# Using poly tubing for rounds



## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

I used pvc for years but hated it. I just couldn't find an easy/hassle free way of getting the soap out of the pipe. With the poly tubing I just peel and toss when the soap is ready. I use 4.5" poly tubing on a roll. The 4.5" will give you a 3" wide soap. Very similar to the size you get with a pvc pipe. You can look at this link to see what I'm talking about. You can get different strengths of the poly tubing. Mine is 2 mil which has proven to be plenty strong. 

http://www.discountplasticbags.com/products/4.5%22-x-2150'-x-2-Mil-Clear-Poly-Tubing-(ET1%252d04520).html

My roll is a bit over 2000 feet long. I like the fact that I can have unlimited soaping sessions. I don't have to quit when I run out of molds. To use I pull off what I need and tie a knot at the end of the bag. I use my old pvc pipe and a large mouth canning funnel when I am filling the poly bags. Then I either leave the bag in the pipe or tie a knot at the top of the bag and hang out of the way somewhere. If you hang your bags there is some waste on the top and bottom where you will not get a full 3" soap. I'm fine with that as I can always use it for shreds, embeds or throw in my bargain bags.


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

IMG_4827 by Heritage Heather, on Flickr

Here's the bag hanging. For this I just poked the hook under the knot to hang. You can see what I mean by the waste with not having full 3" soaps all the way to the top. I have since learned to minimize this by cutting off a bag with enough extra plastic to twist the bag shut with as much air as I can get in the bag. The air pushes the sides out of the bag out. Twist tight, loop over and then secure with a rubber ban. You can leave enough of a loop you can still hang it.


ry=400 by Heritage Heather, on Flickr

The poly tubing works for loofahs too. Even if a loofah is very large I can squish it while dry and shove it in the tubing.


ry=400-1 by Heritage Heather, on Flickr

This is a picture I just happened to have. It may give you a little better idea of how I fill the tubing.


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## todog (Dec 10, 2011)

thats really neat Heather. on my pvc pipe molds i blow the soap out with the hubbies aircompresser. yesterday i shot a log clear off the table. :blush oops. :lol anyway, i like the pvc cause i can do any size and even ovals and just blow them out. dance:


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

I saw someone who did ovals with the tubing. After the soap has hardened she takes a board and evenly squishes the soap into an oval while still in the tubing. I haven't tried that yet.


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## jdranch (Jan 31, 2010)

When I make rounds I also use the bags- hate pvc!  I had so much waste at the top and bottom though- love you way to prevent some of that! Good share!


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## VickiLynne (Feb 8, 2008)

Faye,

Just to make sure I am seeing this right. Do you put the tubing in the PVC pipe then use a canning funnel to pour your soap batter in it? Do you then pull it out and hang it up?

Vicki/NC


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Excellent share, do you care if we sticky it at the top? Vicki


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## 2Sticks (Dec 13, 2007)

Heather,
What a marvelous idea !!! I'm really amazed by it and want to tell you "Thank You" for being kind enough to share your tecnique with all of us. It would be wonderful if Vicki could make a sticky out of this, it would be a great asset!


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

I have read about doing this over on the dish. The waste would bother me....but that's just me. LOL I wonder if you left the tubing in the pipe if you end up with any impressions of wrinkles in the plastic on the sides of the soap.


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

VickiLynne said:


> Faye,
> 
> Just to make sure I am seeing this right. Do you put the tubing in the PVC pipe then use a canning funnel to pour your soap batter in it? Do you then pull it out and hang it up?
> 
> Vicki/NC


Yep, that's how I do it. Then knot the end, pull it out and hang it.


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## VickiLynne (Feb 8, 2008)

Thanks Heather for being so generous in sharing this!

Vicki/NC


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## H Diamond Farms (Jun 3, 2011)

You could always just save up the waste ends and make a hodge podge rebatch.


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

Vicki McGaugh Tx Nubians said:


> Excellent share, do you care if we sticky it at the top? Vicki


I'm hardly the inventor of this but I think it would be good as a sticky. Gives people more options when looking to make round soaps.



Kalne said:


> I have read about doing this over on the dish. The waste would bother me....but that's just me. LOL I wonder if you left the tubing in the pipe if you end up with any impressions of wrinkles in the plastic on the sides of the soap.


 That is definitely one of the cons of using the poly tubing. You get more soap waste on the tops and bottoms of the log. There is also the fact that the tubing is one time use whereas the pvc pipe is used over and over again. I can make use of the soap waste so it's really not waste. It's either shredded for another soap or sold in my soap bargain bags.

When I leave the poly tubing in the pvc pipe I have to be careful of slouching. When the soap has thickened up I pull the bag up and bounce it a bit to make sure there's no big wrinkles or air pockets. There can be little wrinkles when left in the pipe but those really don't bother me at all.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

How long to you leave the soap in the bags? And how do you get the backs off the soap log?

I will clean up all the chatter on the thread and put it in the sticky. Vicki


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

Very cool!


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

Vicki McGaugh Tx Nubians said:


> How long to you leave the soap in the bags? And how do you get the backs off the soap log?
> 
> I will clean up all the chatter on the thread and put it in the sticky. Vicki


I leave the soap in the bag the same amount of time I leave it in my log molds. Usually I soap in the evenings and unmold/unbag everything in the morning. What do you mean by "get the backs off the soap log"?


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Sorry 

How do you get the tubing off the soap logs?


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

Vicki McGaugh Tx Nubians said:


> Sorry
> 
> How do you get the tubing off the soap logs?


 I cut the top off with scissors and then cut a slit down the side to get it started. Then I just peel it off.


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## Amanda Lee (Aug 20, 2008)

I have been away from soaping for awhile. My question is what is the tempature of your soap or rather how hot or cool can the soap batter be before going in the poly bag <question mark>


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## Faye Farms (Sep 14, 2009)

I soap everything on the cooler side. Room temp oils and lye. I have used FO's that are heaters and all of my soaps go through gel. Under normal soaping conditions and my regular recipe I have not had a problem with the bags. 

The only soap I had a problem with was an almost 100% coconut oil soap with a bit of Shea Butter in it. This recipe heats up insanely hot for me. I soaped this on purpose to see what the bags could handle. I can't soap this recipe in pvc because it always volcanos out of the tube. Anyways, it split the bag during gel. I did have the idea that when soaping recipes that get insanely hot (100% coconut is the only soap that gets this hot for me) there is no reason why you couldn't put the bag in a bucket of ice water.


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