Salt Bar Mold Question

[Chefmom]

Well, I have never thought much about salt bars over the years of making soap.

Until now.

On a whim I pulled 18 ounces of soap batter from a large batch of hot process a couple of months ago. I added some superfat and some salt, not a lot, just a little. Cure time is up and its a very different bar of soap from my usual and I am now intrigued.....

I have been reading all I can, watching videos, writing down recipes and running numbers through soapcalc. Okay, obsessed more like.

My first experiment just went into a pringles can, but I want to try the types that are out there, the brine soap and the 80%coconut oil with 50%+ salt.

I want to try both cold process and hot process, to compare the end result.

I have read over and over that people recommend the individual silicone bar molds.....I have a couple to experiment with.

BUT, has anyone ever used this kind of mold from Brambleberry?

http://www.brambleberry.com/9-Bar-Unfinished-Birchwood-Mold-P5169.aspx

With this mold you pour in and then press the dividers, would it work for a cold or hot process 50%+ salt bar? Or is the batter after adding the salt just too stiff to press the dividers in neatly.

It's a large investment for a whim or an experiment. I have many molds that I use for various soaps, so I technically don't need another........

Any thoughts? Experience?

 

[Obsidian]

The batter isn't too stiff but I don't know if the salt grains would prevent you from pressing the dividers all the way to the bottom. Personally, I wouldn't buy that mold just for salt bars unless you plan on using it a lot.
I use this one, I really love the shape http://www.brambleberry.com/12-Bar-Oval-Silicone-Mold-P5215.aspx

 

[cmzaha]

I want to try both cold process and hot process, to compare the end result.

I have read over and over that people recommend the individual silicone bar molds.....I have a couple to experiment with.

BUT, has anyone ever used this kind of mold from Brambleberry?

http://www.brambleberry.com/9-Bar-Unfinished-Birchwood-Mold-P5169.aspx

With this mold you pour in and then press the dividers, would it work for a cold or hot process 50%+ salt bar? Or is the batter after adding the salt just too stiff to press the dividers in neatly.

It's a large investment for a whim or an experiment. I have many molds that I use for various soaps, so I technically don't need another........

Any thoughts? Experience?[/quote]
When I first started soaping I used that mold even for salt bars but hated the shape of the bars. I just pour mine in my log molds and cut within 2 hrs, or pour in a silicone mold with 9 square cavities. The 9 cavity silicone makes really nice smooth/slick salt bars with no cutting worries. I much prefer the texture of cp salt bars over hp

 

[Crombie]

BB Mold for Salt Bars

Chefmom - I have that mold but it is way too nice and expensive to use on salt bars. I have read in other threads that it was almost impossible to remove the dividers.

I use this one and it is perfect for salt bars. They also have it in square if you don't like rectangles.

http://www.brambleberry.com/12-Cavity-Rectangle-Silicone-Mold-P5536.aspx

I have read over and over that people recommend the individual silicone bar molds.....I have a couple to experiment with.

BUT, has anyone ever used this kind of mold from Brambleberry?

http://www.brambleberry.com/9-Bar-Unfinished-Birchwood-Mold-P5169.aspx

 

[Meganmischke]

I have seen YouTube videos where she regularly uses them. I think" I'd lather be soaping" is the name of the channel.

 

[shunt2011]

I have one very similar to that one and use it only for salt bars. I just spray the dividers with cooking spray or with mineral oil and have no problems getting them out. However, I do remove them while still warm and they unmold really well. If they sit too long I do get a bit of crumbling. The dividers don't go all the way down due to the salt but it just comes right off the bottom of them. Sometimes I'll even put the dividers in and then pour the soap into each cavity.

 

[navigator9]

Chefmom, I used some individual Milky Way molds I've had for years. I don't use them a lot, because I can't gel in them, and I hate to wait to unmold, but they worked great for brine soap, I was able to unmold the next day. The bottom one, is from a Crystal Lite container.

brine bars.jpg

 

[Mellifera]

It's my mold of choice for salt bars. I have 2 36 bar molds. Love them!

 

[KristaY]

Hi ChefMom! I have that exact BB mold that I tried for salt bars. It didn't work out as well as I hoped. I ended up having to run a very slim knife along the edges to get the soap off and some of the bars broke. Eventually I turned to individual silicone molds and that works perfectly. I have the square, round and rectangle I use specifically for salt and they're perfect. When they're about 24 hours old I pop them into the freezer for about an hour, invert onto my work surface, press the bottom of the mold and they slowly slide out. Now I don't have to stress over cutting at the exact right time and worry about crumbling. I highly recommend individual silicone molds if you're going to make salt bars routinely. Plus, the individual molds are a lot less expensive.