# Down Time



## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

I got my chores done early today and I just got done collapsing a PVC pipe so I can try making some oval soaps! I think I will make a coconut /shea butter soap with a high superfat. I haven't decided what FO yet though. I'm really hoping the mail will show up with some of the new FO's that I ordered.


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

I have always wanted to try that with the PVC pipe and just never got around to doing it. Post pics if you can when you get some made and cut....I'd love to see how it looks.


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Can't wait to see- I have a new oval soap dish! How did you control the melt? Having too much fun there...
Lee


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

Uggh! I should of had some patience. I made the batch of soap right away in the mold and wanted to speed things up a bit so I popped the soap and mold in the oven for a little CPOP. I put the oven on the lowest it would go which is 170. Anyways, soap separated. No big deal I just did a 1 lb batch and my mold was short so I just stirred it back together. After a bit, I checked on the soap again and the mold went back to it's original shape!!! I guess I'll have to squish it back into an oval and perhaps let it be an oval for a while so it will accept it's new shape? Or maybe you can't CPOP oval PVC pipes.


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## nightskyfarm (Sep 7, 2009)

I wouldn't CPOP the oval pipe. It does have memory and you heated it to change it's shape and then to return it to heat could cause it to do that. My oval pipe molds are 16" long and never go into the oven, basically because they can not fit. I do put the molds into the fridge if they seem to be getting too hot. I like the oval shape though. Jennifer


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

Ack! I never would have thought it could do that. Interesting. Did you make your own ovals, Jennifer?


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## buckrun (Mar 7, 2008)

Heh- do you mind telling a non soaper what CPOP is? 
Certificate Program for Otolaryngology Personnel?
haha- Curious and SO interesting that it went back to the original shape!
Lee


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

Lesson learned. OK, no heating up oval PVC molds. I've accomplished my experimenting for today! I still have to re-heat it and make it into an oval again tomorrow. I think I'll really like having some oval shaped soaps as well. 

Buckrun, CPOP is Cold Process Oven Process. You make cold process, put it in your mold and then pop it in the oven to speed up the saponification process. It also helps the soap cure faster by evaporating out extra moisture through the heating process.


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## Aja-Sammati (Oct 26, 2007)

How did you cap an oval??


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

To cap the oval all I did was put packing tape over it. 

I tried to re-do my PVC mold today but it turned out jelly bean shaped rather than an oval. I think it's because I didn't start with a perfect circle. I'm going to have to get another piece of pipe and try it again.


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## nightskyfarm (Sep 7, 2009)

They are actually not to hard to make. You need to heat the pipe with a propane torch and gently put pressure on it to form the oval, then let it cool. Adding the external heat of the oven in combination with the heat of the soap, caused the pipe to revert to its previous shape. As to capping the end; I scribed around the pipe onto a piece of corrugated cardboard, cut it out and place it on the end of the pipe. Next I place a piece of plastic bag and use duct tape to hold it on. Finish with the duct tape to tightly hold the cardboard cap onto the pipe. The plastic makes it so all the duct tape does not go on the PVC. It is hard it get off the pipe otherwise. When I unmold, sometimes I can salvage the cardboard piece to reuse; sometimes not. The plastic and tape is tossed. To unmold all of my PVC pipe molds involves only a brief stay in the freezer. Put the whole pipe in the freezer for a half hour and when you take it out, immediately put it under running hot water for a few moments. I place a rag on the open on top of the soap and push hard. I remove the cardboard cap before all that. It works fairly well. Not terribly scientific. Jennifer


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## Jenny M (Nov 21, 2009)

I really want to make an oval soap but did not know how except for those silly little molds. Thanks! I can see that you can actually do some real production like this. 

I make tons (well, feels like tons) of the PVC rounds. They are a pain compared to the good ol' logs. I have been going the other way to get them out. Heat instead of cold. It works ok but I'll try cold on the next batch. I use a pusher (a big wood rolling pin) to get them out. I don't put them in the oven - just stand them upright in a plastic ice cream bucket in the sink. And I just put a piece of doubled up plastic wrap over the ends & secure with duct tape. I should get more professional but what else? I tired caps sealing with plastic wrap but they were hard to remove. I saw that you could use air fittings glued into the caps. Does that work?

Jenny


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

I was thinking of trying round - but this discussion has me thinking otherwise! I think I will stick with my logs. More design options that way anyway!


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

The way I made the oval mold was to pop it in the oven for 10 minutes at 250 degrees. It worked well the first time and I had a nicely shaped oval. You folks know the rest of the story! Anyways, I had two mini loaf pans that I put on either end of the warm PVC pipe. The mini loaf pans were maybe 2 1/2 inches high and I was squishing a 3 inch PVC pipe. I then took a board and squished the PVC until I hit the mini loaf pans. That way I was insured of having an even mold. Worked well, I'll do it this way again when I get another piece of PVC.


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

Did you get any smell from putting the PVC in the oven, Heather? I thought it might give off fumes of some sort. I've got some smaller pieces that I could fit in my oven to experiment with. I might just give it a try.


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

No, I didn't get any fumes at all. I was a bit worried about this as well when I googled reshaping the PVC.


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## Aja-Sammati (Oct 26, 2007)

How long did you have to wrok with it before it got too cool? I could just google...but asking here is easier!


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

You have to work pretty fast. It cools off fast. I had everything all set up and ready to go on a table right by my stove.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

My husband made some for a gal, he routered ovals into a wood so when the PVC was softer he simply popped the ends into the ovals he made. She used these for caps coved in saran wrap, also. Vicki


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