My new molds- feedback please

[SoapWorks]

I just completed two new molds for my CP soaps. They are made from NSF cutting board material purchased from a restaurant supply store. The ends are removable with four anchor bolts and 10-24 stainless wing nuts on each end. There is a liner in each mold to allow for easy removal of the soap. This is partially in place in the right hand mold and fully in place on the left hand side. I have also made several dividers that are secured in place by the notched pieces in the lower right. One on either side of the divider holds it securely in place.

The dimensions of the mold:

Holds a little over 68 oz. (US) /2 liters each
Interior length - 17.5 inches / 445mm
Iterior depth with liner - 2.5 inches / 60mm
Interior depth without liner 2.75 inches / 70mm
Width - 3.25 inches / 83mm

I am hoping that I don't have to paper this mold since I can remove the ends, cut around the sides with a paring knife and then slide the liner out to complete the removal for curing. The bars should be about 3.25 x 2.5 x 1.25 to end up at 4 oz. or 113g. I'll adjust the thickness then calibrate that onto a bar cutting jig.

This is my first attempt at making CP molds, so your feedback and ideas are welcome and appreciated.

JD

 

[cmzaha]

I will warn you that cutting the sides with a paring knife is not a good way to go. You can try using vaseline or mineral oil as a release agent, although they do not work well for me in my hdpe molds. I still line with a slip piece and leave the ends unlined. Since I get two small end cuts I really do not care how the ends come off. Nice looking mold. If your are perfectly smooth side I would dam off and try a small batch to see if it releases. My hdpe is not perfectly smooth

 

[Ruthie]

I like the looks of it, but can't speak from experience. I've only made wooden molds which of course I do have to line.

I'll be interested to see if they do work as you plan.

 

[SoapWorks]

I'll try a batch and see how it goes. I can always drop them in the freezer before removing them.

 

[marilynmac]

Can you make a liner for each long side just like the bottom liner?

 

[SoapWorks]

I have some Lexan that is fairly thin and strong and very smooth. Another option is to use push rods through holes in the bottom to push the liner up and break the friction on the walls. It will be interesting to see how the first batch comes out (or doesn't come out?).

 

[godschild]

I can't wait to see how your soaps turn out as well. May I ask what company you ordered it from and what you used to cut it like a saw or whatever? If you don't want to share your source, I understand. I always have to at least ask

 

[shunt2011]

Your mold look really nice. I too haven't had luck with the HDPE molds. I have one left and it's a slab with dividers that I line the bottom and use cooking spray on the dividers and sides. I only use it for salt bars and as long as I unmold while still warm they come out like a charm. However, when I tried it with regular soap it gave me nothing but trouble unless I lined it and then put it in the oven at 170 for 10 minutes to unmold and they still didn't come out nicely. I hope you have better luck. Let us now how it works for you.

 

[SoapWorks]

May I ask what company you ordered it from and what you used to cut it like a saw or whatever?

I built them from a large cutting board that I bought from a local restaurant supply company. The liners and end pieces are of thinner similar material from a cutting board purchased from Walmart.

I cut the boards on my Bosch compound miter saw, but would have used a table saw if I had one.

Large cutting board used for sides and bottom was about $24 and had enough material to make long sides and bottom. The smaller thinner board was $12 and the stainless hardware was about another $20.

 

[SoapWorks]

Update-
I used the new molds on some soap last night. I rebatched some Lavender soap that I put entirely too much eo in the mix. I rebatched in a boiler and microwave and seeded the mold with spoonfuls of lavender soap. I poured a new batch of unscented shea butter/coconut/olive oil over it and then repeated in a second layer. The small block cooled to room temperature so I put it in the freezer for about 45 minutes. After, I removed the ends by prying carefully with a putty knife and then extracted the block by wedging a thick putty knife between the bottom liner and the mold. This pried one end of the log up a bit and then I could put a flat metal 2" wide bar in the space and carefully work the soap log out of the mold by tapping the free end with a hammer. I then placed a new liner in the bottom of the mold and turned the soap log over and placed it back into the mold. Because of the new liner on the bottom, the old (stuck) liner is raised up at exactly the right height- just over the top of the mold. I could then twist the liner off (imagine grabbing a lawnmower blade attached to your lawnmower). This freed the original liner very cleanly. You can see the result below. Overall, not much difficulty. Very little sticking.

The large mold is still at about +5* F to room temp, so I'll let that one sit for a while longer.

Comments appreciated!

JD

 

[SoapWorks]

Final Removal

I've removed the large log- this is a full mold:

Finished product weight 4.68 lb or 2120g

Yield- 18 x 4 oz bars, (113g ea.)

The removal took a few minutes longer than the partial mold removal. The end pieces removed with no problem and the log was removed by tapping a 2"wide piece of thin bar steel between the liner and the mold. To do this, I stood the mold up on its end and placed the tapered edge of the steel in between the mold bottom and the liner. I then gently tapped the end of the bar until it passed all the way through to the other side. I rocked the bar back and forth a few times and the log popped right out once the air lock was broken. I inserted the spare liner into the mold and replaced the bar- this time the original liner facing the top, and then twisted it off. Putting the spare liner into the bottom make the original liner stick up just above the mold so a good right angle sheer force can be applied. I used a 1x2 cut to the mold length to get more leverage and pulled across the top of the mold by pushing with my thumbs and pulling with my fingers on the other side. This took a little patience but not too bad. I think with a couple of more tries, I could refine this into an almost foolproof process (at least for this recipe)

I'm calling this one a WIN!

 

[shunt2011]

It looks like it worked fairly well for you. That's awesome!