Using a mold with divider and bars not coming easily

[Martin]

Have you tried a thin coat of mineral oil or petroleum jelly? Try that for a couple of batches till the mold and dividers get seasoned, then there should be no problems. I do that when I break in pvc pipe mold, now I can just take the bottom off and the soap slides right out, no lining or putting in freezer. HTH.

 

[newbie]

Scary scary recommendation of reducing the oils. You should not listen to a thing he says. Good lord.

I have a 9 bar mold (Kelsei) and I have to use pliers to pull out the dividers. I don't think that's so unusual. Mine usually will slide off the outermost sides but I have use some muscle- they don't just fall off. I always put a layer of plastic wrap on the bottom of the mold and then set the outer walls on top of it, so the plastic stay pretty flat and I don't have a wrinkly mess along the sides. I think it would be difficult to pull a bar up off the bottom otherwise. I would line the bottom with freezer paper or plastic wrap and try again (with your normal recipe-DON'T short the oils!!!), assuming you will need to use a pliers to slowly and steadily pull up on the dividers to get them out, but only after the soap has gelled and cooled, or if you don't gel, after it's well set- like 3 days. Too soon, if you don't gel, and the soap will be too soft and sticky and it will be a mess.

 

[Jamison]

I haven't coated it with anything, but that is suppose to be the point of this mold. No liner, no coating. He insists the bars should easily come out after 24 hours with ease. I don't see how that's possible, and obviously his advice on fixing this isn't good which is very frustration. Like I said, i wanted to get a few more of these molds, but have held off due to issues. The Bramble Berry mold is beautiful! I might go with that next, but they're a little more expensive. Even thought about buying the plastic pieces and making my own wood frame for it.

Dividers seasoned? What would change over time that would make them easier to come out? I've probably run 15 batches through this mold already...


By gel do you mean trace? I mix the batch to a pretty thick consistency, takes around 15 mins w/ a stick blender.

 

[AmyW]

Newbie means gel...gelling usually makes the soap harder faster, another way I'm able to unmold and cut so quickly.

If you aren't sure what gel is, see these pics I posted:
http://soapmakingforum.com/forum/viewto ... ht=#242975

 

[newbie]

I don't know what other people have found with their molds, but I've used mine a fair amount (hobby soaper) and I still need to pull the dividers out with a pliers. I can't imagine, with the texture of soap, that the dividers should slide right out without effort. Even cutting soap with a knife, you can feel the pull of the soap on the knife- it's that medium firm cheese feel. And because to the material and the leverage, I can't imagine being able to pull a divider out with your fingertips. My dividers come out cleanly, but I have to kind of break the hold/break the grip of the soap first. BrambleBerry's have a good reputation, as do Kelsei's and some others. I wouldn't buy another one from this same eBay'er.

 

[Jamison]

Again I will mention this guy has amazing customer service. He's more than willing to help me out with the issues I've had with his product regardless of some bad advice on his end. I have spent over an hour on the phone with him.


My biggest concern with switching molds is the finished product. I will have to measure mine compared to the Bramble Berry mold to make sure they are similar.

I've considered doing loaf molds, but I just don't like how those finished bars look (no offense to anyone). I like the look and feel of an actual bar like folks are use to. And it's what I've been making for about a year now as well.


I appreciate the help everyone!

 

[Kenaslan]

You can get a loaf mold made to the size of the soap bars you want. Then all you have to do is cut the bars. Wola, you will have the same size with less hassle.

 

[Kenaslan]

Are you putting the dividers in so you can remove the short dividers first? Even on an HDPE mold you will have considerable surface tension and the larger the surface the more tension. That is why I went away from divided molds to logs. Only one surface that is touching the soap. I still make divided molds for people who ask, but personally I went to logs. I just push them through the wire slicer to make two or more logs, and then to my cutter I made (similar to the tank)

 

[carebear]

You can get a loaf mold made to the size of the soap bars you want. Then all you have to do is cut the bars. Wola, you will have the same size with less hassle.

there are good reasons for slab molds. here are two.

appearance: log molds are cut vertically, and so the surface of the bar is the cut surface.
slab molds are cut across, and thus the surface of the bar is what you see in the mold.

temperature: log molds have less surface area (esp exposed to the air), and thus are more likely to gel or overheat. slab molds don't hold the heat as much and thus you can more easily avoid gel or overheating.

 

[Kenaslan]

I personally prefer the design on top, but that is just my preference. All large soap making companies make their soap in large logs. as much as 25 or more logs per mold. I have made several of these breakdown molds for commercial soap making companies. These molds will make 300 bars plus.

 

[ikindred]

I actually have this mold. I think the guy's name is Mr. DoRight. When I first purchased this mold, I also had problems with getting the soap out but when I contacted him, he told me to put my soap in the mold and place it in 180 degree oven. Once the mold is in the oven, turn the oven off and leave the soap for 6 hours. Once I started doing this, my soap and dividers came out of the mold nicely. Also, I don't have to leave my soap in the mold for 24 hours now, I can unmold in about 6-7 hours. The soap is still soft but firm enough to handle.

I know there is alot of negative feedback regarding this guy and his soap molds but I have had no unpleasant experiences and he was extremely nice when I called and explained my situation.

 

[Jamison]

I actually have this mold. I think the guy's name is Mr. DoRight. When I first purchased this mold, I also had problems with getting the soap out but when I contacted him, he told me to put my soap in the mold and place it in 180 degree oven. Once the mold is in the oven, turn the oven off and leave the soap for 6 hours. Once I started doing this, my soap and dividers came out of the mold nicely. Also, I don't have to leave my soap in the mold for 24 hours now, I can unmold in about 6-7 hours. The soap is still soft but firm enough to handle.

I know there is alot of negative feedback regarding this guy and his soap molds but I have had no unpleasant experiences and he was extremely nice when I called and explained my situation.

The guy is in Washington and sells on ebay? It sounds like him, because he told me to do the oven thing as well, but he told me 170 degrees. I go lower now because the bottom panel was warping and leaving a gap between the bottom and the dividers. This made the bars uneven and tapered. So going down to 150-160 has since fixed this problem. But this is a design flaw in the mold, that bottom piece should be thicker. The rods that hold together generally fall of f in the oven as well, this is another design flaw. The grooves that hold the rod should be deeper. It should not be falling off like that. One time a sidewall fell off and ruined that row of bars. I have paid special attention to the tightness of the rods now and have not had the falling apart issue since. but the rods still do fall off.

But yes... he is very good when dealing with him about problems. I find his advice about how to tweak the recipe quite bothersome after reading the comments on here though.

 

[ikindred]

WOW, I have not had issues with it warping but he did tell me if it did warp, to place it in the microwave for a few seconds and let it get hot and the shape would bounce back. Not sure if this actually works because I have not had the problem.

I also have not had my screws come off either...thank goodness! I have two of these molds and love the nice square bars they create but there are some flaws I will agree.

 

[Jamison]

WOW, I have not had issues with it warping but he did tell me if it did warp, to place it in the microwave for a few seconds and let it get hot and the shape would bounce back. Not sure if this actually works because I have not had the problem.

I also have not had my screws come off either...thank goodness! I have two of these molds and love the nice square bars they create but there are some flaws I will agree.

So how easily is it for you to take the bars out of the mold? Or how easy is it for you to take the outside pieces of the mold off? My side pieces are ALWAYS stuck and as I said before, I have to cut the bars out every time.

 

[ikindred]

After about 6-7 hours in the mold, I am able to use the plyers to grip the grid and it slips out easily. I only use the plyers because it helps to grip the grid and not ruin the soap. Once I take out the screws the sides just fall off. I don't have to cut my soap off of the sides. As for the bottom, I simply slide each row off onto a glass cutting board so that I can have something to take them downstairs on so I can get them on the curing rack.

I am so sorry to hear you are having so many problems

 

[Jamison]

After about 6-7 hours in the mold, I am able to use the plyers to grip the grid and it slips out easily. I only use the plyers because it helps to grip the grid and not ruin the soap. Once I take out the screws the sides just fall off. I don't have to cut my soap off of the sides. As for the bottom, I simply slide each row off onto a glass cutting board so that I can have something to take them downstairs on so I can get them on the curing rack.

I am so sorry to hear you are having so many problems

Wow, I'm jealous!

When I use a little beeswax in the soap they seem to come out better, but I don't typically use it. Gotta cater to those vegans, ya know? (rolleyes)

 

[Jamison]

I just verified... it is a Mr. Do Right mold.

 

[KD]

I have an HDPE Soaphutch divider mold, and it perfectly slides off my soap every time, often before 24 hours have passed. I do use sodium lactate at 3%. I do not oil, line, or use pliers. I have another HDPE mold that is completely the opposite. It is all in the polished surface of the HDPE and in the craftsmanship. I paid a LOT of money for that mold and have since ordered another, custom guest-sized slab mold. The first time I used my Soaphutch mold, I could not believe how different it was from the other one. It was worth every penny.