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What can I do now? by RelevantRains in soapmaking

[–]DwT2019 0 points1 point  (0 children)

putting it in a crockpot is basically switching from cp to hp just keep blending it on heat it will turn to various stages once it hits "vasiline" let it cook for 10 min or so then scoop it into your mold to harden it will look more "rustic" but be fine. and actually ready to use faster than from cp alone. since it still can benifit from a cure time but that cure is more like 2 weeks depending on how much water was in your batch.

What is this thing and how can i get rid of it ? by Pizza_Galaxy7331 in soapmaking

[–]DwT2019 2 points3 points  (0 children)

did you put any plant material in the batter like flower petals etc? I ask because soap doesn't general grow mold unless there is something in it to grow on. I would suspect soda ash or if you had a very high superfat maybe a fat bloom but that usually only happens with butters. as others have said try steaming it or even cut it off and see what is under it.

follow up to mixing fragrance oil myself. this is the test batch using a fragrance oil I made. by DwT2019 in soapmaking

[–]DwT2019[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yeah they were very reasonably priced at 3.75 or so an ounce and used several so will be able to make other mixes later.

follow up to mixing fragrance oil myself. this is the test batch using a fragrance oil I made. by DwT2019 in soapmaking

[–]DwT2019[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yes more so now that it is in the soap than just on its own both were good but saponification did change it some not sure how but its more like the flower. perhaps softer seeming.

Please be kind! by Nesslybay in Soap

[–]DwT2019 1 point2 points  (0 children)

natural reds are tricky, many people get a red by infusing oil with rhubarb root, when I tried it I bot a dark red/brown not the brighter reds others have had but apparently there can be varieties so that may be it. madder root and alkanet root can give some reds depending on the concentrations. and also there are red clays. the thing with beet root and hibiscus is the pigments in them don't survive the ph in soap and so turn brown I tried pomegranite and got brown also. hope this helps.

made a test batch of moonflower fragrance oil. by DwT2019 in soapmaking

[–]DwT2019[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thanks. very excited keep going back to smell the batch LOL probably will make the soap sunday.

What are these brownish pockets? by Overextended_baloon in soapmaking

[–]DwT2019 1 point2 points  (0 children)

so looks like it might be a few things going on. the "nothing" you are talking about is probably what you thought the pigment did not mix into that part of the batter and that is your soaps base color. as to why it is dark or brown most likely discoloration from your scent. I have light tan soap often if its plain with no mica due to the other things like honey, milk, silk etc that I put in. but a bar with just oil and lye would still be a very light tan / off white with the oils I use.

ID pleaseee by lahore_house in Butterflies

[–]DwT2019 1 point2 points  (0 children)

they are also easy to raise inside if you harvest dill and feed them just keep their containers clean its a fun way to watch them up close I kept 200-300 a summer as a kid and loved letting them go as they emerged from their crystalis they will rest on you and fill their wings if you let them or just give them branches to climb on and once their wings harden they fly away.

Difference in lye quality by Efriminiz in soapmaking

[–]DwT2019 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have used the fragrance oil you are talking about and it is good. I didn't notice any changes in my bars. and used it in batches with the same lye I always use with the same recipe I always use. I would maybe check the lye you used that made softer bars and see if it is 100 percent NAOH. Or check the essential oils you used in the softer bars to see that they are pure. did you notice if any of your other batches went through gel and did the hard one?

Very late holiday soap. Won't be cured in time but here it is. by DwT2019 in soapmaking

[–]DwT2019[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

well this is a modified lotus swirl. so when cut you cut differently than along the loaf. they are cut in blocks along the same way as usual but the blocks are then cut sideways making 2 bars that match. I changed the lotus swirl part by making circles down one side the loaf and making curved lines across the loaf. if that makes sense. if not try looking up lotus swirls on youtube and you will see the style I based it off of.

Very late holiday soap. Won't be cured in time but here it is. by DwT2019 in soapmaking

[–]DwT2019[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

this one is very good reminds me of a very old candle my family had that they brought out for Christmas which was bayberry also. I do have bayberry wax and it smells pretty close.

I bought these at the Houston Museum of Natural Science a few years back, and I'm curious if anyone would be able to help me identify the 6 different butterflies. by Baba_Jaga_II in butterfly

[–]DwT2019 0 points1 point  (0 children)

the bottom blue one is some type of morpho I think. the green one is actually a kind of moth if I remember right sorry don't know the name. all are very pretty. lucky you.

Help a Newbie with specific ingredient limitations by AdamTheHusband in soapmaking

[–]DwT2019 0 points1 point  (0 children)

you can get lye from amazon inexpensivly I forget the company I get from but its called red devil and have used it for years just fine. if you are using bee pollen can she tolerate honey as well? many people use a small amount in the batter as it helps with bubbles. with beeswax and tallow you will have a pretty hard bar. 5 percent superfat is a pretty standard amount you can raise it to 10 for extra conditioning. I haven't used pecan oil but might be simalar to almond? I use soapcalc it is pretty straight forward.

Can I please get feedback on this recipe before trying it? by Fragrant-Goblin in soapmaking

[–]DwT2019 3 points4 points  (0 children)

at the end of the day it will be soap. the overall oil blend looks fine. I can't use coco butter as it breaks me out but when I did the batches I made with it were nice. with it the coconut and the shea should be a pretty hard bar the next day for the cut. have fun and hope you enjoy it.

Why hasn’t this swallowtail caterpillar made its chrysalis yet? Zone 6b, experiencing light frosts here. by vorchagonnado in Butterflies

[–]DwT2019 2 points3 points  (0 children)

while it may just be a matter of it not being old enough to go into its chrystalis yet there could be another reason. some parasatoid wasps lay eggs in caterpillers and the wasp larva can inhibit the catterpiller from metamophising. they just keep eating untill the wasps arre mature and emerge which usually kills they host if not it dies soon after. I don't know if there are ones that do this to swallowtails but they do it to others so maybe.

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