Show #35: Surviving the End of the World (as we Know it)

Looking forward to the show.
Even Hollywood knows something is up.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/21/movies/disaster-films-plague-the-box-office.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
 
Belibaste said:
I have been doing a bit of research and even found out that you can make soap of lye made of wood ash

Yes mixing ashes with water produces lye which is one of the two components along with lipids necessary to start a saponification reaction. Some producers even keep some ashes when skimming the lye because of the slight abrasive properties of ashes.

Mariama said:
The soap the mother made was soft, BTW. :) Just saying, because people might expect it should be hard.
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The hardness of the soap you make will depend on the kind of fat you use and on the lye saturation. Basically the longer the fatty chains are and the higher the lye percentage is, the harder the soap will be.

That's the reason why the soap labelled "pure olive oil" actually only contain about 70% of olive oil, the rest is usually palm oil. Soap that is only made of olive oil is very soft and when exposed to water it turns into jelly.

So home-made hard soap is feasible but you need the right fat mix and to dose precisely your fat/lye ratio. You put as much lye as possible but not too much otherwise the saponification reaction is incomplete and you will have untransformed fat in your soap.
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Thanks again, Belibaste for your reply. :flowers:

There is one thing, however, which I don't understand. You said:
Some producers even keep some ashes when skimming the lye because of the slight abrasive properties of ashes.
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What do you mean exactly? Do producers keep some ashes after they have used it to make lye?

Here is some information on making lye and soap with ashes:

http://www.frontierfreedom.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=57&Itemid=57

http://www.frontierfreedom.com/?option=com_content&task=view&id=105
 
Mariama said:
Some producers even keep some ashes when skimming the lye because of the slight abrasive properties of ashes.
Click to expand...
What do you mean exactly? Do producers keep some ashes after they have used it to make lye?

Here is some information on making lye and soap with ashes:

http://www.frontierfreedom.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=57&Itemid=57

http://www.frontierfreedom.com/?option=com_content&task=view&id=105
Click to expand...

I'm afraid I didn't explain this point very well. What I meant is that, in addition to using ashes to produce lye, some soap makers add ashes (in particular volcanic ashes) to their lye + fat mix in order to improve the abrasive properties of the soap (peeling effect).

In the same way some producers add essential oil for perfume and/or medicinal properties, some others add ashes.
 
Thanks for another great show guys!

There are a number of urban places in the world that live with frequent blackouts for differing reasons, some simply because their government would rather sit on money than run the electric grid; generators, back up food stores & oil lamps are commonplace... electricity is something we have grown accustomed to.

A few articles concerning power cuts:

Power cut leaves most of Venezuela without electricity Power cuts slows Tanzania's economic growth
Tanesco: Power outages due to old infrastructure

I don't know whether to say the world's going mad or if it's been mad for time millennia, just that now the covers are being pulled off. Either way, or as a side note, welding is something that has intrigued me.
 
Excellent show! That's a way to make music together! The curious effect was that for the first time I heard your voices so clear, like a soft bell chiming ('perezvon'). Absolutely beautiful. Thank you all! And good night!
 
What else is there to say but Great Show Folks. Very informative with lots for me to think about and, more importantly, do.
 
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