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PVC pipe molds


Candybee

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I use a couple of sizes for embeds. They can be sticky at first, especially if you don't water discount. So,times I add a smidge of mineral oil to the end caps to help them release easily. 

 

Have tried lining, with varied results. Once the liner trapped soap between itself and the pvc. Mess. Once it worked brilliantly. A stiff liner that won't let raw soap leak might be the best of the worlds. 

 

If they do stick a couple of days in the freezer followed by a short defrost should help them slide out. A few times I overestimated how much force was needed and they launched like a cannon.

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Well, I wouldn't say they will "pop right out", however you don't need to line them. What I usually do is after the saponification process is over, I give the mold a good freeze for a couple hours, then they will slide out pretty easily. Let the soap come back to RT then cut. 

 

My PVC's are seasoned enough now that, that with a little push they do seem to unmold much easier than when I first started using them. 

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6 minutes ago, Candybee said:

Thanks. I won't be using them a lot (obviously!) so I am thinking of just going ahead and lining them with freezer wrap. I just cut off enough to make a round tube to insert in the mold. I line my pringle cans with freezer wrap for my shaving pucks.

I have a round silicone mold that I use a silicone impression mat in, and it was almost near impossible to get out because the silicone's adhered to each other. What I do now is I use one of those plastic cutting boards as a liner.

 

I tried freezer paper in my PVC early on, and like TT said, it was a mess. One time the soap was all wrinkly, another time the soap got between the paper and the PVC, and another time (my fault completely) I lined it backwards, and the freezer paper stuck to the soap (shiny side toward the PVC bleh) 

So really, for me, it's just easier for me to either use the cutting boards cut to length with them taped together at the seam really well so no leaking, or use nothing at all and just pop them in the freezer for a few. 

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On 9/11/2017 at 12:39 PM, Candybee said:

I made these molds several years ago and never used them yet! Am planning to start making beer soap with them. Anyone here use pvs pipes as mold? Do I need to line them or will the soap pop right out of the pvc pipes?

 

On 9/11/2017 at 4:07 PM, nursenancy said:

That is what I do - works well

Yep gotta line them. I also use the plastic place mat, or cutting boards as liners for all of my molds. I LOVE my PVC pipe mold. I have extensive pictures of the one I made and one of these days I intend to do a tutorial on how to make one. Mine's split down the side so you can get the soap out easier. 

 

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I couldn't win with these molds. If I used freezer paper, the soap had a wrinkle exterior. If I didn't line at all, I had to practically chisel the soap out! I still have my Upland round but am on the fence about parting with it. May give it one more go with the suggestions here about freezing the soap/mold before removing. 

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I must be super lucky. 

I've never had huge problems unmolding my PVC's - however, I always forget to put the disclaimer, I do use SL in every batch of mine, and I also don't use a lot of Olive Oil. So that very well could be the key to my success in using the PVC pipes as molds. Seriously, about an hour (sometimes less, but I forget about them) in the freezer, a squeeze to the mold on the ends, and they slide out with minimal effort. 

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Hmmm... the soaps I intend to make will be about 45% OO and 50% liquid oil altogether and I only use SL in my soft soaps like bastiles and facial/shampoo bars.

 

I just spoke with my wholesale account and will be making the soaps very shortly. Hopefully in the next couple weeks so will see how the molds work out for me.

 

They are going to be beer soaps that I was commissioned to develop and I can't wait to start work on them. Naturally its the middle of the busiest time of the fall craft show season and I am swamped but I will find time somehow. I wanted to make round beer soap so I  finally get to use my PVC molds!

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On 9/17/2017 at 9:07 PM, asheebeans said:

I couldn't win with these molds. If I used freezer paper, the soap had a wrinkle exterior. If I didn't line at all, I had to practically chisel the soap out! I still have my Upland round but am on the fence about parting with it. May give it one more go with the suggestions here about freezing the soap/mold before removing. 

The liner is a big deal. Dollar tree sells those super thin super slick on one side plastic cutting boards which is one of the liners I use in both my variable loaf and column molds. The tricks for the column mold liner is cutting it exactly to the inside diameter of the mold so that there are no gaps and no buckling, cutting it square in both aspects along the width and the thickness, and then (this is me) I use masking tape along the outside to seal it up just as a precaution. The end caps I line with craft foam sheets which helps seal the ends up nicely as long as your mold is cut square and sanded smooth. I also run masking tape down the longitudinal split I have down the one side of my mold and use either poster putty or tape to seal the top edge of the bottom cap because if the air can't get out, it can't leak. I might note, that because my mold has that split down the one side to help unmolding I orient the taped side of my liner so that it is opposite to the split. That also helps minimize leaks because the soap being viscous can't travel around the back side of the plastic which is wedged in there nice and exactly to the inside diameter, and thus it can't stick to the inside of the mold if there isn't any room for the soap to get into.

Of course ALL of the above is moot if you overfill your mold and/or the liner is shorter than the top (or bottom) of the mold.     

I will sincerely endeavor to get my comments added to my pictures so I can show how I made my pvc column mold. 


HTH, 

Sponiebr

Executor of Bad Ideas and Sundry Services

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