Soap Loaf Cutter For Slabs? The 128 Correct Answer

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crumble biscuits; Soap shouldn’t. But sometimes when cutting soap, it crumbles. This can be frustrating when you are making handmade soap bars or have a large bar of soap that needs to be cut into smaller pieces. What Causes Homemade Soap to Crumble? Can we prevent this at all? We’ll go over how to cut a bar of soap without crumbling it. We’ll also look at different ways you can prevent crumbling, as well as a few different ways to cut your soap.

Cutting soap at the right time (just after demoulding) should be easy to work with, but some pieces are tougher than others. If your soap is crumbling, there’s a reason for it, and we’ll cover the main reasons below.

Or if you’re hoping to cut a large block of store-bought soap into convenient travel-size bars, we’ll cover that too.

Let’s dive in!

Reasons for crumbly homemade soap and how to fix it

If your soap crumbles easily, there could be several reasons.

Waiting too long to cut

The first reason is the age of your batch of soap or how long it has been since you demolded and cut it into chunks. If you’ve waited a while to make some cuts (e.g. several days or even weeks), chances are there is too much drying time before cutting.

Tip: Try to unmold and cut the soap when it is solid. This is generally between 24 and 48 hours after watering. For safety when cutting cold process soap, wear a pair of gloves in case the soap is not fully saponified. If you demold your soap too quickly, soda can develop.

Caustic Soap

Crumbly soap can be a sign of excess suds in your soap (which is why it’s always a good idea to put on gloves the first time you handle soap!).

Tip: Test the pH of your soap to make sure it’s not caustic. If it’s caustic, don’t throw it away just yet – you can refill the soap. Remember to wear a pair of gloves! Crush or grate your soap into small pieces and re-melt the soap in a slow cooker. In the book Making Soap by Kathrin Landmann, she suggests adjusting your mix as needed by adding extra oil or liquid. Yogurt or cottage cheese are two suggestions to add to your soap batter to make it smoother.

Lathering in cooler temperatures

Combining the lye mixture and oils in temperatures below 100 degrees F could contribute to crumbling soap.

Tip: Try lathering in slightly warmer temperatures, between 43 and 49 degrees Celsius.

Oils that don’t completely melt when combined

When melting oils, make sure you thoroughly melt all oils to a liquid state. Some oils like palm oil take longer to fully melt than other oils. If it is not completely melted, separation of the stearic acids can occur.

Tip: Take your time to slowly mix and melt all of the oils before combining them with your lye mixture.

Blunt cutting tool

Not the sharpest knife in the drawer…sometimes it comes down to what kind of knife or cutter you’re using and if it’s sharp enough.

Tip: avoid serrated knives (which can cause soap to crumble) and always use a sharp blade.

Some fragrance oils

Some fragrance oils do not play well. In these cases, the fragrance oil you added to the soap may have affected the texture and consistency of your soap mix.

Tip: Read lots of reviews before spending money on fragrance oils. It’s sometimes difficult to pinpoint exactly why a soap has crumbled, but if you read reviews of other artisans who have used the same scented oil and they’ve had problems too, chances are that’s what’s causing your problem.

Credit: Yay Pictures

Homemade Soap Tips: How to cut a bar of soap without crumbling it

Let’s take a look at a few different ways you can cut homemade soap without splitting or crumbling.

With handmade soap, the first most important step is cutting at the right time: usually within 24-48 hours of pouring. If you’ve followed your recipe correctly and haven’t forgotten any oils, your cutting methods will help prevent crumbling.

Cutting tools and methods

There are so many different ways to cut a loaf of homemade soap. You can buy soap cutters or go the DIY route and use items you have at home.

Soap Wire Cutter: A store-bought soap wire cutter is the Cadillac of cutting tools and is probably worth every penny if you plan on making a lot of soap. Simply place a whole loaf of soap on the base, line it up correctly and lower the wire from top to bottom. Presto – You’ll have 9-12 straight-cut bars of soap in no time.

Soap Cutting Box: This is a wooden box with built-in notches that allow you to cut your soap evenly. You will need a spatula to fit through the slots as most knife blades are too thick.

Knife: Sometimes with softer soaps, you need to work with a thinner, smaller knife to prevent sticking. It is important to choose the right knife. The best knives are sharp, toothless, and have a flat surface (with little taper). Most sharp chef’s knives work well. If your soap crumbles a lot when you cut it with a knife, you can try slightly warming up the blade (see Knife warming method below).

Cheese Wire: If you have cheese wire handy at home, it works well for just as easily cutting through a loaf of soap, cheese.

Miter saw and dough scraper: If you already have a miter saw at home, this can also serve as a soap cutter. To protect the bottom of your soap, place a small piece of cardboard underneath that will make it easier to slide.

Tip: If you’re cutting soap freely (without the help of a cutting wire or cutting box), try using a ruler to make multiple nicks or notches in the places you want to cut. Position your hands and eyes just above the cut for a straight down cut. Don’t worry if your soap isn’t perfectly even – it adds to its rustic look.

Store-bought Soap: How to cut a bar of soap without crumbling it

The question of how to cut store-bought soap is a surprisingly common question. Maybe you’re preparing for a trip and want your bars to fit nicely in a travel case. Or maybe your mom got you a giant bar of triple mill soap.

The key to cutting store-bought soap without crumbling it is to use a sharp knife and apply heat.

You can either heat the soap in the microwave for a few seconds or heat the blade of the knife.

microwave method

You need:

cutting board

Sharp, imperforate knife

soap

gloves (optional)

Microwave proof plate

Place your bar of soap on a microwave-safe plate. Heat for 5 seconds. Turn the bar of soap over and heat the other side for 5 seconds. Repeat the process until your bar of soap is slightly warm to the touch. Place your heated soap on a cutting board. Position your knife where you want to cut and press down firmly. Store your cut soap in travel size containers or small bags.

knife heating method

You need:

Sharp, imperforate knife

A kettle with boiling water

A wide, shallow and heat-resistant bowl to dip your knife into

cutting board

Clean tea towel

Boil water in a kettle. Pour hot water into a heatproof shallow bowl. Immerse the blade of the knife for a few minutes until warm. Gently wipe the blade dry with a clean tea towel (the blade will get hot!). Place the bar of soap on a cutting board. Position your knife where you want to cut and press down firmly. Store your cut soap in travel size containers or small bags.

Conclusion

When homemade soap crumbles, it often has to do with problems that arose during the soap-making process, such as too much suds, cold temperatures when lathering, incorrectly melted oils, an annoying fragrance oil, or waiting too long before cutting. If you have trouble cutting a store-bought bar of soap, use a sharp knife and the application of heat to prevent crumbling.

References:

Landmann, Kathrin (2017). make soap. Edition Michael Fischer, p. 56. ISBN 978-1-78221-623-0. Soap Queen, Soapy Mess-Up Quick Guide, https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/soapy-mess-quick-guide/#:~:text=Crumbly% 20soap,by%20soaping%20with%20cooling%20temperatures. Accessed May 2021. Green Coin, Perfectly Posh: How to cut BIG Chunk Bars, https://greencoin.life/how-to/cut/a-bar-of-soap-without-it-crumbling/. Accessed May 2021.

Soap making is an art form AND a science. It requires accurate measurement of the properly selected ingredients to initiate the saponification process. Temperature and time also play a role in the chemical reaction between caustic soda, water and oils. Due to its precise nature, errors are inevitable. I’ve experienced many soaping mistakes and am still learning new soaping tricks. Soap mistakes happen to all of us! Fortunately, there are methods to prevent and fix these errors.

Below are some of the most common soap errors and ways to fix them. Many of these fixes involve re-batching the soap, which involves melting the soap with a small amount of additional liquid. To see this process in action, watch this Soap Queen TV video. Also, be sure to check out the Tips & Tricks section of the blog for a variety of in-depth posts on these soap problems.

Lye heavy soap

If soap is made with too much lye, it is said to be “lye-heavy”. That is, there is additional, free-floating lye that was not made into soap during the saponification process. Lye soap can be irritating when applied to the skin and should not be used or sold. Lye soap often feels crumbly or dry. If you’re worried about your soap containing caustic, read this blog post to test the pH with strips, kohl, or even your tongue.

The soap on the left contains caustic; The pH was tested using the red cabbage method shown in this post.

How to fix it:

Once soap has gone through the saponification process, it cannot be reversed. But don’t throw away your caustic soap! Lye soap can be made into laundry soap. Clothing is not as delicate and sensitive as our skin and is not affected by the additional suds in the soap. In fact, soap with little to no excess fat is recommended for use in the laundry. Click here to learn how to turn your caustic soap into usable laundry soap.

soft soap

Most recipes require the soap to remain in the mold for 2-3 days. If the soap is still soft after 7-14 days, it is unlikely to become hard. Soft, mushy soap can be caused by several factors. One reason may be that too little lye was used in the recipe. If the soap contains too little lye, the oils will not saponify. Another reason for soft soap is that there weren’t enough hard oils or butters (like coconut oil, palm oil, or cocoa butter). Soaps made with only soft oils can take an extremely long time to demould (e.g. castile soap). Too much water in a recipe can also result in a soft bar of soap.

Adding sodium lactate to lye water helps make soaping harder, faster. The soap on the right does not contain sodium lactate, but the soap on the left does.

How to fix: To speed up the demolding process for an extremely soft recipe, use sodium lactate in the lye water at a level of 1 tsp. per pound of oil. Click here to learn more about sodium lactate. If the soap has stayed in shape for more than 2 weeks and is still extremely soft, it most likely will not set. At this point the soap can be used as is, although it won’t last very long and the lather may be missing. If too much water has been used, refilling the soap can help boil off the excess liquid.

If you’ve already made your soap and it doesn’t come out of the mold, place the mold in the freezer for 24 hours and then gently try to loosen the soap. Some soaps can take weeks to demould depending on a variety of factors, so you may just have to wait.

Cracking tops/ overheating

High temperature lathering (140°F and above) will cause the top of the soap to crack. The heat causes the soap to expand so much that it can crack (see below). This is much more likely if the soap recipe contains high levels of hard oils and butters such as cocoa butter, shea butter, and mango butter. Soaps that contain added sugar (e.g. milk) are also more likely to break down, as demonstrated by the coconut milk soap below.

How to fix it: If the top of the soap cracks, it may be possible to cut off the cracked portion of the soap. This depends on the shape of the bars and the design. You can also spray freshly cracked but cooled soap with rubbing alcohol, cover the crack with plastic wrap, and gently rub the crack. This minimizes the cracked appearance and helps glue the two sides back together. Another option is to re-dose the soap. The extra moisture from the rebatch process can help create a smoother bar. Using cool soap temperatures prevents cracking, especially when making milk soap. Placing the soap in the fridge or freezer can also help prevent cracking.

Incorrect amount of fragrance oil

Using the wrong amount of fragrance oil will result in an over- or under-scented bar. If too much fragrance oil is used, the soap could irritate more sensitive skin. Depending on the skin tolerance of the fragrance oil, you may need to turn the soap into laundry soap. Or maybe you just have an overly scented bar. This depends on each fragrance and its specific usage rate guidelines. Luckily, soap that contains the wrong amount of fragrance oil is often fine! Some people prefer heavily scented soaps and others prefer unscented products.

How to fix: The only way to add more fragrance oil to a soap that’s already been made is to re-dose the batch. If the soap is underscented, add more fragrance oil once the soap has reached the texture of mashed potatoes during the rebatch process. If the soap is overly perfumed, this is a good time to use any leftover soap or soap refills you may have on hand. Adding unscented or lightly scented soap during rebatching will help soften the scent in the final product. The Bramble Berry Fragrance Oil Calculator makes the process easy to ensure accurate fragrance oil usage! Check out this blog post for step-by-step instructions on how to use the Scent Calculator.

Too much dye

If too much dye is used in the soap, the soap can cause color to foam. A little dye goes a long way, especially when using black dyes like black oxide and brick red oxide. Soap that contains too much dye is safe to use on the body, but can potentially stain washcloths. In the Black, White, and Gold All Over Cold Process tutorial (below), the black oxide gives the soap a slightly gray lather. It is completely harmless but can be undesirable.

How to fix it: Once the soap has been made, the only way to “fix” this is to chop the soap into confetti or chunks and embed the overcolored soap in other batches of soap, like in this confetti soap tutorial. Typically, a diluted dye will help prevent adding too much color. For cold processing, add 1 teaspoon of oxide to 1 tablespoon of a carrier oil such as sweet almond or olive oil and mix well with a mini blender. Begin adding the color to your soap, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until the desired color is achieved. Adding the color in small increments will help avoid using too much dye. For more info on coloring your soap (including how to melt and pour) check out this Talk it Out Tuesday: Colorants post.

Tear/Grab

Cracking and seizing are usually caused by fragrance oils. Rice is formed when an ingredient in the fragrance oil combines with some of the harder oil components in the recipe to form small, hard, rice-shaped clumps (shown at left). Seizing is when the soap becomes extremely thick and unworkable fairly quickly (see right). Check out the Soap Behaving Badly blog post for more information on ricing, confiscation, speeding, and disconnection.

The snatch is shown on the left, and the grab is demonstrated on the right.

Here’s how to fix it: To avoid cracking and seizing, make sure your fragrance oils have been cold soap tested (good news, all Bramble Berry fragrance oils are thoroughly soap tested!). Fragrance oils not suitable for cold soap are the most common reason for cracking and seizing. If you notice rice formation, the lumps can often be stirred out of the batter. Note that further bar mixing can result in an extremely thick trace. Seizure is a harder problem to fix. Once the soap has set, there is no way to bring it back to a liquid texture. Just pour the soap into the mold and be prepared for an extremely hot gel phase; Confiscation and hot soap go hand in hand. If the soap is fresh (less than 24 hours old), the Hot Process Hero technique is a great way to salvage your batch.

Glycerin dew (aka: sweating)

This problem is unique to soap melting and pouring. Glycerin is a natural humectant and is added during the soap melting and pouring manufacturing process. When melt and pour soap is left outdoors, glycerin draws moisture from the air and onto the soap. The result is the appearance of moisture, tears, sweating or dewdrops on the melt and cast.

How to fix it: To avoid glycerin dew, allow the melt to cool and pour out completely in the mold. Wrap the soap in plastic wrap immediately after removing it. This will prevent the soap from coming into contact with the moisture in the air. If you live in a humid climate, a dehumidifier can be helpful. For more tips on avoiding glycerin dew, see this blog post.

air bubbles

When hand blending, air bubbles can get trapped in the soap mass. Air bubbles do not affect the quality of the soap, but they are an aesthetic problem. Soap that contains air bubbles will have small lumps or bumps in the soap as shown below. Read more about air bubbles in this blog post.

How to fix: Unfortunately, there is no way to remove air bubbles after the soap has been made, other than by rebatching or using the Hot Process Hero Technique. Luckily, air bubbles are easy to avoid. Pour the lye water over the head of the hand blender to avoid any spills. As you insert the hand blender into the oils, “burp” the hand blender by tapping the bottom of your container with the blender. Continue tapping the hand blender each time it is inserted into the soapy batter (see above). Once the soap has been poured into the mold, tap the mold firmly on the counter to release any more bubbles that may be trapped in the batter.

glycerin rivers

Glycerin flows can occur when glycerin in cold process soap gets too hot and solidifies. This causes the glycerin to form “rivers” or glycerin bands in the soap. Glycerin flows are slightly transparent and clear. Glycerin flows are more likely to occur in soap containing oxides, particularly titanium dioxide. To learn more about glycerin flows and how to avoid them, read this blog post.

Glycerin flows are everywhere in this soap made with titanium dioxide and high temperatures.

How to Fix It: The good news is that glycerin flows are cosmetic only and do not affect the quality of the soap. To avoid glycerin flows, lower your soaping temperatures and/or also lower the amount of water in your soap. Placing the soap in the fridge or freezer to prevent the gel phase also prevents glycerin flows.

Crumbly soap

Soap with a dry, crumbling texture could be caused by too much lye in your recipe. If your soap has a crumbly texture, make sure it’s not lye-heavy. If pH is a concern, the crumbly texture could also be caused by cool temperature soaps. Cool lathering (100°F or less) can increase the likelihood of soda ash. Soda usually occurs on top of the soap. If soda is deep in the bar, it can result in a crumbly texture. Another cause of crumbling soap is the splitting off of stearic acids in oils, especially palm oil.

How to fix: Lathering at around 120°F or higher will help reduce the chance of deep soda ash in your bar. To avoid splitting off stearic acids, be sure to melt the entire container with palm oil before adding it to your soap. Like all oils, palm oil consists of various fatty acids. These fatty acids melt at different temperatures. If a portion of palm oil is melted, it may not contain all of the necessary fatty acids that your soap needs. The heat-resistant plastic bags make it easy to melt your palm oil; You can also find tips on cooking the pouches in this blog post.

soda

Soda ash is formed by minute amounts of unsaponified caustic coming into contact with carbon dioxide in the air. Although harmless, soda ash will leave a white film on the soap. Soda is an aesthetic issue most commonly caused by temperature. To learn more about what causes and removes soda, read this blog post.

How to fix it: Fortunately, soda ash is easy to remove. Steaming the top of the soap is an extremely effective way to remove soda. In addition, you can simply “wash off” the soda with cold water (click here to learn how). To avoid soda ash, increase the temperature of your lye and oils to 120°F-140°F. Forcing soap into the gel phase is a great way to avoid soda ash! Making a slight water cut in your recipe and spraying the top of the newly made soap with 99% isopropyl alcohol every 15 to 20 minutes for the first hour will also prevent soda ash.

DOS (Dreaded Orange Spots)

Dreaded orange stain, also known as: DOS, is usually caused by rancid oils or butter in your soap. DOS usually appears a few weeks or months after the soap is made. DOS looks just like it sounds… orange or rust colored stains on your soap. These stains can appear in one area of ​​the soap or anywhere. Soap with DOS can also develop an unpleasant odor.

Dreaded orange stains can appear anywhere on the soap as shown above.

How to fix: Soap with DOS is not unsafe to use, but it may look or smell unpleasant. To avoid DOS, be sure to use fresh oils and butter. If you are curious about the shelf life of common soap oils, read this blog post. Place your oils and butters in the freezer to extend their shelf life. Soap with a high excess fat content of 5% or more is more likely to develop DOS, as is soap in a high humidity climate. Click here to learn more about how to prevent DOS.

Is there a soapy mess you’d like more clarification on? I would love to write a blog post about it! See the blog posts below for more information on soap sludge

oops and how to avoid them:

Formulation of cold process soap recipes

Dealing with dreaded orange stains

The river is deep: an explanation of the glycerine flows

Soap behaves badly

All olive oils are not created equal

Explaining and Preventing Soda Ash

“Why did my soap turn brown?”

Hot trial hero

Aug! What is all that about my soap? (glycerin dew)

If it doesn’t work the first time, soap up again!

by Catherine Failor of Milky Way Moulds

When it comes to cutting soap into bars, most small soap makers are faced with two choices: laborious hand carving or purchasing expensive pre-made cutters. But in a very short time, you can create your own custom soap cutter for $50 or less. This simple but effective cutter can cut up to 1,000 perfectly square and even bars per hour!

NEW: Read Michael McAuley’s tips for determining your soap cutter size

Materials needed:

• 4ft x 4ft. Sheet of plywood, at least 5/8″ thick

• 4ft x 4ft. Formica sheet

• 24 feet of 2×2 inch fir

• 8 feet. from 2x4in. fir

• 3-4 dozen wood or drywall screws, 1-1/2″ long

• 4-5 dozen wood or drywall screws, 2-1/2″ long

• 2 dozen small metal washers, 3/8″

• Hex Carriage Bolts (number of bolts depends on number of cutting wires – read below to determine your specific requirements)

• Medium gauge guitar wire or 20-22 gauge music wire

• 1 pint contact cement

preliminary considerations

Look at the finished cutter on the right. Basically, your soap cutter resembles the capital L. The soap block is first pushed down a length of the L where wires cut the soap lengthwise. The slab is then fed into the other leg of the L where the bars are cut to their finished widths. The size of this L depends entirely on the size of your soap plate.

For example, if you pour your soap into a 12″ wide and 18″ long tray, the long leg of the L is 18 x 2 = 36 inches (to accommodate the lengths of the pre-cut and post-cut soap bars). Add an additional 8 inches to that 36 inches to accommodate the 2 x 2 fir “rim” of the cutter and provide additional room for your panel to move. So for an 18″ long soap slab, one leg of the L needs to be about 44 inches long. For the width of this first L-leg, add 12 inches (the width of the board) plus 3 inches (the width of the two 2×2s at the edges), then add an extra inch for “slack”. That’s 16 inches wide. The length and width of the second leg of the L is 18 inches width (length of the soap plate) plus 3 inches (two 2×2 along the edge of the cutter); Add an extra inch for sag. Finished width is 22 inches. The length of this L segment is a maximum of 14-15 inches – that’s the width of the plate plus a few extra inches of play.

procedure

1. After considering the above factors and then customizing them to your own specific soap board, measure and cut your plywood to the appropriate size. (Fig. 1)

2. Cut the Formica into an L using the same measurements. You don’t need any special tools to score Formica; A utility knife will do. Hold a ruler or T-square along the line you want to cut and carefully but firmly score it several times with the knife. With slight pressure, it snaps along this line.

3. Following the instructions on the contact cement container, spread the cement over the surfaces of the formica and plywood, allow to dry until tacky, then press together. Make sure all warps are smoothed out. If the formica hangs over the edge of the plywood, saw or file it down. (Fig. 2)

4. Now cut the 2 x 2’s that will form the “edge” of the cutter. You will need pairs of four different lengths (4 lengths for the top of the cutter, 4 identical lengths for the bottom). These 2×2 will be attached to the sides of the L, but both ends of the L will be left open so the soap will feed in at one end and exit out the other.

5. Starting with the Formica faced top, countersink 1 1/2 inch screws and attach the 2×2’s to the bottom of the plywood. To avoid cracking the formica, pre-drill small holes before countersinking the screws. (Fig. 3)

6. Attach the other set of four 2×2’s to the top of the cutter with 2 1/2 inch screws. (Fig. 4)

7. Now cut four blocks, 2″x 4″x 8″. These form the “sidebars” that attach to the sides of the cutter. The 2 cross bars are finally screwed onto these side bars.

8. Next, cut two crossbars with 2×4″ lumber. The length of these will depend on the size of your soap cutter. Referring to the example given under Preliminary Considerations, the width of one L-leg was 16 inches and the width of the other was 22 inches. Add 3 inches to each of these measurements to get the length of both crossbars. Your two crossbars will consequently measure 19 inches and 25 inches.

9. Using a straight ruler or T-square, draw a line lengthwise down the center of both crossbars. The guide holes for the wire are drilled along this line. The spacing for the wire holes depends entirely on the size you cut your sticks. For the hypothetical soap slab measuring 12 × 18 inches, let’s assume that the slab is cut into 2 × 3 inch bars. So when the soap slab is slid down the long, narrow neck of the L-shaped cutter, five wires cut the slab into six 2 inch wide strips. These strips are then slipped through five wires on the other leg of the L, dividing the strips into six 3-inch rods. The 12×18 inch plate therefore yields 36 bars.

Now back to the crossbars.

The line drawn on the 19″ crossbar is scored in pencil at 2″ intervals. But first, mark an “X” on one end; This is the end that will rest over the outside edge of the cutter (the edge your soap slab always follows). For the first of the five wire holes, measure five inches from the “X” shaped end of the wood and mark that spot on the line. (The first 3 of those 5 inches allow for the 1 1/2 widths of the sidebar and border.) Now draw 4 more points along the line, each 2 inches apart. With a small drill, use these guide marks to drill five holes through the 2×4 crossbar.

The 25 inch cross bar also needs to be marked and drilled. Mark one end with an X and measure 6 inches from that end for your first mark (again, the first 3 of those 6 inches are due to the width of the sidebar and rim). This crossbar holds 5 wires that intersect the bars at 3″ widths, so the marks consequently need to be made at 3″ intervals. Then drill each hole all the way through the 2×4.

10. Appropriate holes for both crossbars must now be drilled on the surface of the soap cutter itself.

On the narrow, long leg of the L, a straight line (perpendicular to the sides) must be drawn across the face of the cutter. For our hypothetical 12″x18″ slab, this line is drawn at least 18 inches from the end of the cutter so that the entire soap slab rests squarely on the surface of the cutter before passing through the first set of wires. Otherwise part of the slab will hang over the cutting edge resulting in less control over the movement of the slab through the wires. For an 18 inch board, draw the line 19 inches from the end, adding an extra inch as “slack.”

Starting at the inside edge of the outside 2×2-inch border, pencil along 5 marks at 2-inch intervals

the drawn line. Drill 5 holes through the plywood.

Another line needs to be ruled for the wider leg of the L-shaped tailor. The location of this line is determined by the 12 inch width of the hypothetical soap block, so leave 12 inches between the line and the end of the soap cutter.

After determining where to find this line, mark your first hole 3 inches from the inside edge of the 2×2-inch rim. Mark 5 holes 3 inches apart, then drill.

11. Before screwing the side bars and cross bars to the cutter, you should ensure that the holes on the cross bar line up with the holes on the cutting surface. If the holes don’t match at 90 degrees, the wires will crook and affect the finished shape of your soap bars.

To do this, put on (do not fasten) the base blocks, and then put the crossbars on them; Fold the crossbars to the side so that the drill holes are visible. Place an edge of a small L-square on the router surface and check the alignment of the top and bottom holes. If necessary, drill holes. (Fig.5)

12. Now attach the four 6″ side panels to the sides of the cutter with 2-1/2″ screws. To ensure the sidebars line up evenly with the wire holes drilled on the cutting surface, draw a line lengthwise through the center of each 6-inch block. When screwing the blocks onto the sides of the cutter, make sure the lines through the center of the blocks are relatively even with the line of holes on the face of the cutter.

13. Attach the 2 cross bars to the side bars with 2 1/2 inch screws. (Fig. 6)

14. It’s time to start wiring the cutter.

The wires for your soap cutter attach to 3/8″ hex carriage bolts, which work just like a tuning key on a guitar or piano. The wire is tensioned by turning the bolts countersunk in the crossbars.

The number of screws you need depends on how many pieces your soap sheet will be cut into. Referring again to the 12×18 inch soap sheet (cut 6 bars wide and 6 bars long), 5 wires lined up vertically are needed for each leg of the L-shaped cutter. Two wires share a carriage screw; Therefore, 3 screws each are required for both crossbars, i.e. a total of 6 carriage bolts.

A hole must be drilled through the top shank of each screw. You can do this yourself by clamping the screw in a vise and drilling; Each screw requires a few minutes of drilling time. Or have a workshop do it for you. (Fig. 7)

Holes for the carriage bolts now need to be drilled in the top of each crossbar. Since two vertical wires share a screw, drill the screw holes somewhere between the wire holes. Use a 5/16″ drill bit for the 3/8″ screws. A slightly undersized hole is important, otherwise the tension in the tightened wire will loosen the screw in its channel, resulting in slack wire. Drill all the way through the 2×4″ crossbar and countersink the screw 1/4″ to 1/2″ into the wood.

15. To wire your cutter, thread a piece of wire (about 1 1/2 to 2 feet long) through the hole in the screw, wrap the wire around the screw once, and then tie the wire in a single knot. You’ll probably need pliers for this. Cut off excess wire.

16. Now tighten the wires by turning the carriage bolts clockwise. Before the wires are fully tightened, turn the cutter over and adjust the washers. Each hole should have a washer resting directly underneath; This will prevent the wire from cutting into the soft plywood as the wires are further tightened. (Fig.8) Give your wires a final tightening.

Your tailor is complete! (Fig. 9)

Tips on using your soap cutter

1. As you push your soap through the cutter, push in a diagonal direction: into the outer edge of the cutter as well as forward through the wires. Just pushing forward can make the soap wiggle, resulting in wavy bars of soap.

2. Use a small block or board to push the soap. It provides a smoother, more even pressure on the plate.

3. After the soap has been pushed through the first set of wires, you may want to fold all of the strips onto their sides for the next pass. If there is any wobble with this cut, it will not show up on bars that stand on their ends. Bars that lie flat until the second pass show any inconsistencies.

4. To make it easier to push, lightly spray the Formica surface with a spray bottle filled with water. This eases the friction between the soap and the cutting surface.

5. If your 2×2 inch rims are a bit rough on the outside of the router bit, you may want to sand them smooth and/or shellac them. This allows the soap to flow through the cutter more easily and cleanly.

6. If your raw soap block comes out of the mold with imperfect sides (e.g. due to creases from a plastic liner) that need to be ‘cleaned’ before cutting into pieces, consider a slightly different wire configuration than that given above . Instead of running your first wire a bar width from the inside edge of the cutting edge, set that wire just an eighth of an inch from the rim. When the rough soap plate is passed, an eight inch thin bar of soap is shaved off the rough edge. Likewise, adjust the outermost wire an eighth of an inch closer so that a corresponding sliver is shaved off the other side of the block. Aligning both sets of wires this way will cut all four sides of the board cleanly and evenly. This creates a little extra waste, but saves a lot of time that would otherwise be spent on cosmetic makeovers of your soap.

7. If you’re casting your soap slab 2 bars thick, you can split the block horizontally by countersinking a carriage bolt into a side bar and weaving a horizontal wire through the first set of vertical wires. Two holes will need to be drilled through the sidebars and rims of the cutter, so it’s best to plan ahead and drill these holes before bolting these parts to the cutter face. If your soap is 1″ thick, the two holes will need to be drilled through the rims (and sidebars) 1″ above the surface of the cutter. The wire can be screwed to the other side of the cutter in the same way that you screwed each “odd” wire to the underside of the cutter in step 15 above. If your soap block is 3 bars high you may have trouble pushing the soap through as so much wire offers a lot of resistance.

So you’ve spent hours reading all about making soap at home and bought all your supplies. You finally have the courage to try.

Now you’re staring at your newly made bar of soap and wondering, “Now what?”

How should homemade soap be cut? Freshly made soap should be cut into approximately 1 inch pieces 24-48 hours after pouring. Once the soap is removed from the mold, it can be easily cut with a sharp knife or spatula. A ruler, miter box, or soap box will help keep the bars evenly sized.

While it’s normal to be a little nervous about cutting your soap for the first time, the following tips will have you cutting like a pro in no time.

When to cut homemade soap

As soon as the lye solution is added to the oils, the saponification process begins.

This really is the magic of soap making. The lye molecules combine with those of the oils to form soap and glycerin.

In about 24 hours, much but not all of the process is complete and the liquid mixture you poured into your mold will have turned into a solid.

At this point, most soaps are firm enough to pop out of the mold but soft enough to cut into chunks.

Some soaps don’t reach this point until 48 hours after pouring, and that’s okay. It just means you have to wait an extra day before you can see your creation.

Don’t wait too long or the soap will be too hard to cut nicely.

So how can you tell if your soap is ready to be demolded?

A sufficiently hardened soap will not stick to the mold and will keep its shape.

A lot of soap makers prefer to use silicone soap molds (I love those things!) because they are flexible enough that you can gently pull them away from the soap to test the hardness, and they release the soap very easily.

Others prefer to line a solid shape with a liner like parchment paper or cling film, and that’s fine too.

Simply carefully remove the bar of soap from the mold and carefully peel off the liner. If soap sticks to the liner or starts to lose its shape, put it back in the mold and let it set for another 24 hours.

Note that at this stage there is still some unreacted suds in the soap which can burn the skin, so be sure to wear gloves. (Be sure to read this for more safety guidelines.)

On a positive note, soap that has just been demolded is still quite soft. If you notice any uneven edges or blemishes, now is the time to very gently smooth them out with your fingertips.

Don’t apply much pressure at all or you’ll ruin the shape of your soap. Just run your fingertip lightly over any imperfections.

What size should I cut my soap?

Most soaps are cut between ¾ and 1¼ inches thick. Really, it’s a matter of personal preference.

The beauty of homemade soap is that you can customize things like the size to suit your family’s needs.

Men often find that a thicker wand is easier to hold while showering, while many women prefer a slightly thinner wand that is comfortable in the hand.

Small children may have an easier time with small bars, so you may find yourself cutting several different sizes from each batch you create, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that.

The decision is entirely yours.

You should know that the thicker the bars of soap, the longer it takes for the water to evaporate completely and the longer it takes to harden.

No big deal; Just give those chunky bars a little extra curing time before using them.

What is the best soap cutting method?

If you asked 10 different soap makers what their preferred cutting method was, you would probably get 10 definite answers.

There are thousands of soap making recipes out there and tons of different molding options. Adding personal preferences to the mix, let’s just say there really isn’t one right way to cut soap.

All the different tools and methods basically have the same result – you get multiple bars that you can comfortably hold in your hand.

Let’s look at some of the most popular soap cutting techniques.

You might find one you like right away, or you might be motivated to make your own. Either way, you’ll have that big loaf of soap cut into usable chunks in no time.

knife

If you have a steady hand, you might simply cut your bread into bars with a knife.

To make nice, clean cuts you need a sharp, smooth (non-serrated) thin-bladed knife – the less tapered the blade, the better.

Freehand cutting may not produce identical, symmetrical bars, but that really doesn’t matter if you’re just making soap for personal use.

One tip is to make ticks in 1 inch increments on a piece of cardboard. Line up your soap directly in front of the hooks and use them as a guide as you cut.

soap cutting box

Believe it or not, you can buy a device that is specifically designed to cut soap.

A wooden soap cutter is a box with pre-cut grooves to run your knife or slicer straight down through the soap.

This avoids cutting skewed or crooked bars, which is common when cutting freehand.

You will quickly find that many knives are too thick to fit in the grooves. To get around this problem, most washers use a spatula.

I have found them to do a fantastic job as they are thin enough to fit but sturdy enough to resist bending.

They leave a nice, clean cut with no sharpening marks that you might see on other knives.

If I could go back in time, I would buy a cutting set that includes a pan, insert, cutting box, spatula, and crease cutter.

alternatives

A plastic miter box works almost as well as a soap cutter box.

I’ve used one of these for years and never had any problems. As with the cutting box, you should use a spatula.

I would also recommend cutting a piece of cardboard to fit the bottom so you can slide your soap smoothly to the knife and avoid damaging the bottom of your loaf.

If you like DIY projects, you can easily recreate a soap cutter box in about an hour or two.

Soap Deli News has an easy to follow tutorial if you need guidance or exact measurements.

wire cutter

There are fancy multi-wire soap cutters available on sites like Etsy, or you can use a multi-purpose wire cutter designed for slicing cheese, bread, and other fairly soft objects.

Note that this method works best with soap that is still relatively soft, and harder soaps can cause the wire to break.

cookie cutters

If you have a large, thin block of soap, standard cutters could be used to make a variety of shaped soaps.

Any leftover soap can be reprocessed using the hot process method or cut into small pieces to use as embeds in future soap projects.

What about big soap slabs?

Larger bars of soap are a bit more difficult to cut accurately, but it can be done.

It is best to use a tape measure or ruler to measure evenly spaced intervals on opposite sides of your board.

Either cut a small notch to mark the stains or place the soap on cardboard before beginning and mark the stains on the cardboard.

Working one interval at a time, line up a ruler on the board to connect two opposite marks and run your knife slightly alongside.

This line will be where you will cut. Using your spatula, cut this line down the length of your sheet.

Repeat this process for all remaining guide marks until you are left with identical loaves of soap.

You can then continue slicing the loaves as usual.

Regular Price $80.00 Retail Price $0.00

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING PRODUCTS MADE IN THE USA!

This log splitter is designed to cut soap loaves lengthwise into logs and then use the soap cutter to slice into individual bars of soap.

The spacing between the fences is about 6 inches, allowing for larger than average sized soap loaves to be cut.

The splitter comes with a size 14 block and 4 spare wires

Size Options: from 1/4″ to 3 1/2″ in 1/4″ increments

User manual included. PLEASE READ THE DIRECTIONS!!

Material: Plastic

Dimensions:

Product Length: 15″

Height- 5″

Width: 8 3/4″

Distance between fences: 5 1/2″

Not for use with M&P soaps.

Use of the splitter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE504y_ofsc

This article was co-authored by wikiHow contributor Eric McClure. Eric McClure is an editor at wikiHow, where he has been editing, researching, and creating content since 2019. A former educator and poet, his work has appeared in Carcinogenic Poetry, Shot Glass Journal, Prairie Margins and The Rusty Nail. His digital folk book The Internet was also published in TL;DR Magazine. In 2014 he won the Paul Carroll Award for Excellence in Creative Writing and in 2015 he was a key reader of the Poetry Foundation’s Open Door Reading Series. Eric has a BA in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an MEd in Secondary Education from DePaul University. This article has been viewed 56,464 times.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow contributor Eric McClure. Eric McClure is an editor at wikiHow, where he has been editing, researching, and creating content since 2019. A former educator and poet, his work has appeared in Carcinogenic Poetry, Shot Glass Journal, Prairie Margins and The Rusty Nail. His digital folk book The Internet was also published in TL;DR Magazine. In 2014 he won the Paul Carroll Award for Excellence in Creative Writing and in 2015 he was a key reader of the Poetry Foundation’s Open Door Reading Series. Eric has a BA in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an MEd in Secondary Education from DePaul University. This article has been viewed 56,464 times.

Frequently asked questions about cold process soaps

At Natures Garden we love providing our customers with the finest soap making ingredients and soap equipment they need to succeed. However, you cannot use these tools if you do not know how. So we’d like to answer some of the most common questions we get about cold process soaps. This way we can help make your soap making experience as fun and exciting as possible!

Frequently asked questions about cold soap: How long does lye keep?

The shelf life of lye, caustic soda is one year if stored properly. After a year your lye may be working, but you should make a small batch to test if the lye is still good. If it has actually expired, it may not show up quickly, or it may come off after watering or setting up. So you will be able to notice an obvious difference if you do a small test batch,

Common Questions About Cold Process Soaps: How Do I Keep My Cold Process Soap Longer?

There are a few things you can change to make your homemade soap last even longer. First, you can use additives like sodium lactate or stearic acid to harden the bar. Harder oils like palm oil can also be helpful. Finally, increasing the curing time as water evaporates and decreasing the time in the shower creates a harder bar.

Common Cold Soap Questions: Is it possible to use baby oil as one of the oils in a soap recipe?

No, you should not use baby mineral oil in your soap recipe for two reasons. First, it has already been perfumed. Second, the mineral oils will not saponify.

Common Questions About Cold Process Soap: How do you make cold process soap?

If you’ve ever wondered how to make soap from scratch, then this is the answer. Before you begin, you must either formulate a recipe or choose an already formulated recipe. We recommend using our beginner cold process soap recipe if this is your first time. We also recommend reading through our Cold Process Soap Making courses, especially the Soap Making Safety Class. While there are still a few more details and safety practices to follow, this is the most basic lathering method. First, you make a lye solution by slowly adding lye to water. In a separate bowl you have your weighed and melted oils and butter. You will combine and mix these ingredients at a similar temperature until you have a dough line that is a thicker consistency. The soap is then poured into a soap mold. Once it is set up, it is removed from the mold and left to harden.

General Cold Process Soap Questions: Why are my citrus scents so light in my cold process soap?

Citrus fragrance oils often have a low flash point, making them more likely to burn off the fragrance during the saponification process. During this process, the soap reaches very hot temperatures that can scorch certain scents. It is common for citrus scents to be affected by this problem. How can I prevent this? First, make sure the maximum amount of fragrance has been added. You can also anchor the fragrance oil by using a heavier scent like vanilla. Alternatively, some soap makers use kaolin clay to enhance fragrance, but this can make your soap too slippery.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cold Process Soaps: Are Fragrance Oils Or Essential Oils Better For Cold Process Soaps?

You can use both essential oils and scented oils to scent CP soap. However, scents tend to last better and the scent lasts longer. This is because fragrance oils have top, middle, and base notes that stick together better. On the other hand, some single note oils, whether they are essential oils or fragrance oils, are more likely to burn. So you should test each oil in cold process soap.

Common Questions About Cold Process Soaps: Can cold process soaps be molded into different shapes?

Of course! There are many different types of molds that you can use to make soap. Just keep in mind that this type of soap gets very hot. So you need to make sure you use either a silicone soap mold or a very thick plastic mold like some of our Mold Market soap molds. However, plastic embedding molds aren’t thick enough to hold your soap without melting and making a big mess. If you’re unsure about a particular shape, it might be best to just keep that shape to melt and pour soaps.

Common Questions About Cold Process Soap: When Can I Cut Cold Process Soap?

Before you can cut your finished soap loaf, you’ll have to wait a bit. While the exact time for each batch will vary based on size and ingredients, we recommend waiting 24 to 48 hours before removing and slicing your nearly finished soaps. However, you can check the soap with a gloved hand to see if the soap is too soft. On the other hand, you shouldn’t wait too long, otherwise the soap will dry out too much and crumble when you cut it.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cold Process Soaps: How long does soap take to harden?

The exact time your soaps take depends on your recipe and the lye in it. However, most batches will take around 2-6 weeks for the soaps to be fully cured and safe to use.

Common Questions About Cold Process Soaps: Does Natures Garden offer recipes for making cold process soaps?

Yes, we have all kinds of cold-process soap recipes under cold-process soap recipes in the Free Recipes and Classes section of NG website. There are so many options that it can be difficult to choose!

Common Questions About Cold Process Soaps: What conditions does CP soap need to cure after it is removed from the mold?

After your soap has been demoulded and cut into pieces, you need to let it set for a while. First, you should make sure they are in a cool, dry environment. Also, you want to make sure the joists are a few inches apart. This exposes more of the pole to the air, allowing it to dry and set up properly.

Common Questions About Cold Process Soaps: What makes cold process soaps freeze or set up too soon?

The oils you use come into play. Too much of some harsher oils and butters can cause the soap to set faster than others. Additives can also cause your dough to speed up. However, this is often a problem caused by the fragrance oil. Each fragrance behaves differently in CP soap, and those that cause too much acceleration can result in seizing or sudden settling in the soap dough before it’s made it into the mold. Additionally, there are some fragrance oils that actually slow down the process and give you time to really work on a recipe.

Common Questions About Cold Process Soaps: Do you have any tips for working with problematic fragrance oils in cold process soaps?

It’s always a shame when a fragrance you like is a “problem fragrance oil,” but there are a few things that allow you to work with that fragrance oil anyway. First we have the problem of acceleration. While we can’t fix the scent, we can cool our oils and lye water to room temperature before beginning the saponification process. It takes longer for the cooler temperature to become apparent, which helps offset the acceleration from the fragrance oil. You can also formulate a soap recipe with oils that slow down marks, like sunflower oil. Although both of these tricks can be used to slow down an accelerated trail, they cannot prevent a soap from seizing up.

Second, we have the problem of separation. Sometimes, with enough effort, a scent that comes off the mix can be mixed back in with a stick. Also, it’s possible for the scent to re-absorb during the curing process. You just have to keep these in mind to determine if the scent is worth using in cp soaps. Third, we have the problem of making rice, i. H. if small chunks form in your batch. Although this cannot be avoided, it can be blended with an immersion blender until the rice is smooth. However, this only works in some cases.

Finally, some fragrance oils can cause your soap to discolour. Some odors cannot be prevented, but there are some cases where a soap additive can suffice. If your fragrance’s description says it contains vanillin, your soap will turn brown. However, you can use Vanilla White Color Stabilizer to reduce discoloration due to vanillin. Other types of discoloration just need to be included in the soap design.

Common Questions About Cold Process Soap: What is the best way to clean cold process soap?

After pouring your batch into the soap mold, you may find that you have a mess on your hands. Whether you spilled a few drops, made a complete mess, or just have the bowls to wash out, you need to know how to safely clean your lye mixes. Before you begin, it’s extremely important to have something on hand to neutralize the soapy batter. So you will need vinegar, which we prefer to have in a spray bottle to make it easier to apply to skin contact. After all the batter on the counter and soapy equipment has been neutralized you can start cleaning with soapy water, we use morning dish soap to clean it all up again.

Common Questions About Cold Process Soaps: Is it ok to use my soap dishes and cooking utensils after using them in CP soap making if I prewash them and then run them through the dishwasher?

No, it is very unsafe to use your soap making equipment in the kitchen. After using a bowl, mold, or other lathering utensil, you should never use it for anything other than soap making. Lye is very reactive and can cause serious harm once ingested. Therefore, bringing this soapy equipment into contact with food or cooking utensils is a terrible idea.

Common Questions About Cold Soaps: What would cause a batch of soap to break out in the soap mold?

Natural sugars in soap ingredients can cause a rash as the soap gets hotter than normal. CP soap can erupt if things like beer, wine, or milk are added improperly. First, it helps to freeze these ingredients before adding them. If using beer, make sure you release all the carbonation before adding it to the soap. Also, you should boil wine before adding it to your soap.

Common Questions About Cold Process Soap: Can I use cup measures for soap making?

For soap making we recommend using weighted measures. Using a scale is much more accurate and will ensure you have a quality batch of soap. Otherwise, you may accidentally do something to mess up your soaps. For example, you could add a little oil and create a lye-rich batch.

Common Questions About Cold Process Soaps: Can you make good quality soap using the cold process soap method without palm oil?

Absolutely. One of the best parts about making CP soap is that you can add any oils and butters you like. You can use SoapCalc to combine your favorite soap ingredients into a perfect soap batch! If you’d rather follow a recipe we’ve formulated, Natures Garden offers some recipes at Free Recipes and Courses that are made without palm oil. For example, there is our Calendula Sunshine Cold Process Soap Recipe and our Argan Soap Recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cold Process Soaps: Contact Us

We hope you learned something useful for making cold soap from this blog. If you have any further questions, you can reach us in store, by telephone or online. If you want to reach us online, try social media. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter (@ngscents) and Instagram (@ngscents). Have fun making soap!