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chuck_35550

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Ordered a Silvermoon log mold the first of October and just found out that (after taking my money) they can't make the box or lid until January! Needless to say I canceled my order and hope there isn't a hassle with getting my money back. I am so disappointed and completely baffled why they didn't tell me from the beginning. They offered to send me the liner but stated that they use reject wood to make the boxes and lids and won't get any until January. Reject wood? I am one unhappy puppy.

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When I get around to making my own wooden molds, I'll be making them from "reject" cypress barn wood. Recycling wood is a GOOD thing, but I can understand the challenges of "anytime" sourcing of it... Buying liners and making your own wood support molds to surround them seems like the hot ticket to me. It's an easy "shop" project requiring little in the way of very basic woodworking tools (saw, drill, sander, optional plane) and some hardware.

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My ex husband made all my wood soap molds. I use wax paper to line them because I dislike silicone liners. Mine were all made from left over wood and screws and cost me nothing. I love upcycling things! I just gave away about 200# of random candle wax to a few scout groups this week. They can use it for fire starters. Better than sitting in my way! :)

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My problem is with someone making a business deal and then breaking it. I don't have time to make a wood box and lid when there are orders to be filled KWIM? The company shouldn't have taken my money a month ago and refuse to answer my email inquiries and then casually say, "Oh maybe about January". I understand reject wood. It has knot holes, warped, and other assorted blemishes and it is cheap. I expect my money to go for first rate materials and you know, $93.00 doesn't scream thrift store to me. I wanted this mold and looked for some sign of it everyday, while making embeds, formulas and buying up different items to go with the mold but that might have been avoided by a simple and courteous email.

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Sorry you had a bad experience with barn wood. My home as well as my old barn are made of cypress and I have made many projects with the barn wood and salvaged pieces from the house - no problem with cutting, creepy crawlies, cat pee or poop. If there are knot holes that detract from the strength of the piece, or a warped or split area, of course one should not use that section. Personally, I love the "distressed" appearance of recycled wood. People here actually make a good living hauling old "sinker" cypress out of the rivers, curing and milling it to sell to others for use in their home construction projects or cabinet making. I have several friends with countertops made from sinker cypress logs that are breathtakingly beautiful, not to mention the china closets, gun cabinets, etc. that it's used for by craftspeople. Ya can't get that kind of beauty and quality at Lowe's... BUT THAT'S not the point here...

I DO understand your aggravation about the business deal - I would be peeved, too. I hope you get your money back and can get molds from another supplier if you don't have time to make them. Just curious, what was the appearance of the molds on the website? Did they mention using recycled materials in the description? If not, perhaps this company isn't very "on the ball", KWIM?

Sometimes dealing with woodworkers can be frustrating because they are an independent lot... that's one reason I just make my own stuff so I can avoid the aggravation and having to pay big bucks for something I can make for a couple of bucks worth of hardware. While I wouldn't even SUGGEST that I am any kind of woodworker (wood butcher comes closer to the truth), a few weenie power tools and some sandpaper yield a sturdy mold which can be lined any way one pleases. The soap isn't in contact with the wood, so I don't really care what the mold looks like - only that it's strong, straight and easy to assemble & disassemble.

I completely understand that you may not have the time nor inclination to make your own, but I hope that others on a budget will not hesitate to undertake this project - nearly anyone can make an open box out of wood. Until I get around to making mine (procrastination queen here), sturdy cardboard boxes and other "found" plastic molds work very well. It's the soap inside that counts. ;)

Good luck, Steve! Hope sales are brisk for you this season! :-)

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Yes Babs, took it to Paypal resolution center. No response yet. Business has been really weird and kinda as usual. Had a good summer but a nothing fall and began to worry when my Christmas accounts hadn't called in their orders and then it all hit at once (so typical). So I've been taking vacation days and pretty much working daylight to dark. Just now closed up the workshop after two pretty gross batches of soap, oh well. I got down my wooden box/log mold which is lined with foam and poured up a strange brew indeed. Ran short of sweet almond and had to come back and recompute the formula. Placed a piece of acrylic down the middle like I was gonna do a mantra swirl and colored one side with French green clay and the other side with Moroccan red clay and then dropped in two different sized round imbeds and did a pencil line and then covered the top with red and green jojoba beads and a bunch a damn glitter. It should be interesting. The other batch accelerated before I could get it in the Kelsei but its in there. Tis the season, scuse me for being an ass.

Nighty night,

Steve

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Sorry you had a bad experience with barn wood. My home as well as my old barn are made of cypress and I have made many projects with the barn wood and salvaged pieces from the house - no problem with cutting, creepy crawlies, cat pee or poop. If there are knot holes that detract from the strength of the piece, or a warped or split area, of course one should not use that section. Personally, I love the "distressed" appearance of recycled wood. People here actually make a good living hauling old "sinker" cypress out of the rivers, curing and milling it to sell to others for use in their home construction projects or cabinet making. I have several friends with countertops made from sinker cypress logs that are breathtakingly beautiful, not to mention the china closets, gun cabinets, etc. that it's used for by craftspeople. Ya can't get that kind of beauty and quality at Lowe's... BUT THAT'S not the point here...

I DO understand your aggravation about the business deal - I would be peeved, too. I hope you get your money back and can get molds from another supplier if you don't have time to make them. Just curious, what was the appearance of the molds on the website? Did they mention using recycled materials in the description? If not, perhaps this company isn't very "on the ball", KWIM?

Sometimes dealing with woodworkers can be frustrating because they are an independent lot... that's one reason I just make my own stuff so I can avoid the aggravation and having to pay big bucks for something I can make for a couple of bucks worth of hardware. While I wouldn't even SUGGEST that I am any kind of woodworker (wood butcher comes closer to the truth), a few weenie power tools and some sandpaper yield a sturdy mold which can be lined any way one pleases. The soap isn't in contact with the wood, so I don't really care what the mold looks like - only that it's strong, straight and easy to assemble & disassemble.

I completely understand that you may not have the time nor inclination to make your own, but I hope that others on a budget will not hesitate to undertake this project - nearly anyone can make an open box out of wood. Until I get around to making mine (procrastination queen here), sturdy cardboard boxes and other "found" plastic molds work very well. It's the soap inside that counts. ;)

Good luck, Steve! Hope sales are brisk for you this season! :-)

Stella, does it matter what kind of wood you use? I'm not making soap yet, but when I do, I have a bunch of old growth pine from the house we are rebuilding that I could use. TX

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Not really in most cases, coconut. The only thing about using soft wood is it has a greater tendency to warp due to heat and moisture. Be sure to seal it with a few coats of polyurethane or marine spar varnish. A silicone liner might help protect the wood from the heat of gelling more than the freezer paper lining that I use. You could use lower cost foam (like the foamcore board from office supply places) as an insulator, too. Carriage bolts and wing nuts are great fasteners for quick assembly/disassembly.

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Not really in most cases, coconut. The only thing about using soft wood is it has a greater tendency to warp due to heat and moisture. Be sure to seal it with a few coats of polyurethane or marine spar varnish. A silicone liner might help protect the wood from the heat of gelling more than the freezer paper lining that I use. You could use lower cost foam (like the foamcore board from office supply places) as an insulator, too. Carriage bolts and wing nuts are great fasteners for quick assembly/disassembly.

Thanks, Stella. This is pine, but it is not soft. It is old heart pine, hard as a rock. You can't buy it anywhere except in salvage yards. Almost impossible to put a nail into. Around here it is called Dade County Pine. We bought an old house and had to change out the floor joists, and this is the salvage. But I'll remember about sealing it. Thanks again!

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Got my refund and an apology for the problem. All is well with the world but still don't have a good log mold. I am done for the holidays. Out of wax, almost out of jars, out of soap, only have a few odds and ends left and will prolly give those for Christmas gifts. Whew, am I beat. The Christmas Tree farm came back and ordered more and I had just enough to get the order done. Happy Holidays.

Steve

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Am so glad it worked out, eventually. But you should not have had to deal with that to begin with. I mean come on, 93.00 for a mold isn't cheap. I love recycling anything I can, but Im not going to sell someone a product, and then go " o by the way, I use old "whatever" to make your product you paid out the nose for, so I'll get around to getting it to you... sometime... whenever I can get my hands on it ".

I would have sucked it up and paid the money for "new" wood, or looked at another supplier to get what I needed to make the box.

We all know that we've had to deal with other than our usual suppliers when we needed an order filled and our supplier was out.

BCN was out of hand sanitizer the other day on their website (which is understandable and wasn't upset ) and I needed it fast, so I was forced to get it from somewhere else, or lose a customer, and personally, I can't afford to lose even one right now.

I just dont understand why he couldn't find WOOD somewhere else.

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That's how I felt about it. If they were only interested in selling the liners, that would have been fine by me but they promised the whole package and then ignored my questions. I know other members have their products and are really satisfied and that's why I went with that company. Live and learn.

Steve

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