grayceworks
Well-Known Member
Long post - 3 questions --
TLDR; #1 - huge stainless steel molds. To line? Or not to line? That is the question...
#2 - future biz question - best cut bar size and determining pricing of different size bars. Is bigger really better? (aka does size matter?)
#3 - future biz question - everything you wish you knew before selling soap. Tips, ideas, suggestions. Making a planning notebook well ahead of time to avoid rushing anything. And since I can't make soap while I'm stuck in the hospital with pneumonia, I'll research instead lol.
On to the long version...
My husband just gave me 2 of these that he dug out from storage from when he was a restaurant manager. I think they'll be good molds for large batches... BUT
1st question
but do I need to line them or just rub them with mineral oil or nothing needed? They're stainless steel 8.3qt, 20.75 x 12.75 x 2.5, so that's 265.6oz or 2gal or 16lbs if filled to the top LOL -- I'm gonna need a bigger soap pot if I ever use these.
ETA - not filling to the top obviously, so more realistic values are 238 oz or 1.8gal volume of the pan.
2nd question
What size -- either dimensions or weight -- do you commonly cut your bars? I've been experimenting with sizes and shapes, and the size and shape that seems easiest to hold and use at least for me, are the ones I cut as .5 - .75 inches wide instead of a full inch, and the ones I use the 2.5inch mold instead of the 3inch one. And these weigh 2-3oz instead of the huge 4-6oz bars I keep seeing. I love the way the big ones look, but they're hard to hold and turn over in my hands. I also like the ones I pour in a slab about 1.25inches thick and cut into bars 2.5x3 and those are in-between weight at about 3.5oz each. Granted I'm just doing this as a hobby right now for me and family-friends, but I would like to eventually sell and want my soaps to be in the right ball-park size-wise by the time I get there.
So, those of you that sell, especially, are all your soaps the same size? Do you price a .75in bar different from a 1in bar? If you have smaller and bigger bars -- not talking about special shapes or fancy decor ones, just the regular bars, do you just have different price points? Or by the ounce? Ideas?
I don't have this problem with skin and hair stuff -- bottles and jars all hold the same amount and are the same shape lol.
I know this aspect is a long way off, but may as well start notes and planning now rather than be rushed later lol. Rushed business planning is never good. So I am putting together a notebook with every aspect I can think of, from the business perspective, in addition to my recipe book with the recipes I've tried, variations, dates of specific batches, notes, etc.
I guess this is really a 3rd question but here goes -- from a business perspective, what tips can you more experienced offer, that you wished you knew before you started? Selling physical products is a totally different thing than selling services which vary from client to client, and different from selling a few things to people you already know, so I'm going about this as if I've never been in business before and researching, researching, researching -- other than I already know about trademarks, dba, sales tax certs, etc...
TLDR; #1 - huge stainless steel molds. To line? Or not to line? That is the question...
#2 - future biz question - best cut bar size and determining pricing of different size bars. Is bigger really better? (aka does size matter?)
#3 - future biz question - everything you wish you knew before selling soap. Tips, ideas, suggestions. Making a planning notebook well ahead of time to avoid rushing anything. And since I can't make soap while I'm stuck in the hospital with pneumonia, I'll research instead lol.
On to the long version...
My husband just gave me 2 of these that he dug out from storage from when he was a restaurant manager. I think they'll be good molds for large batches... BUT
1st question
but do I need to line them or just rub them with mineral oil or nothing needed? They're stainless steel 8.3qt, 20.75 x 12.75 x 2.5, so that's 265.6oz or 2gal or 16lbs if filled to the top LOL -- I'm gonna need a bigger soap pot if I ever use these.
ETA - not filling to the top obviously, so more realistic values are 238 oz or 1.8gal volume of the pan.
2nd question
What size -- either dimensions or weight -- do you commonly cut your bars? I've been experimenting with sizes and shapes, and the size and shape that seems easiest to hold and use at least for me, are the ones I cut as .5 - .75 inches wide instead of a full inch, and the ones I use the 2.5inch mold instead of the 3inch one. And these weigh 2-3oz instead of the huge 4-6oz bars I keep seeing. I love the way the big ones look, but they're hard to hold and turn over in my hands. I also like the ones I pour in a slab about 1.25inches thick and cut into bars 2.5x3 and those are in-between weight at about 3.5oz each. Granted I'm just doing this as a hobby right now for me and family-friends, but I would like to eventually sell and want my soaps to be in the right ball-park size-wise by the time I get there.
So, those of you that sell, especially, are all your soaps the same size? Do you price a .75in bar different from a 1in bar? If you have smaller and bigger bars -- not talking about special shapes or fancy decor ones, just the regular bars, do you just have different price points? Or by the ounce? Ideas?
I don't have this problem with skin and hair stuff -- bottles and jars all hold the same amount and are the same shape lol.
I know this aspect is a long way off, but may as well start notes and planning now rather than be rushed later lol. Rushed business planning is never good. So I am putting together a notebook with every aspect I can think of, from the business perspective, in addition to my recipe book with the recipes I've tried, variations, dates of specific batches, notes, etc.
I guess this is really a 3rd question but here goes -- from a business perspective, what tips can you more experienced offer, that you wished you knew before you started? Selling physical products is a totally different thing than selling services which vary from client to client, and different from selling a few things to people you already know, so I'm going about this as if I've never been in business before and researching, researching, researching -- other than I already know about trademarks, dba, sales tax certs, etc...
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