One of the absolute most basic items any soapmaker needs is a good mold.  We have all had those moments in Walmart, or walking through a kitchen store, and saying, “Now, THAT would make a great mold!!!”  In this article we will discuss how to go about finding a good mold, as well as looking at some recommendations from your fellow Soapnuts.

First of all, consider what you are going to be using your mold for.  Do you make soap in small batches, for family and friends, and plan to keep it that way?  What constitutes a “small batch” anyway?  Do you have certain soaps that sell very well, so you find that you have to make large batches more frequently to keep your stock up?  When you are using your soap, do you enjoy the sensuous feel of a round soap, or do you prefer the heft of a bar soap?  How about aesthetically- what image do you want to put forth through your soaps, and how can your mold help you with that?  And always, always consider ease of use. We all have a favorite pot for cooking, a mug that is just right for our tea…the same will hold true for a good mold- you will find that often one will simply “feel right” and be easy for you to use again, and again, and again.  Then there is the financial consideration.  How much do you want to, or are you able to spend?

Let’s say you have come up with some concrete answers to all of these questions.  What next?

Well, if you, or someone you know, is able to do so, building your own molds to your own specifications is ideal.  When I decided to add some logs of soap to my usual line of bar soaps, my sister’s husband made me some beautiful log molds with break away sides and a smooth, clear lining on the inside, exactly as I asked, based on the pattern found at Chestnut Farms.  Cheryl Blazek had a similar story.  She wrote,

“My molds are wooden log shaped ones that my husband built for me.  They measure 4" wide x 15" long x 3.75" tall.  The plans and instructions are on the Winkel Chestnut Farms website ( www.chestnutfarms.com ).  When I want to do a 1# test batch, I use waxed cardboard juice/milk cartons--they work great!”  

Cheryl also brought up a good point with her comment on the juice cartons- found items often make excellent molds, without a lot of expense.  On the list we have had discussions on this or that food item that has packaging that would make a great mold.  It always pays to keep your eyes open when you are out shopping!!

Denise’s favorites molds are also homemade.  She says, “My favorite mold is the one that a friend made me.  She helped me make a few batches of soap using boxes for molds; the next time she came over she had a package for me...a nice wooden break-away mold that she made for me!  It's 12-1/2 inches long, 9 inches wide and 4 inches high.  It's made from wood and all four sides can come off, making it easy to line with freezer paper.”

I had two main molds for years, and I absolutely loved them, and can wholeheartedly recommend them.  My first “large scale” mold purchase was the large 42 bar wooden mold from Kelsei’s Creations.  It is excellent- high quality, durable, and a good size for batches of my main line of soap.  My other favorites are the 18 bar Sunnybrook Farm molds, now being carried by Brambleberry.  These are a work of art, and I really like the fact that they come with covers.  Marian chose these two as her favorite molds as well, writing,

“I have two...but one wins over the other by a margin.  I like my Sunnybrook farms mold I got from BB.   I actually have two.  They make 18 bars of soap each, come with a fitted lid and the workmanship is lovely.  I like the various colors of woods I have on the two molds.  I do not like the thinner dividers though, but I have found that if you put them in boiling hot water for a minute (not to be confused with boiling on the stove!!!  A sink is a good place for this) and then put them on a flat surface and cover with a very heavy object...say a couple 4 inch reference books, until they cool, they are newly straightened.

For this reason alone, I like my Kelsei's creations 42 bar bold best.  It's a serviceable mold with thick plastic dividers that have not lost their shape once in the two years I have had it.  It does not come with a lid, so I have to be creative there, but it's a very nice mold.”

Duane and Nancy, too, recommend Kelsei’s molds, and Duane also has some wonderful advice for those of us who are into medium/high production levels.  He says,

“Our favorite molds for several years were those made by Kelsei's Creations. It was so nice to be able to get nicely shaped bars each time. Our first attempts at trying to cut our own bars and have them come out nicely were very poor attempts.

We had tried to make our own cutter and templates, but that just wasn't our 'thang.

We recently needed to be able to increase production and we were able to do that by going to a different type of mold and cutter system. We've been very happy with the mold and cutter that we purchased from http://www.soapequipment.com/ . It took us a little bit to get used to it but now we love how quickly we can make soap. And there is very little time spent in cleaning soaps afterwards.

I would certainly recommend it to any soaper who is finding that they are spending a lot of time making the same soaps in several batches. For instance if you're just needing a dozen or two bars, then an 18 bar mold by Kelsei's or a shoe box or a Rubbermaid will do nicely, but if you need several dozen of the same soap, it is nice to be able to make a larger batch and get it all done at once.

One of my Goat's Milk Soaps is one I call Goat Mountain, fragranced with a blend of Juniper Sage, Evergreen and Sleigh Ride. I would have to make 5 batches of this soap to fill an order for one specific customer using Rita's 42 bar mold taking me at least an hour per batch. With the double celled mold we just got I can make 2 batches, fill both cells and get the same amount of soap in 2 hours. The additional cleaning time spent cleaning all the soaps from the other molds is reduced to just a fraction with these new molds because there are fewer surface bars.

One of the things that was had to adjust to, is that the size of the mold and the diameter of the soap means that it doesn't cool down as quickly as in smaller molds. The first brick I cut felt warm and when you pressed your thumb in the center, you could feel it indent. Well, the loaf cutter went right through it and when I pulled the outer loaves away, the center hadn't cooled enough to have firmed up, so it was about the consistency of caramel ready for pouring on your ice cream.  The manufacturer claims that the saponification dynamics in this size of mold gives you a better product and I actually do think that the feel and the look of the soap is nicer.”

The idea of the soap cutter is so important here, as it allows ease of cutting and the assurance of getting a uniform size of bar every time.  Notice, however, that Duane did not reveal to us the secret of their “Spud Soap”!!!!! 

So, we have covered log molds, and flat molds…what about if you want a nice, round bar of soap?  Jeann has some advice for you….

“I love round soaps and PVC molds.  They are easy to obtain, they are easy to fill, and suit my needs. I like the 3" size for regular soaps.  I made a harp-like device to cut them using a guitar string wound back and forth in a cedar frame. This is hinged to a board with grooves notched in it, to let the wires go below the soap. That way the soaps are cut all the way through. I like the 4" size for my shampoo bars.  I cut them with my "harp" cutter, and then cut the soaps in half so when bathing, the half-moon shape makes it easy to "feel" the difference. I have a bunch of peanut butter jar lids, that I wrap in plastic and use to push the soap out of the PVC molds when they are cooled. (I do HP mostly).

Although I'm making an effort to "expand" my molding abilities to rectangle, round will always be my *signature*.”  

In the future we will cover the subject of plastic Milky Way and Milky Way- type molds, insh’Allaah.   If any of you have any opinions on them, tips and ideas for using them, please contact me and let me know!!

Hopefully you have found some good ideas and sound advice here… always keep in mind, though, that before you purchase you can ask your fellow ‘Nuts for advice, they will be more than happy to give it to you!!

~ Khadijah Lacina