Soap shrinking

[Debby]

It is the second time this has happened! My soap has shrunk in the middle! It was covered as usual and gels well, but after 12 hours it looks like this, so annoying! Never happened before just this time and on the batch I did two days ago!
Any ideas would be most welcome. Thank you

 

[Ford]

It looks like the silicone liner. Causing problem. Use clips of some type. To hold side walls in place.

Scotch tape will work also.

 

[Debby]

Thank you Ford I will definitely try this

 

[shunt2011]

I use binder clips. I have a couple that do that. Tape doesn’t stick to the silicone well.

 

[Debby]

Thankyou! I’ll definitely do that - looks like silicone loaves don’t keep their shape for long then.

 

[GemstonePony]

Thankyou! I’ll definitely do that - looks like silicone loaves don’t keep their shape for long then.

Since you have to stretch them a bit to get the soap out, they kind of have to lose their shape a little bit.

 

[shunt2011]

They stretch a bit with time. Clips work well

 

[earlene]

It really depends on the quality & thickness of the silicone. How silicone molds are made affects the quality. Interestingly, there are 3 curing methods for silicone and that will impact the quality of the mold.

Some are so thin, they fall inward into the mold without something to hold it in place. I have one like that & I use blue painter's tape* to hold it in place; it works for a couple of uses, then I have to replace it; even clips don't hold it well enough for a smooth line.

But I also have a couple that have super thick silicone liners that never bow unless out of the holder & filled with water when I am washing them. (See below re: ED molds.)

And then of course, there are some with in-between thicknesses.

The Mighty Mold I have is free-standing with no outer box, and it has a Velcro strap to hold it in place so it won't bow or leak. The Mighty Mold is a fit-together type mold. The silicone is platinum cured. It is a small tester mold.

From what I understand, Nurture Soap green silicone mold liners are made of a high quality silicone. I don't own one, but the claim that they will last your lifetime is certainly impressive. The liners are vary in thickness; some are 0.18 inches thick; some are 0.13 inches thick; the slab liner is 0.25 inches thick. So it depends on which mold you get, how thick it is.

The Essential Depot silicone mold walls are 0.25 inches thick and I do own a couple of them. ED claims that they are strong enough to withstand thousands of uses; I doubt I will use mine a thousand times each, but it is another impressive claim. The only thing I don't like about the ED molds are the size of the soap, if cut normally, but by altering the way I cut my bars, I can get the size I prefer and travel sized soaps all from the same mold.

* I tape the entire length of the long end of the silicone, draping it over the wooden box; then overlapping more tape to the wooden box; then a ring around the entire outer circumfrance of the box which holds the tape in place so it cannot slip, confines it in place.

Edited to remove the rogue image that somehow snuck into my post, unbeknownst to me.

 

[Debby]

Thank you! Never thought about the different thicknesses.. think I’ll invest in better moulds. I will also give it a try with tape and see how it goes! thanks again!

It really depends on the quality & thickness of the silicone. How silicone molds are made affects the quality. Interestingly, there are 3 curing methods for silicone and that will impact the quality of the mold.

Some are so thin, they fall inward into the mold without something to hold it in place. I have one like that & I use blue painter's tape* to hold it in place; it works for a couple of uses, then I have to replace it; even clips don't hold it well enough for a smooth line.

But I also have a couple that have super thick silicone liners that never bow unless out of the holder & filled with water when I am washing them. (See below re: ED molds.)

And then of course, there are some with in-between thicknesses.

The Mighty Mold I have is free-standing with no outer box, and it has a Velcro strap to hold it in place so it won't bow or leak. The Mighty Mold is a fit-together type mold. The silicone is platinum cured. It is a small tester mold.

From what I understand, Nurture Soap green silicone mold liners are made of a high quality silicone. I don't own one, but the claim that they will last your lifetime is certainly impressive. The liners are vary in thickness; some are 0.18 inches thick; some are 0.13 inches thick; the slab liner is 0.25 inches thick. So it depends on which mold you get, how thick it is.

The Essential Depot silicone mold walls are 0.25 inches thick and I do own a couple of them. ED claims that they are strong enough to withstand thousands of uses; I doubt I will use mine a thousand times each, but it is another impressive claim. The only thing I don't like about the ED molds are the size of the soap, if cut normally, but by altering the way I cut my bars, I can get the size I prefer and travel sized soaps all from the same mold.

* I tape the entire length of the long end of the silicone, draping it over the wooden box; then overlapping more tape to the wooden box; then a ring around the entire outer circumfrance of the box which holds the tape in place so it cannot slip, confines it in place.

 

[dibbles]

I have several molds from NS, and I can tell you they hold up well. The first loaf mold I bought 5 years ago has had a ton of use, and is still holding its shape. It is an investment, but well worth it IMO.

 

[Vicki C]

It is the second time this has happened! My soap has shrunk in the middle! It was covered as usual and gels well, but after 12 hours it looks like this, so annoying! Never happened before just this time and on the batch I did two days ago!
Any ideas would be most welcome. Thank you

Are the molds getting compressed from the ends? That would make them fold in.
I have four of the Essential Depot loaf molds and have struggled to find a way to keep them stable, usually a cardboard box I have modified to fit. The baskets ED sells to hold them seemed expensive so I found these wine boxes online. They fit perfectly, with a little space at the ends. The molds are 4” wide and the inside dimension of the wine box is 4”. Hopefully they won’t warp.

 

[TheGecko]

They fit perfectly, with a little space at the ends. The molds are 4” wide and the inside dimension of the wine box is 4”. Hopefully they won’t warp.

Recommend folding up some cardboard and sticking it in the ends because the weight of the batter will push the ends out.

I have a couple of BB's 10" Silicone molds and they started bowing out on the sides \___/. I had my husband make me some bottomless boxes for them and everything was swell until I went to unmold and realized that the sides were too high and they weren't sitting flat. I always wanted to make some rockin' soap, but I didn't plan on it actually rocking. LOL

 

[cmzaha]

Silicone formulas also differ so they can make a big difference. We ran into problems with our urethane formulations when we first started our formuliner business. We had some real nightmares. I vaguely remember in the beginning ED running into color transfer issues. I think it was their molds when silicone molds first became popular.