FlybyStardancer
Well-Known Member
So here's my most recent batch--pumice soap colored with indigo, AC, and TD. Fragranced with tea tree and rosemary EOs. This time I managed to partially tame my steamroller instinct while I was working with the batter and getting it in the mold...
However, when I went to unmold it today it couldn't decide if I was working with it too late or too early! It also stuck a bit in the corners on the ends.
That's after me using mineral oil on the corners, using 75% hard oils, and adding SL to the batch. Bah. Then when I was cutting it (just after unmolding), it crumbled at the edges as if it were TOO hard. (Of course, having a wire that I couldn't tighten any further didn't help--all of the shattered parts were underneath where I could get that wire to on its own.)
Anyways, had indigo-only for the main color, and then did two accents, one darkened with AC and the other lightened with TD. I poured part of the main color in, layered on the dark accent, layered on the white accent, and then did a drop swirl with the rest of the main batch.
It's a homely soap, but it smells good and I'm sure it'll do what I need it to after a good cure.
Also, I didn't rinse my lye water pitcher immediately last night (and had the spoon I mix the lye in with sitting in it). I typically will rinse out the lye containers, and then leave the batter-covered stuff to clean up the next day (after wiping out what I can). Yesterday, after I finished wiping them out I was just DONE and so didn't finish rinsing the pitcher... And the indigo left in it ended up staining the pitcher and spoon. Whoops! Just means I need to hit the dollar store before my next batch, and reserve those for future indigo-in-water batches.
However, when I went to unmold it today it couldn't decide if I was working with it too late or too early! It also stuck a bit in the corners on the ends.
That's after me using mineral oil on the corners, using 75% hard oils, and adding SL to the batch. Bah. Then when I was cutting it (just after unmolding), it crumbled at the edges as if it were TOO hard. (Of course, having a wire that I couldn't tighten any further didn't help--all of the shattered parts were underneath where I could get that wire to on its own.)Anyways, had indigo-only for the main color, and then did two accents, one darkened with AC and the other lightened with TD. I poured part of the main color in, layered on the dark accent, layered on the white accent, and then did a drop swirl with the rest of the main batch.
It's a homely soap, but it smells good and I'm sure it'll do what I need it to after a good cure.
Also, I didn't rinse my lye water pitcher immediately last night (and had the spoon I mix the lye in with sitting in it). I typically will rinse out the lye containers, and then leave the batter-covered stuff to clean up the next day (after wiping out what I can). Yesterday, after I finished wiping them out I was just DONE and so didn't finish rinsing the pitcher... And the indigo left in it ended up staining the pitcher and spoon. Whoops! Just means I need to hit the dollar store before my next batch, and reserve those for future indigo-in-water batches.
