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Hobbies

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getreal
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Hobbies

#1 Post by getreal » November 26th, 2013, 9:18 pm

Not sure where to put this, so lease move if it's in the wrong place.

I just wondered if anyone had any interesting or unusual hobbies.

I have just made my first batch of home made soap. I had been reading up on the subject for a couple of months and became intreigued. I love smelly soap and like the idea of creating my own. I like the technical-ness of it too.

My first batch (still to be cut and left to cure for at least 4 weeks. This also gets rid of the caustic soda.). Starflower and vanilla.
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"It's hard to put a leash on a dog once you've put a crown on his head"-Tyrion Lannister.

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Dave B
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Re: Hobbies

#2 Post by Dave B » November 26th, 2013, 9:38 pm

Oops, I saw the picture and thought you had taken up making unusual puddings, getreal!

I once made some soap the really primitive way (on an RAF course) from rendered fat and wood ash. Smelled 'orrible but did the job! (The fat was supplied, we did not have to hunt down a "donor".)

Er, you seems to have uploaded the picture three times . . .

Most of my hobbies are boring, electronics at the moment, just made a little battery powered person sensing (PIR) LED light to illuminate a dark place without blinding me when I need to take a bleary eyed walk at 3am and don't want to fall over the clothes dryer or tread on the shoes.

In the process of designing a photographic competition - may come off in the summer - to raise money for a local charity.
"Look forward; yesterday was a lesson, if you did not learn from it you wasted it."
Me, 2015

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Alan H
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Re: Hobbies

#3 Post by Alan H » November 26th, 2013, 11:07 pm

Dave B wrote:Most of my hobbies are boring, electronics at the moment, just made a little battery powered person sensing (PIR) LED light to illuminate a dark place without blinding me when I need to take a bleary eyed walk at 3am and don't want to fall over the clothes dryer or tread on the shoes.
Oooh! Tell me more.
Alan Henness

There are three fundamental questions for anyone advocating Brexit:

1. What, precisely, are the significant and tangible benefits of leaving the EU?
2. What damage to the UK and its citizens is an acceptable price to pay for those benefits?
3. Which ruling of the ECJ is most persuasive of the need to leave its jurisdiction?

Maria Mac
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Re: Hobbies

#4 Post by Maria Mac » November 26th, 2013, 11:11 pm

That sounds like fun, getreal. I don't have any unusual hobbies any more but for a few years I was heavily into dolls houses. I made a 4-storey Georgian house from a kit and then decorated it and made lots of furniture. I was very proud of it but then made a resolution that I wouldn't do any more until I'd got my real house up to scratch. That was nearly 20 years ago.....Unfortunately it's not in a place it can be easily photographed at the moment but I will return to it one day because I loved it. I also made my daughter one and bought a vintage one from an antiques fair.

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Dave B
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Re: Hobbies

#5 Post by Dave B » November 27th, 2013, 9:36 am

Alan H wrote:
Dave B wrote:Most of my hobbies are boring, electronics at the moment, just made a little battery powered person sensing (PIR) LED light to illuminate a dark place without blinding me when I need to take a bleary eyed walk at 3am and don't want to fall over the clothes dryer or tread on the shoes.
Oooh! Tell me more.
I'll PM you Alan.
"Look forward; yesterday was a lesson, if you did not learn from it you wasted it."
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getreal
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Re: Hobbies

#6 Post by getreal » November 27th, 2013, 6:57 pm

you must post a picture Athena. I'd love to see it.

I've now cut the soap and it now has to cure for 4-6 weeks. I took some of the crumbs and lathered it up. It was just like real soap! Had to use marigolds though, as it's still full of caustic soda.
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Dave B
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Re: Hobbies

#7 Post by Dave B » November 27th, 2013, 7:15 pm

Please don't leave that around the kitchen unsupervised, getreal, looks too much like a nice toffee fudge with chocolate decoration! :D
"Look forward; yesterday was a lesson, if you did not learn from it you wasted it."
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getreal
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Re: Hobbies

#8 Post by getreal » November 27th, 2013, 7:34 pm

Dave B wrote:Please don't leave that around the kitchen unsupervised, getreal, looks too much like a nice toffee fudge with chocolate decoration! :D

:laughter:

It's a bit more orangy in real life, Dave. Don't worry, I have it safely in a spare room with the door firmly closed. Theer is lots of edible oils in it so I have to keep it away from the animals.
"It's hard to put a leash on a dog once you've put a crown on his head"-Tyrion Lannister.

Fia
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Re: Hobbies

#9 Post by Fia » November 27th, 2013, 8:49 pm

Good looking soap, getreal... wish we had smelly fora :sad: But your spare room will probably smell fabulous :D

I've never really done hobbies. I cook; sew, knit and mend when needed; make marmalade, fruit gin - and this year lemon and honey vodka too - and chocolates with the gin soaked fruit and nice labels for them. None of that is really a hobby is it? I never understood them as a child either. Walking solo in the hills and regular visits to the library sufficed well for me.

And yes please to a pic when you can Athena :)

Nick
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Re: Hobbies

#10 Post by Nick » November 28th, 2013, 4:30 pm

Talking of soap, I once used "sea-soap" while sailing around the Greek islands. You pour a bucket of sea-water over your head, lather up with the sea-soap, then jump overboard to rinse it off. Bizaarly, when you emerge, dripping, back on board, there is no salty residue. Not very nice to hair, though. Heaven knows what was in it...!

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getreal
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Re: Hobbies

#11 Post by getreal » November 28th, 2013, 5:21 pm

There are certain oils which lather in salt water (I can't remember which) and sea soap is made of a combination of these.

Ordinary soap will not produce a lather in salt water.

Fia{ those sound like hobbies to me!
"It's hard to put a leash on a dog once you've put a crown on his head"-Tyrion Lannister.

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Dave B
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Re: Hobbies

#12 Post by Dave B » November 28th, 2013, 5:30 pm

Lather is not necessary for the cleaning process, washing machine liquids/powders have to be formulated to reduce the lather and what little there is is there only to reassure the average person that a washing process is occurring. Try [putting washing up liquid in your washing machine! At work we used absolutely latherless surfactants to clean the test gear, having an underground tank the size of a small tube station full of froth is not a good idea!
"Look forward; yesterday was a lesson, if you did not learn from it you wasted it."
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Alan H
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Re: Hobbies

#13 Post by Alan H » November 28th, 2013, 5:43 pm

Dave B wrote:Lather is not necessary for the cleaning process, washing machine liquids/powders have to be formulated to reduce the lather and what little there is is there only to reassure the average person that a washing process is occurring.
I still remember my chemistry teacher telling us it was the water that washes; the soap simply frees oils, etc from the thing you are washing. Ever tried washing with soap but without water?
Try [putting washing up liquid in your washing machine!
Or the dishwasher*... :D





*No, don't do it!
Alan Henness

There are three fundamental questions for anyone advocating Brexit:

1. What, precisely, are the significant and tangible benefits of leaving the EU?
2. What damage to the UK and its citizens is an acceptable price to pay for those benefits?
3. Which ruling of the ECJ is most persuasive of the need to leave its jurisdiction?

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Dave B
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Re: Hobbies

#14 Post by Dave B » November 28th, 2013, 6:00 pm

This is way OT but . . . You need three things to wash anything: a surfactant (soap), water and physical agitation. The last shakes the dirt free from whatever, the soap's molecule has one end that "hates" water and the other end "loves" it. The water hating ends all attach themselves to the dirt and the thing being washed and will not attach to their own kind. So the two, once divided, never get reunited, the dirt stays in suspension! Agitation in rinsing is also needed to persuade the soap to leave the object.

And yes, the suggestion to put washing up liquid in your washing machine was a joke, not to be done (unless you do want a kitchen full of foam! Salt will act as a lather reducer.
"Look forward; yesterday was a lesson, if you did not learn from it you wasted it."
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getreal
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Re: Hobbies

#15 Post by getreal » November 28th, 2013, 9:45 pm

I didn't know about salt being a lather reducer (though since I knew ordiary soap doesn't work in salt water, I should have).

I am going to try to make a soap to clean my dogs when they roll in horrible things. Nothing seems to get the awful pong out unless you give them a complete shampoo. Twice.
So I'd like to make a soap which can be used on the smelly bit only. It will need to be low in lather to enable it to be rinsed easily. So adding salt may be helpful. Unless it interferes in the whole saponification process.

I didn't do chemistry at school beyond 2nd year but this is piquing my interest. I've aleady been on a couple of chemisrty related sites.
"It's hard to put a leash on a dog once you've put a crown on his head"-Tyrion Lannister.

Nick
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Re: Hobbies

#16 Post by Nick » November 29th, 2013, 1:45 pm

Fascinating! Any idea why the salt appears not to stick as one emerges from the see after using appropriate sea-soap..?

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Dave B
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Re: Hobbies

#17 Post by Dave B » November 29th, 2013, 3:08 pm

Nick wrote:Fascinating! Any idea why the salt appears not to stick as one emerges from the see after using appropriate sea-soap..?
Wonder if it is that love-hate relationship soap has with water? Maybe it sticks to the salt molecules but still has its affinity to hang onto the water at the other end - so the salt goes where the water does - off you? The soap that sticks to you acts as a further barrier until you wipe it off.

In one of his (very funny) books about the navy John Winton tells of the newbie on a sub. They are sailing, on the surface, across the Equatorial region when a line squall is spotted ahead. The call goes below and all the off duty sailors rush on deck, stark naked and clutching their nice smelly fresh water soap. They cross the squall line and the subbies frantically lather themselves then rinse off quickly. The newbie can't see the point in rushing this luxury and works up a good lather. Then, just as quickly as it started, the line squall passed astern and the really hot sun came back out. Those in the know were OK, the newbie was covered in a quickly drying crust of soap lather . . . He needed a dip over the side to rinse off.

I am told by an ex-subbie that the books are not that far from reality!
"Look forward; yesterday was a lesson, if you did not learn from it you wasted it."
Me, 2015

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getreal
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Re: Hobbies

#18 Post by getreal » November 29th, 2013, 9:53 pm

I love reading books about real life sailing journeys and have come accross tales like that too, Dave.

Sailor spots a squal ahead, strips off and lathers uo only for the squall to move away and the poor soul left covered in sticky residue. A bit dangerous to jump over the side for a rinse/swim if you are single handed. But that didn't stop Robin Knox Johnson (my hero!)
"It's hard to put a leash on a dog once you've put a crown on his head"-Tyrion Lannister.

lewist
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Re: Hobbies

#19 Post by lewist » November 30th, 2013, 8:27 am

getreal wrote:I love reading books about real life sailing journeys...
Have you read any of Tim Severin's books, Getreal? He re-enacted famous voyages, including that of Jason and the Argo, St Brendan and others. They make fascinating reading. There is even the Brendan Suite, an orchestral work written to commemorate Brendan and his voyage by Irish composer Saun Davey, recorded with Liam O'Flynn (Planxty) playing uillean pipes.

Have you read Eric Newby's book, The Last Grain Race? That was another amazing real life journey about the last of the clipper races in 1938 with 18 year old Newby aboard. Now that was a gap year.
Carpe diem. Savour every moment.

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Ninny
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Re: Hobbies

#20 Post by Ninny » December 1st, 2013, 8:09 am

My hobby is, and always has been, studying! I can highly recommend http://www.futurelearn.com, a collaboration between the OU and other unis. The six-week online courses are absolutely free and of superb quality. I shall be starting The Discovery of the Higgs Boson in February. Why not join me?

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