# PVC molds....can it be too long?



## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

I would much rather make one very long log than 2 or 3 smaller ones. Maybe I was over ambitious but I had dh cut the 10' length that the pipe came in, into 3 pieces (1 for each of my 3 scents) and made enough soap to fill them to the top. I had no problem pouring them but for the first time ever two of them sort of slightly 'rose' about 1/2 inch above the pipe and at some point sunk back in. When I unmolded them the two that rose actually had like a 'worm hole' about 3" long along the outside edge. Is this because it was too hot? I had the logs close together in a bucket so that probably kept them warmer than if I had separated them. I'm ready to make more and I'd like to do it the same way but avoid the air pocket.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I have no idea Kathy but I do know my good friend has her pipes longer than me and is always fighting tiny holes in her soap that I do not get. The PVC incasing the soap like that is also going to make any fragrance that normally heats up, get crazy hot, so having PVC molds and being super long is likely going to be impossible to get to work correctly. There is also PVC that is thinner walled, my husband made a gal some ovals out of that, and I bet they don't heat up as much as that thick walled PVC does. I only do two soaps and both are essentail oils, so I don't have much experience. But with my big molds being out of this same material, there is no way I could cover my soap, it would insulate it so much it would overheat. Vicki


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## nightskyfarm (Sep 7, 2009)

That means you had 36" long tubes. Mine are half that at 16" much easier to work with and pour. Some do volcano up. If I see that starting to happen, I immediately place the tube in my fridge. I have a fridge with the racks out for that purpose.


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

I have 24" ones and I cut them in half. The longer they are the more heat they produce/hold in. I think it's harder to get the soap out too. I just shortened mine so after I make a bunch more soap we will see if I made the right choice.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Shortening and oils simply saponify, so you aren't really greasing your molds at all. Search the soap forum for the pressure valves you can screw on the ends of your molds, you can then touch an air compressor to the valve and literally shoot your soap out of your molds. It may be in the stickies under molds. Vicki


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

The hole you are seeing actually has to do with the cooling process. I forget how it works, but when I worked for a metals company, production has a hard time producing a large round billet; they would end up with a hole in it, not always all the way through, but a large portion of the length of it. It has to do with cooling and gases escaping.


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

Hmmm, okay then. I think they're actually closer to 40". I'm going to have him wack 10" off and only fill up to 28.5 inches this time. That will make 25 bars each. The size isn't hard for me to work with. The bars with the hole along the edge (ended up being 3 in each batch) will sell fast in my bargain bin and possibly hook a few more customers on my shaving soap in the process. LOL


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

I only do a few pvc soaps but I had to go with shorter tubes because to unmold I put in the freezer and the longer ones won't fit in my side by side. 

I couldn't do this if I was mass producing round soaps, but when I make my soaps in pvc I separate them and make sure they have good air flow around the whole log. I used to put them in a bucket and put ice packs in the bottom but they did not turn out very consistent like that. The tops would gel and the bottoms didn't. 

My daughter and I made a bunch of baby shower soaps in 2" pvc and none got holes and we did use fragrance rather than essential oils. If your fridge has space, you could put them in it for about 2 hours as soon as you are done pouring. I use fans now on all my soaps and set them so they have fans blowing on them until they start to cool at a couple of hours.


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