CP soap bed
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I have two wooden boxes that a friend made for me; they were meant to be soap molds but, apparently, he can't read a blueprint to save his life. They're quite heavy (1" thick MDF) and my soap mold fits inside beautifully. I place the second box over the first, cover it with a blanket and it creates a perfect bed for my soap.
Obsidian
Well-Known Member
Absolutely nothing. I may cover with a thin cloth if its dusty but for the most part, they just sit uncovered in the kitchen.
Cardboard box, sometimes...
I lay a heating pad on a thick blanket and put my soap mold (usually on an old silicone mat lined baking pan) on the heating pad and wrap it all up. I want my soaps to gel.
I can put 2 of my molds in a long shallow plastic crate. I put a heating pad underneath a heat lap blanket on the top with a blanket over it. If I have another 2 batches to gel I take the bottom one and move it to the top with the heat blanket in between. When it comes to stacking another crate I again have to move the warmest to the top layer. All get covered with cotton Mexican blankets. It gets pesky but all my soaps gel. These are stacked on a miscellaneous wood table I do not use for anything other than wrapping and gelling soaps.
I will add that, if I want my soaps to gel, I put the box covered soap on a tray that I set on a pre-warmed pizza stone in my oven. It’s not the best way to keep them mildly warm because the oven cools off. I have a heating pad somewhere in my house, but haven’t tracked it down since I started making soap. Some of my soaps are high lye concentration and/or natural colorants, and especially if there are greens involved, I don’t want them to gel. I may even put them in the freezer or refrigerator to keep them cool.
I have been tossing around the heating pad idea but so far haven't done that. I have a good size plastic container with a locking lid that I padded inside with blankets and put cardboard around the inside to hopefully insulate it. Then I put my soap in, covered with a piece of cardboard, put ANOTHER larger piece of cardboard over the top of that, put the plastic lid on and put blankets on top of the container. My confession is that I am pretty clueless about gel. Not sure if I have been getting my soaps to gel, but have been making the assumption they are since they are wrapped up so cozy.
To promote gel, I cover with a shoe box or other box, and then two blankets on top, folded around the sides. If the fragrance accelerates I usually do not, or check on it to make sure it does not crack
jcandleattic
Well-Known Member
I just leave mine on the counter if I'm only making a few batches at a time, and cover them with light towels. If I'm making more than 6 batches, then I will transfer them to the table by my countertops and do the same thing, leave in mold and cover with light towels, to promote gel.
As my experience increases, I’m also learning that myriad variables, such as recipe, batch size, lye discount (or amount of water), mold type and starting temp of my batter, affect the behavior of the batter in the mold and then what I need to do to encourage gel or prevent it. This all contributes to my decision-making about how it should be bedded down for sleep! Just a few days ago, I made a recipe that had pumpkin purée and some palm. Due to the palm, I started with the batter above 110F. The soon to be soap went into gel fairly quickly after it was settled in the mold, so about 15-20 minutes. That soap didn’t need a warm oven. On the other hand, a lard rich bar made with batter at 85F and poured into individual cavity molds has to be coaxed into gelling and I am learning make sure it gets warm enough if that’s the outcome I want.
I have wooden molds with silicone liners..I cover with a cardboard box, then towels..I also have a seed starter mat that I put my individual molds on, to encourage gel. They all end up on a large table "out of the way" that I have plants on for the next 24 hours or so....plants and soap.
Most of my molds are wood with a silicone liner. I turn on my heating pad before I start soaping. After the soap is in the mold, i cover with cardboard or lay newspaper over the the mold and cover a towel. I turn off the heating pad after about 5 minutes. Occasionally a top will crack.
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I use wooden molds lined with mylar lining and I set them on the countertop with a piece of cardboard resting on top. They always gel. Ones the overheat I don't put the cardboard on top.
Cellador
Well-Known Member
I CPOP all of my soaps, unless I don't want gel. I let the oven sit at 170 F while I'm soaping and put the mold in the oven after I'm finished pouring. After 2-5 mins, I turn the oven off and light on. I leave it there overnight. I always get gel and rarely have overheating unless I've added lots of extra sugary additives.
I really like the seed warming pad, its thin and pretty large--21" long by 10" wide. A lot fits on it when the extra heat is needed.
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user 29721
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For regular recipes (non-beer/wine, no added sugar) I put it in the warm oven and leave overnight. For specialty bars that tend to overhear - just leave them uncovered for 24 hours or so.
I put my molds on a heating pad covered with a towel then cover with cardboard box and towels. If there are several molds I might add another heating pad on top. 
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