Whaaaaat just happpppenneeed???

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Interestingly, 6 quarters weighed between 1.56 and 1.58g and one weighed 1.76g. The 6 were from 2009-2015 and the heavy one was from 1984! Our money is shrinking! (Ok this was way OT)
Mine all weighed same i think pretty sure they have to be close because of needing to be used in vending machines and self serve tills

Here is an interesting link about the weight and make-up of the US Quarter. Besides the difference in the alloy used since 1965, I think some quarters can lose weight with a certain amount of wear & tear. Not normal usage, but for example, being dropped in a garbage disposal, or run over on the street by street sweepers, for example. Over the course of my life I have seen a pretty good number of damaged coins with little nicks and dings that probably altered their weight somewhat.

http://cointrackers.com/blog/44/how-much-does-a-quarter-weigh/
 
Here is an interesting link about the weight and make-up of the US Quarter. Besides the difference in the alloy used since 1965, I think some quarters can lose weight with a certain amount of wear & tear. Not normal usage, but for example, being dropped in a garbage disposal, or run over on the street by street sweepers, for example. Over the course of my life I have seen a pretty good number of damaged coins with little nicks and dings that probably altered their weight somewhat.

http://cointrackers.com/blog/44/how-much-does-a-quarter-weigh/

Ill have a look later thank you. @MGM is in canada though do they use the same minting presses for both countries or are the coins the same or simular sizes?
 
I don't add do anything when I add embeds to CP. I don't do it often mind you. I just put them in and pour my soap over the top. Doesn't sound like overheating. I soap just luke warm to the touch with lard and have not had any false trace. I SB to emulsion. I'm thinking it was the alcohol that caused it to kind of seized up some. I can't get individual molds to gel at all unless I put them in a warm oven. Sometimes, things just happen with very little explanation.
 
TFW the alien brain side of your soap is the GOOD side.....sigh.

I pictured the embeds somehow magically lining themselves up nicely...oh well, maybe as the soap is used they'll be fun little surprises!
 

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TFW the alien brain side of your soap is the GOOD side.....sigh.

I pictured the embeds somehow magically lining themselves up nicely...oh well, maybe as the soap is used they'll be fun little surprises!
When you use embeds in a loaf mold you cut through the soap and the embed and get a nice finish.

If using a cavity mold you might want to use a planer to get a nice finish or use a knife.
 
Why not use water instead of alcohol to dampen your embeds? Sure you need alcohol to stick M&P to M&P but I think it should be different for CP and M&P.
Oh I didn't know that!! I remember reading a number of things about keeping MP embeds healthy in hot CP (freezing , etc. etc.) and that they would shrink at different rates, but I thought I read that I still needed IPA. Very good tip, thanks!
 
They can shrink some in CP. One time I made a bunch of different colored cubes out of MP and then put them into CP. I did gel it a as I was concerned they would just pop out but was also concerned they would totally melt. Over time and after a long cure they MP did start to shrink some. Still stuck in the soap. Haven't done it since though. Might have to play with it again once I get all my stock back up to where it needs to be.
 
Update! Soap is now developing ash (possibly surprising, given how it was drenched in IPA :p ). ONE of the 9 soaps looks very cool, kind of beachy. The other 8....well....they smell good (although not amazing. Just plain good). Family better get used to seeing them in the shower. Or, perhaps they'll transform into swans during a nice long cure....
 

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Update! Soap is now developing ash (possibly surprising, given how it was drenched in IPA :p ). ONE of the 9 soaps looks very cool, kind of beachy. The other 8....well....they smell good (although not amazing. Just plain good). Family better get used to seeing them in the shower. Or, perhaps they'll transform into swans during a nice long cure....
Looks like an intentional design :)
If it smells nice and feels nice, I'm sure your family will love it. After a few uses it won't show anyway lols
 
Update on this soap, 2+ months later.
Still looks the same, alien brain, lye crystals coming out, etc.etc. Still has no fragrance (used orange 5-fold, litsea cubeba, and clay to anchor it, to zero avail) other than the patchouli and neroli of the MP embeds. Nice lather, and LASTS. Oh lordy does this soap last. I started using a bar as soon as I made it, and I still have that bar going, 8+ weeks later! LOTS OF IT. Very hard, solid bar (sometimes crumbles though).
Here's the thing: the lack of fragrance bothers me....could I chop these bars up and make confetti bars, using the same recipe (100% lard) and more/different fragrance? I like the recipe well enough, even though it acted weird (false trace, then alien brain despite not overheating, etc. etc). I just wish it smelled like something.
What do you think?
 
When you say lye crystals coming out, I would guess what you are seeing is the ash formations. Some ash formations close up, look like hairs growing on the soap.

BUT, if you do think they are actually lye crystals, have you done the zap test at all to confirm the soap are lye heavy? In my experience, lye crystals don't migrate out of the soap, but sit inside waiting to be revealed when you cut it open.
 
I do not find that clays anchor fragrance or EO's. The litsea should have stayed unless it was to low a percentage.
Actually now that I think about it, I think I used cornstarch as an anchor, as I read about that somewhere online....
 
When you say lye crystals coming out, I would guess what you are seeing is the ash formations. Some ash formations close up, look like hairs growing on the soap.

BUT, if you do think they are actually lye crystals, have you done the zap test at all to confirm the soap are lye heavy? In my experience, lye crystals don't migrate out of the soap, but sit inside waiting to be revealed when you cut it open.

Hmmm I need to follow up on this.....a zap test 24 hours after making them had no zap. So perhaps they are just big, crystalized feathery soda ash bits? I will re-zap and photograph tonight.
 

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