General
I don't see the exact product I want on your website. Do you take commissions?
I sure do! Reach out at contact@oldwalnutworkshop.org with what you're looking for and we can work together to figure out a timeline and pricing. I can do custom wood turning projects or batches of soap in specific colors and scents. Reach out and let's make something cool together!
Do you use generative AI in any of your work?
No. Nothing creative you see from Old Walnut Workshop (products, recipes, text, marketing photos, etc.) will ever include content produced by generative AI as long as it's within my control. At it's core, Old Walnut Workshop is about creativity and the difficult, but rewarding process of learning new skills.
Wood
Are your wood products food safe?
Yes! I prefer to work with natural, food-safe finishes like beeswax, orange oil, linseed oil, natural resin and/or shellac. The trade-off is that these finishes are less durable, but are easily refreshed with a new coat of finish. You can use the finishing product listed with your item or whatever oil or wax you might have on hand.
How do you source your wood?
At the moment, a fair number of our wood products are turned from kiln-dried wood purchased as blanks. Increasingly, I'm aiming to turn projects out of local wood sourced from neighbors, roadsides and giveaway piles in public parks. That wood takes a while to dry out enough to work, though, which is why it's being added to my inventory gradually.
Soap
Why is your soap made with sodium hydroxide and sodium lactate?
Sodium hydroxide is a saponifier - basically the thing that makes soap soap! It binds with fats from the oils in the mixture (olive oil, coconut oil, mango seed butter and shea butter). After about a month of curing, the saponification process is complete and there is no sodium hydroxide left in the finished product.
Sodium lactate comes from the fermentation of sugar in corn and beats. I include it in my soap because it helps the soap firm up faster, which makes for a harder end product and a much easier unmolding process.
What fragrances do you use in your soap?
I use two types of fragrances in my soap - essential oils and fragrance oils.
Essential oils are derived directly from plant matter like lavender, citrus, etc. These fragrances are more natural, but can be very expensive and don't hold up as well in the soap making process due to high temperatures.
Fragrance oils are manufactured scents. While they're less "natural," they tend to be more affordable, come in a wider variety of scents and result in a much stronger scent in the finished product. I always list whether a scent is an essential oil or a fragrance oil in the ingredients section.