Calculating The Size Of Your Mold
Even before I had actually made my first batch of soap, I started seeing everyday objects as possible soap molds. I’m not alone and believe that every soaper has this affliction. We’ve all heard of the ever popular Martha Molds which are actually drawer dividers. Martha Molds are no longer being manufactured and soapers had to find something to replace them. The answer? IKEA’s 9 Drawer Mini Chest. Looking at the image you may not see soap molds, but take the drawers out and that’s exactly what you have. 9 new soap molds that hold approximately 32 ounces of oil. When you do find an unconventional object that you want to make soap in - how do you figure the amount of oils necessary to fill it?
The Soapers Market has an excellent online mold size calculator that will calculate the amount of oils needed for both rectangular and round molds. You can also easily figure the calculation for yourself using the following formula:
Length x Width x (desired)Height x .4
This formula is a must if you want to calculate the actual dimensions of your bars.
Happy Soaping!
Edit: Sade, a regular reader of this blog, gently reminded me that many of you use metrics. Thanks Sade!
length (cm) x width(cm) x height (cm) x 0.657 = grams of base oils to use (approx.)
Sade Says:
Or if you use metric, as one should use because it’s more precise *cough*, the formula goes like this (after some math):
length (cm) x width(cm) x height (cm) x 0.657 = grams of base oils to use (approx.)
Or what is the same, you can measure the volume in ml (fill the mold with water, transfer to a measuring jug), and multiply that volume by the same number, 0.657
I just bought one of those Ikea drawer chests, but it’s not going to be used for soap!
Posted on April 29th, 2008 at 7:23 am
Marr Williams Says:
They are nice. At that price you could buy two!
Thanks for the metric calculations. I didn’t think of that!
Posted on April 29th, 2008 at 9:46 am
Smelly Chick’s Online Soapmaking Resource » Lining Your Molds With Silicone Caulk Says:
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