1. From your previous experiments, it sounds like a 50/50 blend will yield the best results. While two monolithic melts are possible, I have new cakes of both rosins. In the past in my less science-y "experiments" usually involving a hotter than enjoyable day where the rosin(s) have melted and reformed of their own will I have noticed an improvement over their previous state (old cake of rosin pre-melt) but the new cake wins every time.
2. The Kolstein AW is in the Silicone instead of their previous foil wrap. I am not sure what year they made that switch, but it was purchased very shortly after the switch because sometimes the same wine in a new bottle is exciting. It has some dried out surface cracking, and while usable is in the eye of the user, I replaced it because I haven't been happy with it for a while now and found myself in a shop that happened to have some. I would put it closer to unusable than deteriorated on my personal scale, but the needle might shift for others. The Pops has melted on its own more times than I can count, and was pretty much in a molasses like state for a good part of the summer this summer rendering it unusable for climate reasons, not longevity reasons. It had the feel of old Pops in the spring before we got hit with the humidity/heat we experienced all summer and was getting a little flaky, but is back to solid again now.
3. I will be removing the outer layer of the Kolstein. It seems to be a bit cracked all around the cake and a bit brittle on the outside, but I have taken the top off once or twice to expose some better stuff inside since it was purchased. Because of the Pops continual melting cycle this summer, (did I mention it got hot here?) the top layer does not appear to be noticeably different than the new cake, although performance has suffered.
4. The bows have been played by me previously. They are all K Holtz fibreglass bows, which are the bows that come with the Eastman Strings student level outfits. These are the bows for the instruments I teach on at work, most of which required a rehair which is why I have the opportunity to rehair them from the same pound of hair, and to rosin them exclusively with whatever rosin I chose. The sticks themselves are fibreglass and identical (to the factory's quality control standards) with ebony frogs. I have not noticed a significant difference between frogs, as they seem to be made from a very similar grade of ebony so there is little if any weight difference. Short of synthetic frogs, this is the closest I'm going to get to identical bows to experiment with without a significant investment on my behalf.
5. There will be time for cooling. While the Silicone cup the Kolstein is currently in would make a great container for the new pour, the cakes are still relatively large so I might have more rosin than container. I will see if I have something else at my disposal in case I end up with more rosin than container.
6. I will try to keep the magic to a minimum. If I end up burning myself with hot rosin or getting it all over my stove/kitchen, I cannot guarantee the language that follows will be entirely secular.
2. The Kolstein AW is in the Silicone instead of their previous foil wrap. I am not sure what year they made that switch, but it was purchased very shortly after the switch because sometimes the same wine in a new bottle is exciting. It has some dried out surface cracking, and while usable is in the eye of the user, I replaced it because I haven't been happy with it for a while now and found myself in a shop that happened to have some. I would put it closer to unusable than deteriorated on my personal scale, but the needle might shift for others. The Pops has melted on its own more times than I can count, and was pretty much in a molasses like state for a good part of the summer this summer rendering it unusable for climate reasons, not longevity reasons. It had the feel of old Pops in the spring before we got hit with the humidity/heat we experienced all summer and was getting a little flaky, but is back to solid again now.
3. I will be removing the outer layer of the Kolstein. It seems to be a bit cracked all around the cake and a bit brittle on the outside, but I have taken the top off once or twice to expose some better stuff inside since it was purchased. Because of the Pops continual melting cycle this summer, (did I mention it got hot here?) the top layer does not appear to be noticeably different than the new cake, although performance has suffered.
4. The bows have been played by me previously. They are all K Holtz fibreglass bows, which are the bows that come with the Eastman Strings student level outfits. These are the bows for the instruments I teach on at work, most of which required a rehair which is why I have the opportunity to rehair them from the same pound of hair, and to rosin them exclusively with whatever rosin I chose. The sticks themselves are fibreglass and identical (to the factory's quality control standards) with ebony frogs. I have not noticed a significant difference between frogs, as they seem to be made from a very similar grade of ebony so there is little if any weight difference. Short of synthetic frogs, this is the closest I'm going to get to identical bows to experiment with without a significant investment on my behalf.
5. There will be time for cooling. While the Silicone cup the Kolstein is currently in would make a great container for the new pour, the cakes are still relatively large so I might have more rosin than container. I will see if I have something else at my disposal in case I end up with more rosin than container.
6. I will try to keep the magic to a minimum. If I end up burning myself with hot rosin or getting it all over my stove/kitchen, I cannot guarantee the language that follows will be entirely secular.
