirl and found another YouTube video and she did it in an acrylic mold so you can sort of see the creation of the swirls ~ I thought it was cool, I hope you guys enjoy it too!


This video helped me with my attempt 👍 I really like her ombre combined with the splashes.
 
Everything Holly makes is beautiful. I didn't include her video because she is only using one color for the splash accents and I didn't want any confusion. Be sure that you remember that the guidelines require at least two colors for the splash swirl accents. If you want to do an ombre for the base, that is fine!
 
Everything Holly makes is beautiful. I didn't include her video because she is only using one color for the splash accents and I didn't want any confusion. Be sure that you remember that the guidelines require at least two colors for the splash swirl accents. If you want to do an ombre for the base, that is fine!
Good point! I was just so tickled by being able to see through the acrylic mold 😆
 
So . . . I was doing more research in preparation for next weekend, and by research I mean digging through the closet looking for a coated wire hanger, which I could have sworn we had because my husband likes them (I have no idea why), and i couldn't find a single <extra> one. darn it. So, since I was gonna hafta buy sumptin anyway, I broke down and hit up Amazon for some gear ties. I'm glad I used the suggested link somewhere in the thread because in searching around to check prices, I almost bought the 12" ties and they wouldn't have been long enough 😯 but no worries! I got the 24" ties!
I'm getting excited 😃 Even if this doesn't work out well enough for the challenge, I know my momma will love it anyway ~ she always does, she's always my biggest fan 🥰
 
I did a second challenge batch and got a splash swirl! I wouldn't have even been able to enter the first one into the challenge, it was too far off from being a splash swirl. This one is not the most beautiful thing in the world, don't love the colors, don't know what possessed me to do a mica oil swirl on top that doesn't really work. But there are actual long splashy bits, so I have an entry!

For me it worked to get a slightly thicker trace than the first time (more towards the medium side of thin), to be careful going straight up and down with the hanger, and going back and forth across the mold about 28 times (14 plunges in each direction) with a few more thrown in for luck.
 
For me it worked to get a slightly thicker trace than the first time (more towards the medium side of thin), to be careful going straight up and down with the hanger, and going back and forth across the mold about 28 times (14 plunges in each direction) with a few more thrown in for luck.
Wow, that is a lot of plunging! I am hoping to find time to make a challenge soap this month, so it's good to have that information as I never would have done that many!
 
Y'all! I was ding some research on the splash swirl and found another YouTube video and she did it in an acrylic mold so you can sort of see the creation of the swirls ~ I thought it was cool, I hope you guys enjoy it too!


Uh, yeah, that's totally what my splash swirl looked like -- if you add about a thousand drips on the counter....
 
Well I'm feeling bummed out I just made a soap that's a total failure. I made a batch of soap for the challenge and poured it in to 3 separate containers added the colors and F/O well 2 colors stayed fluid my 3 color thickened way too fast and it got so thick I couldn't do my splash Swirl I tried but the 3rd color just clumped up in to chunks as I went up and down with the hanger so I know it's ruined. I wish I would of fixed it with a spoon swirl but I didn't think of it until after I already put it in the oven. Well at least I know now not to use that color again for swirling.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top