Mold liner

[Nikolye]

Last year my brother in law built me a loaf mold. Its good, but where i live its very hard to source freezer paper. there is a store that sells it, I found it a few years back and i can't for the life of me remember what they called it so i can hunt it down again. even so, not cheap. since i ran out i've been using plastic wrap, which i hate. i try to reuse it but its not very cooperative. I dont mind the lines it leaves on the outside of the loaf, i just mind the amount i have to use and that its plastic.

any brilliant ideas or non brilliant ideas that are common knowledge to the soaping community? I'd love to have something re-usable.

My plan was always to oil it up really well to "seal" it like you would a chopping block. But I'm a bit scared to test it out as i don't like losing soap.

or is there some kind of silicone seal i can paint on it?

big thanks in advance

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I use baking paper to good affect. I also use Mylar from time to time.

 

[TeresaT]

I use plastic bags. I have a roll of plastic trash bags that I got for that specific purpose. They were cheap (pennies each) and I'm able to cut the bottom off then slit the side to open it to line a big 20 pound slab mold I have (I've only used it once, though). I used them for a 2 pound wooden slab mold I have. That was a bit more difficult to line because the bags were really too big, but it worked well. I probably would have done better with one of the million plastic grocery bags I have in the house. I just used a thin coating of Vaseline on the mold to make sure the bag didn't move around. The nice thing about it was I was able to lift the soap out of the mold because the bag was strong enough to hold the weight.

ETA: If you use a grocery store bag, make sure you turn it inside out. If you don't you will get the printing from the bag on your soap. You can plane it off, but it's easier to just turn the bag inside out. I got that tip from a YouTube video. I haven't used those bags yet (I'm sure I'll eventually use them), but it's good advice. Her lovely loaf of soap had "Walmart" printed backwards on it. Not a good look.

 

[earlene]

Last year my brother in law built me a loaf mold. Its good, but where i live its very hard to source freezer paper. there is a store that sells it, I found it a few years back and i can't for the life of me remember what they called it so i can hunt it down again. even so, not cheap. since i ran out i've been using plastic wrap, which i hate. i try to reuse it but its not very cooperative. I dont mind the lines it leaves on the outside of the loaf, i just mind the amount i have to use and that its plastic.

any brilliant ideas or non brilliant ideas that are common knowledge to the soaping community? I'd love to have something re-usable.

My plan was always to oil it up really well to "seal" it like you would a chopping block. But I'm a bit scared to test it out as i don't like losing soap.

or is there some kind of silicone seal i can paint on it?

big thanks in advance

Are you okay with plastic if it is easier to re-use? Those thin bendable cutting sheets (for the kitchen) or even cheap plastic placemats* are fine for use as a liner. The problem is I haven't found any tape that can hold the joints together and withstand the heat of gel.

There is a method of painting silicone onto a surface that you could use, but I found it to be a very messy and noxious odor producing project. My granddaughter & I used it last October for part of her Hallowe'en costume. Fun, but I am not anxious to do it again. However if you are interested I'd be happy to send you some links.

Is the mold wooden? I wonder how varathane holds up to CP. Another messy and noxious odor producing project, though.

Jeeze Louise, why would spell check change placemats to placentas!?!

 

[dixiedragon]

You can try quilter's mylar from the craft store.

 

[IrishLass]

Ditto what Dixie said. I use heat-resistant quilter's mylar (found at my local craft store down the quilter's aisle). I made a custom set of liners out of it for each of my molds. Just measure each of your mold's inside dimensions, then cut out 5 pieces to precisely fit each side. Once you make a set of liners out of it, you will never have to make another set. They last forever. I've been soaping with the same sets I made over 8 years ago or so, and they are still in perfect shape. I tack them to my mold with a few dabs of Vaseline to hold them in place before pouring.

Another excellent liner option I like to use when I want to add a decorative flair to the surface edges of my soap are those decorative silicone fondant mats made by Wilton (also found at my local craft store, but in the cake-decorating aisle). I measure & cut 5 pieces to fit just the same as with the mylar, and tack them to my mold in the same manner, too. They also last forever. Mine are about 5 years old or so and still going strong.

EDITED TO ADD: I should mention that all my molds are the collapsible type. I'm not sure how easy it would be to remove soap from a non-collapsible mold using these liners in the manner that I do.


IrishLass

 

[Nikolye]

Gold. Thanks And my mold is wood and collapses down. Great ideas and tips.

 

[nframe]

I bought a pet-feeding mat in the pound store and used that. It is made of strong plastic and can be washed easily and re-used. Make sure you are using the non-painted side.