Shrinkage




Size does matter.

  
So, there's that great episode of Seinfeld when Jerry's girlfriend sees George naked after he was swimming in cold water—causing 'shrinkage' to his manhood.

'Shrinkage' also happens in soap—only it's the water evaporating during the cure that causes it. The bar that's cut when the soap first comes out of the mold is quite a bit larger than what it'll be a month or two later.

One of my New Year's Soap Resolutions is to package more of my short stories in booklet form with my soap. And I want the soap and the booklet to be the same size for a nice, neat appearance.

I can't simply cut bars so they're the same size as the booklets—which are all made using 5 x 8" index cards cut and folded to make a booklet that's 2.5 x 4". The soap will be smaller by the time it's cured.

So I'm working on my 'shrinkage.'

First off, I made a batch of soap using less water mixed with the lye. Normally it's 2.847 ounces of water to 1 ounce of lye. This batch was 1.871 to 1. This was all figured out using SoapCalc—a soap-maker's very best friend.

I then cut the bars, so they're about an eighth of inch bigger than the booklet on all sides. They are gigantic bars, but hopefully they'll shrink down to the size of the booklet.

The first page of my Heartwarming Holiday Story
used as a template. It looks kinda Biblical with
that Old English font.



If they're too big, I can always trim them down.

While the bars are curing, I'll have to figure out a story to use. Maybe something to do with a man's short comings?

Stay tuned.

If you like this blog, check out my new one: The Haley Maxwell Soap Making Mysteries