My last post kinda hinted at my borderline addiction, but it's becoming a bit of an illness-this obsession I have with soap molds. Don't ask me why because I can't explain it. Ever since I started making cold processed (handmade from scratch) soap, it's always been more about the mold than the end result. Yes, yet another one of my many quirks. I'm really enamored of wooden soap molds. I just think they are the creme de la creme of soap molds. Every soap maker should own at least one wooden mold in my opinion. They're sturdy, rigid, and last forever, and they don't have to be "soap" molds per se.
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| Yes, it's stained and dirty, but I do line it before each use. Trust me, no dirty soap... |
Above is a wooden box that I scored at White Barn Candle Co. about 5 years ago. It came with a candle set I bought, and I just happened to hang on to it after I used up all the candles. Making soap was the last thing on my mind at the time, but I am SOOOOOOOO glad I kept it. This is my official "slab" mold. I use this one for bulk soap orders mostly. Here are a few soaps I've made with this mold:
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| Vanilla Cake-This one looked so real and smelled like straight vanilla and butter. I can't duplicate it for the life of me! |
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| Spellbound-A Vicky's Secret dupe |
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| Okay, a beat up soap mold means it gets the job done! |
This next mold is used in probably about 80% of my soap making. I got this one from Candles and Woodcrafts about 3 years ago, and sadly, they've closed shop indefinitely. This is a 3 or 4 pound mold (I can't remember), and it's the perfect size. I can get about 11, 5+ oz bars when I cut the loaf. If I had to buy this one over again, I would have chosen the hinged version as opposed to the pegged one because I'm always losing the pegs! Here are a few of my personal faves made with this mold, and again, can't duplicate them. It's always the experimental soaps that I never take notes on (duh!) and they turn out perfectly only never to be made again...
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| Dirty Sexy Soap. I blended patchouli essential oil and nectarine blossom. Fan-freaking-tastic! |
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| Royal Soap-English tea rose |
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Lastly, is the score of the year! The Upland Soap Factory and Southern Soapers both closed shop this year (I was genuinely upset when SS closed), and Kelly, Southern Soapers' owner, announced on her Yahoo Group that she was selling off the last of her equipment including her prized Upland Soap molds. Some consider these the gold standard of wooden molds. The craftsmanship was said to be impeccable and top-notch, and I've always wanted one, but I am a tightwad in every aspect of my life. These molds started at around $60.00 and zoomed from there. So this is a major score because I copped this bad boy for 30 bucks! I guestimate this one to be around 2.5 pounds-maybe 3? Someone, lemme know if you know. I have yet to make any soap with it yet. I just received it the other day, and I'm going to use it to make my first holiday soap of the season. What I love most about this mold? The silicone liner! No more lining with wax paper. YAY. No, double YAY!
14 comments:
As a non-soap maker, I enjoyed reading this post to learn more about your creative processes! There are so many aspects to any crafty endeavor.
Don't feel alone. I too am addicted to molds. I have a wooden loaf mold I built myself (along with the help of my dad) but every time I go out I always see those silicone baking molds and have to buy them! Even if I don't need it I feel compelled to buy it. Haha!
I'm a Soaphutch girl myself. Rich has made me one UBER mold that does divided slabs and logs, and a cute divider, slab mold for guest bars. No lining, no sticking, beautiful quality.
I have 4 Upland molds and love them! Congrats on snagging one of Kelly's. To figure out how much your mold will hold just fill it with water and weigh how much water that is. That will tell you total batch size and you can figure oil amounts back from there.
I too love my soap molds. I started off with a 2 pound one I still use for small experimental batches. My favourite is my Soaphutch custom mold which I can do any size in as it has so many configurations. I also recently got a 15" log wood mold that I've been using lately as it makes taller bars that are vertical. Your Upland mold looks great.
Michelle
I'm glad this post is inspiring to the non-soap makers:)
I'm also glad that I'm not alone in my "moldy" existence.
And lastly, thank you Sirona Springs. That makes perfect sense, and I can't believe I didn't think of it myself...DUH...
Girl, I love the Dirty Sexy Soap & the English tea rose! They look divine and I bet they smell that way too. I'm keeping track, making up my X-mas list. How much are these two going for.
Sonya
Congrats on your Upland mold score!!! That's awesome!! Didn't you pick up the new BB cube mold also?
yo solamente uso moldes de madera
son fantasticos...
he probado con moldes de silicona , plastico, metacrilato
pero los resultados de la madera son los mejores !!!....
saludos
First off, I just want to say I love your blog, your cute style, and your soaps! You rock Patrice!
This is my first comment and I really enjoyed this post about molds. In this case I am not mold obsessed, but mold stuck. I use some neat little plastic containers called Lock & Lock containers. Karen @ Edens Secret UK uses them and they are great. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes.
I have used silicone molds and love them to pieces, but with the CPOP method they make my soap "fuzzy". There is also a wood mold I ordered a very long time ago sitting under my curing racks.(Call me crazy, but I just can't line the stupid thing right)
So I just continue to fight with my plastic molds and beat them against the table to get my soap out. There you have my mold quagmire. LOL!
Hey Natasha!
Thanks for sharing! I love to see what other soap makers are using for molds, and it gives me inspiration:)
Hi there Patrice! Now I am back and hunting down Upland molds from other people, lol! I'm wondering WHO my next ones will have belonged to, and the excitement about blogging on my hunt. I'm glad I saved several of my molds too!
Soap, its in our blood!
Kelly Bloom
Soapalooza Soap Arts Studio
Http://www.soapalooza.com
Hey girl! Now it is ME on the hunt for more Uplands, Ha ha....! I will find a few, glad I did not sell all of them too.
Kelly Bloom
Soapalooza Soap Arts Studio
http://www.soapalooza.com
I have 24 bar and 12 bar Upland soap molds. Two of the 24 bar molds have never been used. I was ramping up for more producRion when the economy crashed in 2008, and I had to give up my full time soap business.
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