I purchased 2 of the green silicone 3.5x8x2.5 loaf molds and one blue silicone 2.5x3.5x1.25 rectangular mold from Wholesale Supplies Plus (WSP) a month ago and here are my impressions of these products.
The loaf mold has reinforced sides that hold its shape. I can fill them to the top without any warping or bowing. Depending on your lye solution, you can plan on using 25-30 oz. of oil per loaf. I settled in on 27 oz. of oil using a 33% lye solution. This fills the mold to about ¼ inch below the top and gives me 8 perfectly sized (in my subjective opinion) bars every time. I can even plan it so that I have an additional 1 ounce bar for testing.
No lining is required. I found unmolding to be a breeze. I simply pull the sides to break the seal, then turn the mold over and push on the soap until the bottom seal releases. Once I get about ½ inch out of the mold, the loaf slides out the rest of the way itself. I have read posts to the contrary on unmolding, but I have not had any problems.
I have not experienced any color bleeding at all.
One potential concern is that there is some residual fragrance that lingers in the mold.
They are generally easy to clean. It is sometimes hard to get the very last bits of soap out of the corners. A warm water soak or a Q-tip does the trick.
The bottom of the mold is somewhat thin. This is a big advantage in unmolding, but lifting the mold by the edges should probably be avoided until the soap is set.
I have found that the soap gels fully all the way to the corners by just simply insulating with towels. I have not needed a heating pad or oven so far. (Note that I am in Texas and half the days in October are still in the 70’s and 80’s.)
Additional notes on the blue rectangular mold: The individual bars pop out of the mold very easily. This has become my testing mold. My test batch size is now a very efficient and economical 2 bars. An added bonus is that the size of the bars match the size of the bars I get from the green loaf mold. Think of the possibilities if, for example, you are testing to get a color just right. You can make 4 variations in the same mold at the same time, using only 1 lb. of oil.
Bottom line: In my opinion these are terrific products and I will be ordering more of them. Since these molds arrived, my $32 wooden mold has not seen the light of day.
Here is a photo of the uncut soap from the loaf mold:
Here is a photo of the soap cut from the loaf molds:
Here is a photo of soaps from the rectangular molds:
Tom
The loaf mold has reinforced sides that hold its shape. I can fill them to the top without any warping or bowing. Depending on your lye solution, you can plan on using 25-30 oz. of oil per loaf. I settled in on 27 oz. of oil using a 33% lye solution. This fills the mold to about ¼ inch below the top and gives me 8 perfectly sized (in my subjective opinion) bars every time. I can even plan it so that I have an additional 1 ounce bar for testing.
No lining is required. I found unmolding to be a breeze. I simply pull the sides to break the seal, then turn the mold over and push on the soap until the bottom seal releases. Once I get about ½ inch out of the mold, the loaf slides out the rest of the way itself. I have read posts to the contrary on unmolding, but I have not had any problems.
I have not experienced any color bleeding at all.
One potential concern is that there is some residual fragrance that lingers in the mold.
They are generally easy to clean. It is sometimes hard to get the very last bits of soap out of the corners. A warm water soak or a Q-tip does the trick.
The bottom of the mold is somewhat thin. This is a big advantage in unmolding, but lifting the mold by the edges should probably be avoided until the soap is set.
I have found that the soap gels fully all the way to the corners by just simply insulating with towels. I have not needed a heating pad or oven so far. (Note that I am in Texas and half the days in October are still in the 70’s and 80’s.)
Additional notes on the blue rectangular mold: The individual bars pop out of the mold very easily. This has become my testing mold. My test batch size is now a very efficient and economical 2 bars. An added bonus is that the size of the bars match the size of the bars I get from the green loaf mold. Think of the possibilities if, for example, you are testing to get a color just right. You can make 4 variations in the same mold at the same time, using only 1 lb. of oil.
Bottom line: In my opinion these are terrific products and I will be ordering more of them. Since these molds arrived, my $32 wooden mold has not seen the light of day.
Here is a photo of the uncut soap from the loaf mold:
Here is a photo of the soap cut from the loaf molds:
Here is a photo of soaps from the rectangular molds:
Tom
