Teach Soap

Lining certainly seemed like a big pain in the rear to me, and I am trying to eliminate plastic from my life. So, although it's controversial, I use Pyrex bread pans as molds. I just grease them with my whatever excess oils happen to accumulate on my wipe-down towels while I'm measuring the oils out, and then give a good spray with sprayable olive oil right before I pour the new soap in at trace. After about 36-48 hrs, I put the molds in the freezer for 4 hours and then take them out and slide a spackling knife down each side. The soap log slides right out onto the cutting board when I flip it over, ready to be cut with the spackling knife. Easy-Peasy. Given the rumors about Pyrex shattering, I'm going to try the same with stainless steel and an enamel coated bread pan.

Please don't use enamel coated bread pan. The enamel will react over time with the lye and it will end up in your soap as enamel flakes.

A glass pan is not safe for soapmaking either. The lye will etch the glass creating microscopic cracks, which could make it shatter. Wood, silicone, plastic or HDPE are your safest choices.

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

Is it okay to freeze soap? I did that with my first batch but then I read somewhere that most soapers don't recommend freezing soap. Does freezing it change it somehow?

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

What do you mean when you say you 'don't gel'? I thought all cold process soap went through a gel phase in that first 24 hours after it's made. No?

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

So how do you make it not gel (and why)? Sorry for the incessant questions but I am just learning so I am curious about everything!

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

I used a milk carton, the wax coated paper kind, when I first started. This is a one time mold as I ripped open the sides to get my soap out. Worked fairly well. I was able to get the size of bar I wanted. It did give the soap a rustic look.

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

Soapbuddy, thanks for the heads up on the craft foam! Now I know I won't even try using it.

@midnightstorm: I just read at the soaphutch.com that they have plexi glass molds that don't need any lining at all!
Regarding the one-time-use molds...I read that you can use the toilet paper rolls, but I guess they would behave just like Bubbles2 said the milk cartons behaved.
What I've used are the 500 g yogurt containers. You can easily pour 1 lb batches in them and I get 4 round soap bars. The containers can be re-used, their plastic resists the soaping temperatures very well, and since they are safe to be in contact with food, I guess they are safe to be in contact with handmade soap.

By the way, does anyone know if poly clay molds are safe and useful for CP soap?

p.s. merry Christmas to all!

I have what is called a push mold for clay in the shape of very small teddybears and use it all the time for my soaps. I never did as much with the clay as I thought I was going to! The mold is made out of silicone and works great as individual soaps or imbeds. Since it does not hold much soap I can easily get 2 to 3 bears from just scraping my bowl after the pour.

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

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

I've wondered the same thing, ljm1180.

I use polypropylene. I buy a sheet of it at home depot, 4mm, and score it on one side to fit inside my molds, then cut two sections for the ends of the molds.





This has been a godsend as I DETEST lining soap molds