Frustrated with Loaf Slicing

[sstorelli]

I am so frustrated with trying to slice my loaf only to have it look like crap!!! Yes, I've tried the mitre box and quite frankly, I don't love it. I make my M&P loafs in an actual metal large bread loaf pan and I like how beautiful they look out of the mold...then I try to slice it up....#%*^($&*^($*^%(#*&%()$. I'm so frustrated!!!!!

What do you use for your loaf pan and how do you slice it?

 

[squigglz]

I just use an old dough cutter. Works well for me. I measure off the slices with a ruler first, though. The problem with using a bread pan is that they tend to be tapered, so if you try to cut them, they look kind of funny.

What exactly is the issue you're having? You say they look like crap, but in what way?

 

[sstorelli]

I can't seem to get them evenly sliced. You measure with a ruler? Do you just nick the soap where you want the cuts to be?

What do you use for a loaf mold?

 

[Relle]

I use to hand cut my cp soap with a knife, they all came out evenly. Take your time, I measured out with a ruler, but only one at a time, then nicked each side and cut straight down. Only do one at a time, if you go a bit crooked you can rectify it before the next cut. It use to take me 1/2hr to cut a loaf. Its all about practice, you know the old saying, practice makes perfect.

 

[squigglz]

I use to hand cut my cp soap with a knife, they all came out evenly. Take your time, I measured out with a ruler, but only one at a time, then nicked each side and cut straight down. Only do one at a time, if you go a bit crooked you can rectify it before the next cut. It use to take me 1/2hr to cut a loaf. Its all about practice, you know the old saying, practice makes perfect.

That's what I do, I nick the sides where I want to cut and then line up carefully and make sure to push straight down.

Right now, I use the 10" silicone loaf mold from Brambleberry. Holds about 3 pounds of soap, and works well for me.

 

[Soapsense]

Has anyone ever used a cheese/board slicer?

 

[paillo]

i use a sharp taping knife from the hardware store. unfortunately, i am straight-line challenged no matter how hard i try, but it's the best cheap tool i've found

 

[lsg]

I saw the lady on Soaping 101 use a cheese slicer that was connected to a base.

 

[Genny]

If we're talking about MP, the best thing I have found is a mitre box that's taller than 3 inches. Most are only 3 inches tall or shorter. So it's hard to cut evenly with those when the soap is taller than the box. Some hardware stores carry ones that are about 4 inches tall. Or if you have the tools, you could make one.
I once tried a cheese slicer with MP & it bent the wire really bad.

 

[Maythorn]

I'm a disaster at slicing Melt and Pour. I made a loaf one time of Brambleberry low sweat I guess it was and opaque. The knife had to be pushed down hard to penetrate and the soap broke at the bottom every time. :sad: I melted it down again and added it to individual molds after.

If I could just find the kind you can slice easier I would happily make this kind of soap. Michael's you can but it's not high quality Melt and Pour and had an underscent to it.

 

[deb8907]

I put my loaf on a cutting mat, the kind you get in the hobby store in the scrapbooking section. It is marked both horizontally and vertically with inch markings. This way the loaf can always be straightened up with the lines. I cut straight down with a soap knife (from WSP). It's been a lot of trial and error and this seems to help me.

 

[Maythorn]

I tried all different knives and used both hands going straight down and still it broke at the bottom the exact same way. I think I need to shop around and ask suppliers which bases can be cut a little more easily.