What's This In My Mold

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It might be the type of timber. Is it very light in weight? It looks like western red cedar which is a beautiful timber and weatherproof but it is very soft and might react with the lye that seeped beneath your lining.
 
I honestly couldn't tell you what kind of wood it is. My father-in-law has a wood shop and I just grabbed it from his scrap pile.
 
I've had that blackening from oak reacting with the pH of soap. It's because of the tannins in the oak. I tried using oak for soap dishes and got that reaction.

My wood soap molds are spruce or pine, which don't have the tannins. So, I expect you had some leakage and the high pH lye reacted with tannins in the wood. You should ask the woodworker (dad?) if he uses oak.
 
It reminds me of two things:
one - opening the pkg from the butcher and leaving the butcher wrapper on my cutting block under the meat while I cut it and the printed tag imprinting onto my cutting board where I applied pressure and cuts.
two - a stupid grocery bag on the counter and a sprite spill that transferred the blue stater bros name onto the white tile and the grout.

Suz
 
I've had that blackening from oak reacting with the pH of soap. It's because of the tannins in the oak. I tried using oak for soap dishes and got that reaction.

My wood soap molds are spruce or pine, which don't have the tannins. So, I expect you had some leakage and the high pH lye reacted with tannins in the wood. You should ask the woodworker (dad?) if he uses oak.
I have also had the same reaction when I tried black walnut for a soap dish
 
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