Couple of quickie questions.

[debsmad]

...

 

[carebear]

My cutter is spaced 1" - and then there is some shrinkage, but since I soap usually 33-40% lye solutions that shrinkage isn't so bad.

No - I didn't know I'd be selling when I started soaping. I started selling in self-defense: the soap was taking over my house and I knew if I didn't find an outlet I'd have to find another house for the kids and me...

 

[IanT]

First, how thick do you all cut your bars?

Second, how long after you started making soap did you start selling? And did you go into it knowing you'd eventually be selling?

Thanks.

I eyeball it but cut at about 1 inch or so as well, as far as how long ... I have been soaping 1.5 yrs now and havent started selling yet ...

and I did go into it with the idea of selling but not in the immediate future...

 

[dagmar88]

[quote="IanT"quote]

and I did go into it with the idea of selling but not in the immediate future... [/quote]

As Ian. I was a very bored housewife and had been playing with the thought of setting up my own business. First I wanted to set up a baby webshop with second hand goods that I wanted to refurbish. Then I found a site where they made M&P soaps as baby shower gifts.
I loved the idea so much I started doing as much research as possible and started to make CP soap.
By the time I start, 3 years will have passed. Never would have thought that when I just started making soap!

I love big chunky soaps, so I cut quite thick.

 

[dopersoaper]

I bought a wood wiskey box from the thrift store for 1 dollar and it’s the best soap mold I have! Since it's almost 13 inches long, I cut my soaps 1 inch thick and I get 12 big hefty 5 oz bars.

I’ve been scrapbooking for the past 6 years and I wanted to try something new. I started soap making with the intent to eventually start selling but I don’t plan to start selling until spring time of next year. I’m in the process of registering my business name/ getting insurance

 

[Tabitha]

I did not plan to sell when I began. I started selling when I was spending too much on supplies & came to the conclusion I could sell part of what I made to support my habbit....

 

[gekko62]

I cut mine 1".It's a decent thickness without being too chunky I find.Any thinner & they melt away in no time.
I don't sell.Yet.When I made my first batch I was WOW,now I know what I wanna do when I grow up!!So I set about learning as much as I could,making a gazzillion batches & fell more in love,but 9mths down the track I'm still not ready to jump in.There's a lot more to selling soap than just making soap(as I discovered) and figuring ALL of it so all the ducks are in a row takes a helluva lot more than you think it will when you first look down that road.Hey,I love the whole deal,but it really isn't as easy as just thinking Im gonna sell this.A lot of work,a lot of being ORGANISED,a lot of boring business stuff,even just for hobby selling. Hey,it's certainly absorbing,that's for sure.I've learnt how to use a print program,basic woodwork,how to design labels,spent that many hours in front of the computer it's not funny,found out how many hoops I have to jump thru to be legal,found out what it's going to cost to be legal,insured,compliant(waaa!),made great soap made crap soap,experimented with size & shape of bars,different formula's,colour & fragrance,and that's just what I can think of off the top of my head! My life the last 9months or so has been an ode to soap I guess. I'm a fully fledged lost cause! Umm OK.Time to shut-up now huh? Hey,just my 5 dollars & 2c worth :roll: :wink:

 

[seaturtle]

I also cut my soaps 1" thick. Hubby loves big chunks so I make him 1 1/2 " thick soaps. I have silicone loaf molds (crafters choice) and a wooden loaf mold. I definitely love the wooden mold the best.

I started making soap when my oldest son asked me to make shaving soap. I tried several different recipes but could not get the creamy lather that some shaving soaps out there have. So I decided to make regular bars of soap and absolutely fell in love with it. After some good feedback from family and friends and a house full of soap I decided to start selling it. However, it is a lot more work than I had imagined (just getting the paperwork set up, insurance, taxes, etc) and the profit is not that great. Bottom line: I love making soaps and it's fun going to craft fairs.

 

[Deb]

I started in 2001. I started selling in 2005 to support my MSc. Its now 2009, and I'm going to start selling in Canada. I cut to 1 inch or 2 inches depending on if i want a bar or cube.