SMF January Challenge Black and White

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I joined the site in 11/28/2015 I applied to join the challenge on 12/28/2015 there is a 30 day requirement. Can i get a recount on the days please if not then it would qualify today according to the rules.

My bad - I thought that the limits were the same as other parts of the forum, 3 months and 50 meaningful posts. Added you back in
 
1.TheDragonGirl (this should be fun!)

2. Dixiedragon (houndstooth, y'all, my fellow Alabamians get it)

3. BlackDog (just finished my first one! Ice storm here today, so.....)

4. Seawolfe - woop woop!

5. Obsidian- this is one I can do lol

6. MySoapyHeart (would love to do this, now that I am "old" enough to participate in challenges in here

7. Newbie- so many options, so many option. Preparing for many batches of classic B&W

8. dibbles - can't wait to see what people come up with!

9. Snappyllama - perfect soap challenge to start the new year... so many possibilities!

10. AMD - I've been told I'm a very black & white person

11. rainycityjen - all in

12. Sweetbubbletreat

13. Misschief (thinking, thinking... )

14. Judiraz- lots of ideas, but I think it's going to be a tough one!

15. DeeAnna- She says the color has gotta be black, really black. Oh, dear, I've only gotten to gray so far ...

16. KCHaystack - Glad we do not have to compete against Saponista... Cause the soap from her video was amazing

17. Steve85569 - I'm in again! I still have people to give soap to...

18. jules92207 - my favorite soap colors!!! Can't flipping wait.

19. luebella - there, you're IN!... you're welcome.

20. CaraBou - ready to be skunked

21. PenelopeJane-Black isn't a colour is it? I hope not, cos I can't do colours.

22. McGraysoldtowngifts

23. traderbren- Back in black, I hit the sack, I've been too long I'm glad to be back
 
1.TheDragonGirl (this should be fun!)

2. Dixiedragon (houndstooth, y'all, my fellow Alabamians get it)

3. BlackDog (just finished my first one! Ice storm here today, so.....)

4. Seawolfe - woop woop!

5. Obsidian- this is one I can do lol

6. MySoapyHeart (would love to do this, now that I am "old" enough to participate in challenges in here

7. Newbie- so many options, so many option. Preparing for many batches of classic B&W

8. dibbles - can't wait to see what people come up with!

9. Snappyllama - perfect soap challenge to start the new year... so many possibilities!

10. AMD - I've been told I'm a very black & white person

11. rainycityjen - all in

12. Sweetbubbletreat

13. Misschief (thinking, thinking... )

14. Judiraz- lots of ideas, but I think it's going to be a tough one!

15. DeeAnna- She says the color has gotta be black, really black. Oh, dear, I've only gotten to gray so far ...

16. KCHaystack - Glad we do not have to compete against Saponista... Cause the soap from her video was amazing

17. Steve85569 - I'm in again! I still have people to give soap to...

18. jules92207 - my favorite soap colors!!! Can't flipping wait.

19. luebella - there, you're IN!... you're welcome.

20. CaraBou - ready to be skunked

21. PenelopeJane-Black isn't a colour is it? I hope not, cos I can't do colours.

22. McGraysoldtowngifts

23. traderbren- Back in black, I hit the sack, I've been too long I'm glad to be back

24. Sonya-m - wonder if I'll actually find the time to soap this month?!?
 
My first bust of the challenge. I got this totally passive soap, no action, the lazy little devil! The white was still very fluid but the black was thickening fast. I tried to swirl from the bottom with a textured gear tie but the black was too thick and didn't allow the white to go too far. Not a bad soap, just not an entry soap.

image.jpg
 
1.TheDragonGirl (this should be fun!)

2. Dixiedragon (houndstooth, y'all, my fellow Alabamians get it)

3. BlackDog (just finished my first one! Ice storm here today, so.....)

4. Seawolfe - woop woop!

5. Obsidian- this is one I can do lol

6. MySoapyHeart (would love to do this, now that I am "old" enough to participate in challenges in here

7. Newbie- so many options, so many option. Preparing for many batches of classic B&W

8. dibbles - can't wait to see what people come up with!

9. Snappyllama - perfect soap challenge to start the new year... so many possibilities!

10. AMD - I've been told I'm a very black & white person

11. rainycityjen - all in

12. Sweetbubbletreat

13. Misschief (thinking, thinking... )

14. Judiraz- lots of ideas, but I think it's going to be a tough one!

15. DeeAnna- She says the color has gotta be black, really black. Oh, dear, I've only gotten to gray so far ...

16. KCHaystack - Glad we do not have to compete against Saponista... Cause the soap from her video was amazing

17. Steve85569 - I'm in again! I still have people to give soap to...

18. jules92207 - my favorite soap colors!!! Can't flipping wait.

19. luebella - there, you're IN!... you're welcome.

20. CaraBou - ready to be skunked

21. PenelopeJane-Black isn't a colour is it? I hope not, cos I can't do colours.

22. McGraysoldtowngifts

23. traderbren- Back in black, I hit the sack, I've been too long I'm glad to be back

24. Sonya-m - wonder if I'll actually find the time to soap this month?!?

25. TBandCW - Just made my b & w yesterday! Is this a sign??:mrgreen:
 
TB -- To post your entry for the challenge, you need to wait for the official thread to be created later in January. If you want to post pics of soap that you don't intend to enter into the challenge -- the "nice, but not quite good enough" soaps -- then you can do so in this thread, just like Newbie did above.

Newbie -- So in hindsight, could you have used a thicker or bigger swirling tool to get the thinner white pulled up into the thicker black? Or switch to a different swirling technique? Or when you get into a situation like this, is it pretty much a hopeless cause to get more "swirly-ness"? Thanks for putting up with my newbie question....
 
I did a batch last night that I split into two 1# batches to try a couple of techniques. Neither came out ANYTHING like I thought they would! I had a feeling this would be harder than I first thought. I think multiple colors can hid a lot of things and with just black and white there is no place to hide!
 
I wanted a simple one swirl up and around, just so you know my intent. The gear tie I used is thick (a bit more in diameter than a McDonald's straw, which is important to know because other places use thinner straws) and has a ribbed texture so is very good for pulling batter along with it and will pull more than a smooth straw on a hanger.

I could definitely have gotten more swirliness if I had done more passes so having pudding-ish base is very workable. Many people wait for that medium trace to do butterflies and hanger swirls. I think the thinness of the white didn't allow much to really catch on the hanger and get pulled through so that plus the thicker base made for a rather lackluster swirl. I am guessing if the white had been thicker, it might have caught/stuck better in the ribs of the gear tie and more might have come along for the ride- speculation though.

It was killing me. I saw just a little white come up when I swirled but I thought it might not have done much. I stood there agonizing over whether to go a couple more rounds because I thought it might not have swirled much but you can't see inside there! Gah! In the end, I kept with my plan of simplicity. That's okay. Someone will be happy to use it.

I totally agree with you, Judiraz, on busy soaps being able to hide more inadequacies. Simple soaps cannot, which is why I personally think pulling off a good simple soap is far more difficult than what appears to be a more complicated soap.

My dog is in surgery. We were out in a field the other day and they were playing in a stream with woods and reeds around it and she basically got impaled in the armpit, pretty deep. At least that's my assumption; I don't know how else she would get a wound like that. She doesn't roll on her back very often so we just found it last night. She'll be okay though.
 
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1.TheDragonGirl (this should be fun!)

2. Dixiedragon (houndstooth, y'all, my fellow Alabamians get it)

3. BlackDog (just finished my first one! Ice storm here today, so.....)

4. Seawolfe - woop woop!

5. Obsidian- this is one I can do lol

6. MySoapyHeart (would love to do this, now that I am "old" enough to participate in challenges in here

7. Newbie- so many options, so many option. Preparing for many batches of classic B&W

8. dibbles - can't wait to see what people come up with!

9. Snappyllama - perfect soap challenge to start the new year... so many possibilities!

10. AMD - I've been told I'm a very black & white person

11. rainycityjen - all in

12. Sweetbubbletreat

13. Misschief (thinking, thinking... )

14. Judiraz- lots of ideas, but I think it's going to be a tough one!

15. DeeAnna- She says the color has gotta be black, really black. Oh, dear, I've only gotten to gray so far ...

16. KCHaystack - Glad we do not have to compete against Saponista... Cause the soap from her video was amazing

17. Steve85569 - I'm in again! I still have people to give soap to...

18. jules92207 - my favorite soap colors!!! Can't flipping wait.

19. luebella - there, you're IN!... you're welcome.

20. CaraBou - ready to be skunked

21. PenelopeJane-Black isn't a colour is it? I hope not, cos I can't do colours.

22. McGraysoldtowngifts

23. traderbren- Back in black, I hit the sack, I've been too long I'm glad to be back

24. Sonya-m - wonder if I'll actually find the time to soap this month?!?

25. TBandCW - Just made my b & w yesterday! Is this a sign??

26. Songwind - I'm in.
 
I'm going to try to get my soap in early this time. :) I couldn't do last month b/c of the holiday season but I'm really going to try this month!

1.TheDragonGirl (this should be fun!)
2. Dixiedragon (houndstooth, y'all, my fellow Alabamians get it)
3. BlackDog (just finished my first one! Ice storm here today, so.....)
4. Seawolfe - woop woop!
5. Obsidian- this is one I can do lol
6. MySoapyHeart (would love to do this, now that I am "old" enough to participate in challenges in here
7. Newbie- so many options, so many option. Preparing for many batches of classic B&W
8. dibbles - can't wait to see what people come up with!
9. Snappyllama - perfect soap challenge to start the new year... so many possibilities!
10. AMD - I've been told I'm a very black & white person
11. rainycityjen - all in
12. Sweetbubbletreat
13. Misschief (thinking, thinking... )
14. Judiraz- lots of ideas, but I think it's going to be a tough one!
15. DeeAnna- She says the color has gotta be black, really black. Oh, dear, I've only gotten to gray so far ...
16. KCHaystack - Glad we do not have to compete against Saponista... Cause the soap from her video was amazing
17. Steve85569 - I'm in again! I still have people to give soap to...
18. jules92207 - my favorite soap colors!!! Can't flipping wait.
19. luebella - there, you're IN!... you're welcome.
20. CaraBou - ready to be skunked
21. PenelopeJane-Black isn't a colour is it? I hope not, cos I can't do colours.
22. McGraysoldtowngifts
23. traderbren- Back in black, I hit the sack, I've been too long I'm glad to be back
24. Sonya-m - wonder if I'll actually find the time to soap this month?!?
25. TBandCW - Just made my b & w yesterday! Is this a sign??
26. Songwind - I'm in.
27. GalaxyMLP- I'm gonna make time
 
Thanks for sharing your point of view, Newbie. I know what you mean about those difficult "should I do more or should I stop here?" situations when soaping. It sounds to me that it might be tough to deal with the difference in thickness of the two soaps.

Gypsy, my German shorthair pointer, sometimes gets injured like your dog. She's got a "full speed ahead and **** the torpedoes" personality and she just doesn't think about the sharp splintery sticks that might be hiding in the bush ahead. And she's awfully stoic too and that makes matters worse, since we don't always catch the injury early enough to avoid infection, etc. I'm sending all my best to your pup and to you -- may your pup heal well and quickly!
 
She's not feeling at all well and is pretty shaky. She's got pain meds though and I am hoping a good night's sleep will help a lot.

Curse you, Saponista! I think I just made bust number two. I used only black and white but there was some mixing in the mold, resulting in some gray. I assume that is not allowed and the soap must be distinctly just B&W, correct?
 
I'm going to try to get my soap in early this time. :) I couldn't do last month b/c of the holiday season but I'm really going to try this month!

1.TheDragonGirl (this should be fun!)
2. Dixiedragon (houndstooth, y'all, my fellow Alabamians get it)
3. BlackDog (just finished my first one! Ice storm here today, so.....)
4. Seawolfe - woop woop!
5. Obsidian- this is one I can do lol
6. MySoapyHeart (would love to do this, now that I am "old" enough to participate in challenges in here
7. Newbie- so many options, so many option. Preparing for many batches of classic B&W
8. dibbles - can't wait to see what people come up with!
9. Snappyllama - perfect soap challenge to start the new year... so many possibilities!
10. AMD - I've been told I'm a very black & white person
11. rainycityjen - all in
12. Sweetbubbletreat
13. Misschief (thinking, thinking... )
14. Judiraz- lots of ideas, but I think it's going to be a tough one!
15. DeeAnna- She says the color has gotta be black, really black. Oh, dear, I've only gotten to gray so far ...
16. KCHaystack - Glad we do not have to compete against Saponista... Cause the soap from her video was amazing
17. Steve85569 - I'm in again! I still have people to give soap to...
18. jules92207 - my favorite soap colors!!! Can't flipping wait.
19. luebella - there, you're IN!... you're welcome.
20. CaraBou - ready to be skunked
21. PenelopeJane-Black isn't a colour is it? I hope not, cos I can't do colours.
22. McGraysoldtowngifts
23. traderbren- Back in black, I hit the sack, I've been too long I'm glad to be back
24. Sonya-m - wonder if I'll actually find the time to soap this month?!?
25. TBandCW - Just made my b & w yesterday! Is this a sign??
26. Songwind - I'm in.
27. GalaxyMLP- I'm gonna make time
28. WildcraftGarden - Yay! First challenge. ☺
 
1.TheDragonGirl (this should be fun!)

2. Dixiedragon (houndstooth, y'all, my fellow Alabamians get it)

3. BlackDog (just finished my first one! Ice storm here today, so.....)

4. Seawolfe - woop woop!

5. Obsidian- this is one I can do lol

6. MySoapyHeart (would love to do this, now that I am "old" enough to participate in challenges in here

7. Newbie- so many options, so many option. Preparing for many batches of classic B&W

8. dibbles - can't wait to see what people come up with!

9. Snappyllama - perfect soap challenge to start the new year... so many possibilities!

10. AMD - I've been told I'm a very black & white person

11. rainycityjen - all in

12. Sweetbubbletreat

13. Misschief (thinking, thinking... )

14. Judiraz- lots of ideas, but I think it's going to be a tough one!

15. DeeAnna- She says the color has gotta be black, really black. Oh, dear, I've only gotten to gray so far ...

16. KCHaystack - Glad we do not have to compete against Saponista... Cause the soap from her video was amazing

17. Steve85569 - I'm in again! I still have people to give soap to...

18. jules92207 - my favorite soap colors!!! Can't flipping wait.

19. luebella - there, you're IN!... you're welcome.

20. CaraBou - ready to be skunked

21. PenelopeJane-Black isn't a colour is it? I hope not, cos I can't do colours.

22. McGraysoldtowngifts

23. traderbren- Back in black, I hit the sack, I've been too long I'm glad to be back

24. Sonya-m - wonder if I'll actually find the time to soap this month?!?

25. TBandCW - Just made my b & w yesterday! Is this a sign??

26. Songwind - I'm in.

27. GalaxyMLP- I'm gonna make time

28. WildcraftGarden - Yay! First challenge. ☺

29. Seven - i think this one i can do
 
Thank you for the lovely praise for my video mysoapyheart, deeanna and TEG. I'm really glad you found it useful deeanna. I don't watch a lot of youtube videos as I have very little patience and all the stick blending drives me mad so I tried to cut out as much of the irrelevant bits as possible.

I really like the soap that you thought was a bust newbie. It could have done with a teeny bit more swirling but those delicate wisps are lovely. I always have a hard time getting it right when you cant see what you are doing, I am a sucker for over swirling as I cant resist just one more go......

I am going to be tough and say no grey at all from blending the black and white together newbie. I feel guilty though as I am forcing you to make more soap!

I love gear ties for swirling, I find that the thicker diameter moves more of the batter for a more striking result. For the demonstration soap, I used a thin bent hanger as I didn't want to disturb the layers of soap too much, just enough to drag a neat line through them.

I'm so glad to see we have some new entrants this month. Welcome to everyone who hasn't participated in a challenge yet. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's soap. :)
 
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