3D Printed Blanks for Custom Melt and Pour Soap

Create your own custom soap bars using these 3D printed blanks.  The blanks make 3" circle bar and 2.5x3.5" rectangle bar.  Both make a roughly 3/4" thick bar. 

By creating the blanks in two parts, you can reuse the base over and over again, and just need to print  the top for every design you want to make. 

Easily make your own soap using this method:

• Print out the base and top files included for either a circle or rectangle bar.

  • I believe I printed them at .12mm layer height on my Centauri Carbon.  Should be ok with the standard .2mm fine.   

  • Make sure you print magnet holes facing up. No supports needed.

• Super Glue in the magnets.  Design uses 1x3mm magnets

  • I used wiste95's magnet applicator for easy magnet insertion. 

  • Make sure the base and top have opposite polarities.

• Add laser cut or other design components to the top piece (do not glue on the magnet side)

  • I just use craft Elmer's glue and do not use too much, which will clog the vent holes.

  • Do not need to mirror the design, how it appears on the template will appear in the soap. 

• Use a vacuum former to create a plastic mold. 

  • I recommend using a sacrificial ring to create a better seals/ sharper edges

  • The holes in the 3D printed blanks might cause slight indents in the vacuum formed mold/ soap, but the airflow/ holes are necessary for finer details and internal cavities in letters and shapes. 

• Remove the 3D printed blanks from the vacuum form mold

  • I typically try to take out the base as soon as possible and then let the mold cool down for the top piece.

    • Minimizes warping of the reusable base and allows for the vacuum mold to not be damaged as you remove the top (sometimes a bit forcefully). 

• Use the vacuum formed mold to create soap with melt and pour soap.  Follow the general instructions for your melt and pour soap to make the soap.

  • One suggestion: To ensure my vacuum formed molds do not melt from the melt and pour soap, I put them in a very shallow water bath while I pour in the soap/ let it cool.  

    • This does make multicolor features more difficult because of how quickly the soap cools.  The teatime soap heart and cup ended up separating from the rest of the bar, because of how quickly the soap cooled in the water bath.  They can be re-adhered with water, but is not perfect/ long term solution. 

Supplies needed to complete this project from start to finish.

• 1x3mm magnets

  • Printed wiste95's magnet applicator to make the process easier. 

• Super glue and normal glue

• We R Memory Keepers Mold Press or another vacuum former. 

• Laser cutter for design pieces or buy pieces online like leaves/ flowers or letters. 

• Melt and Pour Soap- a bells and whistles kit or simply use any of the soap bases, a pyrex measuring cup, and a microwave

If you are new to vacuum forming, I recommend watching about 5 minutes or so of this Adam Savage vacuum forming video.