Cranking out handmade bath bombs is an adventure in patience at the very least. The amount of time involved, calculating proper mixture proportions and seemingly endless effort can be discouraging even to the seasoned artisan. This is especially true when the bath bombs crumble during production or at the end of the day and you have produced a grand total of less than ten. Talk about discouraging! There must be a better way to approach producing these popular items in larger numbers. Fortunately for us here at Bath Bella Boutique we have found a new and much needed tool to help us speed up the process and keep our sanity in check – a pneumatic bath bomb press from www.bathbombxpress.com

After much research, Lisa narrowed the field down to two types: pneumatic vs. electric. Both appeared to solve our dilemma of how to produce more bath bombs in a short amount of time without the bombs falling apart during the process, but there were other factors to consider too. Cost, quality of construction, longevity, portability (event demonstrations) and ease of operation were some of the questions to consider before deciding on which one would be the best fit for Bath Bella Boutique.

We made the right decision. Our pneumatic press from bathbombxpress is well designed and made from strong 6061 aluminum. It is very portable when necessary (weighs only 12 lbs.) easy to operate, affordable, and perhaps best of all there’s much less stress on bath bomb days! Now we can produce more bath bombs during a session than we ever could before. “Working smarter not harder” fits right in with our mantra.

There are a variety of mold types that can be purchased to use with the press. We started with one large and medium round mold. These two seem to be the most popular with folks at shows but we also have a couple design shapes for variety. An extension attachment can also be purchased to make several at one time but that is on our bucket list.

One caveat to consider is you will need an air compressor to run this particular press. I was only familiar with the typical compressors one would find in the big box stores like the one I keep in the garage for the vehicles. Boy was I in for a surprise! Lisa found a company called California Air Tools that specializes in super quiet in-home compressors. The one we purchased is the quietest air compressor I’ve ever heard. Running at 65 dB with a 1.0 HP motor for 150psi output this little gem is ultra quiet, lightweight and compact. We keep it under the table below the press when making bath bombs. It’s so quiet you can be in the soapery and have a normal conversation, listen to music or talk on the phone without the slightest disturbance. It is really an amazing compressor, and fits our needs perfectly.

Come out to one of our upcoming shows say hello and see for yourself. Lisa’s shrink wrapping some new bath bombs now. Hope to see you soon!