HDPE dividers

[Godiva]

Found a site online that has HDPE sheets - they come in a variety of thicknesses - would like to make into dividers - what thickness do you think would work best? 1/32, 1/16, 1/8? I think 1/4 might be too thick.

 

[Guest]

How about posting a link to the site?

 

[Godiva]

Surely

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/produc ... 5Fid=10369

 

[Guest]

The site says they are rigid. They look like a pretty good material for dividers. Depending on how rigid that is, I think the thinner the better so I'd try 1/16".

I'm making some molds myself this afternoon, primitive wooden ones, intending to start out cheap and just find out how they work out.

I expect you will fill your mold with batter and then drop in the dividers after, right? Or what?

 

[Soapmaker Man]

In my past testing of my TOG Slab Molds with dividers, using anything less than 1/8" thick HDPE is a waste. It will warp during the heat of saponification. I use 1/8" HDPE in all my TOG Slab Mold W/Divider lineup;

Greg, you are correct; Fill your slab mold up, swirl if you want, then insert the assembled dividers.

Paul

 

[tls]

I used to work in the plastics industry, and was able to get some 1/8" HDPE to use as liners in my wooden molds, but gave up on them, because I could get them unmolded without pulling parts of the soap off and leaving them on the liner. Is there some special trick to getting them off, without chunks of soap still attached? Thanks.

Trisha

 

[Guest]

Wow, those look great. I might want to give it a try. Then again, being primative works well too...

 

[Soapmaker Man]

I used to work in the plastics industry, and was able to get some 1/8" HDPE to use as liners in my wooden molds, but gave up on them, because I could get them unmolded without pulling parts of the soap off and leaving them on the liner. Is there some special trick to getting them off, without chunks of soap still attached? Thanks.

Trisha

Hi Trish. I tell my customers sometimes you need to wipe a film of mineral oil on the HDPE surfaces for a period of time. After several uses, the HDPE releases better. Mineral oil will not saponify, so your batter, cooled soap will not stick to it.

Paul

 

[Godiva]

Soapmaker Man, your molds are gorgeous - I wish I could afford one, but at this time, I am a novice. Perhaps later - or maybe as a Christmas gift.

Thanks for your reply!

 

[Soapmaker Man]

Soapmaker Man, your molds are gorgeous - I wish I could afford one, but at this time, I am a novice. Perhaps later - or maybe as a Christmas gift.

Thanks for your reply!

Well thank you! :wink:

Paul

 

[Guest]

... you need to wipe a film of mineral oil on the HDPE surfaces for a period of time. After several uses, the HDPE releases better. Mineral oil will not saponify, so your batter, cooled soap will not stick to it.

I think that might help my ABS pipe molds. The freezer paper works okay but it's difficult to get it perfectly cylindrical and sometimes there is an air gap between the paper and pipe wall. This results in bars that are not perfectly round. It would work well if the paper was perfectly fitted to the pipe but that's harder to do than it sounds. I think the mineral oil might make a better release agent.

Where do you get mineral oil? Sounds like something the supermarket or drug store might carry.

 

[Guest]

Yeah, you can get it anywhere and its really cheap. I know, I have gobs of the stuff.

 

[mcleodnaturals]

Where do you get mineral oil? Sounds like something the supermarket or drug store might carry.

johnson's baby oil is mineral oil.
:wink:

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the reply on the MO. I discovered that supermarkets and drug stores carry it.