Being a beginner is great! Everything is new and exciting and you quickly realize that I CAN DO THIS! And for that first batch you've got to have a mold. My very first batch long ago was made in a square stainless baking pan I tried to keep out of sight of the lovely wife. Rounded corners. Who came up with that brilliant design? My first soap would have creases! And I would learn to love them. Lining it with parchment paper was a precursor of the agony I was to experience in the future.
After that first batch I knew a proper mold was needed. First I looked at molds sold by suppliers and my immediate and unchanging reaction to this day was, "I'm just making some soap, not trying to corner the world market!" There are beautiful products out there but being a poverty stricken individual in my earlier years and a successful cheapskate in some areas to this day I just couldn't pull the trigger. And so, I watched more videos, found one I liked and decided to build a couple - with modifications of course.
Girding my loins I marched off to the big box home improvement store prepared for financial battle. I prevailed and walked out, head held high, with a 12 foot long 1 inch x 4 inch pine board cut into three pieces for free instead of the usual limit of two and leaving me with fewer cuts to make. They love me.
Now, one of the things that I've noticed in the many videos is that people tend to use enough screws to build a small shed and drill counter sunk holes everywhere. Not me, no sir. Simplicity, KISS. There are no screws, other than the ones that hold the ends. Wood glue was my fastener of choice. That's all that's needed. If you have children and have purchased Elmer's School glue you have the skills. A bonus is that wood glue really smells good! I glued the sides onto the edge of the bottom piece and clamped them.. The screws holding the ends on are screws on one end and bolts on the other. Just put a couple of nuts on and screw them into the wood with a adjustable wrench. Or pliers. Or a ratchet. You could drill a pilot hole but in the pine wood that's not really necessary. You will need two holes in each end piece. Wing nuts are used on the ends. That's it. Piece of cake. I have dropped mine,, been tempted to throw them (but restrained myself) and they are still ok and have made many many logs of soap. If you just want to glue the ends on that's ok but it's probably a good idea to put the screws/bolts on one end. Jump right in and have some fun. The worst that can happen is you will screw up but that guarantees you will learn something. Here's mine, quick and simple. No, the corners are not square. I eyeballed the ends. They work great. The liner in the small mold has been used many times. I used them as many times as possible to keep from having to reline. Actually, to keep lovely wife from having to reline. If mama's not happy, nobody is!
After that first batch I knew a proper mold was needed. First I looked at molds sold by suppliers and my immediate and unchanging reaction to this day was, "I'm just making some soap, not trying to corner the world market!" There are beautiful products out there but being a poverty stricken individual in my earlier years and a successful cheapskate in some areas to this day I just couldn't pull the trigger. And so, I watched more videos, found one I liked and decided to build a couple - with modifications of course.
Girding my loins I marched off to the big box home improvement store prepared for financial battle. I prevailed and walked out, head held high, with a 12 foot long 1 inch x 4 inch pine board cut into three pieces for free instead of the usual limit of two and leaving me with fewer cuts to make. They love me.
Now, one of the things that I've noticed in the many videos is that people tend to use enough screws to build a small shed and drill counter sunk holes everywhere. Not me, no sir. Simplicity, KISS. There are no screws, other than the ones that hold the ends. Wood glue was my fastener of choice. That's all that's needed. If you have children and have purchased Elmer's School glue you have the skills. A bonus is that wood glue really smells good! I glued the sides onto the edge of the bottom piece and clamped them.. The screws holding the ends on are screws on one end and bolts on the other. Just put a couple of nuts on and screw them into the wood with a adjustable wrench. Or pliers. Or a ratchet. You could drill a pilot hole but in the pine wood that's not really necessary. You will need two holes in each end piece. Wing nuts are used on the ends. That's it. Piece of cake. I have dropped mine,, been tempted to throw them (but restrained myself) and they are still ok and have made many many logs of soap. If you just want to glue the ends on that's ok but it's probably a good idea to put the screws/bolts on one end. Jump right in and have some fun. The worst that can happen is you will screw up but that guarantees you will learn something. Here's mine, quick and simple. No, the corners are not square. I eyeballed the ends. They work great. The liner in the small mold has been used many times. I used them as many times as possible to keep from having to reline. Actually, to keep lovely wife from having to reline. If mama's not happy, nobody is!
