Cheap beginner molds-what are yours?

[Jersey Girl]

Hey all I went to Michaels today to check out soap things and found patchouli at an amazing $16 for 4 oz....but their molds.....man those molds be pricey. $30 and some fancy looking things. No thanks. All I want is a semi-sturdy box to hold soap till it's hard enough to cut. Went to the unfinished wood section and found a nice little box on clearance for $3 that should suit me perfect being I'm not making entire logs, big enough for 4 large bars or 5 thinnish ones, my cutting game will have to improve for that tho heh. Anyway, I'm constantly on the prowl for boxes or anything and found one at the Dollar General for free, I asked if I could take it of course. I'm aware of the post office box trick and am waiting for some nice enough ones to come in, tho they usually end up being a bit beat up.

So my question to you guys is what have you used to get started? I've got loads of pringles tubes saved up, a few boxes, and now a small wood box at the moment. I was tempted by a q-tip container being the plastic is perfectly sized for some small bars but am unsure if I need to line it or not. So any off the wall ideas here? I might edit this post with a list of cheap beginner molds if I get enough ideas.

A great starter mold is the 2 lb wood mold from Nurture Soap. They now come with a thin silicon liner, although I prefer to line them as the thin silicon can be tricky to remove unless you have a very hard recipe and wait long enough. They are wonderful and I actually still use them. Just a heads up on the patchouli from Michael’s. It’s only suitable for Melt and Pour. It’s not going to behave in CP soap. It’s not a pure essential oil.
https://nurturesoap.com/products/2-pound-basic-mold

 

[AliOop]

I know this is (mostly) off topic but I want a multi bar cutter SO badly. It's completely impractical and needlessly expensive. I don't have a good space to store it. But... all of the videos I watch that have it have this LOVELY twang noise that I want. lol

I am just a hobbyist but can’t cut straight with a mitre box. I bought a single-bar cutter but really wanted a multi-bar cutter. I eventually got one from NS, and I love it! It makes soaping more enjoyable for me, so for me, it isn’t a waste at all.

 

[bluebirdwing]

I know this is (mostly) off topic but I want a multi bar cutter SO badly. It's completely impractical and needlessly expensive. I don't have a good space to store it. But... all of the videos I watch that have it have this LOVELY twang noise that I want. lol

Same here, I dont even make much Loaf Soap, but, I too want to buy one, because of all those videos and instagram soap cutting reels . Its really expensive here.

 

[Susie]

I know I am late to the party, but Crystal Light pitcher packs come in a lovely large bar size (my hubby calls them manly sized) that you can also cut into guest sized bars. The Great Value type of the same thing come in much the same packaging, but are more difficult to unmold for some reason. I drilled a hole in the bottom for a dowel. I lubricate the sides and bottom with mineral oil, then put a piece of Ziploc bag cut to size on top of the mineral oil in the bottom to keep the batter in. Then push the soap out using the dowel once it sets up.

And I still use a cheese slicer type cutter with a mitre box. I really don't see the need to spend all that money on something to cut soap. But I am not anyone else. I make the decisions about what my money gets spent on, no one else. And I will not be sitting in judgment on what anyone else chooses to use.

 

[Johnez]

A great starter mold is the 2 lb wood mold from Nurture Soap. They now come with a thin silicon liner, although I prefer to line them as the thin silicon can be tricky to remove unless you have a very hard recipe and wait long enough. They are wonderful and I actually still use them. Just a heads up on the patchouli from Michael’s. It’s only suitable for Melt and Pour. It’s not going to behave in CP soap. It’s not a pure essential oil.
https://nurturesoap.com/products/2-pound-basic-mold

Thanks for the link!

And well dang about Michaels patchouli. I really need to train myself to look for 100% EOs. I normally do and I think it's easier online where multiple options are at my fingertips and I can just click off when I see that. Went on a search for Tonka bean (expensive and hard to find) and found some suppliers however very few state what percentage their products have, even on "regular" EOs. Kind of annoying. I guess the only way to be sure is to stick with 100% and trusted suppliers.

 

[earlene]

I know I am late to the party, but Crystal Light pitcher packs come in a lovely large bar size (my hubby calls them manly sized) that you can also cut into guest sized bars. The Great Value type of the same thing come in much the same packaging, but are more difficult to unmold for some reason. I drilled a hole in the bottom for a dowel. I lubricate the sides and bottom with mineral oil, then put a piece of Ziploc bag cut to size on top of the mineral oil in the bottom to keep the batter in. Then push the soap out using the dowel once it sets up.

I've not seen those. Is this what you are talking about? They look oval shaped. How tall are they? Are they made of plastic?

 

[Susie]

I've not seen those. Is this what you are talking about? They look oval shaped. How tall are they? Are they made of plastic?

Yes, they are a #2 plastic. New meds have my hands shaking too bad to take pics, but they are about 16 cm high, 6.75 cm wide, and 5 cm front to back. And with mineral oil and a bit of plastic, they are great little molds. They are not a good size for my size 8-8.5 hands, but my husband thinks they are a great size bar. When I cut them into "guest" bars, they make great travel soaps.

 

[gladysjones]

Just realized I had this laying around. It's nice and sturdy. Great size too. Could cut it for slab. Or vertically you might be able to get two molds out of it.

 

[Johnez]

Just realized I had this laying around. It's nice and sturdy. Great size too. Could cut it for slab. Or vertically you might be able to get two molds out of it.

I've got a ton of odd boxes laying around for future molds right now. I just finally found an old package box I could do a 16 oz slab in. Based on the dimensions to oil required calc in the stickie this should come out with 4 perfect bars if (and this is a big *if* lol) I did the calc right. We shall see.

 

[Susie]

I've got a ton of odd boxes laying around for future molds right now. I just finally found an old package box I could do a 16 oz slab in. Based on the dimensions to oil required calc in the stickie this should come out with 4 perfect bars if (and this is a big *if* lol) I did the calc right. We shall see.

Grab you a pack of these: https://smile.amazon.com/Jisiloe-Si...18710101&sprefix=silicone+muf,aps,198&sr=8-34

And dedicate a few to soap. Then, if you have extra batter after filling your mold, you can make a mini soap or two.

 

[Johnez]

Grab you a pack of these: https://smile.amazon.com/Jisiloe-Silicone-Cupcake-Reusable-Non-Stick/dp/B08XLVW7C4/ref=sr_1_34?crid=3ER8GBNTU82ML&dchild=1&keywords=silicone+muffin+liners&qid=1618710101&sprefix=silicone+muf,aps,198&sr=8-34

And dedicate a few to soap. Then, if you have extra batter after filling your mold, you can make a mini soap or two.

That's an excellent idea! I had enough semi-dry soap from my last batch to stuff it into a little plastic container, however I won't be able to get a nice smooth round since I couldn't heat it up. I could have stuffed it into one of these and stuck it the oven for a bit to "rebatch" and it would've been perfect.

 

[Fenchurch]

I use basic cooking silicone molds for bars and individual molds, pringles & co tubes, and also a plastic-lined cubic box previously used for cheese delivery. I line it with cooking paper though, and use it for slab soap.
I'm hoping for my lover to make me a wooden mold to be lined up with cooking paper...

Happy bubbles,
Stéphanie

 

[user 49910]

One of my first molds and the cheese cutter I used to cut the soap:

View attachment 56153

After I purchased a soap cutter I took the cheese slicer apart so I can use the wire part as a stand alone trimmer.

How well did this style of cheese cutter work for you? Did it cut fairly evenly from top to bottom as the wire sliced through the loaf?
I have been mulling over purchasing a wood unit similar to this...

 

[Susie]

How well did this style of cheese cutter work for you? Did it cut fairly evenly from top to bottom as the wire sliced through the loaf?
I have been mulling over purchasing a wood unit similar to this...
View attachment 56293

TANSTAAFL:
There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

Heinlein fan?

 

[Mobjack Bay]

My cutter is small, but worked well enough. I used painter’s tape on the base to serve as guidelines for aligning the soap. Holding the soap in place is key for getting a straight cut.

 

[Jibbian]

I made my first batch of soap using a sturdy shoe box and freezer paper. It worked great!

 

[Susie]

I have used a lot of boxes lined with various things. Trashbags, Ziploc bags, freezer paper. They all worked. Real molds work better. I love the ones my husband made for me. I just use freezer paper to line them.

 

[ImpKit]

I am just a hobbyist but can’t cut straight with a mitre box. I bought a single-bar cutter but really wanted a multi-bar cutter. I eventually got one from NS, and I love it! It makes soaping more enjoyable for me, so for me, it isn’t a waste at all.

I made a soap on Saturday. I have a miter box and a sharp knife. Once I can unmold it, I will cut it with these things. If I cannot get a satisfactory cut and (more or less) uniformity of bar width, then I'll be browsing all the Etsy spaces and buying a single wire cutter. Pseudo-OCD demands it! It bugs me sooooo much when I get weird / wonky cuts. And some of what I want to make is for gifts and such. It. Must. Look. NICE!!!

 

[Zany_in_CO]

It bugs me sooooo much when I get weird / wonky cuts. And some of what I want to make is for gifts and such. It. Must. Look. NICE!!!

Making nice cuts is all about attitude... you can if you THINK you can.
It's like when I'm golfing and there's a lake between me and the green. If I want to make the shot, I don't think about the lake, just the target.

 

[ImpKit]

Making nice cuts is all about attitude... you can if you THINK you can.
It's like when I'm golfing and there's a lake between me and the green. If I want to make the shot, I don't think about the lake, just the target.

I have never in my life been able to separate things out like that or visualize well. Never did break the board in karate...

We'll we how this knife and miter combo goes.