Teach Soap

Hello

I am about to start making my own soap in order to feed our household habit and acquire another "old timey" skill (I can garden, process a fleece, design and spin yarn, knit, make felt....) I will start with CP...but might try the CP oven process afterwards to see if I like the fast version.

Since the soap will be for personal use and gifts (or barter...thinking of trading for eggs!) I don't need real consistent, tidy bars. But one book I have says that getting soap out of the mold can be a real headache - and lining your mold is one way around this.

But is the same thing true of highly flexible molds - like silicone? Stores such as Marshalls/Ross/TJ Maxx frequently sell silicone bake ware at a discount. What about the rectangle/square tray molds sold by soap making suppliers...the descriptions usually say something like: "soap is easier to remove 24-48 hours after setting..." Are they glossing over how hard it is, really, to dislodge the soap? One reason I like the idea of the divided tray is that is looks like they are flexible in terms of how many "wells" or "bars" you fill up with any particular recipe....you can fill up 4 of the 8 wells....or all of them. At least that's what it looks like, or are the divisions mostly "scores" to help you with cutting the soap only?

The more I read the more I'm leaning towards getting an old stainless steel or glass baking pan at a thrift store and lining that. My only concern is accurately calculating how many pounds of soap a particular tray will hold. I am looking to save $$$$ in certain areas so I can splurge on fragrance. Because although The Boyfriend is sold on the soft skin effect of hand made soap, its all about the scent for me!

Thanks in advance. I did do a search on "molds" but didn't find the "stickiness" issue addressed....please let me know if I missed a thread.

April in Lakewood, WA

Welcome!
For molds, I would not use stainless steel or glass baking pans, even with lining. Wood molds work very well lined. Silicone molds are nice, but the sized need to be thick enough to support the batch. If the silicone sides are thin, your soap will bow out. If you don't have a mold, empty papaer milk cartons will work in a pinch.

Office supple stores also have small plastic totes that you could use for a mold.

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

You can also use empty baby wipe containers, plastic food storage containers, lined shoe boxes...the possibilities are almost endless. The easiest way to line something is a with a heavy plastic trash bag. It makes it simple to lift the cooled soap out of the mold and easily peels away from the soap. Some of the plastic containers don't need to be lined and if the soap sticks a little you can pop them into the freezer for a bit and the soap will usually come right out.

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

On the divided trays I think it depends on which ones you're looking at. There are some that just have little ridges in the bottom & are meant to help size your bars for cutting, but there are also some with individual cavities. I love soaping in individual silicone molds (I use Wilton baking cups), because they don't need to be lined, pop off super easy, and there's no cutting needed. I hear that lots of folks soap in pvc pipe, either whole or cut in half for semi-circle bars.

I love my silicone loaf molds. The soap pops out soooo easy. But I did start with a waxed milk carton container, just tear away the paper. Drawer organizers are also a great option... check at the dollar tree. Then go to you tube and check out lining a mold.... either plastic like Linda said or freezer paper will do (with shiny side towards the soap). I still have a container that dryer sheets came in... I use thick rubber bands to hold the sides tight.

As for cold process oven process, it is not a fast version. What it does is push the soap to gel.... saponify, but even without gel - it will become soap if you get good emulsification or trace. Either way you will need to wait 4-6 weeks for the soap to cure, longer if you make an all olive oil soap. As long as you are on you tube check out the soap queens videos on cold process soap, they are very helpful.

Any other questions just ask... we are willing to help where we can.

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

Thanks so much guys - so very helpful! Good to know soap will pop out of silicone molds easily. I may go back to Goodwill and pick up a silicone cupcake pan I saw....it would make nice individual round soaps. That silicone cookware seemed to be everywhere at one time...the fad seems to be over.

The Boyfriend said he'd promise to make me a mold to hold a 3 lb loaf! I need to get that promise in writing and keep after him! And even HE loves the Soap Queen videos.

Now....where is the thread called "How To Limit Your Fragrance Purchasing to Avoid Bankruptcy"? I suspect fragrance purchasing is what kills the DIY dream of saving money!

Many thanks - April

Every container I see anymore, I think "I can use that for soap".......lol.

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Shelia
Newbie still learning.....

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

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

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

I stop at the grocery store and come home with 2-3 things for soap making!

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

He's actually starting to suggest things now. Like fruit shaped ice cube trays from Walmart, he pointed them out and said they'd be good for embeds, then he bought me all 3.

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

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Dawn

Hey April, I'm from WA too!! You MUST check out Home Goods (they just opened a couple of weeks ago!!), they have TONS of those thin silicone molds...

I myself just bought two wooden molds (I prefer the straight edges and no rounded corners), but if you're okay with the Silicone loaf molds with rounded corners, Home Goods is the place to get one (I saw one for $7.99!)

and don't forget to checkout Joann's... They always have printable 50% off coupons, or if you own a smart phone, you can download their app and save your ink/paper!