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Molds, Molds, More Molds


7 Pawz

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Ever since I poured my first cp soap into a silicone mold and actually had success unmolding, I have gone crazy looking at molds. Got 2 for my bd and now I've decided I need more :lol: I soap at room temp anyway, so most of the heavy duty milkyway molds even work out, what possibilities :) guess I better watch it though, it'll be like my fo sample collection---need more of those to :smile:

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I started out doing M&P so I have several large boxes full of Milky Way molds and lots of tart molds and several silicone embed molds.

 

Now that I do CP I have a fascination with all kinds of log molds and slab molds, stand up molds, round molds, etc. Then there are the silicone insert molds to line the wood molds and the custom made wood molds. Sigh. It never stops.

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I have a ton of molds too.   Though it's been awhile since I've made soap.  I went crazy last year and bought a bunch.  I need to get back into it.

 

I would love to have some huge molds where I could make a lot at a time. I was watching some videos on youtube and one lady that I love has the coolest molds and I want them.

 

I look for molds whenever I go to any one of the thrift stores in town.

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The two pound acrylic mold from Soap Makers Resource is my all time favorite mold. It's so easy to use and I like making small batches (about 6 nice bars) with sample fos and experimental formulas with this little mold. It cleans up so easily and the soap comes out smooth as glass on all sides. I use my red ED mold too. Then there's all the others.......and the ultimate is to make your own silicone molds. I have a bunch of Van Yulay molds for imbeds, just great. About time to start making cupcakes and cakes.

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Eh, at last count (not counting any embed molds - just slabs and loaf's) I have 25+ molds. I don't even want to talk about my embed or insert molds. It's a terrible addiction... LOL 

Think  I'm in trouble :laugh2:

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I have a ton of molds too.   Though it's been awhile since I've made soap.  I went crazy last year and bought a bunch.  I need to get back into it.

 

I would love to have some huge molds where I could make a lot at a time. I was watching some videos on youtube and one lady that I love has the coolest molds and I want them.

 

I look for molds whenever I go to any one of the thrift stores in town.

Since I started to pour at lower temps, I'm discovering a lot of different options for molds, I do like to try something that I can throw away just to see how the soap turns out, thrift store is a good idea, might look into that :)

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I started out doing M&P so I have several large boxes full of Milky Way molds and lots of tart molds and several silicone embed molds.

 

Now that I do CP I have a fascination with all kinds of log molds and slab molds, stand up molds, round molds, etc. Then there are the silicone insert molds to line the wood molds and the custom made wood molds. Sigh. It never stops.

I still do a  little M&P, not as much as I used to,  but have discovered the milky way molds work so great when I pour CP at lower temps, thought about getting a wood mold with the dividers, then I looked at some acrylic ones, tough choice :)

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The two pound acrylic mold from Soap Makers Resource is my all time favorite mold. It's so easy to use and I like making small batches (about 6 nice bars) with sample fos and experimental formulas with this little mold. It cleans up so easily and the soap comes out smooth as glass on all sides. I use my red ED mold too. Then there's all the others.......and the ultimate is to make your own silicone molds. I have a bunch of Van Yulay molds for imbeds, just great. About time to start making cupcakes and cakes.

I'd like to have a mold like that, just for the smaller things.

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I have that 2lb mold. I really like that you can see (sort of) what your soap looks like. 

(ignore the speckled soap. Experiment gone awry but they cured out of the soap, so it's all good) 

Love them, you can see whats going on with the soap :D like your soap colors :)

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Anyone see the video on making the sea shell mold for that fabulous sea shell topped soap? I want to try that with sea shells one of these days.

 

I have been afraid to buy one of those acrylic molds from SMR. I thought that the soap would be hard to unmold. But you say its easy? Do you put it in the oven to heat it first like the instructions say?

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They have 2 round holes on the bottom and come with 2 dowels to "push" the soap out. I let my soap stay in the mold for at least 24 hrs and I try to ALWAYS gel my soaps. The first 2-3 times unmolding was a little difficult and I ended up putting it in the freezer. However after that, the mold seemed a bit "seasoned" and it's much easier to unmold now. 

I will say, for what it is, it is VERY expensive and given the chance again, I don't think I would buy it. I've literally only used it a handful of times (like maybe 5-6 times - maybe) within the first couple months I've had it and haven't used it since. 

If you would like it, PM me and I'm sure we can work something out... 

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I can whip up 6 bars of soap in no time and unmolding is very easy and clean up is very easy. It is a well made mold which should last a life time. A good mold is going to cost money and this one has paid me back 100 times over. I would like the slab mold but the width of the soap seems a little slim to me

(1.25 inches) and most of my bars are about 1.5 inches thick. The only other mold that I ever wanted was a Soap Hutch and those were too expensive for my little operation. The red silicone molds from Essential Depot are the best bang for the buck but they do not come with a support frame. You can buy a metal frame or build a wood frame for it; I just use the box it came in for support. I have an old Kelsei slab mold (9 bars) and it just doesn't do it for me. The HDPE sticks to the soap and tears when unmolding, no matter what I do. HTH

Steve

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I can whip up 6 bars of soap in no time and unmolding is very easy and clean up is very easy. It is a well made mold which should last a life time. A good mold is going to cost money and this one has paid me back 100 times over. I would like the slab mold but the width of the soap seems a little slim to me

(1.25 inches) and most of my bars are about 1.5 inches thick. The only other mold that I ever wanted was a Soap Hutch and those were too expensive for my little operation. The red silicone molds from Essential Depot are the best bang for the buck but they do not come with a support frame. You can buy a metal frame or build a wood frame for it; I just use the box it came in for support. I have an old Kelsei slab mold (9 bars) and it just doesn't do it for me. The HDPE sticks to the soap and tears when unmolding, no matter what I do. HTH

Steve

I have all the molds you mentioned above (including the SMR slab mold) and I have to agree with you with everything, except the 2lb mold didn't work for me. I'm glad yours is useful to you! 

My Kelsei mold no longer sticks and hasn't for a couple of years, now that it's pretty seasoned, but I don't use it often. Actually, I don't really use any of my slabs much anymore. Not unless I want to do a column, peacock, or Taiwan swirl... 

 

When I got my first ED silicone, I got the metal frame (at the time they came WITH the mold, they are now $10 extra) but I have 3 of the molds now, and only 1 frame, and also use the box they came in. They work great, and the release of these molds is AMAZING... I love them. 

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I have two of the 18 bar slab molds from Brambleberry. The first year I got them I used them exclusively until I started getting the wood log molds from SMR. Now I use the slab molds for my salt bars. They work great for that.

 

I also have one of the red silicone molds from ED. I really use it a lot and it was a great buy. I had a wood frame mold custom made for it so I can easily buy more ED molds and use that.

 

I also now have 4 handmade 3x18" round molds I made from PVC pipe. I haven't started using them yet but they are all ready. I also have 2 pringles cans I use for molds for my shaving soaps. The size is just perfect for the little shave soaps to pop into standard size coffee mugs. I use the flexible chopping mats from the dollar store to line the round molds. They work great in them. Lining and unmolding my soaps is easy.

 

But I still want one of those standup molds from Brambleberry with the inserts. I want to make some tai chi swirl types soapies with it.

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They have 2 round holes on the bottom and come with 2 dowels to "push" the soap out. I let my soap stay in the mold for at least 24 hrs and I try to ALWAYS gel my soaps. The first 2-3 times unmolding was a little difficult and I ended up putting it in the freezer. However after that, the mold seemed a bit "seasoned" and it's much easier to unmold now. 

I will say, for what it is, it is VERY expensive and given the chance again, I don't think I would buy it. I've literally only used it a handful of times (like maybe 5-6 times - maybe) within the first couple months I've had it and haven't used it since. 

If you would like it, PM me and I'm sure we can work something out... 

Thats another thing I'm trying to figure out, how much would I actually use a mold that I thought I REALLY wanted and there are a few on my list; so I've got soap poured into a bottom half of a plastic bucket that was cut down to size (rounded edges), this morning it popped right out, about a 3lb batch, although I could pour a bigger batch in it,the bars will be about an inch thick. So there is my slab mold.

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I have two of the 18 bar slab molds from Brambleberry. The first year I got them I used them exclusively until I started getting the wood log molds from SMR. Now I use the slab molds for my salt bars. They work great for that.

 

I also have one of the red silicone molds from ED. I really use it a lot and it was a great buy. I had a wood frame mold custom made for it so I can easily buy more ED molds and use that.

 

I also now have 4 handmade 3x18" round molds I made from PVC pipe. I haven't started using them yet but they are all ready. I also have 2 pringles cans I use for molds for my shaving soaps. The size is just perfect for the little shave soaps to pop into standard size coffee mugs. I use the flexible chopping mats from the dollar store to line the round molds. They work great in them. Lining and unmolding my soaps is easy.

 

But I still want one of those standup molds from Brambleberry with the inserts. I want to make some tai chi swirl types soapies with it.

I had round mold made from pvc pipe with the end cap that screwed on, attached by a wire to the pipe and the darn end cap finally developed a crack in it, but I do like trying different objects as molds, your pringle cans sound perfect.

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Thanks for your offer Jcandleattic. If I had some money to spare I might take you up on it.

 

But what I really want are wooden molds with silicone molds fit inside. This is how my little ED mold works right now but it only makes 11 bars at a time. I want longer production molds. And once you've started using log molds with fitted silicone molds inside its all you want to use.

 

I keep eyeballing the ones from Nurture Soap Supplies. These are what I want: http://www.nurturesoapsupplies.com/silicone-soap-molds/

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I love their soap colorants too. I just wish they would quit changing them all the time. I think they are the same colors just reformulated and renamed--like I think the vibrance colors are the reformulated neons. OMG the neons were amazing!

 

Anyway I want at least 2 of their 5lb wood and silicone mold sets and all their soap colorants!! LOL I am thinking I may go back to my custom mold maker and ask him to build me wood molds to fit their liners. He can build them for much cheaper so then I only have to buy a couple of liners for $27 a piece.

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Yes, their colorants are amazing, I have a lot of their vibrance, rainbow and other colorants. Some they no longer have, some they do. And yes, they are constantly changing. I understand keeping things fresh and new, however, IMO that is more for a retailer, not a supplier or wholesaler. But that's JMO... :) 

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