Hello and TOG Soap Molds

[wildflower]

Hi everyone . I just registered today. I'm someone who has always wanted to make soap (someday i i will :wink: ), have tons of books, read a lot about it on the internet, but alas...have never started. Happy to be here though!

P.S.
Does anyone know where TOG soap molds/cutters are sold now. He used to have a shop in etsy, but the link doesn't work anymore. Does he have his own website now or sell them somewhere else?


Thanks,

Keri

 

[IrishLass]

Hello Keri and welcome!

I have a couple of TOG molds myself (a 1 lb. tester mold and a log/slab convertable mold), but the last I heard from second-hand sources on the grapevine was that Paul (the TOG maker), had shut his shop down to catch up on orders. This was months ago that I heard this and I haven't heard any more, so I have no idea where things stand now or even how to find out.

If you are looking for a log/slab convertable mold like the TOG, you can purchase one here:

http://www.diannassundries.com/Items.asp?itemtype=Molds (just look under 'Products') I have that one, too, and it's well constructed.

There are lots of other places to buy molds, though. Brambleberry has some really nice ones. I just ordered their vertical mold.

Hopefully more people will chime in with their recommendations.

IrishLass

 

[Hazel]

Hi Keri,

Welcome to the forum!

 

[wildflower]

Hi,

Thanks for the welcome!

I remember being really interested in his round log mold...it had some sort of special 'ejection' system, and his cutters looked awesome!

Thanks for the recommendations!

 

[carebear]

oh, he totally copied that idea and design from another mold maker. let me see if I can find it.

 

[carebear]

here you go - it's called an air mold. and they've been making them much longer than TOG.

 

[dirrdee]

Hi Keri,

Welcome to the group!

OT, Irishlass, let us know how that mold works, I was just thinking of ordering it !!

 

[Deda]

My TOGs went into the trash. They never worked. Ever.

 

[judymoody]

I think he's on artfire now.

Reviews of his molds that I have seen have generally not been positive.

 

[carebear]

he's not there any longer either.

 

[debbism]

I think I was one of the last group of orders that came through his shop (didn't get my item but got a refund after 3 months) before he closed down - he was hospitalized for a life threatening illness with many complications and was just unable to keep up any longer. The last post on his etsy shop stated he was selling his business - the same cutters but someone else doing the bulk of the work. The poof, the shop was gone.

 

[IrishLass]

I'm sorry to hear he's going through so many health problems. That would help to explain a lot of things. The 2 TOG molds that I have are great. I bought them back in 2006 when he was just starting out making molds and the craftmanship is so good that I'm still using them as my go-to molds to this day. Truly, I've never had a single problem or issue with them ever. Unfortunately, the quality of his workmanship began to go downhill at some point and things became pretty much hit or miss to the point that a lot of soapers were stuck with leaky molds that didn't work (like our own Deda). It's a shame, because his work used to be so good and reasonably priced that I recommended him to so many people who eventually ended up with duds.

Thanks for the update, debbism.

IrishLass

 

[Soapy Gurl]

I have had my TOG mold for two years now. It looks like hell from me spilling soap on it, but I like it. The funky liners are great for lazy people who don't want to line. I haven't used mine heavily though. I have had problems with the liners coming apart, but as long as I pour at a reasonable trace there is no leakage. I was on Paul's forum and both he and his wife suffered from health problems. I am sorry they got even worse.

 

[wildflower]

Well, that certainly is very sad. Thank you everyone for sharing.

 

[Soapsugoii]

I have 5 of these little molds, and this is what I mainly use for soap making. I like them, and they're great if you're a beginner. You don't have to line them, and the soap comes out very easily. And they're a snap to clean:

http://bebecollection.com/loaf-mold-too ... -loaf-mold

The only thing I don't like is they aren't perfectly rectangular when you cut the bars. Very close, but I am sort of a perfectionist, and the sides bow out eeeeever so slightly. Eventually I think I'll switch to a silicon lined wooden mold or an acrylic mold.