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... and one who is married to Darth Tater... :)

If you have the slightest familiarity with computer programming, and if you're using a Windows operating system with MS Office, you can use MS Access to design the most wang-dang record keeping system imaginable. In one fairly small file, I have detailed records of purchases (equipment...

...march myself to my favorite Chinese buffet and gorge myself on raw oysters! For $10, I can eat my weight in raw oysters and all the other goodies on the buffet. What a deal, right? So what is everyone else looking forward to doing once we're able to go and do?

P - Prawns I - Iceberg lettuce E - Escargot B - Brie O - Olives R - Radishes G - Grapes

@penelopejane Yes, exactly! It was the tea tree oil that caused the seize. It had nothing to do with trace at all. I agree that a different supplier would probably have something more stable.

I'm not sure how much slowing trace has to do with preventing seizures. The batch in the OP took a reasonable length of time to trace. The problem was that it seized. Same with the next three batches, either seizing or semi-seizing. They could have taken all day to trace and it wouldn't have...

I thought I saw somewhere in this forum that soaping too cool causes crumbling, but I don't exactly trust my memory on that. I do remember seeing recently that soaping too warm can cause cracks to form.

My daughter: You know how to count in German, don't you? Me: Nine.

@Susie It's ok if it doesn't stick, just hoping to have something that might buy me a little time. I'm still waiting for my thermometer to arrive. For now, all I can do is go by touch, but I'll try soaping closer to room temperature. I'm guessing it's been around 90 - 100 F, barely warm to the...

The sweet orange EO arrived, and this may be a dumb question, but just to be sure, you add it after blending in the lye mixture and before any other additives, right? How much does it slow trace? You probably already answered this, but I can't find it -- how much to add ppo? Yep, that's what I...

@Arimara https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sun-Essentials-100-Pure-Tea-Tree-Essential-Oil-Aromatherapy-16oz/122441363 I'm not on the East Coast, but thanks for the recommendations. What is "NOW"? I've been thinking I could just HP this particular recipe and avoid all the hassle with acceleration...

@Arimara I got it from Walmart.com.

So, another batch is in the mold, this time without salt or AVJ. Again, it accelerated from emulsion to very thick pudding in the blink of an eye, but this time, I know what the culprit is. It's the tea tree oil! Whodathunkit? The batter was nice and loose with just the oils, GM powder, and...

@cmzaha Still waiting for the new thermometer. Deliveries are running a little slow lately, but I believe you and others who say that temperature makes a difference. I also think I was wrong to accuse the AVJ of causing my problems. It sounds like it was most likely the salt, maybe too much...

@penelopejane You are so right, it is frustrating, and disappointing too. Since the CA was already in the AVJ, and the label only said the AVJ was "99.8% pure", I didn't add extra lye. I didn't know the AC would accelerate! The first batch seized hard before the AC was added though, possibly...

Huh. That's good to know! I've tried honey and beeswax in my HP soap with no problems, but CP is such a different animal. Yeah, not trying either of those anytime soon lol! I feel like such a masochist for ever thinking I needed to do CP! HP was working just fine, but I'm jealous of all...

@Obsidian Thank you so much for offering to share your recipe! I don't have any lard atm, but I do have "shortening", which is a blend of palm and soybean oils. Their SAP values are fairly close, but there's no way of knowing the ratio of palm to soybean. Palm is the first ingredient, and...

@Obsidian Yes, it's just to harden the bar. I understand that hardness doesn't equate to long lasting, but I think salt is supposed to help with both. Of course, I could be wrong about that. Cutting it down to 1 tsp/ppo sounds like a great compromise. If I can have the salt without causing...

@Susie I understand that citrus EOs don't stick, but what they do is slow trace, which makes them a valuable addition, IMHO, if there's any chance of unwanted acceleration. It's good to hear I don't have to obsess about temperatures. I have been letting my lye water cool until it's no longer...