Teach Soap

I've been making soap for about 6 months, and have been really successful at making CP soap. However, I really wanted to start making more soap that comes from different molds vs a loaf. I have tried using the small clear plastic tray molds, and can never get my soap out of them without distroying some of it. I have tried lining with with wax paper, but that didn't help either.

Also, I have began using the birch wooden molds with dividers from Brambleberry. I really like how the soap looks and that I can do a cute swirl on top. I just can't seem to get the dividers off without damaging some of the soap. There is always one side that sticks and pulls a chunk out of each bar. I am so frustrated I'm almost ready to give up on it. I even let my last batch cure for almost a week in the mold before I tried to take it out.

Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks,

Teresa

I use a Kelsei mold that's made out of PVC material and had similar problems when I started soaping. I lightly coat the dividers and sides of the mold with vaseline (because it won't siponify). Make sure the longer dividers go in first and are on the bottom with the shorter dividers on the top. I gel each batch in a warm oven immediately after I pour. After it reaches gel, I throw it in the fridge (mostly because I have no patience) and within 2 hours can remove the dividers and take the bars out and put them on the curing rack. I use pliers to remove the dividers and never lose any soap getting stuck on them. To remove the bars that are stuck on the side of the mold, I twist them slightly and they usually twist right off without losing any. If the soap doesn't gel, I always lose a little on the sides and the dividers. Good luck.

Have you tried adding sodium lactate to your lye water or beeswax to your recipe? If you need to wait a week for the soap to come out, I would say you need to reformulate your recipe.

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

Thank you for the suggestions, but maybe I should clarify. I don't need to wait a week for my soap to come out we were just on vacation, and I didn't have time to do it before we left. I use the same recipe with all of my other molds, and never have an issue. I am able to get the dividers out without an sticking, but the plastic side pieces are what give me the hardest time, and 1 of them always takes a chunk out of the soap.

I love the Vaseline idea, and I'm going to try that next. Then I'm going to look into bees wax after that. Thanks for the ideas.

Teresa

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