More soap molds

This is a mold I made for soap-making. The soap is scented with gardenia and ylang-ylang -- don't you just want to jump in the shower and rub it all over your body?  Just don't lick it!

Technical details: original plaster (at right) made using alginate mold on a friend, plaster then used as a master from which to make molds in smooth-on rheoflex-40 rubber. Soap poured into mold when it hits trace, and allowed to dry for 3-4 days.

EDIT - by popular demand I have opened an etsy store where you can get these.

How this was done
Mold making isn't hard, it's exacting - you've got to practice, embrace a few failures, and learn to work neatly and slowly.

I mostly use materials from smooth-on.com; they sell a complete life-casting kit that's got non-toxic alginate and hydrocal plaster; it's $29 or something like that and it's a great place to start. The steps to making soap are this:
1) make alginate casting of the subject
2) trim the alginate with a knife, put it in a mold box, and make a positive casting using hydrocal plaster
3) clean up the hydrocal plaster master using sharp knives, table saw, belt sander, bandsaw, whatever
- wait for the hydrocal master to completely dry; about 2 weeks -
4) put the hydrocal master in a mold box with space around it, adhered to the floor of the mold box with vaseline
5) make the soap mold by pouring smooth-on rheoflex-40 or similar urethane molding rubber around the master
6) gently demold the master and you've now got a soap mold
7) learn how to make soap ( www.ranum.com/fun/projects/soa… )
8) spray release in mold then pour soap while at early trace stage
9) allow to cure for 3-4 days then demold

More detailed notes on each step:
1) a)  I have learned that during the alginate casting stage it helps to make a "dam" out of clay by rolling the clay out into thin but stable sheets, cutting them to size, and "welding" them at the corner by pinching them. This dam keeps the alginate from slopping all over the place and lets it form a thick enough mass that it doesn't require additional reinforcement.
1) b) If you want to do something larger or more complicated you may need to put cotton on the outside of the alginate then plaster bandage on top of that, to keep the alginate from stretching out of shape.
1) c) Forget doing anything with significant undercuts using alginate; it tears
1) d) Forget using plaster, it doesn't take enough detail
1) e) Make sure you've shaved the area thoroughly and used some kind of lubricant (I use siloxane, AKA "eros bodyglide" sex lube) - otherwise you're going to give yourself a plaster "brazilian"
2) a) If you don't know what a mold box is, you need to learn.
4) a) I use vaseline to seal the underside of my mold box, which usually rests on a glass sheet. It makes for easy demolding and cleans up nicely with solvent alcohol.
5) a) 2 piece molds are possible but the problem with using them for soap is that the pour hole isn't large enough to let the moisture out and you wind up with goo. Approach with caution!