Sunday, June 9, 2013

Lining Your Mould with Contact Paper - Step by Step

As some of you may already know, I'm in the process of creating a course on how to make soap: everything from the basics through to advanced techniques. One of the tutorials I've just finished is how to line your soap mould. I know from experience that this can be a source of frustration for many soapmakers! My technique is quick and easy to learn, and I thought I would share it here.

1. Choose your mould. I'm using a wooden 2-log mould, but only lining one side.
    

 2. Cut the length of contact paper that you need. Make sure it’s long enough to cover the bottom and both side of the mould.


 3. Put the contact paper over the top of the mould, shiny side up. Use your nail to press a line of the inside edge of the mould onto the contact paper, all the way around.

 4. Fold over each line that you’ve made, folding inwards, creating four creases in the paper.

 5. Cut four slits into the paper, two at the bottom, and two at the top, as shown below. 

 6. Fold the middle tab up.

 7. Fold the left tab over.


 8. Fold the right tab over.


 9. Repeat steps 6-8 with the other end of the paper.

 10. You should now have a box shape that you can slot into the mould.

 11. If you have excess paper hanging over the top, make cuts in the corner creases, and fold the edges down.

 12. Tape the paper to the side of the mould to prevent it from moving around.

 13. Your mould is now lined and ready to use!

Tips: 
● This method can work with other materials such as baking paper or freezer paper, however it can be tricky as it doesn’t hold the shape as well. 
● Use clear contact paper rather than coloured or patterned, to prevent any dyes being transferred onto the soap.

If you're interested in my upcoming soap course (it will be a downloadable e-book), please click here or subscribe for updates using the sign-up form on the right.