Thank you for the great review! This is very helpful. Who makes the Russian birch molds and the silicone cylindrical molds you like?
The Russian birch molds are made by a woman I came across on Etsy who I initially purchased a cutter from, who happened to not be far from me, which worked out perfectly. I then found out she also makes molds but had not listed them on Etsy for several reasons.
She makes the molds herself based on the collaboration she has with a friend who is a professional soap maker. She has been a soap maker as well, but not in the same capacity as her friend. I believe her soap making is more of a hobby from the conversation we had. Regardless, she understands what soap makers need & is very flexible. I initially thought her husband looked after the power tools part, but as she mentioned she does the vast majority of the work herself. If you PM me, I can give you her email address, which she is ok with. Her name is Martha.
She makes spectacular, very high quality cutters as well. I have 2 of her cutters & 4 of her slab molds. I love everything I purchased from her. She even made me lids for my molds upon request & has since decided to include them with all slab molds. She also made my molds a 1/2" higher after taking my comments with my experience with her products into consideration - she offered to do this for me, which was awesome - and then decided that she would continue making all of the slab molds like this going forward. Her prices are very reasonable as well. Not sure of all the sizes she has available as I only purchased 16 pound slab molds from her, but she did mention she has other sizes. I would recommend getting in touch with her directly. She is very easy to deal with & understands the needs & wants of soap makers.
The cylindrical molds are from Crafter's Choice. I love them because of ease of soap removal, ease of cleanup as soap doesn't stick to them much, and the fact that they come apart in 2 pieces, which helps when I need to store them in my mold bin. You do need to use bulldog clips with them to keep the sides extra secure, but I believe that goes for most silicone cylindrical molds.
Do you have a divided mold you like?
I do have the CCT's divider molds, but have not yet used them for several reasons, as I mentioned. These are the ones I purchased:
Clear slab soap mold with bottom liner solution 5-7LBS
I am looking for a smaller mold, 2-3 pounds, as I don’t sell and smaller batches work best for me. I have seen people use cardboard for dividers and haven’t tried that but maybe I should. I really want to try a Taiwan swirl and similar designs. I have considered buying acrylic and making my own as I do like making my own things but sometimes it really is better to buy the right tool rather than DIY.
CCT's makes dividers for their own molds, although I haven't ordered those specifically. I do have the dividers which came with the above slab molds & can say they are sturdy & well-made. So maybe find out how much a custom order would cost for dividers which fit your molds?
Dividers
They have nice tabs for what looks like easy removal!
I made a couple oak molds that work great with freezer paper liners and an oak frame for cutting bars that works but I can’t get consistent cuts with it. I am also looking for a multi bar cutter and a beveler. Since I don’t sell it’s harder to justify spending a lot on things that are “nice to have”.
Martha definitely has STELLAR cutters! I have one of her more compact multi-bar cutters (she also does a larger one) which is made from the same Russian birch & a platform cutter that comes in 2 sizes which allows me to cut absolutely anything I want to any size I want. Slabs, loafs, bars, cylindrical loafs, I can even trim with it. Fully adjustable. It's truly beautiful, VERY solidly made, easy to clean, very reasonably priced. I have had no problems with any of her products, at all. I will be purchasing more of her equipment in the future, without a doubt. I love dealing with her & know that whatever I order from her is of the highest quality. Unpacking her orders is a joy, I kid you not. Open the box, pull things out, get to work within minutes. Her equipment is a thing of beauty & craftsmanship
I really like Wild Plantanica's beveller, which gives me a lot of options & is very reasonably priced compared to something like the beveller from LiLu. Chas is also very conscientious, packs her orders very solidly & securely with a minimum of waste left over after unpacking, and is willing to do custom orders. I had nothing but a great experience with her.
Give me a PM for Martha's email address. I think you will be very happy with anything you order from her
These are solid, exceptionally well-made, highly functional pieces which will last a very long time, definitely not equipment which is more of a trend. I paid less for my entire order of 4 molds with lids (which break down flat for storage, my multi-bar cutter AND my platform cutter than I did for my CCT molds alone. And paying with US $$ will give you an even better price due to the favourable exchange rate
CCT makes good, solid equipment & their customer service is excellent, but we all have our preferences, and mine is Martha's equipment, hands down
to clean them properly
