Winter 78th, 518 AV, 18 Bells
Gemma took the jar from the pot and made sure she turned off the fire. She was done with that now that she had waited the needed 12 bells. Now it was time to make her salve. She went to the table and got her materials ready, making sure she knew which step was first.
Gemma took the first jar and set it to the side, uncovering it. She prepared cheesecloth over the bowl and poured the oil into the cloth and bowl so that the plant would be strained out. She squeezed the leaves to get all the oil out, then put the leaves to the side and moved on to the next jar of oil she had made. The oil was still hot, so she had to be careful, but she was sure she could heal herself if she did get injured.
She took the resulting oil and measured out several quantities. The ratio she was looking for was one cup of oil to every ounce of wax. In front of her was about sixteen cups of oil, so she needed sixteen one ounce bars of wax. She took the wax from a box her dad had, since it was for him, and brought the oil back over to the stove. She had left the double boiler on the stove, so now she just needed to restart the fire and boil the water again.
She filled up the bottom pan of the double boiler and put the wax bars into the top pan. As she watched, the wax started to melt. She was doing 4 batches at a time since her pan wasn’t big enough for more than that.
Once the wax was melted, it was mostly clear. But when she poured the oil in, it became almost solid again. The oil had cooled enough in that short time that when it came into contact with the hot wax, the wax congealed. Gemma stirred the oil and wax together, and when it was ready to be used, she brought it over to the table. She left the fire on, but turned down the air so the fire would burn lower. She would need to reheat this again.
She was filling little containers of one ounce each, which her dad used for sales to clients. She poured the mixture into the containers, but pouring from a pan was not ideal, so she instead poured it all into the measuring container that had a little lip for pouring out liquid. She used that to then fill a few more containers, leaving the lids off for now. She would let them dry first before capping them.
She saw that the wax was solidifying again, so she went back to her double boiler and put her container back in the second pan. She also began to prepare a second double boiler. She could probably handle two at a time, right? Yeah, no problem. She soon had dozens of little containers, but she was not done. Not by a long shot.
Gemma took the first jar and set it to the side, uncovering it. She prepared cheesecloth over the bowl and poured the oil into the cloth and bowl so that the plant would be strained out. She squeezed the leaves to get all the oil out, then put the leaves to the side and moved on to the next jar of oil she had made. The oil was still hot, so she had to be careful, but she was sure she could heal herself if she did get injured.
She took the resulting oil and measured out several quantities. The ratio she was looking for was one cup of oil to every ounce of wax. In front of her was about sixteen cups of oil, so she needed sixteen one ounce bars of wax. She took the wax from a box her dad had, since it was for him, and brought the oil back over to the stove. She had left the double boiler on the stove, so now she just needed to restart the fire and boil the water again.
She filled up the bottom pan of the double boiler and put the wax bars into the top pan. As she watched, the wax started to melt. She was doing 4 batches at a time since her pan wasn’t big enough for more than that.
Once the wax was melted, it was mostly clear. But when she poured the oil in, it became almost solid again. The oil had cooled enough in that short time that when it came into contact with the hot wax, the wax congealed. Gemma stirred the oil and wax together, and when it was ready to be used, she brought it over to the table. She left the fire on, but turned down the air so the fire would burn lower. She would need to reheat this again.
She was filling little containers of one ounce each, which her dad used for sales to clients. She poured the mixture into the containers, but pouring from a pan was not ideal, so she instead poured it all into the measuring container that had a little lip for pouring out liquid. She used that to then fill a few more containers, leaving the lids off for now. She would let them dry first before capping them.
She saw that the wax was solidifying again, so she went back to her double boiler and put her container back in the second pan. She also began to prepare a second double boiler. She could probably handle two at a time, right? Yeah, no problem. She soon had dozens of little containers, but she was not done. Not by a long shot.