I know I just did a tutorial. But I promised to show you all how to line a soap mold so you can get out there and have some fun making soap! I’ll try to make this one as short and sweet as possible.
This tutorial shows how to line a wooden log mold. Here’s what mine looks like:
This is my obviously homemade mold.
It’s a simple concept that works very well for me. All the sides fold down to easily get the soap out. When I first started out, I would put screws through the short ends to secure the walls. It worked okay but then my friend and fellow soap-maker, Yvonne, and I figured out a MUCH EASIER way to secure everything . . . . Rubber bands!
They might not look so classy but they work great!
Get about 4 – 5 rubber bands tied together and secure your mold before you try lining it.
Rip off a large sheet of Freezer paper that is about a foot longer than the long side of your mold.
With the glossy side up, fold over about 6″ on one of the sides and line it up on the inside of one of the short ends of your mold.
While keeping the first folded edge lined up on the inside of the mold, fold over the opposite short side of the freezer paper and again, the fold should be on the inside of the short side of the mold. I’ve found that it’s easier if I make the fold a tad short of the mold wall. It’s better to have it a hair short than a bit too long and having to rework the folds to get everything to fit. Your freezer paper should now look something like this:
You notice how un-pretty my edges are. I do like things that look pretty but I’ve learned not to worry about it when something is purely functional (and disposable). Also, see how many times I had to fold the left side to get it right. Guess my eyeballing powers were a little off today!
Tuck your folded paper down into the mold and use your fingernail to crease the inside edges along the long sides.
Now that it’s all tucked in there . . . . Pull it out and unfold everything. The creases are now “guide lines”. What you want to do is cut out each of the 4 corners. You’re cutting out the bulk to make your lining more streamlined.
**Important** Do NOT cut directly on your creased lines. Cut inside your lines about 1.5″. Trust me, I’ve found out by experience that when you don’t leave enough buffer zone, you have soap oozing out of your mold at each corner. Not pretty!
Fold the short sides in again and re-tuck your paper back into the mold. Bring up the short ends of the paper, one at a time.
Cut the paper along the outside corners to create 4 separate “flaps” that can fold down over the sides.
Here’s the beauty of the rubber band system: They can hold down the liner paper!!! No more having to tape it all down! I have to credit Yvonne for that bit of ingenius-ness. See how nice it all looks now that it’s all put together!
If this seems a little confusing or involved, don’t worry – it get’s easier once you’ve done it yourself once. I have to say that this method is about the easiest that I’ve found. Good luck and let me know if you’ve got any ingenious tips yourself!
Omg you made this so much easier than I thought – great instructions and very easy to folloe
I love your mold. I have seen others similar. I just broke one and need to replace 😦 Was it hard to make?
Not too bad. Easy cuts in the wood and some inexpensive hinges from the hardware store. Just make sure to get the measurements right otherwise the sides don’t want to close correctly!
I was just showing my husband and he thought the same thing. I am currently holding my mold together with rubber bands as well lol! Thanks!
Thank you so much for this tutorial! You wouldn’t think this would be so hard but I’ve always had trouble with taping the edges down and getting my paper so it wouldn’t leak around the edges.