Glossary

TBC

  • Akasha – Infinite expanse, the cosmic soup where time and space bubble up—pure mystical juice.
  • Atman –The inner self or soul, one with Brahman in the Upanishads—“I am Brahman,” it whispers.

 

  • Brahman – Ultimate reality, the unchanging All behind the universe—“You are that,” says the Isha Upanishad.
  • Clay Mold Blowing —
  • Cracking-Off —
  • Dharma – Duty or cosmic law, the glue of life—Bhishma’s “subtle, yet known when seen” in the Mahabharata.
  • Free Blowpipe Glassblowing —

 

  • Incalmo — an ancient Venetian glassblowing technique that joins two or more separately blown, hot glass elements—often different colors—along their hot circumferences to form a single unified object.
  • Karma – Action’s ripple, tying soul to rebirth—“You’re not entitled to the fruits,” Krishna tells Arjuna.

 

  • Moksha – Liberation from rebirth’s cycle, the big escape—India’s spiritual endgame.

 

  • Reticello —  an intertwining of two layers of glass canes in opposite directions, fusing them together to create a delicate crisscross pattern with a tiny, symmetrical air bubble trapped at the center of each diamond.
  • Rigveda – Oldest Veda (c. 1500BC), hymns like the Gayatri Mantra—“May it illuminate our intellect.”

 

  • Samsara- The wheel of birth and death, what yogis dodge—trapped ‘til you crack moksha.

 

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  • acid — a solution which has a pH less than 7.
  • alkali (alkaline) base solution which has a pH greater than 7.
  • ash — the powdery residue of matter that remains after burning.

 

  • potash — potassium carbonate obtained from plant or wood ash. Caustic potash (chemical formula KOH, or potassium hydroxide) is used to make lye solutions for liquid or soft-paste soaps.

 

  • barilla — a sodium-rich plant whose ashes were used to make soda lye, a perfect combination to make a beautiful hard white bar of soap.
  • base – see alkali.

 

  • caustic – corrosive effect of a chemical on living tissue.
  • cold process — each solution is heated separately, then the lye is mixed with oils, fats, or butters together without additional low heat.
  • cure — a process that makes a harder, less caustic and gentler soap. It also produces more lather. Alternates every week. 6 weeks total to cure.

 

  • egg & potato test — a float test to determine if the lye is the correct strength to make soap.
  • essential oils — EO — undiluted volatile oils extracted from plant matter by distillation, expression, or solvent extraction.

 

  • fatty acid — number of milligrams of KOH (potassium hydroxide).fatty value – free fatty acid (fat or oil) needed to neutralize the acid.

 

  • hard and soft soap — cold or hot process, thin or thick texture, brought about by the strength of lye and salts used.
  • hot process — soft soap. once you start mixing, don’t stop — this is a very fast process.

 

  • lye — an alkaline liquid obtained by leaching wood ash with water. lye is the caustic used to turn oils and fats into bar soap.

 

  • mappae clavicula — a medieval Latin text containing manufacturing recipes for craft materials, including: metals, glass, mosaics, dyes, tints, soaps, and a number of other crafts. a material key to the world of medieval techniques, written in the 12th century.

 

  • oils — a variety of acidic plants and foods. lauric acid: coconut oil. stearic acid: palm oil and lard. oleic acid: olive, cod, corn, palm oils. linoleic acid: soy, vegetable, nuts, seed oils, meats and eggs.ricinoleic acid: castor oil.
  • pH — potential of hydrogen, a measure of how acidic or basic a water solution is.
  • quick lime – calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2] hastens the soap-making process.

 

  • safety gear & supplies — eye goggles, face mask, apron, rubber gloves, sink and running water, stainless steel pots, wood spoon, cotton filters.
  • sea salt — used to hasten the trace hardening process, making the mix thicker.
  • soaper — a person who practices soap-making.

 

  • trace or streaming — this process tells you when the soap is thick enough to pour into a mould. thin tracing: like honey. medium tracing: like pudding. thick tracing: like mashed potatoes.

 

  • Annealing — The controlled, slow cooling process inside a specialized kiln (lehr) that relieves internal thermal stresses in freshly blown glass or forged metalwork to prevent fracturing. (Completes your glassblowing definitions)
  • Arriccio — The initial, rough scratch-coat of lime plaster applied directly to a structural brick wall to create a stable, high-friction base for fresco work.

 

  • Calcination — The high-heat thermal treatment used to burn limestone down into quicklime, or to reduce organic matter into high-purity potash ash.

 

  • Giornata — (Italian for “a day’s work”) The specific patch of fresh, wet lime plaster laid down by a fresco artisan that must be completely painted before the surface dries.

 

  • Intonaco — The final, ultra-smooth layer of wet lime plaster applied directly over the arriccio coat where pigments are immediately painted to lock in the permanent chemical bond.

 

  • Saponification — The fundamental chemical reaction that occurs when a caustic alkaline lye solution is mixed with fatty acid oils, transforming them entirely into gentle bar soap.