A flashback of sorts

[krishna]

 when you see them stamping the soap bed, Strangely it feels like your are having a flashback of the times when most of the coins were minted by hammer similarly

[chrisild]

That video is, at least over here, not or no longer available.

[krishna]

hope this is viewable,
for the stamping part, you cann directly start from 04:40

[chrisild]

Yes, this video works fine for me, thanks! Cool to see how they still make soap that way these days, including the "stamping".

Some time ago I got Aleppo soap from a friend, and the store also has Nablus soap. Scroll down to see the images. The links are not intended to be advertising but merely show similar soap pieces, from the other two cities mentioned in the video, including stamps.

Interesting, by the way, how in the video the owner (Husni Awaida) sometimes speaks English, sometimes Arabic (I suppose), and sometimes a mix of both in one sentence.

[Figleaf]

If you ever used a hammer to strike a nail, you'll understand the muscle control it takes to land it in the right place, let alone at this speed. You'll also understand why coins were hammered with an intermediary between the hammer and the planchet: the upper die. It is easier to place the upper die correctly and let the hammer finish the job than to have the upper die on the hammer. Perhaps, if the old guys have all retired, the factory will realise this too, even if soap is softer than metal.

Peter

[krishna]

If you ever used a hammer to strike a nail, you'll understand the muscle control it takes to land it in the right place, let alone at this speed. You'll also understand why coins were hammered with an intermediary between the hammer and the planchet: the upper die. It is easier to place the upper die correctly and let the hammer finish the job than to have the upper die on the hammer. Perhaps, if the old guys have all retired, the factory will realise this too, even if soap is softer than metal.

Peter

valid point, they should place a jig fixture/ template above the soap bed. It will make a huge improvement in the striking quality

[krishna]

Yes, this video works fine for me, thanks! Cool to see how they still make soap that way these days, including the "stamping".

Some time ago I got Aleppo soap from a friend, and the store also has Nablus soap. Scroll down to see the images. The links are not intended to be advertising but merely show similar soap pieces, from the other two cities mentioned in the video, including stamps.

Interesting, by the way, how in the video the owner (Husni Awaida) sometimes speaks English, sometimes Arabic (I suppose), and sometimes a mix of both in one sentence.

they have to let the soap dry for months, it may be causing a tremendous inventory pile up, stressing their finances greatly. Some modernization is required.