# Thinking INSIDE the box, mold idea



## BugSoap (Feb 10, 2015)

I've been looking through lots of posts about what to use for molds. I came up with an idea I did not actually see mentioned yet. It's probably out there somewhere.

Yes, I know many people do line a cardboard box and it makes a nice mold.
 How about using the Free USPS flat rate shipping boxes! I'm thinking a great idea to just mold right in those boxes (lined of course).
 Cardboard is a good insulator so fold over the flap to close the box and hold the heat, also wrap in towel if needed.
 Once the soap has set remove it and cut and cure as needed.
 Now, when it's gift giving time you have the soap made in the exact size needed to totally fill the flat rate box to send it to all your friends, relatives, or the stinky guy down the road. LOL

Probably not all that new an idea, but planning to soap today and thinking about what I have for molds, and the fact I will probably send some of this batch out as gifts if it turns out good, I figure why not just mold it in the box it will ship in later!
 No worries later how to fill a box or keep the soap from bouncing around and busting up etc.. with sizes that may not really fill the box well. If I make the loaf in the box it will ship in then it will be a perfect fit.  Well, unless the soap shrinks allot.

Since I do sell some products I have to ship I do have many of the USPS boxes on hand in most of the sizes already.

Many people do not know the boxes can be ordered online free and USPS will deliver them right to you for free also!

I think nearly all of today's soap will mold into the small flat rate boxes here, and if it turns out well it will ship out May-June as gifts so I'll just save the boxes next to the soap. I could also label them now who they should ship too and be able to track who I still need to make more for later.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Feb 10, 2015)

So the boxes are the size of a bar of soap?


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## shunt2011 (Feb 10, 2015)

I have seen others post that they have used those.  I've not done it myself.


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## BugSoap (Feb 10, 2015)

UH, no, but I was thinking sending a box of soap not 1 bar of soap.


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## shunt2011 (Feb 10, 2015)

Oh, got ya!  I don't think I would do that.  You could try but it would likely be difficult to cut if left too long.  Not sure.  I've not heard of anyone doing that.  Also, it may end up damaged from being thrown around now that I'm thinking about it.  I don't ship soap without proper packaging, bubblewrap or peanuts etc.


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## BugSoap (Feb 10, 2015)

Is soap bars that easy to damage? That is why I was thinking mold in the box it will be shipped in, that way no empty space for it to bounce around in and get banged up. Also shipping cost the same ( $5.20 online ) so might as well send a full box instead of part of a box.

Once set though it would be removed and cut then cured like using any other mold, just that it's the correct size for the box it was molded in when all the pieces go back together in the box again.

Well, it's finally daylight here now and starting to warm up some. Give it maybe another 30 minutes or so and I should be outside mixing up the lye and making soap! :mrgreen:


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## boyago (Feb 10, 2015)

I had the same idea the last time I was at the PO.  I think I would make one master mold with dividers (quarter it) though as the boxes need to be closed and taped to stay together.  It's a great idea and I haven't seen it posted before.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Feb 10, 2015)

Are you sending someone a whole batch of one soap?


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## BugSoap (Feb 10, 2015)

boyago said:


> I had the same idea the last time I was at the PO.  I think I would make one master mold with dividers (quarter it) though as the boxes need to be closed and taped to stay together.  It's a great idea and I haven't seen it posted before.



One of the reasons I was thinking this would work well in just lining the boxes would be make as many molds as we'd want for any given day, provided we had that many boxes on hand which I do myself. So I could make plenty of soap slabs in one day if I wanted, all the same size, and all fit the box.

I'll see how the molding goes. I am heading out to make some soap now. I hope I have everything ready now and not forgot anything else!
 I forgot to make the coffee! LOL
 Going to do a coffee soap today, was ready to go out and start, NO COFFEE! :evil:
It should be done now.


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## BugSoap (Feb 10, 2015)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> Are you sending someone a whole batch of one soap?



Probably whatever the box will hold, maybe 1/2 batch?
 Though with all same sized soap slabs to fit the boxes it should be easy to cut several types the same sizes and mix them.

I'll see how this works today, then probably make a cutter for this size of slab later.


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## OliveOil2 (Feb 10, 2015)

You know the brand new boxes are actually meant to be used for shipping. If everyone did what you want to do they wouldn't be free anymore. It would be better to use a box that was shipped to you. This really isn't a new idea, a member here has already posted a youtube video on the use of the Flat Rate Priority Boxes, but he wasn't using the new ones.


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## shunt2011 (Feb 10, 2015)

Wouldn't you really be limiting your customers choice on how many bars they want?  I don't have a lot of customers that buy more than 8-10 bars at a time but want different fragrances not a slab of 1 or 2 scents.  Maybe I don't really understand.


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## OliveOil2 (Feb 10, 2015)

OK I missed the idea of what you are doing, guess that wouldn't be a problem for the post office, but not sure if I would want to do it because of the limitations mentioned.


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Feb 10, 2015)

While soap is fairly tough, the outer bars would likely take some damage in transit as there would only be what protection is offered by the box


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## boyago (Feb 10, 2015)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> Are you sending someone a whole batch of one soap?


The "small" flat rate boxes have an inside dimension of  8 5/8" x 5 3/8" x 1 5/8".  This comes out to about 40oz of soap.  4 rather large bars at 2.5"x4.03"x1.625" ea around 10.25oz.  With dividers it would be a little less.  You could also do 3 up and two across for more like 2.875"x 5.375" for 6.6oz bars which seems pretty regular in the weight but kind of stubby.
To me the cool part is the ease of packing them and maxing out the colume of the boxes.  The flat rate box is $6 to ship anywhere in the US(which I think has gone up from last year).


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## Purplerain (Feb 10, 2015)

How would you make your cutter for this?


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## Dorymae (Feb 10, 2015)

The USPS priority large shipping box will hold 64 wrapped bars of soap. (Well, my soap,approx 4oz each). I know this because I had to send 2 out for a recent order.  You could make quite a bit of soap pouring in that box!


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## BugSoap (Feb 10, 2015)

Well, that was a mess!
 The box seemed to work well. My soap batter thickened too much too fast and by the time the box was full and smoothed I had a mess trying to fill some other plain molds.

Cleanup is going to be fun later. :-?
Hopefully the soap will turn out well. One thing for sure it should harden up!

Looks like the box holds about 1/2 or 2/3 of a 40oz fats/oil batch maybe.
 Figuring batch size should I figure everything water, lye, oil/fat, or just the fat/oils for size of the batch? Actaully this time I used coffee not water.
 If everything it would be about a 59oz batch.

 It looked rather nice with the coffee soap in box. Like a giant chocolate bar with dark sprinkles in it. Those would be the grounds for an exfoliate, I used 1/2 cup grounds. 

I had 3 boxes ready to use, but since things went messy soon as I got first box filled I just packed the rest in plastic food tubs for molds, then I put those into the boxes. I think the boxes will help hold heat. I put the 3 boxes into a plastic bag then and wrapped with towel then put in an oven we do not use to let them sit.

 I try to get some pictures when I take them out to cut.


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## BugSoap (Feb 10, 2015)

OliveOil2 said:


> You know the brand new boxes are actually meant to be used for shipping. If everyone did what you want to do they wouldn't be free anymore. It would be better to use a box that was shipped to you. This really isn't a new idea, a member here has already posted a youtube video on the use of the Flat Rate Priority Boxes, but he wasn't using the new ones.



You missed the point, using the boxes to make the soap the correct size to fit/fill the box to ship the soap! This way the boxes ARE being used as intended, the soap will be shipped in the same boxes once it's ready to be shipped. So if I wanted to make soap to send to 8 family and friends I would not need 8 molds,  just use the 8 boxes I will be shipping the soap in anyway.

Ya, I mentioned it may have been thought of before, I just haven't seen it yet. Nothing is ever really a new idea, just something we don't know someone else already thought of before us. LOL


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## BugSoap (Feb 10, 2015)

shunt2011 said:


> Wouldn't you really be limiting your customers choice on how many bars they want?  I don't have a lot of customers that buy more than 8-10 bars at a time but want different fragrances not a slab of 1 or 2 scents.  Maybe I don't really understand.



Well I'm not selling soap, just going to be sending it out as gifts, so they get what they get. LOL
 But my idea was the soap slab would be the exact fit for the size box used. I could make a cutter for that size so all the slabs cut the same and mix different soaps also.
 I just hate paying full price for shipping and send only 1/2 a box. Since I won't be doing anything fancy or expensive for soaps the shipping probably costs
 me more than the soap in the box!


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## BugSoap (Feb 10, 2015)

boyago said:


> The "small" flat rate boxes have an inside dimension of  8 5/8" x 5 3/8" x 1 5/8".  This comes out to about 40oz of soap.  4 rather large bars at 2.5"x4.03"x1.625" ea around 10.25oz.  With dividers it would be a little less.  You could also do 3 up and two across for more like 2.875"x 5.375" for 6.6oz bars which seems pretty regular in the weight but kind of stubby.
> To me the cool part is the ease of packing them and maxing out the colume of the boxes.  The flat rate box is $6 to ship anywhere in the US(which I think has gone up from last year).



I'll have to look at the price again, probably went up, that time of year. LOL
 I think it was $5.75 at P/O or online costs $5.20 if you print it yourself. I haven't shipped anything yet this year though.


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## BugSoap (Feb 10, 2015)

Purplerain said:


> How would you make your cutter for this?



I have an idea to build mine, not sure if it will work well or not yet and not sure how to explain it.
 Some what like one of those egg slicers or french fry cutters, but allot bigger of course.


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## kchaystack (Feb 10, 2015)

There is always this:

http://youtu.be/ElDVyrtK5Ns


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## dixiedragon (Feb 10, 2015)

IMO, it would be wrong to continuously use those boxes as free disposable soap molds. One or two boxes - meh. 

but I do love the idea of making a slab of soap that exact size.


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## BugSoap (Feb 11, 2015)

dixiedragon said:


> IMO, it would be wrong to continuously use those boxes as free disposable soap molds. One or two boxes - meh.
> 
> but I do love the idea of making a slab of soap that exact size.


 
Do not use them as disposable molds, MAIL the soap in the boxes after it cures. So the boxes will be paid for and shipped as intended!

Yes, it would be wrong to just get the free boxes and use them for any other purpose then NOT mail them, but that is not the idea!!


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## BugSoap (Feb 11, 2015)

kchaystack said:


> There is always this:
> 
> http://youtu.be/ElDVyrtK5Ns



good video, thanks.  I had not seen that.
 I plan to make my cutter a bit similar but not the same and going to try guitar strings instead of hanging wire.
 I think guitar strings will work good, maybe better, because they are made to take tension and hold it steady a long time! 

I did notice in the video she said the wires will loosen but easy to tighten. I wonder if that is the wire stretching or if the way it fastens loosens a little?
It's a nice cutter though and good video!


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## kchaystack (Feb 11, 2015)

BugSoap said:


> good video, thanks.  I had not seen that.
> I plan to make my cutter a bit similar but not the same and going to try guitar strings instead of hanging wire.
> I think guitar strings will work good, maybe better, because they are made to take tension and hold it steady a long time!
> 
> ...



Yes, it is a cool idea.  And I agree on the guitar strings being a better choice, because you can get very thin ones.  I have a feeling those loosen because the way they are fastened.  It is just eye bolts.  I keep seeing all these people with bud cutters - and while they are cool, I just don't make enough to justify the cost.  Maybe in a year or so!


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## Purplerain (Feb 12, 2015)

Yes, cool idea!  I've been trying to figure out how to make a multi bar cutter economically. 
Do you think it would be better to glue and screw the box together? Just nailing seems a bit iffy.


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## BugSoap (Feb 12, 2015)

Purplerain said:


> Yes, cool idea!  I've been trying to figure out how to make a multi bar cutter economically.
> Do you think it would be better to glue and screw the box together? Just nailing seems a bit iffy.



It would not hurt to glue and screw if wanted, but I think nails would be fine. 
Just screws should be fine also, then easy to take apart if wanted for some reason.

The main thing (as I see it) is that the tension will be on the longer sides trying to pull them together so be sure to use something that does not BOW easy. Of course the longer the cutter is the more it would try to bow in the center, and shorter the less it would bow.

As video says, it does not really matter if end boards are on the end or inside the end. However if stuck on the ends then the tension would be trying to pull it apart. If the ends are on the inside then the tension will be trying to pull it together tight.
 A small cutter should not have all that much tension to really worry about, but it's something to think about . The strings need to be tight so they don't move around or stretch when cutting, but it's not like we're going to play it like a guitar. LOL


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