my new Soap Hutch mold!

[JBot]

Pictures of My Precious!

The large dinner fork in the first picture is just to show scale.

The "dams" shown in the fourth picture can be adjusted to make your log molds any length you want.

The sixth and seventh pictures might look the same at first glance, but one of them shows the mold with the two 10-bar dividers (two different kinds of soap at once, if you like) and the other shows the 20-bar divider.

The eighth picture was taken right after I poured my HP. Ugly, right? Hide and watch! The ninth picture was taken after I inserted the dividers.

The results are amazing. I unmolded about 8 hours later, and the bars are gorgeous. Perfect sides, straight and smooth. I usually end up having to do a TON of trimming and planing, because I don't always want the rustic look that you often get from HP. But now!!! I might not have to do any trimming or planing at all, it's THAT nice!

Tomorrow I'll try to post close-ups of the bars as they look now that they've been cut and drying for a few days.

 

[AKjulz]

That's an amazing piece of equipment, Congrats! Nice colors on your HP too

 

[CTAnton]

talk about ALL N ONE!If that's not a go to mold, I don't know what is!! Congrats!

 

[dixiedragon]

If I may ask...how much was it? I requested a quote from him but he hasn't gotten back to me.

 

[LBussy]

Yeah I was afraid to even ask ...

 

[Luv2Soap]

One mold to rule them all! LOVE THIS!!!!!

 

[not_ally]

Definitely a thing of beauty. LBOT, meant to post this on another thread, but your bars *don't* look like HP, you are right, they are too smooth and pretty! Now I really want that mold, but I have a feeling it is going to be expensive enough to wait for a while.

 

[LBussy]

No kidding, they are gorgeous. JBot you say "pour" and I've never used any term other than "glop" for HP soap. Are you really able to pour?

 

[Seawolfe]

I wanna see the pictures of that HP soap in there after unmolding!! Up close on the edges please
Thats a really really interesting piece of equipment!!

 

[not_ally]

Can you really make different batches if you put the dividers in? Ie; no seeping through the bottom? I have had problems with that just doing certain swirls w/different colors in one mold/1 batch.

 

[CritterPoor]

that is a beast!

 

[Cactuslily]

Congrats Jbot on your mold and your lovely soap. I'm still waiting on my order. I ordered beginning of Feb., but I know wait will be so worth it in the end. Thanks for sharing those pics! Looking forward to seeing your soap cut! In the meantime, aren't you just thinking up all the possibilities?!

 

[doriettefarm]

How many lbs does that sucker hold? I think I'm in love with your Precious

 

[JBot]

The first picture shows the bar exactly as it was after cutting. Totally raw. My wire cutter leaves the edges really rough, though, so the subsequent pictures were taken after I swiped the long edges over my beveler. I did NOT bevel the short edges -- they didn't need it at all! Only the edges that were left ragged from the wire. I hope the last picture shows how clean the mold leaves that short edge.

How many lbs does that sucker hold? I think I'm in love with your Precious

About 18-20! This "half" batch was 9.5 lbs, and I didn't fill it to the tippy-top. But you could also make a batch as small as a single bar. I love the flexibility.

Congrats Jbot on your mold and your lovely soap. I'm still waiting on my order. I ordered beginning of Feb., but I know wait will be so worth it in the end. Thanks for sharing those pics! Looking forward to seeing your soap cut! In the meantime, aren't you just thinking up all the possibilities?!

If it's any consolation, I ordered mine in mid-January. And yes, it's absolutely worth the wait. The possibilities are keeping me awake at night!

If I may ask...how much was it? I requested a quote from him but he hasn't gotten back to me.

It wasn't cheap, that's for sure. About $400, but I ordered a cutter/splitter at the same time, which I think reduced the price a bit. I'm excited to receive the cutter; hoping for straight cuts and no more ragged edges! The cutter is delayed because I requested some last-minute modifications. (Rich has been VERY patient with me!)

I know some people probably think that's an insane amount to pay for a mold, but it was totally worth it to me. Now that I've had the chance to use it and experience the quality first-hand, I'm toying with the idea of ordering another one. No joke.

Definitely a thing of beauty. LBOT, meant to post this on another thread, but your bars *don't* look like HP, you are right, they are too smooth and pretty! Now I really want that mold, but I have a feeling it is going to be expensive enough to wait for a while.

Thank you! I've worked hard to get past that lumpy look. They aren't marble-smooth like cold process, and I won't pretend otherwise, but they look a lot better than my first few HP batches.

No kidding, they are gorgeous. JBot you say "pour" and I've never used any term other than "glop" for HP soap. Are you really able to pour?

Well. . .I tip the pot over the mold and it all just kind of slithers out. I've never had to scoop or glop it in with a spoon. But it's not like the pancake-batter liquidity of cold process, either.

I wanna see the pictures of that HP soap in there after unmolding!! Up close on the edges please
Thats a really really interesting piece of equipment!!

I hope the edges are in good focus here; I'll try to take some more later on. I'm working with the camera on my cell phone, so I don't get the best depth or perspective in the pictures.

Can you really make different batches if you put the dividers in? Ie; no seeping through the bottom? I have had problems with that just doing certain swirls w/different colors in one mold/1 batch.

I think so. I didn't get any seeping through the bottom, but HP is naturally much thicker. I'll post again when I do a CP batch.

 

[not_ally]

Thanks for taking the time to respond so thoughtfully and comprehensively. Very helpful.

 

[Seawolfe]

Oh those are nice! Thanks for the pics.
I don't think that's a crazy amount of money for all the options you get, it's pretty spectacular.

 

[jules92207]

Wow, that is one amazing mold!

Edit to add - and an amazing soap! Lovely!

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

I don't think that it is too expensive for all that, especially as it is not really just 1 mould - but pretty much every mould you will ever need.

 

[LBussy]

A related question - has anyone used anything to mechanically vibrate the mold when loading? I was thinking a "vibrating table", like the old football games but with more "omph", might be cool.

 

[dixiedragon]

I've requested a quote for one that also has the vertical dividers so you can do swirls, etc. Pretty much like this one:
http://oilandbutter.blogspot.com/2013/01/soaphutch-uber-mold.html

I want mine tall enough so I can do a square log. IDK if I can justify $400, though.