Some soap is ready to cut into bars at 6 hours and some soap is not ready to cut until 2 or 3 days go by. Until you have the experience to know how long to wait before cutting soap, you have to check the soap from time to time and cut when the soap has the right feel.
Here are some tips to know when soap is ready to be cut and good tools to use for cutting.
Soap is ready to be cut
Soap is ready to take out of the mold and cut into bars when it feels like refrigerator-cold mild or medium-sharp cheddar, Gouda, or colby cheese.
In other words, the soap should be soft enough to yield slightly when you gently press it with a finger tip, but firm enough that it doesn't actually dent.
If you use silicone molds or silicone-lined molds, soap maker Zing shared this tip -- When "...it's time to unmold, the sides [of the mold will] easily pull away from the soap. If it's hard to pull away, then ... let it sit longer." (1)
Soap that is too soft to cut
Soap that is quite soft and easy to dent, like warm cream cheese, brie, or Havarti cheese, is too soft to remove from the mold without damage, so give it more time in the mold to firm up.
When the soap becomes a bit firmer, but still dents with a finger press, you may be able to carefully remove the soap from the mold. Leave it on the counter to dry awhile longer until the soap is firm enough to cut cleanly.
Soap that is too hard to cut
Soap that is very hard and does not yield to a gentle press of the finger, similar to Parmesan or aged cheddar cheese, is probably too hard and brittle to cut without cracking or shattering.
If the soap is so hard that it cannot be cut cleanly, preheat your oven to its lowest temperature setting, put the soap on a heat proof sheet, and set the soap in the oven to warm. Check the soap every 10 to 15 minutes and remove promptly from the oven when the soap softens enough so it can be cut successfully. It may be best to use a flat blade to cut the warmed soap. A wire cutter is likely to break if the soap is still quite firm.
Soap bar that cracked during cutting. A knife was used to cut the bar
Best tools for cutting soap
Soap that is at an ideal firmness sometimes cracks, especially at the end of the cut. To minimize the chance of cracking, avoid using a knife to cut soap. A knife has a triangular cross section, and that triangular shape can wedge the soap apart so the soap cracks rather than cuts cleanly. Instead, use a flat blade such as a baker's dough cutter, a cheese slicer, or a purpose-made wire soap cutter.
Baker's dough cutter (webstaurantstore.com)
Wire cheese cutter (cookingtimejournal.com)
Wire soap cutter (www.etsy.com/shop/budhaffner)
References
(1) Zing. When to de-box and cut? Soap Making Forum. https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/when-to-de-box-cut.82914
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