# Becoming frustrated by my lack of proper tools...



## gigisiguenza (Sep 20, 2015)

I've been making due with what I could MacGyver as far as molds, and they've been okay so far, but the more I learn and grow in my soapy experience, the less useful I am finding these makeshift tools. I've been looking online for affordable molds, both silicone and wood, and they're so stinking pricey that I know I'll never be able to afford them - which is so frustrating!

Where have you folks found your tools at affordable prices?


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## rparrny (Sep 21, 2015)

Walmart and just looking for sales is great for stick blenders and silicone baking dishes that make great molds.  The only money I have spent on soap specific supplies is my Crafter's Choice loaf mold that I got on Amazon for under $25.00
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0083ID7CE/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
My adjustable loaf cutter/planer was under $40.00 on Ebay.  My slab mold was kinda pricey but I really wanted it.


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## Susie (Sep 21, 2015)

I did break down and buy a loaf mold.  It was worth it.  Pick your favorite batch size and go ahead and invest in one.  I would not pick one that requires any sort of rigid mold around it.  I think this is the one I have.  I considered it a valid investment.  Especially when I ordered enough other items to get free shipping.

http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/products/regular-loaf-silicone-mold.aspx

You can also buy PVC pipe and end caps and use those as a mold for round or oval bars.  This does require lining, however.


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## gigisiguenza (Sep 21, 2015)

Ty both... I've seen those molds and bypassed them because I thought they required a basket to support them. I didn't realize they were self supporting. TY


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## Susie (Sep 21, 2015)

Yep, I had to magnify the picture on that to be sure it showed the ribs on the sides.  That is an awesome mold.  Never needs lining, and works perfectly every time.


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## Relle (Sep 21, 2015)

If you want a wooden mould and can't make it yourself, you could try contacting a wood working group close to you and see if one of the members could make you one, that would probably be quite cheap and would give them something new to do. 

Dh also made me my cutter out of wood, but until then, which was few years, I made do with ham knife as it was thin to cut my loaves. Again, if you gave a pattern or explained to a wood worker want you want for a cutter they could probably make it for you reasonably. I think someone put up a pattern here on the forum.


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## mandy318 (Sep 21, 2015)

I bought this plain box from Hobby Lobby for $6.99. A little smaller I think than what I see some soapers use, but it does the trick. Holds 32oz batch perfectly. I just unscrewed the hinges and removed the top. I line it with parchment paper.

http://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-&-...d/Wood-Rectangle-Box-with-Brass-Clasp/p/28871


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## gigisiguenza (Sep 21, 2015)

What excellent ideas, Ty so very much. It never occupied to me to look at those at the craft store. Or to see if the local hs woodshop class or a local woodworking group would be interested in helping. Funny thing is, I could easily make these myself I had all my old tools. But since I don't have them, it can't.

Tyvm folks


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## rparrny (Sep 21, 2015)

gigisiguenza said:


> Ty both... I've seen those molds and bypassed them because I thought they required a basket to support them. I didn't realize they were self supporting. TY


If you can spend fourty bucks WSP had a much cheaper price then Amazon.


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## Obsidian (Sep 21, 2015)

Don't forget the check thrift stores. I've found quite a lot of supplies there from individual silicone molds to crock pots. If you can't find a woodworking group to help, most places like home depot will cut wood to your specifications. Then all you would have to do is assembly it.


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## TwystedPryncess (Sep 21, 2015)

And because I give so much away, this person or that will kick down 10 or 20 or whatever for the supplies needed if they request a batch. My daughter bought my Crock pot for me as a present, so if you have anyone around you who still gifts (it is just one daughter, BF and I, here) you can politely request things, or cash toward a goal, or help toward a soap. I get a lot of requests for patchouli, but that's expensive, so I cover everything but the Patchouli, for example. I would be doing soap anyway, but I lean toward tester FO's until its been tested. Tester FO's are good, I personally have stretched mica sampler packs as if I had put them on torture racks, and I have kept my oil stash fairly simple. Slab molds and embed molds and colors  are on my next want list. And. A. Planer. PlanerPlanerPlanerrrrrr......


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## Seawolfe (Sep 21, 2015)

I've found some of my favorite silicone molds at 2nd hand shops, or on sale on woot.com or Amazon for cavity molds (woot.com said they were ice cube trays pfffft). A box made for smoked salmon is my other good slab mold. I made my favorite tall and skinny (exactly 2 inches wide) wooden mold with ideas from a thread here. 

For some reason I keep seeing coconut oil on sale at shops around here and buying it....


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## kumudini (Sep 21, 2015)

My suggestion might appear to be a little expensive but it's totally worth it. I got mine customized for a more comfortable bar size, so it was a little more expensive, but I have no wasted soap now. You get for the price 2 molds and a cutter mold, which could double up as a mold if you could line it perfectly, they have smaller size mold sets also.They are fully collapsible, easy to line, hold up perfectly to CPOP, are easy to clean and also, there's very little ash for some reason. Do I sound like a commercial? It's just a heartfelt recommendation and I'm known for those in my friends circle. I'm yet to use a wooden mold so I don't know if wood is better but I've no complaints with my HDPE.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LNG8RXM/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

ETA: this, or similar things could be other options.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B7QQMLM/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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## PinkCupcake (Sep 21, 2015)

I have several of these wooden molds from soap-making-resource. http://www.soap-making-resource.com/wooden-soap-molds.html

The first mold I bought was the 2 lb mold with the cutting slot. At $32, it was a reasonable investment in a hobby for me. You do have to line it, but I don't mind lining as much as some people seem to. I also have an 8 lb mold that I mostly use for the cutting slot.


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## vmakkers (Sep 21, 2015)

You would be surprised how many molds you can find at GoodWill. It is a great spot to find cheap individual silicone molds, loaf molds, even wine crates can work. The larger wine crates do have dividers so you could use that as a multi-loaf mold. All of these usually end up being less than $5. I've gotten smaller loaf molds that hold around 1-2lb from eBay for between $5-$8 but they all require some sort of support to prevent bowing. I just make a mini cardboard box to hold up the sides and reuse the boxes. I recently bought the American Soap Supplies T&S mold and I just soaped in it last night. There was the slightest bowing when filled to the top. I had worst bowing with the T&S mold from WSP. 

I was going to build my own molds and went to Home Depot to have them cut the pieces for me. Both times I went, none of my cuts were even. Sure, I could have built a mold from the pieces but who wants one side half an inch longer than the other? I would go with the wood working group if you can.


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## not_ally (Sep 21, 2015)

K, I just wanted to add a warning on the Mr. Doright molds b/c my experience was so different, they are expensive, and I don't want someone who is watching their budget to buy them and be disappointed.    

I bought the kit a couple of years ago when I was just doing MP b/c they were advertised as being "no-liner" molds and I was hopeful that would be true w/MP, which was stupid of me.  Anyway, they are definitely not no-liner, with MP or CP.  I hardly used them, except to cut CP bars, but they all warped, including the cutter one (bowed out on both sides.)  

I just moved and ended up throwing them all away.  I think you must have gotten an especially good set or something, after I noticed that the "no-lining" thing was not true I searched the soaping forums and there are lots of complaints about this guy.


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## kumudini (Sep 21, 2015)

B, I didn't actually go in for the no line aspect, and the seller even advised me to use parchment to line the long sides, I don't know why they are being advertised as no-line molds. They could be used without lining for HP soaps and may be salt bars but not CP. I wanted my bars to be a specific size and this guy customizes. I have mostly been using those molds only and as I said, I have no complaints. It's interesting though that you threw them out since I'm guessing, we probably got them around the same time. I bought them in January this year.

ETA: ah, I see you used them for MP, much before your CP journey. I thought I would attach a pic of my molds assembled and ready to go, just so we know we are talking about the same product.


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## not_ally (Sep 21, 2015)

I bought mine a couple of years ago+.  I was kind of surprised about the warping b/c I had used them so little (I don't think I even CPOP'd in them), and they were kept in a relatively cool/dark place, not one which would facilitate the warping, I think.  I did not disassemble between uses, in retrospect I think that would have been a good idea.  

I am *really* glad that you are liking them and that they work for you, though.  If it hadn't been for the warping on mine I think it would have been a good price.

ETA:  Definitely the same molds.  Except for the fact that mine looked like they had eaten a good meal by the time I got rid of them   If mine had stayed like yours I think I would have liked them very much, they *are* much easier to clean than wood.


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## commoncenz (Sep 21, 2015)

I bought my first wooden mold from Candles And Woodcrafts. They have a wide variety of sizes/types and will customize for you. The prices and shipping were very reasonable. 

http://candlesandwoodcrafts.com/woodensoapmolds.html

There is also a page on FB run by a lady whose husband makes molds. They are reasonably priced also. I will PM you the link because I'm not sure if linking FB pages is acceptable here as I never see it done.


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## kumudini (Sep 21, 2015)

not_ally said:


> ETA:  Definitely the same molds.  Except for the fact that mine looked like they had eaten a good meal by the time I got rid of them   If mine had stayed like yours I think I would have liked them very much, they *are* much easier to clean than wood.



A small thing I wanted to mention, you really have to be careful while putting them together to not screw those beyond just snug enough. You can't really make them air/water tight, they will leak a little if there's any overheating or separation, not very much though. But if I screw them very tight, I could make them narrow or bulge out in the middle. I do understand you said warping and not bulging, but just thought I would put that out there.


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## galaxyMLP (Sep 21, 2015)

NA, those are the exact molds I use. I sold the cutter mold separately to someone else since it didnt work for me.

I find that if you tighten them too much, they do bow out. However, the center screw really helps with that. I like that they are easy to clean. Even if they are not "no line".

I read a bunch of reviews before buying them.


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## Dahila (Sep 21, 2015)

Susie said:


> I did break down and buy a loaf mold.  It was worth it.  Pick your favorite batch size and go ahead and invest in one.  I would not pick one that requires any sort of rigid mold around it.  I think this is the one I have.  I considered it a valid investment.  Especially when I ordered enough other items to get free shipping.
> 
> http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/products/regular-loaf-silicone-mold.aspx
> 
> You can also buy PVC pipe and end caps and use those as a mold for round or oval bars.  This does require lining, however.


I got two of them but ......my DH had left some hardwood planks and he made me 5 molds of them,  went with it on planer and made them.  I am an owner of 6 wooden molds (88 oz each) and two same as yours,  I find that it bows a bit.  Silicon ones are very good, and easy to wash, no lining required.   Gigi maybe someone could make wooden molds for you?  We have a long thread about making them at home,  I believe a few woman made them .


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## navigator9 (Sep 21, 2015)

You really can't beat Aliexpress for silicone molds. I haven't bought their loaf molds, but I've bought quite a few individual, specialty molds from them. Sometimes the shipping takes a while, but that's been the only drawback. The molds I've received have been every bit as good as one that I've bought elsewhere. Here's a loaf mold at a great price. You would have to build your own box, though. I know nothing about woodworking, and I've built several boxes for loaf molds. You could even bring pictures of what you want, and the dimensions, and most places that sell lumber, will cut it for you. Then you can use wood glue, and nails or screws to put it together. I would leave one end open, with a piece of wood that fits tightly into the opening, to make it easier to get the mold out. You can do it!
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Fash...est=201526_1,201527_1_71_72_73_74_75,201409_5


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## TeresaT (Sep 21, 2015)

I just got this one on ebay.  It's a bit more than I usually spend, but it has a wooden mold, silicone liner, dividers and had free shipping.  So, i think it was worth it, since I want to try to do colors and swirling. 

ETA:  I have seen some really adorable molds, but I think $10 for a single cavity 2 oz mold is too expensive for me.  I can't justify that kind of spending.  This one though?  I can make a lot of soap with it.


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## vmakkers (Sep 21, 2015)

TeresaT said:


> I just got this one on ebay.  It's a bit more than I usually spend, but it has a wooden mold, silicone liner, dividers and had free shipping.  So, i think it was worth it, since I want to try to do colors and swirling.
> 
> ETA:  I have seen some really adorable molds, but I think $10 for a single cavity 2 oz mold is too expensive for me.  I can't justify that kind of spending.  This one though?  I can make a lot of soap with it.



Just a word of caution, I ordered these ones from eBay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Thick-Oblon...e-Mold-/331423366964?var=&hash=item4d2a5f3f34

and they came with sooooooo many little acrylic shards. It was like they had cut the grooves into the acrylic but didn't think to maybe dust off any remnants left over. I had acrylic confetti everywhere when I first opened my package and some of the shards got stuck in my fingers. I ended up unwrapping all the little dividers outside so the acrylic would stop getting all over my room. Hopefully your seller is better.


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## not_ally (Sep 21, 2015)

Gigi, I'm sure you've thought of this already since you are comfortable with tools, but would it be worth it to just buy an inexpensive electric drill so that you could buy lumber at Home Depot and have them cut it into the lengths you need, like Obsidian suggested?  They give you a certain amount of cuts for free, and are supposed to charge a small amount for cuts past that, although they usually don't (I just tip them if they are nice like that ) unless it is a whole bunch more.  With the drill and pre-cut lumber all you'd need is a handful of wood screws, which are cheap, of course.

It is a bigger pain than just ordering them (also you have to check the measurements of your pieces before you check out b/c some of those guys are not the most careful), but you could probably get 4 molds of the exact size/s that you want for about $50, drill included, and then you would have the drill for your next DIY mold project.  Not to mention all the other household stuff for which they are useful.


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## gigisiguenza (Sep 21, 2015)

Such great suggestions, Tyvm everyone. Some of these never occurred to me at all - like the wine bottle box... friggin brilliant... and I have no problem making my own, it's affording the materials. But I'm athinkin now for sure


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## rparrny (Sep 21, 2015)

There is a kindle book available on Amazon called How To Build a Wooden Soap Mold by M. Bear.  Cheap book and easy instructions.


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## gigisiguenza (Sep 25, 2015)

Thanks to some of your excellent suggestions, I have been able to add a few better quality, more durable items to my soapy toolbox, for very little money 

A friend of mine bought a couple of my hats for holiday gifts, so I had some extra cash. I went to Michaels n hit their clearance area, as well as digging through the aisles and asking the manager if they would discount the damaged items I found. She was so nice. Once she saw the very obvious damage, she happily knocked down the price. She must be a thrifty crafter too LOL.

So I got a soap cutter very cheap (the hand held kind that look like this   http://www.michaels.com/artminds-soap-making-straight-cutter/10215727.html#q=Soap+cutter&start=1 ) ... it was on clearance for $5 because the handle had a big obvious scratch across it. This should help tremendously with my bars looking cleaner and not all smeared up from my too thick knife.

I also got a wooden box (  http://www.michaels.com/artminds-wood-box/10399984.html#q=Wood+box&start=21  )for $6 because it had a large black mark across the top. I think it's going to make an excellent slab mold if I only fill it to 1.5 inches, and I could easily get two loaves out of it if I fill it to the 3" depth. It's 11.25L x 8.75 W x 3" D. I'm sure I can craft some dividers out of something. 

They also have these great photo boxes 5 for $10. I got one for $2, to see how many wrapped soaps I can store in it. It's 11" L x 7.5W x 4.25D. If it's good, I'll get more.

I also got a 99¢ wooden block and some wooden letters and made a soap stamp. Pardon the pencil lines, they were for centering and spacing.



I also used my coupon code to get a case of mason jars for making oil infusions, paid a whopping $7 bucks for the case.

I will say I was disappointed with this Michaels and how limited their stock was. I couldn't find any fondant mats, soap making supplies were extremely limited, and their stamping selection was crappy. I'm going to hit hobby lobby tomorrow with the rest of my hat money and see what other goodies I can find and improvise for soaping


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## cmzaha (Sep 25, 2015)

not_ally said:


> K, I just wanted to add a warning on the Mr. Doright molds b/c my experience was so different, they are expensive, and I don't want someone who is watching their budget to buy them and be disappointed.
> 
> I bought the kit a couple of years ago when I was just doing MP b/c they were advertised as being "no-liner" molds and I was hopeful that would be true w/MP, which was stupid of me.  Anyway, they are definitely not no-liner, with MP or CP.  I hardly used them, except to cut CP bars, but they all warped, including the cutter one (bowed out on both sides.)
> 
> I just moved and ended up throwing them all away.  I think you must have gotten an especially good set or something, after I noticed that the "no-lining" thing was not true I searched the soaping forums and there are lots of complaints about this guy.


Well shoot I would have taken them off your hands. I happen to love my hdpe molds and they are all I use, but a smallish wooden slab mold and my tall skinny wood mold. The hdpe can become no line with enough mineral for a mold release. I just prefer to line mine. Your most likely bowed due to over tightening the bolts. They cannot be cranked down hard. Also they are not good for Oven Process. I also find Rick (Mr Doright easy to work with) Been using his mold since I started soaping. All you have to do is make a slip from freezer paper and not worry about lining the ends. Keeping in mind HDPE only takes around 175º F so they are easy to warp. I have straightened mine by heating to 170º and setting something heavy on it to flatten the pieces. I also love them over wood because I can wash them after each use


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