Advice on wooden soap molds

[delicious]

Hi, I have never made soap yet, still new, but I'm getting all my supplies together to be able to try (cold process soap).

I'd like to make the soap molds myself using pine boards I have.
But I have a few questions before I start cutting the boards.

What dimensions would you advise?
I don't plan on going industrial (yet, lol), so for domestic (and family and friends) use. Say I'd like to make about 12 standard-size soaps per batch (?) Does about 12 sound good to you? or is that considered too small a batch?
My boards measure 14,5cm wide (5,7in) and are about 2,4 cm thick (a little less than 1in).
I don't plan on cutting them width-wise, so the main questions are :
- How long the mold?
- Should the sides rest on the base (inner width 9,7cm, inner height 14,5) or should they be attached to the sides of the base (inner width 14,5cm, height 12,1)

I guess I could figure it out if you could tell me what size soaps you like to make, then I can do the math...

Lid?
I was planning on making a lid that rests over the sides of the mold, but then I went and checked pictures of soap molds and some of them have the lid that slides in and rests on the soap itself (to flatten it out I guess).
Are there any advantages to one or the other?

Disassembling
Is it necessary to build the mold in a way that I can disassemble the mold if ever the soap doesn't come out? If so, what mechanism do you recommend? Having the side boards on hinges? Pegs or Lag bolts/screws to keep everything together (instead of nails)
Should every single board be able to unfasten or only the base or one side?

I think those are all the questions I have before starting... (don't worry, I'll come back with more later on! )
If you have any other advice/suggestions concerning the molds, please, post away!
Thanks

 

[youreapima2]

I found this link on you tube it's in a couple of parts.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yog0-s9OsDA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yog0-s9OsDA[/ame]

We followed what he did and made 2 wood soap box molds.
I also had wood laying around.

I went to Lowes and got the hanger bolts, because I wanted my sides to come off in case my soap got stuck too.

The hubby is not a very good carpenter, but he was able to make this for me, he even used the saw and measured 1 1/2" from the one end so that I would have a cutter for my bars. I am trying to get him to make the 2nd box for me as well.

I made my first batch in it last week, and it came out great!

I hope that this helps

 

[youreapima2]

sorry I forgot to add that I too made a lid that lays on the top, not a slider one.

When I made my soap I covered it with plastic wrap and then laid the lid on and wrapped it in a blanket. I had no problems releasing the soap from the mold. I only needed to break it down to cut the soap, and to clean it.

the dimensions of my soap box is 18" X 5 1/4" X 2 3/4" deep
The notch we made for the cutter was set at 1 1/2" from one side. That I found was too big of a bar. So I didn't push the soap all the way to end and cut bars instead.

I have not weighed the actual bars, but they look about normal size.

 

[Fyrja]

Hi there,

I made my own wooden molds as well. Basically what you are looking at is a wooden box, so it's really not that difficult. For sizes I just looked at the dimensions of molds for sale online. They usually tell you the inside dimensions of the mold in the description. Then I did the math to make sure that taking into consideration the width of my boards that my mold would come out with the same inside dimensions as the ones online. I made the lids that slide into the mold, this helps to shape your soap, insulate, and prevent soda ash.

As for making the mold to come apart, I tried hinges. I didn't like hinges because the only ones I could find created a gap between my boards. The best method I've found for making the mold easier to open and close was either to connect one side with wooden dowels that went through two boards to connect them, or to use the wingnut method like this one. http://www.brambleberry.com/Wood-Log-Mold-2-Lb-with-wingnuts-P3276.aspx By far the wingnut method is my favorite as the wooden dowels do tend to swell. I made molds to hold 1 pound, 2 pounds, and 5 pounds.

Keep in mind with your wooden molds that they do insulate very very well, so you'll probably want to soap much cooler. I usually soap at about 100 to 110 degrees. I have still had overheating issues living on south Mississippi so I've still found myself putting the molds in the freezer. It really is trial and error so you'll just have to experiment and see what works for you.

I hope this helps! :-D

 

[JackiK]

I, too, made my own molds out of No. 1 pine. I made mine 15 inches long and they perfectly accomodate a three pound batch.

One tip I learned while putting them together: Use a "spacer" piece of wood to make sure the width of the top and bottom are equal. When putting in the screws or nails, it can get out of whack easily. Does this make sense? If not, I can post pictures.

Hangar bolts, in combination with wing nuts, work perfectly, too.

 

[delicious]

Thank you all.

youreapima2: I'm watching the video right now. I have already watched loads of videos for making the soap but didn't think of checking youtube for the boxes.

JackiK: I think I get what you mean. You used a spacer at the top while building the mold so the sides stay parallel and don't do a trapeze kind of shape?

I guess I might give the hanger bolts and wing nuts a try.

Fyrja: what could happen if the soap overheats? You don't put the molds in the freezer for the entire gel phase, do you?
I understand that insulation is so the soap cools down at a slow rate, not too quickly - is that correct?
Should I not cover the molds with towels/blankets if I use wood molds? Where I am, it is currently 17°C (62°F) in the daytime, cooler at night obviously.

This concerns me because I was thinking of using the room temperature method that I have just discovered. I guess it's just a variation of the cold process, just that you don't pay attention to the temperatures : http://www.soap-making-essentials.com/h ... mtemp.html
And I suppose that because the temperature is not checked and the lye is not put in ice water, the temperature could go up more than in the normal cold process. Could that especially be a problem with the wooden molds?

 

[JackiK]

I soap at roomp temp, which yesterday was about 70 degrees. Even at that cool of a temperature, the soap builds up heat that can be felt through the wooden mold.

So glad you understood my tip. Wasn't quite sure how to word it. You got it right, though!

 

[Fyrja]

Hi again delicious. I've had many experiences with soaps overheating. I had one batch split and turn crumbly right down the middle. I've had a couple of batches ooze out oil from overheating and then absorb it back in a few days later, and I've had a couple milk based batches not only ooze oil, but also separate from the heat. It's my understanding that the soap continues to heat as it saponifies, and like Jacki said, I've felt the heat through my mold before.

You'll probably have it easier seeing as how it seems it's much cooler where you live. Here the standard summer is about 104 degrees in the shade, with humidity you could cut through with a knife.

I didn't have so many overheating issues in the winter, they just started in the spring and summer months, so I've found just putting the mold in the freezer for a few hours without a lid (covered with plastic wrap of course to prevent ash) and soaping at cooler temperatures helps. I don't get a gel stage on the soaps that I put in the freezer, but since I am take neither a pro or anti gel stance I'm not too bothered by it. Like I said you will just have to experiment and find out what works for you.

Oh and don't forget to post lots of pictures of your batches!

 

[panzerakc]

You could also check some sites that sell wooden molds. Some of them give the dimensions and how much soap the molds will hold. Sometimes you'll even get a site that will give you the number of bars from that sized mold.

Anita