Issues with Silicone Molds

[Susie]

I have no problems with my soap not coming out easily from my thicker molds. But I have soft water, get full gel, and clean molds to start with. I just pull all four sides away, then flip and push with the heel of my hand on the bottom.

I have been known to run my molds through a dishwasher after use, though. Not recently though, as my house does not have a dishwasher. If I had trouble getting my soap out, I would try adding salt or SL or freezing my soap a couple of hours before trying to unmold.

 

[penelopejane]

I confess that I don't understand when people say they have trouble getting soap out of these molds. All you have to do is sort of break the seal and let air down below the bottom. If the soap doesn't gel, or I don't wait long enough before unmolding I might leave a corner behind in the mold, but those are MY fault.

I have BB stiffened silicone molds - the log one and a tall and skinny.
I don't have any problem getting the soap out of the mold but my molds are only 18 months old and I've made 60 mixes.

I use salt in my recipes but no sodium lactate and I CPOP but only heat the oven to 40*C (100*F), wrap the soap mold and turn the oven off as soon as the mold goes in.

Some people have ruined their silicone molds by CPOP ing too high. It only takes one extreme temperature to ruin a silicone mold forever.
That's why I CPOP so low and it works so I don't need to go higher. Once I did CPOP at 70*C (160*C) and the soap smelled awful (and still does!)

The biggest problem I have with these molds is that they bulge. I can't get a rectangular piece of soap out of them at it drives me wild. So i have just bought some nurture silicone liners. I am yet to use them because my carpentry skills are ok but I am very, very slow at making them. All the pieces are cut now and I have started screwing them together. So by the weekend (fingers crossed) I should have my first mix in the mold!

 

[navigator9]

I gel almost all of my soaps. I'm able to unmold the following morning. Soaps that don't gel, take longer to saponify. It can take several days before they can be safely unmolded, because they continue to be soft until then.