SunshineSundries Posted July 30, 2006 Share Posted July 30, 2006 Hey Gang!I'm thinking of making a slab mold to fit in my oven but I am trying to figure out what to use for the bottom!! I know just regular plyboard won't work but I don't have a clue as to what to use! For those of you that have one, is your bottom thinner wood than your sides? I'm thinking there is a wood that I could use (it's gonna be spendy but definately less expensive than buying one!).The other thing I was wondering is what are the dividers made of? I have some plexiglass peices but I'm wondering if that would warp with the heat or put off funky fumes. They are clear and most of the molds I've seen online have kinda milky white dividers... I have some mylar to line the molds with, I'm just stuck with the divider thingies... :rolleyes2Any advise would help! I've already made a bunch of log molds but I can only fit four in my oven at one time and I want to make MORE SOAP than that at a time!!! (yes - I'm an addict with no patience! lol) Thanks for your help! Life & Light!TishETS - ok - I've got the dimentions to use for the molds - I got ansy while I was waiting for the mac -n- cheese water to boil... lol now just to get some ideas.... anyone??? Please??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giedre11 Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 Well, to answer one of your questions, I have several wooden molds and yes the bottoms are thinner than the sides. I don't see why you couldn't just make it whatever thickness you wanted to??Now I do have a Kelsei mold also, gosh I just love that thing! The plastic divider slats, are well, I guess just a very thick plastic, and very smooth. There are notches in it with little arrows pointing in the direction of how they should be inserted. There are also notches in the sides of the mold. I would think that once you got a thick trace, you could just insert your dividers and they would stay put? Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineSundries Posted August 2, 2006 Author Share Posted August 2, 2006 I have never seen a Kelsei mold up close I've seen cool pics of soap in a Kelsei mold - I can't find a web site for them either. But from what I've seen the outside is a thicker plastic than a plastic cutting board and the dividers are a bit thinner than a cutting board. That's where I got the idea of using plexiglass for the dividers - smooth and I've already got some! It would be nice to have a whole mold of plastic but I don't think Menards or Home Depot carry a plastic thick enough to hold like 20# of soap! The reason why I was wondering the thickness of the bottom board is if it was thinner, it was probably plyboard of some sort. It is *very* expensive to get a solid peice of wood that is more than 8" wide! Even some plyboards are expensive. Thanks for responding and giving me something to think about... maybe I can do a combination wood and plexiglass mold that I can just have to line the bottom or something.... Life & Light!Tish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CareBear Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 http://www.kelseiscreations.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineSundries Posted August 2, 2006 Author Share Posted August 2, 2006 Thanks for the link, Carol! Now my wheels are really turnin'! Life & Light!Tish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CandleFreak Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 the wood you need for the bottom is called Luan...it is a type of plywood that comes in 1/4" thickness...think hollow core doors only just a little thicker!As for plexiglass dividers - yes they can be used! No they do not give off any funky smells! Just be sure to coat them well with oil before shoving into the mold or they will be a bit tough to remove....you will need to notch the sides a bit for the plexiglass to fit into...I'll send ya a pic of a slab/log mold I have that is about what you are talking about...I've only used it once and had difficluties with the dividers/lining......be back in a few with some pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CandleFreak Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 here are some pics of the mold to help you get the idea....the mold with dividers in place...[ATTACH]7610[/ATTACH]soap in the mold (needed a slightly bigger recipe...but it was the first time using so far)[ATTACH]7611[/ATTACH]and after I removed the soap from the mold with dividers still in place....[ATTACH]7612[/ATTACH]hope that helps you out some! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slow-burn Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 So the plexiglass seems to be working ok for ya? Hmmm.....you could line the sides and bottom with plexiglass and then have a linerless mold I have never did anything with plexiglass, what thickness did you use, and was it expensive? Polyproplene boards that are a high density is what you are probably thinking of in lines of a cutting board. Any type of thicker plywood would work to make it with. You can get a 4x8 sheet which will make a ton of molds for around 30 or so in my area. I used some 3/4 inch oak that I had on hand and it worked out fine. The bottom is as thick as the sides, so that makes them heavy, but they work good. I cut slats in the sides and made dividers out of wood to make different sized batches. But they still need lined. But with the slats, I can fit in a drywall knife (used for compound) and it cuts it fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineSundries Posted August 2, 2006 Author Share Posted August 2, 2006 the wood you need for the bottom is called Luan...it is a type of plywood that comes in 1/4" thickness...think hollow core doors only just a little thicker! As for plexiglass dividers - yes they can be used! No they do not give off any funky smells! Just be sure to coat them well with oil before shoving into the mold or they will be a bit tough to remove....you will need to notch the sides a bit for the plexiglass to fit into...I'll send ya a pic of a slab/log mold I have that is about what you are talking about...I've only used it once and had difficluties with the dividers/lining......be back in a few with some pics!I've been thinking about this plexiglass thing and I think between the mylar sheets, that heavy duty plastic (someone mentioned the name but my brain is mush!), and the plexiglass, I could make a slab mold without using wood - except maybe as braces to hold things together... I wish I could show you the "prototype" I have sketched out - well not really - I'm not that artisticly inclined when it comes to drawing... lol anyway, Thanks for the pics! Between those and the pics I've seen online here and on purchasing sites, I should beable to design a mold to fit in my oven just right so there is enough air flow and I'm not wasting space nor am I spending hundreds of dollars for a custom mold! Thanks so much for your input - when I get these done, I'll post a pic so y'all can see! Life & Light!Tish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CandleFreak Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 you will have to nix the idea of acrylic/plexiglass for oven method hot process...see this link! http://www.aristec.com/instructions_TD.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunshineSundries Posted August 2, 2006 Author Share Posted August 2, 2006 you will have to nix the idea of acrylic/plexiglass for oven method hot process...see this link! http://www.aristec.com/instructions_TD.htmlThanks for the heads up! I wasn't sure on the plexiglass that's why I was thinking of just using it to be a mold divider when I wanted to make two smaller batches. I may still try it but just wrap the plexiglass with something so it's not coming in direct contact with the soap - that and maybe just leave the oven on warm for 5-10 minutes after putting the soap in so it warms back up from being open but it's not a constant heat... make sense? I justdon't have anywhere to put a slab mold while it sets up anywhere else but my oven! lol Thanks though!Life & Light!Tish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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