Is is absolutely necessary to buy custom made soap moulds?  What ideas do you have for soap moulds that either make use of discarded objects/packaging or do you know of anything that serve's as the ideal mould?

I think this may depend on whether you're going to be selling soaps or not as the types of moulds used should be on the assessment (from next year the Good Manufacturing Practice document will have to be included within the text of the assessment, currently it's held on file by the assessor).

For MP food grade heat resistant plastics would seem to be OK, aluminium is to be avoided (but I know some use aluminium pie and bun cases) - which is one of the reasons why I put catering heat'n'seal tubing inside the whisky containers for the loofah soaps.

I suspect that there could be some materials which react adversely to CP soap in its liquidy form, because of the lye, but I don't know.

ElaineJ

I've used Pringles' tubs, and innicent smoothie cartons.

Next i'm going to use some ice cube moulds - i've got star moulds and puzzle pieces. They'll not take all the soap though, so i'm going to use pringles tubs as well.

Fee,

I'm really interested to find out how well those work, particularly the stars (the poky corner pointy bits can be difficult to get things out of).



How about shoe boxes for soap? Presumably you'd have to make sure there were no holes in the corners, and it would all have to be cut up at the end. Possibly using an electric cheese wire.

Ooh... It's Abigail!!!! 

Not seen you around for a while!  You ok? 

(Going to sound all dah... here) What's an electric cheese wire?  We had a thread going on one of the boards where we discussed using a cheese wire (and started getting all inventive)?

So glad to see you back!!

Alas, my dissertation is taking all my free time at the moment, so I've not had the opportunity to make anything, and have thus been relatively uninspired to contribute. I expect to start actively contributing after 12th September. Possibly not immediately after, as I may be drunk...  (Or possibly tidying up the house after months of neglect - got the parents visiting. That is the less fun, but more likely, option.)

Yup, the electric cheese wire is the one we discussed. Obviously it would have to be made before it could be used...

Shoe box is a great idea!!

My sister's got some of those plastic ones. I wonder if she'd kill me if i 'borrowed' one for experimentation purposes...

I'm thinking of doing some soaps in the ice cube trays, and possibly some bath melts (my friend wants me to make her some...) so when i learn to make them, and i've got something decent, i#ll let you know.

I think the stars should be ok, i'll probably put the soap in the freezer to release it so that it can be pushed out. The moulds are ikea flexible ones too, so i should be able to push the soap out of the corners.

Fingers crossed...

I founds some chocolate box interiors the other day too, so i'm going to experiment with them and see if they can hold up to the heat of soap. They're just the right size for guest soap/embeds. I'm also thinking of bath melts and bath bombs using them - but i still haven't learnt how to make them...

LOL!  Oh yes, I forgot about the disartation and, more importantly, I forgot you were part of our 'development team' (lol) on that thread.  It's a dah... sort of day for me    What's the dissartation on? (or would you rather not say)  The drunk idea sound's good but yes, me thinks it will be the rather less fun option (but then you could get drunk after  )

The choccie interiors sound really cute (of course this will require one to eat all the chocs first....  well the things we have to do for our craft, lol).  I had a rather interesting conversation today with a huge manufacturer of soaps.  We discussed moulds and some suggestions were made for things like plastic cups, butter containers and other food packaging.  It's food grade so safe from a hygiene perspective and providing it can take the heat, there is a huge range to choose from.

I also have a load of IKEA moulds, and have found the corners to be very tricky. The trickiest were the o shaped ones, though - the ice always used to cling to the bit in the middle. I use heart-shaped and triangle-shaped ones for truffles. Good luck - I really hope it works. Not least because I shall then use your experimentation to my advantage. Mwah ha ha ha ha!

The dissertation is on memory. I wish I could remember what my results were trying to say. I think it was that none of the variety of learning conditions I employed made any difference to how well my participants remembered their word pairs. This is a useful result, because it sort of disagrees and sort of agrees with lots of other people, depending on whose research you're looking at. Or something.

I understand the whole fried brain thing, and am a shuffling, mumbling example of what it can do (like a walking, talking one, but less fast and eloquent). Now if only I could understand anything useful...

Always wondered how to spell that!  I will be putting this to good use I can tells ya! lol Mwah ha ha ha ha!

Memory!  Hmm, now I would have been a good subject upon which to base this on...  I mean, the cheeswire thing is a shining example of.....



.....now what was I just talking about?   

 

Actually, I believe 'Muah ha ha ha ha!' is an acceptable alternative. I prefer the original spelling, but it's nice to have the flexibility 

Hmm....  Yep!  Me Too!  It has a bit more guts in it, you know, it come's more from the belly and rather less from the back of the throat woudn't you agree?    But indeed, a little flexibility is most useful!

Hello Helen

We have the same Christian name, i read the posts first and saw that the forum had one Helen, so i added me as Ella.

I have been making soaps for 3 years, just getting into making my own silicone moulds, but, for years i used whatever was available, chocolate plastic moulds are ideal for something different, or ikea ice cube trays, or any cube trays, the rubber moulds are the best, as the item comes out so easily.

I have used allsorts of things, yoghurt pots, the clear ones, you could make a trifle soap and sell it in the plastic pot, theres alot of things you can use, and i am sure alot you cannot.

Best regards Ella xx

Yes, I think you're safe with regard to chemical reaction if the mould is food grade but some of the food grade ones won't stand the heat, whether the soap be CP or MP.

The support worker with the LD group I work(ed) with uses some food cartons which have an indent in the base so she either spritzes with surgical spirit and flood fills or "glues" an embed with a splodge of mlten MP base; I'll be going there before long (just had the CPD clearance to work there as a volunteer - ridiculous since I was working there professionally when I was employed by the Soc. Services) so I'll get some photos for the gallery.

I was very impressed, I did a couple of training sessions with her and away she went.