Has anyone used these? Mine just arrived (fluer d'lis and tree of life) and I am super bummed - they are thin clear plastic, and I am very concerned that they will NOT be very long lived.
Experience with Milky Way Molds from Wholesale Supplies Plus
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The don't work well for CP. I have some I use for bath bombs. They cracked with bath bombs.
dixiedragon
Well-Known Member
They won't be long-lived, the ones with corners. I adore the shapes of MW molds, though. Grease well with mineral oil, especially the fine details and corners. You may need to freeze the soap to release it.
ARGH - I had thought from the pictures they were different (pictures do NOT look like the thin clear plastic they are)
BUMMED
Thank you!
BUMMED
Thank you!
I have some I have used for several years. Granted they can crack but if you spray them well with pam then put in the freezer after they sit overnight they come out quite well. Just make sure you let them start to thaw or the frozen mold will crack. Just be gentle with them and do not bend the molds, just ease them out of the molds. Once they have at least halfway thawed the moisture and pam will help them slip right out of the mold. I will say I do not use them all the time, mine are mostly seasonal and used during the season they match
A
amd
I have some from my beginning soap days. Don't soap hot (I lost one when the soap got so hot it melted the mold). Don't insulate. I didn't use anything in mine to help release, so I just stuck them in the freezer, turned them upside down propped off the table so there's a gap between the soap and the table, and would let the soap fall out. Sometimes it took a couple days, depending on the recipe. It's been 4 years or more since I used mine, long before I found this forum, so there's probably better advice. Be extremely careful if you're bending the mold to try and pop the soap out, especially if they've been in the freezer.
One of the goat milk soapers in my area uses them exclusively, so I know you can get them to work for CP with some modifications to your methods.
One of the goat milk soapers in my area uses them exclusively, so I know you can get them to work for CP with some modifications to your methods.
dixiedragon
Well-Known Member
I've had some molds like IrishLasses. For me, they were VERY difficult to unmold - one batch I was never able to unmold and just threw the whole mold away in frustration.
I have both the Milky Way clear plastic (quite similar to the ones you can also get at JoAnn's and places like that, as well in the MP aisle), but also some Milky Way trays, too, as well as some like the ones Irish Lass linked. For both of those, I use lanolin or Vaseline as my mold release. The most important thing for me is the mold release, which works extremely well for me. But the temperature of the soap batter with the clear plastic is also extremely important. But remember, they work with Melt & Pour Soaps, too, so as long as you realize it can't be boiling or overly hot when you pour, you should be fine.
I do like both types of molds for soap sometimes, particularly if I want a particular design that no other vendor has a better mold (say, a silicone mold, for example). The clear plastic molds may not last as long as the white plastic ones Irish Lass, linked (the opaque one's I have are older than I've been soaping because I got them from another soaper and they were quite old and some were even discolored with age, but still work just fine.)
I use the clear Milky Way molds for CP soap and have even used one of the tray molds for HP soap, but had let it cool a bit before pouring and not had any warping. The lanolin or Vaseline applied using my fingers to the inner surfaces of the molds is what makes the soap come out so easily for me.
The soap does have to stay in these molds a bit longer than it does when poured into a log mold lined with freezer paper, though, so I usually have to add an extra day or three depending on the recipe before I unmold. If it doesn't pop out easily, I put it in the freezer for 10 or 15 minutes and place it upside down on a cutting mat and gently apply pressure to get it to release and they come out quite easily. This works for me with most individual molds, Milky Way or the ones IL mentions, even silicone individual molds. But the Milky Way ones do need to be treated more gently in order to last longer.
But be careful when taking it straight from the freezer. Too long in the freezer and a sharp tap on the counter could break the plastic. I did have that happen once when I got too rough with my tapping.
I do like both types of molds for soap sometimes, particularly if I want a particular design that no other vendor has a better mold (say, a silicone mold, for example). The clear plastic molds may not last as long as the white plastic ones Irish Lass, linked (the opaque one's I have are older than I've been soaping because I got them from another soaper and they were quite old and some were even discolored with age, but still work just fine.)
I use the clear Milky Way molds for CP soap and have even used one of the tray molds for HP soap, but had let it cool a bit before pouring and not had any warping. The lanolin or Vaseline applied using my fingers to the inner surfaces of the molds is what makes the soap come out so easily for me.
The soap does have to stay in these molds a bit longer than it does when poured into a log mold lined with freezer paper, though, so I usually have to add an extra day or three depending on the recipe before I unmold. If it doesn't pop out easily, I put it in the freezer for 10 or 15 minutes and place it upside down on a cutting mat and gently apply pressure to get it to release and they come out quite easily. This works for me with most individual molds, Milky Way or the ones IL mentions, even silicone individual molds. But the Milky Way ones do need to be treated more gently in order to last longer.
But be careful when taking it straight from the freezer. Too long in the freezer and a sharp tap on the counter could break the plastic. I did have that happen once when I got too rough with my tapping.
scard
Well-Known Member
I've used several of the Milky Way molds. I find that I get good results with a low temp thin batter so it gets into the details of the mold. Before pouring I put them on a cookie sheet and carefully tap out the air bubbles afterward. I do put them in the freezer for easy unmolding without using any release agents. So far so good, none have cracked. Years ago I used similar molds for wax tarts and had a few messy meltdowns. 
Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
Di
I don't make soap in them any more but I do find them handy to use up leftover batter from other soaps.
HTH
You'll get an easier release if you stay 1/4" or so below the top of the cavity. I second scard's advice to pour (thin batter) at emulsion so it can seep into all the details. Tap gently halfway through and then again when filled to release air bubbles. I grease lightly with mineral oil; let set overnight; stick in the freezer for a hour; take it out and let set for 5 minutes; run water on the back side for a bit, with my hand underneath, ready to catch them, and they drop out easily (famous last words! Hahaha)
I don't make soap in them any more but I do find them handy to use up leftover batter from other soaps.
HTH
WeaversPort
Voyages of Curiosity
The best luck I had getting CP soap out of Milky Way molds was after freezing it for about an hour
Another tip -- Don't wash them in hot water or in the dishwasher.
If you are very careful with them they seem to last. I put cp soap in the freezer for a few minutes before trying to unmold and that seems to work--so far. I originally bought mine for melt and pour soap so transitioning to cp was....I didnt expect much. If you try to force the soap out at all the mold will crack.
Pat McGlothlin
Colorado Gal in Arizona
I'm really surprised at the problems listed here. I have loads of Milky Way molds that are over 20 years old and only one is cracked. I do only goats milk soap; soap around 100 degrees; never gel; always sprayed with Pam; put molds in the freezer a lot; popped the individual soaps out from the bottom with a little pressure from my thumbs; always put in the dishwasher - top rack. If I'd had problems with the molds, I might not have stuck with the craft for so long.
Pat, I am wondering if the manufacturing process and materials have changed in the 20 years since you bought your MW molds. I wonder because it's quite possible the quality of the product produced today isn't as enduring as the quality of the product you bought w0 years ago.
I don't have any that old, but I have noticed that over time, the plastics used for packaging some of the products I buy, change over time. I believe a manufacturer changes them for various reasons. Sometimes to comply with new standards in the industry; sometimes to save money; maybe even sometimes to decrease the life of the product so customers will buy replacements (sure, why not? we all know some of them do that.)
I don't have any that old, but I have noticed that over time, the plastics used for packaging some of the products I buy, change over time. I believe a manufacturer changes them for various reasons. Sometimes to comply with new standards in the industry; sometimes to save money; maybe even sometimes to decrease the life of the product so customers will buy replacements (sure, why not? we all know some of them do that.)
Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
Pat, I'm curious. Are you making M&P or CP? In my limited experience with both, MW molds work great with M&P; CP not so much.
Pat McGlothlin
Colorado Gal in Arizona
Zany, I don't do anything but CP. I bought all of my molds directly from MW and I've never had any trouble. I don't understand why others have issues with them.Pat, I'm curious. Are you making M&P or CP? In my limited experience with both, MW molds work great with M&P; CP not so much.
I guess I should have stated that I have been buying MW molds for over 20 years, not all at once 20 years ago. The composition didn't change from the first mold to the last. I sincerely don't understand the issues others have had because I haven't experienced them. I use olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, shea butter, castor oil or jojoba oil and sodium lactate. Nothing new or unusual.
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Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
Thank you for that information, Pat. With your enthusiasm, it makes me want to go buy some MW molds!!! It's a good thing I have NO room for more molds!
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