Teach Soap

Hi everyone,
I am having such a difficult time getting the dividers out of my Brambleberry wooden slab molds. I have 2 molds (9 and 36 bars) and they both do this. Generally I will try to remove the dividers after a week or so but when I do, the soap is soft enough that the dividers "drag" some as they come out and the resulting bars can have chunks that come off and stick to the dividers. I thought perhaps it had to do with gel vs non-gel soap making. I used to let the soap gel (with a lid and towel) but then I switched and left the lid off but didn't put it in the freezer (still it didn't appear to gel from what I could see). This last time I discounted the water thinking that might help but it made the batter set up so quickly it was difficult to work with and I don't see an appreciable difference in getting the dividers out. I have let some batches sit in the mold for 2 weeks and still can't get them out smoothly. Grrrr.

I could really use any and all suggestions on how to get these out easier. Would putting it straight into the freezer help? What about putting a thin layer of vaseline on the dividers? I need to make several large batches quickly (3 more of the 36-bar mold) so that I can have the soap cured in time for my wedding in late April. If I have to wait more than a week between batches, I am going to be pushing it very close. Plus the sides do need to look nice.

I've always heard great reviews about these molds so I just can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.
Thanks!
Peggy

I don't have a BB mold, I have a nizzy one. I found with mine, I took the entire soap out (dividers and all), then kind of just snapped each bar off.

So I took the outside bars off first until I had just 4 bars in the middle (I have a 12 bar mold). Then the outer dividers came off nicely with no resistance on one side.

If that makes no sense, I will take a photo when I next unmold if you like.

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The Soapinatrix! *whip-crack*
- Posting the trials and tribulations of my Soaping Journey!

I have the 36 bar mold, but haven't used it yet. I would write to BB--they are very helpful with their products, and might have some tips that could help.

In the meantime, how much are you superfatting? What's your recipe? It wouldn't surprise me if a harder, less SF bar works better with these.

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Lesli Sagan
Avital's Apiaries
Like us: http://www.facebook.com/AvitalsApiaries

Sounds like you need a harder recipe and gel. Try putting some mineral oil (lightly) on the inside of the dividers and see if that makes a difference. Mineral oil does not saponify.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I have this problem with my home-made 21-bar mould. I found that waxing the dividers worked reasonably well but it takes forever to do that. Now, I've changed the divider material to polypropylene. Much more rigid; melts at 160C which is infinitely better than acrylic or PE (100C) or PVC (80C).

Did you ever figure this out? Or talk to BB? I'm going to use my mold soon, so I'd love to hear any info!

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Lesli Sagan
Avital's Apiaries
Like us: http://www.facebook.com/AvitalsApiaries

I use this mold all the time so definitely have tips.

First of all, it's definitely not for everyone or all recipes but the following tips can help:

(1) Sodium Lactate - 1 tsp per pound of oils, add it to the lye water ahead of time - This makes the soap harder, more smooth and really helps it to come out nicely.
http://www.brambleberry.com/Sodium-Lactate-P5127.aspx

(2) If you don't want to use sodium lactate, you can up the hard oils in your recipe (Palm, Coconut, Palm Kernel Oil, Lard) and decrease your superfat to 4% to make a harder bar.

(3) You can also water discount up to 30% (if you've got a few soap batches under your belt and you're not going to be using a fragrance that accelerates trace)

Softer recipes don't like this mold very well so anything you can do to make a harder bar is great. That said, if you do a soft recipe and you don't want to change it, you can let the soap sit in the mold for a week (that's where it's nice to have an extra set of dividers) and THEN slide the dividers off. Never, ever, ever pull or else the soap has a tendency to rip (example: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body- ... -virtue-2/)

(4) You can grease up the dividers with mineral oil or a silicone. It does help the dividers slide out. I always slide the dividers. I have a custom mold that does a 30 pound size so I'm using them a lot.

I hope these tips help. =)

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Happy Soaping!

Anne-Marie
blog: www.soap-queen.blogspot.com
supplies: www.brambleberry.com

Thanks, Anne-Marie!

How about adding an info sheet to the molds when mailing? I found similar tips helpful when using my vertical mold, but it would be nice not to go through an ugly batch of soap before figuring it out!

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Lesli Sagan
Avital's Apiaries
Like us: http://www.facebook.com/AvitalsApiaries

Brilliant idea! Let me get with the team on this one (I suspect that we'll want to spiff things up a bit which might take some extra time) and figure out how to make it happen =)

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Happy Soaping!

Anne-Marie
blog: www.soap-queen.blogspot.com
supplies: www.brambleberry.com

Thank you for all the helpful suggestions. The last batch I made (8 pounds) came out beautifully! I think it was the nicest batch I've ever made (and it's for my wedding favors). I still need to make several more batches and figure out how to package them but I'm really happy with the result!

Wow, I checked that link - and that's a flat mould!!! My 21-bar mould is vertical! It's great for column pours though.
What material are the dividers made from?
So far I have tried white PVC acrylic and now I use polypropylene which is almost non-stick compared to the other plastics. I find myself wondering if it is possible to use PTFE-coated metal. (Non stick pan)

The lye may make the finish flake and those flakes could end up in your soap. I wouldn't use PTFE-coated metal. (Non stick pan).

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Good point!