Had to use a Knife to get the soap out of the mold

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drunkonlife

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So, I did everything as I normally do..made the soap...waited 24 hours and began prep to cut the loaf into bars. Only this time, the soap was so hard I had to literally pry it out using a knife.

The recipe was the same as normal. The only difference is I put it in an oven preheated at 170 degrees (and then turned off when I placed the loaf in the oven) for about an hour to try to promote gell.

Was the oven the culprit? And if it was, in the future, do I need to do my cutting earlier?
 
I think you just answered your own question :) Don't worry, I do that to myself too:dancingsanta:
 
Unfortunately it's trial and error, wish I could give a better answer, but little changes in recipe and environment make it a very individual thing. Good luck!

If you post your recipe others can chime in :) I haven't made a 100% CO soap since my first week of soaping, but I think those were ready to cut in less than 12 hrs (that is a very questionable memory, I have no notes on those), whereas most of my recipes are ready in 18-30 hrs.
 
Please describe your mold. You could grease it with some mineral oil to make release easier. if the mold is oven safe, you could put it back in the oven on low which will help loosen it up.
 
P.s. if you post your recipe, include your batch size and mold material. Yup, every little thing makes a difference. *sigh* I kind of think it's all part of the fun.
 
Okay....I am using a 5 pound mold made from HDPE (which typically I partition, this one, I didn't...)- I've made nearly 50 pounds of soap and up to this point, have never had an issue

5% castor
25% CO
20% sunflower Oil
15% OO
35% PO
5% SAO

The soaping was business as usual. The only difference was I used the oven to try to promote gelling (which I preheated the oven 170 and then turned it off when it reached that point.) The only thing I can figure is that the oven plus the fact that my area is experiencing a heat wave (100 degrees for several days) really made the soap saponify faster.

IMG_20170721_130734.jpg
 
I have an HPDE mold. There are things I like about it and things I don't. In my experience, they release pretty well when new but less well as they age. I think they develop micro scratches on the surface that makes them not as slick. Grease GENEROUSLY with mineral oil.


I have this mold:
http://cumberlandacoustic.com/product/divided-mold/

The front comes off, and the dividers come out. But the sides and back stay in. I line the bottom - I've used quilter's mylar (from hobby store) and also Reynold's silicone coated baking paper (comes in sheets the exact size). Then I generously grease all of the sides. I have found that putting it in a gently warmed oven will help release it, but be careful b/c the soap may be soft. You can warm it and let it cool a few times.
 
Argh- HDPE. I refuse to soap in HDPE molds or acrylic molds. I know they are touted as not needing liners, but the reviews are mixed with a good handful reporting them as being too unpredictably problematic for them at unmolding time, and that the only way of being sure their soap will come out of them nicely is if they line them first with freezer paper (which defeats the purpose for which they bought the mold in the first place).

One of the molds I have is the collapsible wooden vertical mold from Brambleberry with the thick, sturdy HDPE liners. Some of my batches unmolded fine from the liners, but after having one too many frustrating unmolding disasters resulting in horribly mangled soap- in spite of following all of BB's unmolding directions and tips to a 'T'- I actually now line over the HDPE liners with either mylar or my silicone fondant mats (cut to size to fit flush over them), and I haven't had any more unmolding disasters ever since. It's a pretty silly thing having to resort to lining the liners, but if I want to ensure that all my batches made in the mold will unmold decently, that's what I am forced to do. Other than that issue, I really like the mold for the different swirling options it gives me.

All my other molds are either collapsible wood with mylar liners, or silicone, both of which are a breeze to unmold no matter how hard my soap gets. No prying knives needed.

drunkonlife said:
But does it mean I need to do my cuts earlier and if so, how early?

Like Millie said, it is all trial and error. The best time to unmold and cut is a very individual thing and can be drastically variable from formula to formula, depending on whether the soap gelled or not., how much water was used, what kind of oils were used, etc...

For example, my fully gelled 100% coconut soaps with a 20% S/F needs to be cut within 6 hours after pour or else they are darn near impossible to cut. Same with my salt bars. But most of my other formulas can still be cut quite nicely @ 24 hours.

For my un-gelled soaps, I like to go longer before unmolding and cutting- about 36-48 hours after pour.

High tallow soaps can get pretty hard when gelled, so I like to cut those earlier rather than later (about 18 hours after pour).

The more you soap, the quicker all of this will all become second nature to you.


IrishLass :)
 
When I bought an HDPE mold, I was concerned about what temperature would be safe for it because I have seen hot pans melt HDPE cutting boards. I think 170 is just a tad too hot. What I read is that it can start to melt as low as 180F. (reference)

Even though my mold was new, I still used a freezer paper liner because I just don't trust that leakage might not occur. So I haven't experienced any difficulties with de-molding. But I am cautious with the oven and that mold.
 
I only use hdpe for my main batches and do line them. 170 degrees F is the hottest I go with oven tell if I want to force gel. I love the fact that they are easy to wash. I love my hdpe molds and really dislike silicone molds. Just shows how different we can all be. No right or wrong, just what works.
 

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