ED Cylindrical Mods - Anyone Used?

LBussy · Apr 1, 2015

The application here is HP soap, specifically shaving soap.

I made my last batch of shaving soap in a Pringles can (Which by the way held a finished weight of 750g with about 3-4" to spare). I liked how it came out but tearing the can off was a bit of a bear.

I noticed Essential Depot has a cylindrical silicone mold:

Silicone Cylindrical Mold - COLOR NATURAL @ $39.95

It says it has a 3" ID and the Pringles can I think is similar. Does anyone have one to measure the ID? I don't have anymore cans laying about. In the "you can find anything on the Internet" spirit, I actually found a web page dedicated to the Pringles can's geometry:

http://hopeyconnor.blogspot.com/2010/10/pringles-can.html

Who knows whether they measured ID or OD, I found different measurements everywhere. I'd not want to go much bigger than those are.

Anyway, I've read all the comments about the sil mold and watched the videos. I can see why some folks hate them and some love them. I feel pretty good about being able to manage getting the soap out afterwards.

That all being said, has anyone here used it? Any other comments other than what ED has re-posted? Are there any other options that are less clunky than a Pringles can?

Cindy2428 · Apr 1, 2015

Lee I received one as a gift. I was told it didn't need to be lined... Did not work for me at all. My recipe was also high in lanolin so that may have made it more difficult to unmold. Maybe it needs to be seasoned, IDK. Good news is that it doesn't leak.

LBussy · Apr 1, 2015

Cindy is the material the same as the other sil liners, or is it more rigid?

Something that is high in lanolin does make one wonder if that was why it was harder to unmold. In the vids I saw there was a wide variance in the amount of effort required.

Cindy2428 · Apr 1, 2015

I believe it's the same silicone. It's pretty rigid but still soft. The top and bottom seem stiffer. I'm a shop-a-holic, but if it were me I'd wait until it goes on sale.

LBussy · Apr 1, 2015

That *is* on-sale. Pricey for sure, but it's got to be better than PVC.

How does anyone else do round, other than use "muffin" molds?

Cindy2428 · Apr 1, 2015

Wow! - I'll have to give my friend Elsa an extra hug for the gift. It is a solid mold and will last. It will not be as difficult as PVC.

shunt2011 · Apr 1, 2015

I don't have that one but I did just recently get the silicone cylinder mold from BB during their last sale. I've been so busy doing restock of other things haven't had a chance to try it. I bought it specifically for shaving soap refills.

LBussy · Apr 1, 2015

Yes, exactly what I was wanting it for. Granted I just give my soap away but if I don't have to pay $1.60 for a new PET jar each time it's money back in my pocket.

LBussy · Apr 1, 2015

Since the mention of the BB mold, I went looking for others. Sometimes all you need is a hint to find even more stuff via Google.

There seems to be three main classes of molds:

1) Split molds, using some sort of mechanism to keep the halves together. Here's one at BB:

Here's another I found on eBay:

2) Lined tubular molds, I see a lot of talk about "Teflon liners" and them being cut exactly to avoid seams. Here's one at BB:

3) Columnar molds intended to be used without a liner. The one from ED and of course using PVC tubes are about the only ones I have seen.

The split molds seem like they would be the easiest to use, but there have been more than a couple people complain about the mold splitting at an inappropriate time. The lined molds seem like they are easy enough, but some people have difficulties getting the "no line look" with the liner. The unlined column molds seem heavily dependant upon the recipe, wait time, and strength of the user.

Have I captured everything?

Cindy2428 · Apr 1, 2015

I forgot that I actually have the one from BB. I bought it as a set more for the split embed molds. I did have leaking with them, but is was more operator error. You really have to press hard to seal them. I was also using MP. Have not used the cylinder mold.

reinbeau · Apr 1, 2015

I have two Willow Way 3" PVC molds, lined with Teflon, and a 2.5" one specifically to make shaving pucks. They work wonderfully. They have good bases on which to stand them while pouring. I wouldn't go with any other tube mold. And I'd use a Pringle's can over anything ED sold, but that's just me.

LBussy · Apr 1, 2015

I guess what I need is a bunch of friends who gift soap molds and then I can try them all. :shh: :thumbup:

Obsidian · Apr 1, 2015

I use a lined pringles can for my shaving pucks. Its too soft to push out of a non lined mold so I might as well use a free one. To me, it seems like a 3" would be too big for a shaving puck. The 2.5" one would be really nice though.

dosco · Apr 1, 2015

LBussy said:
Have I captured everything?

The only concept I don't see is a cylinder with a holding/pressing apparatus to push the soap out. I'm not sure such a device exists.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYaMFvwSSsc"]This youtube video is interesting.[/ame]

This one has an "integrated soap pusher" but one would have to be strong enough to push the soap out. Might be a problem for some.

Out of curiosity Lee, how do you load your mold? I used a PVC pipe this past winter and my HP soap was pretty thick ... I had quite a few air bubbles and other oddly-shaped internal voids.

Regards-
Dave

Cindy2428 · Apr 1, 2015

I finally got mine loosened up with the base of a peanut butter jar. My end piece got dented but it worked.

LBussy · Apr 1, 2015

dosco said:
Out of curiosity Lee, how do you load your mold? I used a PVC pipe this past winter and my HP soap was pretty thick ... I had quite a few air bubbles and other oddly-shaped internal voids.

Well bear in mind I've only done it once .... I glopped it in a spoon at a time and bounced the can on the counter in between. The soap was still ~150 deg F so it was very plastic. There were no voids when I got done.

Cactuslily · Apr 1, 2015

I have an acrylic from soap-making-resources. While they come out like a dream, edges like glass, I find them too big for a puck. Internal dimension is 3" and depending on pour up to 12". It comes with a base pusher.

dosco · Apr 1, 2015

LBussy said:
Well bear in mind I've only done it once .... I glopped it in a spoon at a time and bounced the can on the counter in between. The soap was still ~150 deg F so it was very plastic. There were no voids when I got done.

I used the same process ... I would have to guess that if you didn't have voids, your batter was less viscous than mine. Did you use sodium lactate?

-Dave

LBussy · Apr 1, 2015

Nope, SL is another one of those things I apparently needed but didn't know it.

You've tried my soap, it's pretty durned hard. I guess I just live a virtuous life.

LBussy · Apr 1, 2015

Obsidian said:
I use a lined pringles can for my shaving pucks. Its too soft to push out of a non lined mold so I might as well use a free one. To me, it seems like a 3" would be too big for a shaving puck. The 2.5" one would be really nice though.

The tins and tubs I use/give away take the 3" so as a "refill" these fit. It's a good point though. I have some Williams at home I'll measure tonight.

ED Cylindrical Mods - Anyone Used?

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