Teach Soap

Has anyone out there made a wooden soap mold need some plans on how to make it and how much wood i will need.
And going to make my 1st CP soap what would be a good one to start with i have alot of laverender in my garden. And i have alot of friends and family with sensitive skin so want to make a good soap for the. Thank-you so much to everyone on here all the way from New Zealand

Welcome!
I would start with a sturdy plastic box and see what size bars that makes before making your own mold. That way you can see how the soap feels in your hand and if you like those size bars first. For your first batch, I would start out small and simple. Make sure that any oils you use you run the whole recipe through a lye calc. Have an accurate scale. Don't forget gloves and goggles as raw soap is very caustic. Lavender infused into some oil might be nice, but I wouldn't do that for your first batch. Start simple. Be aware that plant material like lavender will oxidize and turn brown in your soap.

I tried lavender buds in soap once. That batch looked like it had brown mouse turds in it over time.
For more info, take a look at Kathy Miller site and downsize her recipes. http://www.millersoap.com/
Also, any recipe you find either in a book or online, always, always run it through a lye calculator. Mistakes in books or online do happen.

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

In my part of the world, soaping is not popular so buying from the internet is the only way for me to get supplies though it's very expensive. I decided to make my own molds out of wood. A plank (about 12-feet long ) of treated wood, so that it doesn't expand when wet, would cost me about 450pesos or about 10 US dollars. with that you may be able to make about three 4-pound molds. Very cheap as compared to buying the ready made ones over the net.

You may view the video and copy the specifications from this website.. http://www.soap-making-resource.com/woo ... ml#buymold ...I just copied it from there. All you need is a drill, wood, some screws, wood glue, black enamel, nails and wing-nuts.

I copied the style in which the sides of the mold can be removed for easier use when taking the soap out.

I'll post pictures as soon as I learn how to do it.

My husband and I made several wood molds using scrap plywood for the base and 1x4 pieces for the sides. We put them together using finishing nails. I line my molds with freezer paper and haven't had any problem with getting the soap out of the mold.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

I strongly urge you to make your own wooden mold. I spent way too much money before I got mad and made my own. It is a 3 pound loaf mold. The sides are fixed to the bottom. The ends are removable to slide the soap out. I spent some time making a template for an exact fitting freezer paper liner. It only takes me a minute to cut out and line my mold.

First, determine the size of bar you want.

Second, what is your goal? are you going to sell them, in that case you need to make 10 or more bars at a time.

Third, Decide if you want a loaf type or flat type with dividers.

IMPORTANT: Use stable wood. DO NOT USE solid wood. It will warp over time with the changing humidity. Use a good grade "Baltic Birch" plywood, not the junk you get at Home Depot. However a sheet of 3/4 Baltic birch is $80.00

You will want to coat your mold with several coats of varnish or polyurethane.

For a single log 5/8" is fine, otherwise you will want 3/4". For the flat type you will want to use 3/4". Also consider lining them with 1/8" HDPE on the bottom and 1/4" HDPE on the sides. This way all your edges will be square. Drill four or five 1/4" holes in the bottom of the wood mold, NOT the HDPE, this way the soap will easily slip out because there is no vacuum holding it in. You don't need to rabbit the sides or bottom. Just use a good wood glue. The glue will make a stronger joint than the wood. #8 wood screws will be what you need. Don't forget to counter sink them so they wont scratch anything. Use a thin plastic bag between the wood and the HDPE. This will keep the soap from swelling the wood. You will still want to line your mold with butcher paper.

If you make more than one mold consider having the base 1/4" lower than the sides. This way you can stack them.

Don't forget plywood is not true 3/4" is not 3/4" and so forth.

I make custom molds, if this seems like too much trouble. A single loaf depending on size and options is around $35. PM me if interested

Ken

I always fly by the seat of my pants - whatever that means But I had some oak 1x4 left over from making slats for my bed. It "turned" out to be 11 3/4" long, 2 3/4" deep and 3.5 wide. I have limited saw skills - so I went with the easiest and the wood was left overs like I said. The finished bars are just perfect for my hand - still 3.5 wide but the depth shrunk to 2 1/8" I am using the max on liquid cause I am still kind of afraid of lye -(, but why is it shrinking so??

anyway, back to subject, I kept it really simple and it works fine. I used another piece of 1x4 for the lid made a little handle out of a short little piece of wood and then realized the lid was little too narrow - I used a brad air gun and attached a couple pieces of rounded trim to cover the gap. I use a 2 lb. recipe and get 15 to 16 bars but they are bit small weighing bout 3 - 3.4 oz.

Why are my bars shrinking so?? I do use freezer paper and never have a problem pulling the bar straight up to remove. I am new to this and my bars and pretty straight forward.

It Depends on where you live for wood changing shape. The more the humidity swings, wood can expand and contract as much as an 1/8". The larger ie. thicker a piece of wood less will occur because it is a mathematical ratio. If you live in a dry climate you will get less movement. This is why sometimes doors and drawers stick and other times do not. Oak tends to be more stable than other woods because of the density of the wood fibers.

@ NoahsOak - your bars are most likely shrinking more because of the higher water content in them. The extra water adds volume that evaporates out of the bar while curing. When I first started soaping I used water at 38%. Now I usually go 33% water. You might want to try using less water and see if it makes a difference.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

thanks Linda, yes, I am using the Masjestic Mountain Sage site lye calculator and it gives you an option of liquid of like 8 to 12 oz. for the recipe I am using. Being new to soaping I am leery of having too hot a lye solution so I am using the max on the liquid. Does that really dictate heat or is that just the nature of the beast if you dont sit it in a ice water bath after adding the liquid to lye? But the bars fit perfectly in my hand - but they would look better if they were a deeper bar.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

A friend of mine and myself made some last week. We made 5 lb , 3lb, and 2 lb molds. We are making more 3 lb.. We bought the hinges to let the sides down at Michaels. Bought a 6X8X1 pine board and got them to rip it down to the width we needed to make the soap 4.5 inches on the inside. bought a 6X4X1 inch board for the sides and ends. They turned out well. WE had a drill and drill bits to predrill holes. We used large screws instead of pegs to hold the sides secure. I used a standard recipe and soap Calc to determine what size to cut the boards for correct lbs. It was really fun. cost 13 dollars for the wood and we got several boxes out of it.

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JULIE

The Lord is my Shepard