Any Thoughts Silicone vs. Plastic vs. Wood Rectangular Soap Molds?

[Smauf]

So I have been using a cheap silicone (12-squares) mold to make soap so far, and I want to try my hand at making a rectangular "loaf" of soap to cut into individual pieces. The main reason being, I think it would be easier to pour only once into a large rectangle instead of into 12 squares...and the individual bars would look better cut, rather than some bars being very uniform from overfilling one square and under-filling the next.

I was wondering what the community thinks about using rectangular molds of silicone, plastic, and wood? The pros and cons of each. I have a pretty good idea in my head, but I would appreciate the opinions of those more experienced than me :mrgreen:

 

[shunt2011]

I use silicone lined wood loaf molds (rectangular). I absoutely love them. I purchased the 5lb silicone liners from Brambleberry and had my husband make the wood molds for them to fit into.

 

[Dennis]

Wood doesn't wear out, is cheap (unless you want ready made pretty stuff), won't break if hot or cold, can be made into any shape and size, can be made from scraps found here and there.

 

[seven]

i have hdpe, wood lined with silicone, and just wood. i like them all. like dennis said, the wood one can be the most economical, that's if you dont mind lining every time.
in terms of easiness, silicone liner wins. mine is nothing fancy, 15-ish bucks on etsy, 20 if you want the wood box that comes with it.
i've yet to try the hdpe one.

 

[AF_SOAP]

It does not have to look good. It is going to have lye and oils in it. I use wood lined with freezer paper just because silicone is always overpriced, although I have used it before.

Pictures is my wood mold that I let my kid make with me. Not the best looking thing, but it is square and makes the best loafs. I also use PVC when I make shop soap or shave soap.

The wood I bought made 4, 3lb loaves and it was only $8.00. So you take that with a little wood glue or nails depending on what you want and you have 4 molds for basically $3.00 a piece that are not going to go anywhere. Not to mention, if you do not have a table saw or jigsaw, they will cut it for you at the hardware store. You just need to know the measurements ahead of time.

 

[OliveOil2]

I like both, the 10" silicone loaf from Brambleberry when I want to prevent gel and put in the fridge, I also have the same 5lb liners that shunt has and love them too. One day I would like to try a log mold from Silvermoon, but for now these both serve their purpose. I've poured many batches into individual molds, and the log is much easier, and you can play with swirls.

 

[hmlove1218]

I bought a 2lb silicone lined wood mold off ebay. So far I like it, but I'm starting to dislike the liner. IMO its a PITA to unmold. Perhaps I haven't found the best way to do it, but once I flip one end down and turn it to flip down the other, the one I just turned down pops back up. I'm going to get my dad to help me make some wooden molds and I'm just going to line them with freezer paper

 

[Obsidian]

I like my wooden mold if I plan on gelling or doing CPOP as it holds the heat in very well. Its can be a pain if I'm doing a soap that needs to keep cool though, I've had batches gel in the freezer. Its what I use for HP too and I can bang the heck out of it to settle the batter.

I have a cheap plastic drawer organizer that makes a nice loaf but the sides aren't straight. It works great for recipes that may overheat but I need to find one that makes a straighter loaf. I lightly greasy it with mineral oil and the loaf pops right out.

I only use silicone cavity molds and really like them.The silicone loaf mold I have it too flimsy, I hate it. Its not a soap mold though, its made for bread.

 

[Robert B]

It does not have to look good. It is going to have lye and oils in it. I use wood lined with freezer paper just because silicone is always overpriced, although I have used it before.

Pictures is my wood mold that I let my kid make with me. Not the best looking thing, but it is square and makes the best loafs. I also use PVC when I make shop soap or shave soap.

Very nice mold. I had bought a wooden one originally before I realize how easy it would be to make.

Just FYI...I noticed the one I bought had a few small holes drilled in the bottom to allow ease when releasing the mold....not as much suction. Not sure if it really serves the purpose but wanted to pass along.

 

[eyeroll]

I use silicone lined wood loaf molds (rectangular). I absoutely love them. I purchased the 5lb silicone liners from Brambleberry and had my husband make the wood molds for them to fit into.

^ This, except I have the 2 lb. liner. I like that I can put it in the oven for CPOP if I want, it's durable and cheap. I think the silicone liner is easy to get off if I wait long enough and the soap isn't soft.

 

[froggybean37]

I love silicone as well for ease of use, durability, etc... My only complaint is that I find with CPOP I get little bubbles/pock marks on the sides it touches the mold (too hot? not breathable?). BB has a great sturdy silicone mold with reinforced sides so it doesn't bow out, unlike the versions I've bought locally at kitchen stores.

 

[Jencat]

I like the silicone RED molds I bought from ED and I recently bought some lidded wooden boxes that they fit in. The only problem I've had with the molds is getting a partial gel, which the wooden boxes should fix.

 

[jkevin]

like others here I make my wooden molds was looking around craigslist and come across this, which I will make this weekend looks handy

 

[saurian]

Curious to see people describe silicone as overpriced. I've only used silicone moulds intended for baking so far, so my loaf mould is really meant for loaves, of bread. The moulds I'm using cost £3 each and come in a range of shapes and sizes. They are durable, easy to clean, resistant to the very low Ph and to very high temperatures and very easy to un-mould with. I'd love a nice silicone lined wooden mould but to buy one would cost me £30-50 or more, for which I can have a lot of just plain silicone moulds.

Of course it means my soap loaves arent perfectly square but slightly tapered but so far that's no kind of an issue for me.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Curious to see people describe silicone as overpriced. I've only used silicone moulds intended for baking so far, so my loaf mould is really meant for loaves, of bread. The moulds I'm using cost £3 each and come in a range of shapes and sizes. They are durable, easy to clean, resistant to the very low Ph and to very high temperatures and very easy to un-mould with. I'd love a nice silicone lined wooden mould but to buy one would cost me £30-50 or more, for which I can have a lot of just plain silicone moulds.

Of course it means my soap loaves arent perfectly square but slightly tapered but so far that's no kind of an issue for me.

From my (limited) experience, you can get a silicone mould very cheaply, but not soap ones. I found the baking ones to be too floppy and too slanted on the sides, meaning that I had to trim away a lot of the edges.

I line my home made wooden moulds with baking paper - it's not hard to do and has the benefit of giving me something to put the soaps on to when curing.

ETA - the wood was used from left-overs and the baking paper is something like 2€ for a lot. Very cost effective. Even when I remake my moulds using wood specificly for that purpose, it will be a lot cheaper than buying one.

 

[Nikkor]

I like the silicone RED molds I bought from ED and I recently bought some lidded wooden boxes that they fit in. The only problem I've had with the molds is getting a partial gel, which the wooden boxes should fix.

I just bought one of their white silicon molds and love it! Where did you buy your lidded wooden box for it?

 

[shunt2011]

The liners I use from BB that fit in my wooden molds are only 15.00 each. I figure at that price if they stretch after awhile it's not that costly to just toss it and use a new one. I have 8 molds with silicone liners and have 6 spare liners should I need them. I've been using the same ones for almost a year with no issues.

 

[Smauf]

Thanks for all the information everyone! I was not even aware that there were silicone liners you could use with wooden molds. I like the do-it-yourself project pics too!

 

[adrydel]

Honestly, I have found that silicone works best with melt and pour bases. If you're doing cp or hp soap,the wood mold with the freezer paper works best. This is if you're doing a loaf bar. If you're doing like individual bars, a silicone mold with separate cavities works quite well.