cwayneu Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 We were tired of cutting freezer paper, or trying foam and vinyl that still has some sticking or develops small wrinkles. This pulls chuncks out of the sides or ugly blemishes on the bottom of the soap when we peal it off. Billie did some research and came across something call Lexan. It is similar to plexiglass, but very slick and strong. They actually make aircraft windshields and thick bullet proof glass out of this stuff. We bought a couple of .030 (1/32") X 48" X 16" sheets to try out. We got them from Gene Wilkeson of Pop Displays up in South Bend, IN, at $11 per sheet (plus shipping). We used a metal yard stick and a box cutter (razor knife) to carefully cut out the four sides and bottom, to fit an existing 12 bar flat wood mold. Warning: You have to apply gentle blade pressure against the metal ruler to keep the blade going in a nice straight line, being very careful not to slip and remove one of your fingers. :rolleyes2 And it takes several swipes to cut all the way through, so don't move the ruler until the cut is done. You could probably cut this with a table or scrool saw as well, but be careful that the blade heat does not start to melt the Lexan. I believe you could actually cut this carefully with a good pair of scissors.We then glued the pieces onto the wood using a thin coat of 100% silicone adhesive. There is a protective plastic film on both sides of the Lexan sheet that must be pealed off before gluing.We only have a test sample of one, but so far it worked great. There was no sticking anywhere. In fact the whole slab slid off of the base like it was on a sheet of ice, and almost onto the floor (picture 3). Look at the lower right bar in picture 4, which shows the bottom. The entire bottom of the slab was this smooth. The cloudiness you see on the wood in these pictures is the glue on the underside of the Lexan. The top surfaces (the soap sides) are like glass. We will probably be lining everything with this stuff now. :yay:Love it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Wayne, what an ingenious idea. I have some Luan and was just pondering if that would work. It's somewhat like Lexan and cuts on the scrollsaw like a dream. Maybe I'll give it a whirl. I'm just wondering though if it can take the heat from the soap. I'm still pondering that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beekeeper_sd Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Sounds like great stuff. Did you still grease your mold? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwayneu Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 Sounds like great stuff. Did you still grease your mold?We did use a VERY light brushing of mineral oil. With other surfaces, we still got some sticking with mineral oil, but none with this Lexan. So the next batch we make, we will not use any coating at all and see how it goes. We'll let everyone know, but it sure seems like it will work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwayneu Posted March 3, 2009 Author Share Posted March 3, 2009 Wayne, what an ingenious idea. I have some Luan and was just pondering if that would work. It's somewhat like Lexan and cuts on the scrollsaw like a dream. Maybe I'll give it a whirl. I'm just wondering though if it can take the heat from the soap. I'm still pondering that one.The credit goes to Billie. I'm just the laborer... :rolleyes2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8-GRAN-ONES Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 this sounds great..be sure to keep up posted on how it does without the mineral oil.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbuddy Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Good for you!I wonder if the SoapHutch upright mold is made out of the same material? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwayneu Posted March 4, 2009 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 I did find that the silicon adhesive was probably not the best choice. Maybe I did not let it dry long enough, but found I can slide the Lexan slightly with enough pressure. I think I will use a thin coat of "Liquid Nails" adhesive on the next one.Do and learn.... :rolleyes2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flicker Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Thanks for sharing! I am on a quest to find a mold that I like that does not cost me a small fortune! Billie, can I "borrow" Wayne? LOL You are mighty lucky to have each other! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwayneu Posted March 4, 2009 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 Good for you!I wonder if the SoapHutch upright mold is made out of the same material?No. SoapHutch uses plexi-glass or HDPE. HDPE is what the Logan Bear molds are made from. Plexi-glass is similar to Lexan, but is an acrylic base where Lexan is a polycarbon (mush tougher). They look the same, but plexi-glass is more fragile. It tends to crack and chip easily. Lexan can be impacted continuously with minimal or minor wear. Like I said, they make airplane windshields and bullet proof glass out of this stuff.However, this difference may not mean squat with soap molds. I am thinking the Lexan surface, being very strong and dense, leaves little for the soap to bond too. However, I am guessing on this point... :rolleyes2 Plexi-glass may work just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 From my personal experience Lexan can shatter and break just like those corelle plates and bowls if they drop just right. I've scrolled on Lexan and dropped it... it wasn't pretty. So it is not entirely impact resistant or shatter-proof. Just a heads-up on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8-GRAN-ONES Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 does lexan have to be seasoned for a while too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Hi Gran, how's things going by you? I haven't tried the Lexan in any of my molds yet, but when I do, I will most likely give the whole inside of the mold a spray with Pam cooking spray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billie Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 The first batch I used what little mineral oil was left in a brush which was hardly none. I'm getting ready to unmold the second here shortly and used nothing. I will post as soon as I unmold it and let you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billie Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 I just unmolded the second batch with no spray and the oils from the soap made it slide right out. No sticking and the sides and bottom are as slick as glass. Wayne has made me wooden molds with wing nuts and I can take them apart if that makes any difference. Wayne also said he was going to try the Liquid Nails to glue the next one with and see if it works any different than the silicone. I am so loving this, I couldn't afford the silicone liners and this is so much easier than paper or foam liners in pieces. The stuff we bought is thin enough we are able to cut it with scissors. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8-GRAN-ONES Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 thanks billie..i wonder if this can be bought at home depot or lowes..somewhere like that..i want to try this..i am tired of funky foam too..and can't really afford the expensive molds either... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwayneu Posted March 4, 2009 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 thanks billie..i wonder if this can be bought at home depot or lowes..somewhere like that..i want to try this..i am tired of funky foam too..and can't really afford the expensive molds either...I did happen to see some Lexan at Menards, but it was much thicker (like 1/8"). You definitely would not be able to cut that with scissors or a box knife. I am just lining (gluing) the inside bottom, and four sides of wood molds with this 1/32" thick Lexan. It is relatively cheap. It looks like I might get three 12 bar molds (10" X 10 1/2") done out of one 16" X 48" sheet. If the Lexan was thick enough (like 3/8" or 7/16"), I suppose you could make the entire mold from Lexan. My guess is that would cost a lot more than just a thin liner on wood.This stuff is really slick and so far has had no soap stick. As Billie said, on this second experiment we used no sprays or oil coatings at all, and the soap came out perfect. Hurray!!!! I think we can start using our freezer paper for steaks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbuddy Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 That's great!Now all I need to find is someone that's handy with tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 Billie, Thank you for letting us know how well the soap came out of the mold without any sprays and such. Good info to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redquilt Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 The first batch I used what little mineral oil was left in a brush which was hardly none. I'm getting ready to unmold the second here shortly and used nothing. I will post as soon as I unmold it and let you know.I was just curious if you gel your soaps? I don't gel and ungelled soapsare always harder to unmold than gelled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billie Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 We have only made 3 soaps with this and all of them have gelled. Have not used it enough yet to see if ungelled will come out so I really don't know. Sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfisher Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 what a wonderful idea - thank you for sharing! I have some wooden molded that I'd love to find an alternate to lining- it sounds like this might be it....now to find some lexan here..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwayneu Posted March 8, 2009 Author Share Posted March 8, 2009 I got this off eBay from Gene Wilkeson (PopDisplays) up in South Bend, IN. He seems like a good guy and even refunded me $5 on shipping because he said the eBay estimate was too much. I would have never known.He has a variety of sizes and thicknesses. I used the 1/32" X 16" X 48", which can be cut with a good pair of scissors.http://cgi.ebay.com/030-1-32-LEXAN-SHEET-CLEAR-48-X-16_W0QQitemZ110316249829QQcmdZViewItemQQptZBI_Plastics_Equipment?hash=item110316249829&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50I am thinking about getting some 1/8" thick, and try making some dividers for the inside so we don't have to cut the 2 1/2" by 3 1/2" bars from the soap slab. Yes I am lazy..... :rolleyes2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrina Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 This is really interesting (and exciting!) to read! Thank you so much for sharing this info! I might just have to give this a shot (or rather let DH do it LOL) because I loose alot of time lining with the freezer paper. I bet I could make an extra log of soap each day for the time I put into prep with freezer paper! LOLThanks again for the info and tip! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.