Am I ready??? (Pics added!)

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KigerKat

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I've been doing M&P for about 6 weeks, and now I think I might want to try my hand at CP. I went out today and got some supplies to make a basic olive oil recipe (including safety gear), but I am wondering about molds.

What are some of the things you guys use as molds? I would love to buy a Woodfield mold after reading all the great reviews about them, but at this point it's not really in my budget.

Any tips, advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated!!
 
Re: Am I ready???

KigerKat said:
I've been doing M&P for about 6 weeks, and now I think I might want to try my hand at CP. I went out today and got some supplies to make a basic olive oil recipe (including safety gear), but I am wondering about molds.

What are some of the things you guys use as molds? I would love to buy a Woodfield mold after reading all the great reviews about them, but at this point it's not really in my budget.

Any tips, advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

My first mold was a flat rate shipping box from the post office lined with wax paper and saran wrap. Id suggest a cardboard box just because they are easy, disposable, recycleable and you can do different sizes...

Other than that you can use pretty much anything lined with wax paper excluding metal.... glass and wood are probably the best options, glass is a little harder to work with..
 
whenever i wonder or worry if i'm ready for something, i just jump in and do it :D

you can do it! it's not as intimidating as it would seem, and is 100 times more fun!

my first molds were bread loaf pans lined. you can use anything with sides, so long as it will not collapse and can be lined :)
 
Just do it! You'll see, it's not as hard as it seems!
 
soapbuddy said:
I would make a small batch; like 1 lb. You can use a cleaned out milk carton container for that.


Forgot all about that one!... that is the best for starting out! :)

and a 1lb batch is a perfect fit for that type of mold...only thing is you must insulate it with towels to make it gel... I put mine in the oven insulated with towels (oven is OFF)...

in a milk carton, in my experience it took a bit longer to harden up... not sure why, but after that I ve left them to sit and harden in the mold longer :)
 
the fira drawers from ikea are the best, if you don't mind having to buy freezer paper $14.99 for 9- 2 lb drawers
 
I have some silicone moulds but when I made some Pine tar soap last week I did not wish to risk leaving a horrible smell in them so I used the lids off a few pressure pak cans.I cut the first few millimetres off to remove the little ridge that holds it onto the can, after a couple of hours in the freezer the soap dropped out in a handy size. I have made up some log moulds from fibreglass flouro lights I had laying around but as these are a metre long and I am just starting out, I will wait till I am a little more confident before making up such a large batch. :D
 
A shoe box lined with freezer paper , a plastic bathroom organizer tray , yogurt cups , pringles cans , downspout , 3" PVC pipe etc etc :D

Kitn
 
I use a silicone loaf pan, but I may have to look at the Fira (Ikea) drawers mentioned, they sound great!
 
My first mold was a plastic drawer organizer from WM, the smallest size fits a 1 lb batch perfectly. I've also used frozen OJ cans (2 cans per lb soap), and a plastic ice cube bin (2 lbs soap fits great). Good luck! :D
 
Thank you so much for the tips and advice! I'm currently waiting for my oils to cool down, and then I'll start mixing!

I'm using a couple of rectangular paper mache boxes for my molds. They are lined with parchment paper and ready to go!

I'll be sure to post some pictures of my first batch tomorrow when I slice them up.
 
Well, I'm all done!!

I might have tried too much at once, but we'll see...

I mixed the lye water and oils with a hand mixer in bursts of 10 secs, and then 10 secs of general stirring. I saw a trace after just a few minutes and then I added my FO (Lily of the Valley). I kinda wanted to attempt a swirl (I know, I know...don't take on too much the first time), so I measured out a cup and added some purple colorant. By the time I poured my soap, it was pretty thick and starting to gel.

I put the lid on my box and wrapped it up in a towel and put it on top of the dryer. 6PM tomorrow, I'll be able to see how my creation has turned out!

Thanks again for all of your help! I'll post pics tomorrow after the 'unveiling'!
 
my first mold was a styrofoam cup. I don't recommend that though, as the first thing it did was melt.
 
P1040834.jpg


Cutting my soaps

P1040827.jpg


What do you think???

I hate that I have to wait 4 weeks before trying them out, but I guess good things come to those who wait. ;-)
 
Um, well, those are just fabulous! Good job! First time huh? You coulda fooled me. :D
 

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