I don't use silicone log molds but I do have a very thick single cavity mold I do CPOP in. I've gotten surface bubbles but usually only when its on the verge of getting too hot.
I would go along with this, except for the instances of those who had bubbles, but then didn't, after their mold was used a few times. This is really perplexing.
I might have to buy a liner from ED to test this. CPOP a soap in it brand new, see if I can get the bubbles. Then just bake the liner in a 170F oven for a bit, let it cool, then repeat a couple of times. Then try another CPOP in it.
I think JustBeachy is right when she says it is from overheating. I feel like the ED silicone is the "cheaper" lower heat tolerant silicone type. I would like to try preheating it, putting the soap into it, wrapping it instead of putting it back into the oven and seeing what happens.
I do not want to waste my money and supplies on batches that need to be planed off!
Thanks everyone again!!
denise
Of course, it doesn't have to planed off/wasted - it's still perfectly usable soap even with the bubbles. After a few uses they will be smoothed out anyway and I think your family/friends would be very happy to get the soap regardless
Of course, it doesn't have to planed off/wasted - it's still perfectly usable soap even with the bubbles. After a few uses they will be smoothed out anyway and I think your family/friends would be very happy to get the soap regardless
Ditto what Gent said^^^. None of my planed-off, bubbly surfaces get wasted. I just smoosh them all up like one would do with clay, and then I press them into decorative MilyWay-type molds to make pretty, guest-size bars out of them.
IrishLass
Absolutely, but.....silicone liners are not cheap, and when you spend the money, with the expectation of getting smooth surfaces on your soap, you shouldn't have to put up with less. I would still contact the supplier for their input and suggestions. If I were a supplier, I would want to hear from my customers if they weren't happy, instead of just not buying from me anymore. If this is a common problem, and it seems to be, they may have a work-around.
I too advise inquiring with ED since they may have some tips for you. I have one of their natural/white ED silicone molds, and have never gotten bubbling after gelling in a warmed oven that was turned off before placing the mold in there. My typical procedure is to turn on the oven to Warm/170 for a short time (minute or two?), turn the oven off, and pop my filled mold inside. I don't know the actual temp inside the oven but I don't usually leave the temp up so long that the oven beeps to indicate that it is fully preheated. The heating element is not red when I put the soap in. I turn on the oven light to help keep the temp up, and have done this at various points in time, but usually within 15 minutes of putting the soap in the oven. I do not preheat the mold like many people talk of doing with their silicone molds, which also might make a difference.
Maybe my method is short of a true CPOP, but it does encourage gelling, which I think helps dry up/firm up the soap quicker so I can unmold from the silicone within 24 hours. I also typically use a 2:1 water discount for the same reason. It seems like water amount could also influence bubbling; something to consider.
The mold I am talking about is the popular natural/white one that ED advertises with the basket; it is not really a liner but a semi-rigid mold. I don't have a basket, but instead support the mold with the cardboard box that the mold came in (I put cardboard and all into the oven; I tape the flaps shut to cover the mold). I bought the mold in Dec 2013. I also have one of their red molds but I don't think I've put that one in the oven yet. It may act differently since darker colors absorb more heat and hold heat longer.
Hopefully there is enough detail there to see some potential differences, and get ideas for avoiding the bubbles. Good luck, and please post back if you figure anything out.
Hopefully, I can reproduce some bubbles. Imagine that, trying to get my soap to mess up.
I actually like the look of IrishLass' extreme example and might do that on purpose on occasion if I knew how.
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