Silicon or wood mold?

[SoapinTheNightAway]

Hi all. Thanks in advance for your help. I'm very new to soaping(in supply gathering stage and haven't yet made a batch) and i'm wondering what you would recommend as a starter mold between silicon(which seems much easier) or wood. I've seen a nice silicon mold at essentialdepot.com. Any experience with them? If you recommend wood, what site(s) would you recommend i buy from?

 

[FGOriold]

When I first started I used 2 basic wood loaf molds that had to be lined with freezer paper. It worked well but I hated the lining process. Now I only use silicone molds (both loaf molds set inside wooden frames and individual cavity silicone molds). So much easier, quick cleanup, less time preparing them for soaping. My silicone loaf molds are from Woodfield's and are awesome. They were not cheap but have served me well for 3 years now and still look brand new. I do not have the ED ones, so I cannot comment on them - but my understanding is you need a wooden holder or something similar to support it - maybe someone else will comment who uses that one.

 

[Dennis]

I use wooden molds lined with freezer paper. For me lining the molds is a exercise of excruciating frustration. I have enticed my mysterious far far eastern sometimes soaping assistant, lovely wife and mother of my children to line them for me.
She loves the process.
Very strange.
"Oh goody, more lining!"
I am one of the few people who washed out of the Hazel School of Mold Lining. roblem:

Anyway, the easier you make the process, the more fun and more soap you will make. That probably means a silicone mold in a wooden liner but you have to discover your own best way to go.
Probably more than you wanted to hear. :wink:

 

[seven]

depending on yer budget. a wood mold is cheap and easy to make with minimal skill. downside is: lining.

silicone is easier to use, but could be more expensive. i don't have any experience with the ED one, but afaik, you still need a box/basket for the outside to maintain its shape. my silicone loaf ones came from etsy, they were pretty cheap, and also came with a wooden box.

 

[navigator9]

Because of the expense of silicone molds, I think many, if not most of us start with wooden molds. And then, most of us get frustrated by the freezer paper, cutting, folding, fitting, taping process, and move on to silicone. Silicone promotes more soap making, because the molds are always ready. (Not all of us are as lucky as Dennis to have someone willing to do the grunt work for us....I'm jealous, Dennis!!!)

Also, most silicone liners require a wooden mold or box, to keep them from bowing when filled with soap batter. There are some stand alone silicone molds, but they are more rigid, and not quite as easy to unmold as the others.

Don't let not having a purchased mold stop you from making soap. My first batch was made in a washed and dried milk carton. Makes a perfect mold, tears away when the soap is done. I actually made my first wooden mold. I have no woodworking experience at all, and it wasn't difficult.

If money is no object, I would go for a silicone liner in a wooden mold. I'm not familiar with Essential Depot, so can't recommend them, but maybe someone here can. A word of caution. As a new soaper you will be tempted to buy many things that look intriguing or helpful. You'll use them once and then never again. So think long and hard before parting with your hard earned dollars. Once you've been making soap for a while, you'll be better able to judge what you're really going to need and use. Good luck to you!

 

[lpstephy85]

Now that I mastered lining wood molds with freezer paper, I only use them and reserve my single cavity silicone molds for my left over soap. Lining is challenging at first but once you get it, ya got it! I leave the molds for lining while my oils and lye water are cooling down. With silicone molds, the soap stays softer longer in my opinion. If had to wait three days before on a batch that had a water discount and wasn't high in soft oils. This is the method I use and to me is so much easier than other methods. [ame]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6k0Hyu_FYw[/ame]

 

[OliveOil2]

I have the Brambleberry wood molds with the silicone liners and like them for an inexpensive choice. I don't have the one from Essential Depot, but have heard good things about it, the only drawback that I have heard is that the natural color is best, think they had some issues with the red bleeding in the beginning. I have been looking at the silicone lined molds from Nurture Soap Supplies.

 

[Seawolfe]

I LOVE lining my wood mold with parchment paper. I might be lucky in that the mold ends on my 2 lb SMR wood mold fit perfectly inside the ends when turned 90 deg, when I do that the folding up the end is easier than folding up a present. I like the SMR wood mold because it insulates well for a full gell but still breathes enough to prevent overheating, and has a cute little top to sit on top, and a cutter built in.

Now I will admit to having a single cavity silicone mold on standby for overage, and lust in my heart for single cavity molds with patterns.

 

[cmzaha]

I happen to hate silicone molds and really do nto mind lining. I always keep my hdpe mold lined and ready to use. Takes me no time at all since all are the same size and I know exactly what size to cut the paper

 

[IrishLass]

I have both wood molds and silicone molds. The silicone ones are new purchases for me- one is from Woodfields and is most excellent. It cost me a pretty penny to be sure, but the craftsmanship of that mold is of such outstanding quality that I know it will last me for years and years. It's an absolute dream to use, too. I love that mold!

I have 3 other silicone molds- 2 are ones that Essential Depot sells. They were having a sale and the price was right for me to get 2 of them. I bought the natural instead of the red because of the potential bleeding issues I had been hearing about the red. I also bought the matching metal baskets to keep them from bowing out when soap is poured into them. I haven't had a chance to use them yet, but I know other soapers who have them and love them, and it was their high praises of them that I decided to buy. Even though I haven't used them yet, they look to be of very high quality, and I can't foresee that I'll have any problems with them. My remaining silicone mold is BB's vertical cylinder mold (for my shave soaps).

My other 4 molds are of wood, and I love them, too. They are all collapsible, which to me is a must if you are going to invest in a wooden mold (makes unmolding so much easier). Two are convertible log/slab combos (i.e., I can set them up to be used as either log molds or slab molds). The 3rd is BB's wood vertical mold. And the 4th is a 1 lb log tester mold. I've done the freezer paper thing, then the funky foam thing, and the acrylic thing (at least with BB's vertical mold) but I abandoned those methods and have now settled on lining them 2 different ways, depending on my mood (both of which are fuss-free)- 1) with heat-resistant quilter's mylar, cut to fit my mold's dimesions like a glove. They are reusable, and the same set that I cut out about 5 years ago is still going strong; and 2) with those Wilton brand decorative silicone fondant mats with the pretty vine decorations that imprint onto my soap, also cut to fit and long-lasting. Both make lining and unmolding a breeze for me. For certain batches I'll even use bubble wrap.

If I were new and just starting out, I think I would go with the Essential Depot silicone molds. True, I haven't used mine yet, but they are very reasonably priced, and based on the positive reviews of soapers I've come to trust over the years, they are super easy to use and unmold.


IrishLass

 

[seven]

Woodfields is my dream mold! so far, i had the pleasure on trying one of their silicone molds (non loaf ones), and they were great. like IrishLass said, the craftsmanship is amazing. it justifies the price (which is not cheap).

someday i wanna get their tall loaf mold. as soon as i got enuff money that is

 

[Lynnz]

I adore my Woodfields molds money well spent. You just cannot beat a good silicone liner in a wooden mold for sure............just my humble opinion

 

[CaraBou]

I have two Essential Depot molds -- one white and one red. While the red sometimes discolors the soap, the white never does, so I'd recommend the white. It will come in a sturdy cardboard box that can continue to serve as a support structure as long you keep it reasonably clean of soap batter and dry from water. My boxes are going on 6 months without needing replacement. But eventually I'll make a simple wooden support. The molds themselves are good quality and I like using them. The dimensions are convenient and give latitude for a "taller" soap. And you can put these molds in the oven if you want to CPOP them. My only complaint is that, relative to my handmade wooden mold that I started with, full water soaps seem to stay "wetter" (softer) inside the mold, meaning they may need to stay in the mold longer before removing and cutting them. I get around it by discounting my water. But you may be able to refrigerate or freeze the soap to make it firmer for removing in whatever timeframe you want.

The ED molds are priced really well, that's for sure. I'm curious about the Woodfield's molds, but at those prices, they shall remain a mystery!

 

[Dennis]

It will come in a sturdy cardboard box that can continue to serve as a support structure as long you keep it reasonably clean of soap batter and dry from water. My boxes are going on 6 months without needing replacement. But eventually I'll make a simple wooden support.

A little duct tape on the boxes will extend their lives a long time. Plus it gives that well used look of craftsmanship that cannot be bought.

 

[Belinda02]

I hav a wood old which makes a 1 or 2 or 3 pound soap lined with quilters template. I started with metal cake pans lined with grocery bags.

 

[jenneelk]

I have 2 wooden molds that have no matching silicone but I dislike papering them so much that I don't use them nearly as much.
I have 2 red ED molds and had 2 wooden boxes with lids made for them from a guy on Etsy. With the lid on, my soap always gels perfect with no CPOP needed and it's ready to cut the next morning after sitting 12-14 hours. Higher price but for me it's a huge help since I make soap fairly often and have no patience. lol

I also have the really long mold from WSP and use it more often now that they made a silicone mold for it.

On Etsy there are some descent priced silicone molds on there.. I have an orange and clear one that work pretty well if you can cut a cardboard to put them in and hold them straight up so no bending after pouring.

 

[SoapinTheNightAway]

Thanks!

Thank you so much for all of your responses. They were extremely helpful. I think i'm going to get the white mild from Essential Depot and just go to Home Depot, have them cut me some wood and make a supportive box for the silicone mold. Thanks again!

 

[Dahila]

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAiRKIIKB_M[/ame]
It took my two minutes to line the mold

 

[xraygrl]

I have some wood molds and a couple of silicone molds. I hate lining and prefer my silicone molds that I got from Wholesale supplies plus:

http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/products/regular-loaf-silicone-mold.aspx

It's very reasonable in price, and you don't need any extra support to keep the sides from bowing when filled with soap. Also a perfect size batch for someone just starting out. I have used it for CP and HP soap and have not had any issues.