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My fancy equipment is a scale, a stick blender, homemade wooden soap molds (one with a cutting guide) and a butcher's knife. Not so fancy equipment are spatulas, bowls and a norwegian cheese slicer for planing and beveling. Most of these things were stolen from my kitchen. Been soaping a year and a half and the only other thing I would like is a nice tray of cavity molds (I'm picky and patient). I say start with what you have (cardboard boxes and Goya juice cartons make fantastic molds) and see what you really need after a couple months. It doesn't take much equipment to make gorgeous soaps, just lots of time on youtube ;)
 
Thank you, everyone, for your responses! There is so much to think about...:)
I am hoping to go into business one day. But, I think that's more of a long-term goal, as I have two preschoolers to take care of right now (it'll be another 3 years before my youngest starts Kindergarten). Plus, I want to take my time in getting some good recipes together over the next couple years.

Viore said:
I agree with BrewerGeorge about the crafter's choice 1501 molds. I love mine and really wish I had purchased them from the start instead of wasting money on some acrylic molds that leaked. A stick blender is a must for me, and I picked up the kitchen aid brand after my first one broke from being dropped on the floor. I've dropped the kitchen aid blender a few times, and no breakage yet! *crosses fingers*
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There is a Kitchen Aid stick blender on Amazon on sale now...marked down from $50 to $25. Just in case anyone is looking for a new one...

EDIT: I just looked into it and it's actually refurbished, not new. Just wanted to clarify.
 
Cellador said:
There is a Kitchen Aid stick blender on Amazon on sale now...marked down from $50 to $25. Just in case anyone is looking for a new one...

EDIT: I just looked into it and it's actually refurbished, not new. Just wanted to clarify.
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I saw them at Target recently for $29, new.
 
bbr said:
I just tore my 1501 a new one. RIPView attachment 24392
.
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Ahh, this is exactly the reason I don't like the 1501s. They're not flexible enough. I'm used to the regular silicone liners that you can easily pull away from the sides of the soap, to loosen it. I always have problems getting my soap out of the 1501s, and end up denting the bottom of the loaf because I have to push so hard with my thumbs!
 
navigator9 said:
Ahh, this is exactly the reason I don't like the 1501s. They're not flexible enough. I'm used to the regular silicone liners that you can easily pull away from the sides of the soap, to loosen it. I always have problems getting my soap out of the 1501s, and end up denting the bottom of the loaf because I have to push so hard with my thumbs!
Click to expand...

YES! Me too. I use them now for test batches. I recently discovered that they really only work well for MP soaping. Unless you have CP of steel, I find them to be difficult.
 
I would get a wooden mold and just use freezer paper if I were to start over. I'm actually in the process of switching. I have silicone loaf molds, but I am not much of a fan--they're a pain to clean all the residue off, and I ALWAYS dent the bottom of my soap pushing to get it out.

With freezer paper, it'll take longer to set up the mold, but you have nothing to clean, and you won't mess your bars up. When you factor everything together, it's about the same time, but better results (in my opinion).

I got my first stick blender off Amazon, and hated it. Got a cheaper one ($9 I think) from Walmart, and I love it. Much cheaper and doesn't weigh nearly as much.
 
I've never had any trouble with my 1501! I do have a nice wooden mold that I line with freezer paper thats much larger, but the crafters choice silicone molds are my go to for smaller batches. My other equipment are a nice little $15 stick blender off amazon, my scale, These delightful things: Link and some bowls, a whisk, and a silicone spatula from the dollar tree.

I personally think some totes and bins to keep the soap supplies in, and a nice rolling bakers rack for curing are also great to have.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
If it helps anyone, I'm another CC 1501 fan who hasn't had a problem with denting their soaps when unmoulding. What I usually do is tug a bit on each of the four sides to release the seal on the sides, then turn the mould upside-down and gently press the corners of the bottom to encourage the seal to break at the bottom. Once all the seals break you can shake your soap out, or it will slide out on its own. It takes a bit of patience but the soap will release without dents.

Bonus if you're not doing peaks - you can just invert the mould after breaking the seals on the side and come back to it later to shake out the soap loaf. :)

One thing I dislike about free-standing silicone moulds is that they do bow a bit, even the 1501s. I know you can wrap duct tape around it to keep the shape but it gets expensive if you do it for every batch!
 
I feel late to this thread but I didn't see this mentioned so here goes....
I would start lurking in your local second hand shops; Goodwill, Savers, Saint Vinny's....I've found silicone baking molds, single wire cheese cutters, all matter of bowls and implements like whisks, spatulas , etc. I will admit the second hand stick blender I purchased conked out in record time but I consider that a fluke.
Save your money for things you WON'T find in these places....oils, lye, colorants or fragrances...
 
I have the CC 1501, also. It has been my go-to mold for over 3 years. I just got a second one last year, and this year my hubby made me a wood 5 lb mold. I pull the sides out to release them, then press gently, but firmly on the bottom with the heel of my hand. The only things I don't like about them are: the mold rash from CPOP, and the bowing of the sides. Of those two, I find the bowing the most annoying, as it makes cutting it difficult. With my wood mold, I have no problem getting perfect cuts using a miter box and either a dough scraper (bench scraper), or a wavy cutter.
 
SoapToolsLady said:
This crafter's choice 1501 molds were my first molds too when I started my soaping journey in 2013. I had a very hard time to get the soap out of the mold and when I finally made it, the soap was completely deformed! So next time, I put it in the freezer when the soap was cool. The soap was hard enough to stay in shape but pushing this frozen block out of the silicone mold really hurt my fingers!

Thanks to the frustration and pain from removing the soap from the mold, I decided to team up with my genius engineer brother and nephew to invent a new mold that is built to last, compact, easy to unmold, no contamination from previous batches and is completely made of stainless steel!

As a struggled soap maker, I was determined to share the most amazing and innovative soap mold that my brother and nephew made for me with fellow soap makers! Soap Molds

You can use it as a loaf mold or a slab mold. You will never has to worry about soda ash that usually happens on wood and silicone molds since stainless steel keeps the temperature even during the sapofication process. You can even remove the soap from the mold just 4 hours after you pour the soap into the mold (if the recipe has high percentage of coconut oil) and they turn out perfectly square! Here below are from a dear soap maker Lori’s creation using my mold.

Lori used to be a nurse. She sprayed alcohol to sanitize every tool she used. Out of expectation, the polyester liners just came off from the mold completely! On this picture, you can see how smooth and square her soaps is!
Click to expand...
I was looking at your site for a beveler/planer but that is just way too expensive.
 

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