# Kelsei "Vicki" Molds



## VickiLynne (Feb 8, 2008)

Ladies,

Can someone who uses the Kelsei's "Vicki" mold, please tell me what is the tallest you can make the bars? According to their website, the width of the logs is 3.75 right? Length of logs is 18.5 right? But what is the most you can fill the mold?

Thanks,

Vicki/NC


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## Lynn_Theesfeld (Feb 21, 2010)

I fill it with a 4lb batch per section. (oils come out to 4lbs) and it fills it to the top. Each section makes "me" 15 bars of soap. 

Lynn


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## VickiLynne (Feb 8, 2008)

Lynn,

What are the size of your bars then? I guess that is what I'm trying to figure out. 

Thanks,

Vicki/NC


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

If you fill the molds with 192 ounces of butters and oils it makes bars that are, 2 and 1/4 inches tall and 3 and 2/3rds (is that between 1/2 and 3/4?) the width of your bar depends upon how heavy you want you bars, mine are big cured 6 ounces so I cut at 1 and 1/2 inches. If you cut at 1 inch, you get pretty normal sized bars. 

The beauty of this mold is that if you then cut at 1 inch you get this size bar for single pours, in the pot swirls, embeds etc......but pour 1 inch of soap into the mold you get exactly the same size bars, you simply just cut them 2 and 1/4 inch or so, to have soaps with pretty textured tops, swirls, etc... So it works as a slab mold and a log mold also.

Just do it one time and you will get it. It does mean 2 cutters one set at 1 inch (or whatever you choose, the other set at 2 and 1/4 inches.

A log mold is poured to the top, so the top of your pour is the side of your soap.
A slab mold is poured a few inches deep, so the top of your pour is the top of your soap.
Both of these things can be done with this mold.


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## VickiLynne (Feb 8, 2008)

Thank you ladies for your information. The Kelsei molds are on sale right now and wanted to know if it was going to serve my needs before making the investment.

Vicki/NC


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Also do not buy the liners, which will save you money. I simply buy the Foodservice Film from Sams, the big 3000 feet one, it fits the molds perfectly. I pop the bottom off, line the mold, put the bottom on with a white rubber hammer (a black one mars up the molds). I never have to use the lag bolts they are so well put together, I have also never take the sides apart. Make sure and keep the sides with the bottom mold, since they are made in a jig togethers those parts fit each other only. I color code mine with finernail polish, you will note the little arrow or the stamped "up", these two, one stamped on the mold bottom one stamped on the side, go together, I just dab some fingernail polish on those two places. After I unmold the soap, I put them back together with the film....someone on here warned once that left apart they can warp....so I don't take the chance with our heat here and keep them together all the time. I pour at night and unmold in the morning, taking a flat scre driver with the mold upside down, pressing it into the little slot they make for this, it pops the bottom off the mold, rip off the film and throw it away.....I then run a small paring knife along the sides and the mold inserts, so I can unmold about 12 hours later....some recipes if you use them will release after about 24 hours, I don't have enough molds to do this. By using a knife I also have clean molds I rarely have to wash. Vicki


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## Dorit (Apr 20, 2011)

Being lazy has paid off for me. I stopped washing my mold. For build up soap I first scrape with a plastic food scraper. Then I just wipe clean, I think it 'seasons' it like a cast iron pot. Once I was in a hurry and discovered that I can unmold as soon as it is no longer hot, maybe 5-6 hours later. Just gently push the log down or pull one end of the divider and push opposite end and work it out. Dorit


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## Dorit (Apr 20, 2011)

Where did you find a white rubber mallet?


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Lowes.


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

I use the "Vicki" molds and never have to use a knife around the edges. I just start at the right-side end and gently push down. I take off the plastic and then put it back over the soap so there are no finger prints. As long as it's firm enough, it pushes out cleanly. Sometimes I just remove the bottom and then wait a while to push them out. Either works fine. I did have two bottoms that warped, but I've kept using them and the one is now fine and the other is getting better due to the heat of the soap and stacking more full molds on top of it it is "unwarping".


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Anita do you mind sharing your recipe with the gals, I know mine sticks, and I don't share it anyway. Thanks, Vicki


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## Anita Martin (Dec 26, 2007)

I've used several different recipes with good results. My batches are 113oz of oils. I used to use a modified version of the walmart recipe, with 60+oz of coconut oil and no lard, but that seemed to be too much coconut oil and made me a little dry and itchy after using it. I now use only about 30 oz of coconut oil, but have used as little as 15 oz and the soap still came out okay. My other oils right now are just a few oz of olive and mostly canola oil because I got so much for free. In the past I've used soybean oi/vegetable oil and others oils with the same result. At first I did have an issue with sticking, but after awhile I was able to flip the mold over, remove the plastic liner (I am using plastic garbage bags now...the same sheet over and over until it gets a hole), and then starting at one end, push down... it can be dangerous to the wrist though. One time I pushed down without the plastic under my hand and the edge of the mold cut my wrist pretty bad. 

I still do have a problem getting the soaps out though when I want to fill the molds to the top. When I flip the mold over, there is no space under the soap to push it out, but I need to get that figured out so I can do some fancy embedds. Normally for embedds I have to switch to a couple of log molds I have but the soaps are different sizes and that creates a problem for shipping in the small flat rate boxes. 

But, as far as the recipe, I think I could probably use any recipe and still be able to push the soap out. I've used various butters such as cocoa and shea in a lot of my soaps and that doesn't make a difference either. The one thing I did find was that not gelling my soaps created an issue with cutting. The soaps would still come out okay, but cutting them was a nightmare, and I don't think they lathered as well nor got as hard as quickly, so I stack and gel now and the problem was solved....I really do like the creamy look of ungelled soap, but that's just the way it is I guess. I thought for a while that it was my recipe so I went back to my original recipe and saw the same sticking while cutting problem. Then one day I accidentally gelled a batch of soap and what do you know, I had no problem with it sticking to the cutter at all!


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