Making molds

[Kittish]

For about $35 in lumber and materials, I'm going to wind up with 8 soap molds in various sizes. 2 1-pound wide, 2 1-pound tall, 1 4-pound tall, 1 2-pound wide, 1 2-pound tall, and one that will probably hold a 4 to 5 pound batch that's both tall and wide. I've got all the pieces cut, next step is assemble then clean up edges. That materials price also includes flexible plastic cutting mats that will make permanent liners for most of these.

I think I've probably got enough loaf molds now. Just need more decorative molds... :think:

ETA: pic of the pre-assembly bits

Now they're all assembled, just need to even up edges some and make sure there aren't any splinters. All of the cuts are freehand with a small cordless circular saw. I don't have a proper saw table with rails and jigs and all that.

There are screws going up from the bottom into the endcaps on each of the molds, in addition to the ones from either side.

 

[jules92207]

Nicely done!

 

[Cindy2428]

What jules said - nicely done!

 

[Soapprentice]

Impressive!

 

[cherrycoke216]

Now you have a wooden mold army!!! Make some tons of soap is your next project!

 

[Dahila]

how are you going to take out your soap? I have similar molds but my DH put screws in it so they open like butterfly

 

[Kittish]

how are you going to take out your soap? I have similar molds but my DH put screws in it so they open like butterfly

Just lift the liner out. I'm going to leave a lip on each liner big enough to grab easily.

 

[cherrycoke216]

Maybe try a silicone liner? There are YouTube video about DIY a silicone liner for soap mold. But you have to buy the pourable silicone. Not the kind for construction.

 

[Kittish]

Maybe try a silicone liner? There are YouTube video about DIY a silicone liner for soap mold. But you have to buy the pourable silicone. Not the kind for construction.

I might at some point, if I decide I'm feeling ambitious or that the plastic liners aren't working. But for now, I've got the plastic. I don't have silicone.

 

[Kittish]

All done! Ok, well almost. The wide and tall doesn't have a liner and I ran out of mats. But every other loaf mold has one! I've got enough wood left to make 4 or 5 lids, too.

The two on the far right with lids inside them are the 4 pound molds I bought off Etsy.

 

[penelopejane]

All done! Ok, well almost. The wide and tall doesn't have a liner and I ran out of mats. But every other loaf mold has one! I've got enough wood left to make 4 or 5 lids, too.

The two on the far right with lids inside them are the 4 pound molds I bought off Etsy.

Well done! They look beautiful. I know how much work went into them.
Congratulations. :mrgreen:

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

A lovely collection

 

[Kittish]

Thanks everyone. This should cut seriously down on prep time, and having a batch that winds up needing to sit in the mold for a week or so won't slow me down much. Have to wait and see how well the plastic holds up.

 

[penelopejane]

Thanks everyone. This should cut seriously down on prep time, and having a batch that winds up needing to sit in the mold for a week or so won't slow me down much. Have to wait and see how well the plastic holds up.

I am sure they will be fine. I have seen videos of people using those.
If you want to replace them in future an option might be silicone baking sheets.
They come in a variety of sizes and prices! It would require holding the sides up with clips or something because, unlike yours, they would slump.

Just a thought but I think yours will last for ages.

https://www.ebay.com.au/i/332206290521?chn=ps&dispItem=1

 

[Zany_in_CO]

Wowser!

 

[amd]

I am jealous of your wooden tall & skinnies. I have them on my hubby-to-be's to do list, but I'm not expecting them until sometime in 2018. (The new house to do list is longer than we expected)

How do the mats work? I've tried making and using them a few times, but they always end up an epic fail for me. I'm sure I'm doing something wrong - either in the cutting or the assembly. :/

 

[Kittish]

So far the mats work great. I've made one batch in a tall 1 pound, and the block of soap just slid right out of the mold. After I let it sit for day or so the liner came off easily. The liners are pretty much all cut to the same template.

The way the pieces overlap should stop most leakage, unless the soap is really, really thin on the pour.

Just get really good measurements for the inside of your mold. For the folds, the outside is scored very, very lightly. You basically only need to barely scratch it for it to fold cleanly. For the bigger molds, both ends are endcaps (because the mats weren't big enough to cut with one end attached)

 

[amd]

*gasp* This is what I was missing. I have been cutting each side and taping with duct tape (as per both of the videos that I saw)... I will try the score and fold method tonight on my 1lb test molds. Thank you so much for sharing this with me!

 

[Kittish]

*gasp* This is what I was missing. I have been cutting each side and taping with duct tape (as per both of the videos that I saw)... I will try the score and fold method tonight on my 1lb test molds. Thank you so much for sharing this with me!

Sharing knowledge is a big part of what this forum's all about. If we all share what we know, we all walk away with more than we started with.

 

[navigator9]

Wow! This shows how when you've got some boards, and you want to make soap molds, you just keep on going til the wood runs out. And you end up with a collection of shapes and sizes that should keep you soaping for a long time. And great job with those liners, too. So neatly done. Can't wait to see all of the soaps that come out of these molds.