DIY/repurposed mold and lining - Will this work

[Elizevt]

Hi there all.

I don't have a fancy silicone mold (I'm a bit financially challenged this month ), so I am planning to DIY a mold for myself.
I was thinking of using a sturdy Mailer box and lining it with something.

I just realised that I have a roll of clear self-adhesive vinyl plasic that you use to cover books with.
Do you think sticking the Self-adhesive vinyl plastic inside the box will work well enough as a lining without melting during the first 24 hrs?
It should at least help to make the box watertight and prevent the soap from leaking out anywhere.

I'm not planning to try gell it in the oven or anything, I was thinking I will just let it cool and harden on the counter

Are there any major cons that I need to consider when using a cardboard box? (besides the box bowing or bulging out a bit on the sides)
I noticed (reading through the forum) that most soaping disasters and volcanoes happen when temperatures get too high.
I'm kinda hoping the cardboard box will have the added advantage of cooling the soap faster in the first 24 hrs.

Feel free to give your 2c and words of wisdom.
Thanks

 

[Todd Ziegler]

Hi there all.

I don't have a fancy silicone mold (I'm a bit financially challenged this month ), so I am planning to DIY a mold for myself.
I was thinking of using a sturdy Mailer box and lining it with something.

I just realised that I have a roll of clear self-adhesive vinyl plasic that you use to cover books with.
Do you think sticking the Self-adhesive vinyl plastic inside the box will work well enough as a lining without melting during the first 24 hrs?
It should at least help to make the box watertight and prevent the soap from leaking out anywhere.

I'm not planning to try gell it in the oven or anything, I was thinking I will just let it cool and harden on the counter

Are there any major cons that I need to consider when using a cardboard box? (besides the box bowing or bulging out a bit on the sides)
I noticed (reading through the forum) that most soaping disasters and volcanoes happen when temperatures get too high.
I'm kinda hoping the cardboard box will have the added advantage of cooling the soap faster in the first 24 hrs.

Feel free to give your 2c and words of wisdom.
Thanks

The box will work just fine. You need to line it with freezer, butcher, parchment paper. Don't use any kind of plastic for lining it. Make sure to cover the whole inside of the box and not leave any box visible on the inside. Make sure you crease the corners in the box and have a generous overlap of your paper.

I personally line the box in 2 directions to help keep the soap from leaking in between the paper. Make sure to have plenty of excess paper on the outside,then you can trim it and tape it on the outside to help hold it in place.

I also make sure that my soap is at a medium thick trace, so to prevent the soap from running in between the layers of paper.

The box will do a better job of increasing the temperature rather than cooling it off. Starting with cooler oil temperature will reduce the amount of heat that is produced but your recipe will also be a large factor in the heat produced during the gel phase. I always gel my soaps at a temperature between 130°F - 140°F for a couple of hours. Helps make the colors brighter and it helps the soap harden quicker. If the soap starts getting to hot and begins to brain or volcano,, make sure you have a fan to blow cool air over it or if you don't care about it gelling, then you can just put it in the fridge for a couple of hours to help keep it cool. Gelling is not absolutely necessary and is more of personal preference. You do not have to gel your soap in the oven. You can just put a top on it and cover it with towels.

Also if you post your recipe, we can give you a little more information for what to expect.

What are the dimensions of the box and thick are the sides. That would help us too.

 

[Elizevt]

The box will work just fine. You need to line it with freezer, butcher, parchment paper. Don't use any kind of plastic for lining it. Make sure to cover the whole inside of the box and not leave any box visible on the inside. Make sure you crease the corners in the box and have a generous overlap of your paper.

I personally line the box in 2 directions to help keep the soap from leaking in between the paper. Make sure to have plenty of excess paper on the outside,then you can trim it and tape it on the outside to help hold it in place.

I also make sure that my soap is at a medium thick trace, so to prevent the soap from running in between the layers of paper.

The box will do a better job of increasing the temperature rather than cooling it off. Starting with cooler oil temperature will reduce the amount of heat that is produced but your recipe will also be a large factor in the heat produced during the gel phase. I always gel my soaps at a temperature between 130°F - 140°F for a couple of hours. Helps make the colors brighter and it helps the soap harden quicker. If the soap starts getting to hot and begins to brain or volcano,, make sure you have a fan to blow cool air over it or if you don't care about it gelling, then you can just put it in the fridge for a couple of hours to help keep it cool. Gelling is not absolutely necessary and is more of personal preference. You do not have to gel your soap in the oven. You can just put a top on it and cover it with towels.

Also if you post your recipe, we can give you a little more information for what to expect.

What are the dimensions of the box and thick are the sides. That would help us too.

Thanks so much for the great advice. I appreciate it.
I think I have a really good recipe for my soap. I'm using beef tallow as a base/main Ingredient. But tallow tends to be all creamy and no bubbles.

So I added castor for bubbles, coconut oil for cleansing and almond oil for conditioning.

I want to create a gentle soap. So not to high on the coconut oil. But also must be a bit bubbly.

I have a 40/60 split on my saturated fats /unsaturated fats.
And 2:1 ratio water to lye with lye at 33.3%
And 5% superfat.

I'll attach my soap Calc screen shot below for you to see.

 

[Todd Ziegler]

With that much almond oil I would lower the super fat to 2%-3%. Almond oil does not have a very long shelf life and it is a soft oil. You might want to consider dropping your almond oil to 20% and increasing the coconut to 18%.The tallow @52 and coconut @18 will give you a harder bar when unmolding and a longer lasting bar after curing, without adding any harshness. You could also add some form of palm oil if you have it, if you don't want to increase the coconut oil.

If you have any sodium lactate you can add it @3% ppo or 1 tsp of salt ppo. This will help your soap harden and allow you to unmold and cut it sooner.

 

[Todd Ziegler]

If you go with the salt, just dissolve it in the water, then add it all to your lye.

 

[Elizevt]

I don't have sodium lactate, but I'll try the salt, Thanks.
I don't have any palm oil yet. I have got some shea butter.

But I have dropped the almond to 15% - Castor 10% - coconut 15 - tallow 55 - and Shea butter 5%

I got 3 kg (+- 6 lbs) of tallow today. I'll render and clarify it tomorrow and store it for future soapies and tallow balm recipes I want to try.

 

[Todd Ziegler]

Th

I don't have sodium lactate, but I'll try the salt, Thanks.
I don't have any palm oil yet. I have got some shea butter.

But I have dropped the almond to 15% - Castor 10% - coconut 15 - tallow 55 - and Shea butter 5%

I got 3 kg (+- 6 lbs) of tallow today. I'll render and clarify it tomorrow and store it for future soapies and tallow balm recipes I want to try.

That is an excellent adjustment to the recipe. I think you will be very happy with the soap.

 

[Elizevt]

Thanks a mill.
I'm rendering and clarifying my tallow now this evening. Ill try my first soap tomorrow.
I'll be sure to post a photo.

 

[penelopejane]

I love almond oil and would have kept your original percentage of it. I find coconut oil very drying above 10% and it also makes soap dissolve quicker in the shower. Castor oil above 5% can make soap sticky. It supports oils that have bubbles rather than produces bubbles but at 5% it is very effective.
Just another opinion, sorry, Todd.

 

[Elizevt]

To be honest, I have 3 variations of the recipe I'm going to try.
I will take Todd's advice and try the one with no almond oil, and replace it with shea and the other I'll try with avocado butter (I just found 2 lbs )
It sounds like a great soap.

But I do still want to try a small batch of the original recipe with the almond oil.
Not that I'm being stubborn or not taking advice, I 100% appreciate any advice I can get. I still have a LOT to learn.

But I want to try 2-3 bars myself and see and feel the difference for myself. I figure that is the best way to get the first-hand experience.

As long as I can avoid making volcanos and alien brains and other disasters.

 

[Todd Ziegler]

I love almond oil and would have kept your original percentage of it. I find coconut oil very drying above 10% and it also makes soap dissolve quicker in the shower. Castor oil above 5% can make soap sticky. It supports oils that have bubbles rather than produces bubbles but at 5% it is very effective.
Just another opinion, sorry, Todd.

No need to be sorry. I was just sharing my thoughts too. In the end it's up to her.

 

[Susie]

Try your recipe, then try @Todd Ziegler suggestion, then try @penelopejane recipe. Then you will know how those feel. Write notes on each recipe. Keep writing notes as those soaps age. Keep the notes. Then you will start making your own tweaks to your recipes and zeroing in on what you consider perfect.