# My PVC molds - Pics



## Sheryl

Okay, this will be my first time loading pics, hope they work. Yea! I did it! You will have to excuse my yucky looking cutting table. I use a lot of adhesive spray in my quilting, and it makes a mess and won't wash off!

This is my PVC mold rack. As you can see it holds (6) 3" molds, and (6) 2" molds










The molds laying on their side show the threaded end (which is the end that is up and I pour the soap in), and the open ends, and one with the cap on the end which will be the bottom. There are also the top caps to the side with the valve stems on them. They of course are threaded.










Close up of the threaded tops, top caps and bottom caps.










Close up of bottom with open ends and one capped end.










Close up of one of the 3" molds with the threaded cap on and the valve stem.










This is a close up of one of the caps that I blew out the valve stem. I hadn't figured out not to take the bottom cap off before pumping the air in and the soap out. The soap got stuck, and my bright idea was to go outside to the car port and hook it up to the air compressor. Ever heard of a soap bullet? Shot out of a PVC cannon? Trust me when I say it will scare the S**t out of you. Glad our hands weren't in the way. :rofl










I don't know why, but on the 3" ones I have to leave the bottom cap on when I pump the soap out. This keeps the seal, and builds pressure so the soap will come out. On the 2" molds, you take the bottom cap off and then pump the air in. You do have to do a good job of putting the mineral oil inside. I made my first luffas and they worked great. I was using an electric knife to cut them, but it was tearing them up, so I switched to a serated knife and it worked much better. The only problem I have with the round molds, is I haven't come up with a good way to cut them evenly. Need a cutter with a channel in it or something, or a tog cutter. :biggrin

I do like these molds. And I have some soaps that I still make in the loaf molds too.

Sheryl


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## Heavenly Angels

Sheryl, what do you mean by filling them with air? how do you do it?

Mary Lou


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## Sheryl

When the soap is firm enough to remove it from the mold, you put the treaded cap on that has the valve stem. Tighten it down, and connect a bicycle tire pump to the valve stem, and start pumping air into the top of the soap/mold. The air will build up pressure, and it will pop the end (bottom) cap off and you keep pumping to keep up the air pressure,and the soap will shoot out the mold. You want to make sure you have one hand on the soap log as it comes out or have someone there to hold it as it comes out so it doesn't fall and get damaged. Or have a long table so it can lay on the table as it comes out.

Sheryl


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## Heavenly Angels

OK I just read the other thread. :blush2 Sounds like a really cool idea!!!! Love the pictures!!

Mary Lou


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## Kalne

Oh I love your rack. I will have to show that to dh. He made me the end piece with the valve in it but I have yet to use it. I bought 'knock out' caps that are flat so the end is flat. But again, I have yet to try it. Now that I have a cust. asking for 3" round soap to fit his shaving mug I am going to get it back out in the next week or so.


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## Sheryl

When I thought I was going to do the pow wow, I was needing more molds. So, my sis was shearching the net for soap stuff and she saw the one on soapmaking supplies or something like that. It was much bigger and held more molds. I think it was a cart with wheels or something. Can't remember. Anyway, it was over one thousand dollars. She got the bright idea to have her dh and ds to make this for me. Isn't it cool. I just get the molds ready, make the soap, pour it in, and wait to unmold. Cool huh. :cool

The only problem you will have is #1 get enough mineral oil inside. #2 have a good tight seal on the bottom, or it will not build up air pressure to push the soap out. The first few I did on the 3" ones, I knocked the bottom cap off, then tried to build up air pressure. The air would leak out around the sides of the soap, so no pressure, no soap coming out. If it leaks around the threads at the top, just take some plastic wrap like you wrap food in, fold it up, and put it around the threads like that white plumbers tape, then screw the cap back on. It should seal it so the air pressure will build up and pop the soap out.

Sheryl


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## Caprine Beings

Very jealous here Sheryl! I still have to get some of those and may steal your plan How wonderful. Tammy


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## Linda Carney

Thanks for showing us Sheryl! What a wonderful set up you have! My molds in a bucket are purely primitive in comparison... When I showed my husband he just rolled his eyes! I guess that means that this project is mine to do. How did you put the shrader valve into the cap? Drill hole and use PVC glue? --Linda


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## Sondra

Linda Sheryl didn't do it


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## Sheryl

My sis told me that they drilled the hole...I'll have to ask what size drill bit they used. And used a two piece valve like you put on a tire. It screwed together. One piece went through the inside out,and the other piece screwed together with it from the outside. I can get more detailed info from her if you wish. :biggrin

They are great. The first few times I wanted to pull my hair out until I discovered the issue of taking the cap off the 2" ones to pump the air in from the top, and not taking the cap off the 3" ones, and if air is leaking from the tread ed caps, just put the plastic food wrap on their like Teflon tape. Works great....unless you forget the mineral oil :/

PS I posted these pics in case any of you want to make your own. :biggrin

PSS. I don't know what I'd do without the rack!!!

Sheryl


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## Sondra

5 gal bucket holds the pvc tubes just fine course not as many


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## Linda Carney

It is true that I can get 4 molds into a 5 gallon bucket. I haven't been soaping all that long so I don't have a lot of experience with the process. I know that I have read that some people don't let their soap gel and theirs turns out very pretty. Others say it looks so much better if it goes through gel. 

I am not sure what the insulation from the pipe does to the soap while it is saponifying. Sometimes there is a bubble that rises from the tube -- when that happens there are caverns in the top 4-5 inches of soap. I just wonder how a soap rack like Sheryl has might perform -- does it keep the soap cooler. I just hate losing any of the soap and just might make a rack to see if isolation alone might help my problem. --Linda


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## Sondra

am thinking and of course don't know this for sure but bet your pouring at too thick trace when getting the air bubbles


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## Carolyn

Thanks for the pictures--you should have seen DD1 try to get the soap out of a pvc section the first time ROFL---she hasn't done too many more using pvc. This will make things much easier-- Carolyn


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## shawhee

I used the pvc too. I poured and tamped and did not have too much trouble with bubbles. I would think pour a little hotter and see if that works. I popped mine in the freezer and they came out pretty well. But I did have a tussle with one - lordy it was funny trying to push the soap out, and tell hubby to not bust open the can I had shoved in the end to push the soap out with..... :lol After talking to Sheryl and seeing hers - I think I will have to try her idea. 

Shawna


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## laughter777

So I wonder (with logs you can use a miter box), how do you cut your round soap logs?? I guess the right size miter box might work....but my mind can't picture it! lol


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## Sheryl

Well it's not easy. I put the round log in the miter box, put a tiny nick in each side of the log and try to eyeball it and cut. some come out straight, some some crooked :/ I just cut real slow.


Sheryl


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## MiaBella Farm

I use a Tank and get perfect 1" bars everytime!

http://www.forcraftssake.com/shop/i..._id=10&zenid=62a1d22f4b04639338517e70e2e8af77


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## carlidoe

Oh my gosh!!! Thank you SOOO much for sharing this! I haven't wanted to spend the $$$ on molds so I have been using 13x9'' cake pans. I'm headed to the hardware store now  Thanks again!


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## Sheryl

I do have to use the air compressor to get them out, and I usually have to stuff a walmart bag down inside the top, to seal it off, so that air pressure will build up and pop the soap out the other end.


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## Nana

Thank you for the idea. I made my own and am trying them out now. How long do you wait to take them out of the PVC pipe?


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## Nana

I waited 3 days and used the air compressor with the caps on for the 3 inch molds. They sure came out nice. Thanks again they are wonderful. I need to work on getting them perfectly uniform. I put the log on end in a small bowl and then sliced across the top of the bowl with a large blade. They were pretty even but I had to keep cleaning the bowl as soap built up in it. I made the PVC pipes 18 inches long and luckily my recipe filled 5 of them at a time. 118 bars of soap at a crack. Pretty cool. How thick do you cut yours. Mine are just about 1 inch.


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## In it for the Bucks!

Sheryl,
I know this was posted a really long time ago but I was wondering how long are each of the "molds" and how much soap do they hold?? I am planning on making these really soon but I am very afraid that I eaither will not have enough and will resort back to my old silacone molds (which means more for the fam and friends lol) or that I will go crazy and have WAY too many for the amount of soap I make.  Thanks


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## NubianSoaps.com

Just go to home depot or lowes and have them cut you 3 inch PVC pipes into 20 inch lengths, you really don't want them longer than this. Get end caps for them, don't bother spending the extra money on flat ones the rounded end ones are cheaper and work fine. Just pour your normal recipe, unlike other molds if you don't fill the third one all the way up it doesn't ruin your soap making it to narrow or tall to cut. I only use them for loofah soaps, so can't help with how much they hold. I make a 5 gallon bucket filled with soap, it's my castile EO herbed up soap, so I pour regular bars and then fill as many tubes as I have soap left.


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## informative

I used pringles cans on two of the last three batches but they are single use (and we quit eating pringles) - I like the round shape and how you can cut thicker or thinner bars from a round stick of freshly made soap - this looks much more durable and lasting - I may skip the air pressure thing and just make a round plastic puck on a stick for pushing them out haven't decided. If you have the pucks on both ends should be easy enough to simply put the open pvc with soap on top and pull it down to eject the soap. If it doesnt work as well as I imagine I will fall back to the bicycle pump idea


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