Mitchell’s Wool Fat

pjgh · Thursday October 6, 2022

exists said:
Thank you for the tips! I'll keep trying... there is a lot of room for improvement in my technique for sure

It'll come! Practice makes perfect ... and you've a whole puck to practice with.

Since you have both an animal hair and a synthetic brush, try two different loading methods. For the boar brush (nowt wrong with an Omega brush, by the way ... cost-effective, value for money ... not cheap), soak it for a minute while you wash your face and give it a gentle squeeze to remove most of the water. With the synthetic brush, try a teaspoon of water on the puck and go straight in with a dry brush. With synthetics, I tend to find using the brush dry onto a bloomed soap loads up far more effectively.

Mike Smart · Thursday October 6, 2022

I agree with above
soak your boar for a few mins
give it a gentle squeeze then start to lather,
i would normally do this for around 20 seconds,
i find after 30 seconds of lathering it’s just to much soap,
even with 29 seconds you might need it dip your tips in water until you feel it’s the right consistency
Good Luck with your next try

exists · Saturday October 22, 2022

pjgh said:
Just load up (well) and build the lather adding tiny amounts of water slowly.

So just to follow up on this: I've attempted to lather my MWF quite a few times, and there is some progress: a very tight control on the water (starting with very little), and overloading a brush (now I have a 24mm synthetic which can take more) helps quite a lot. I can now produce something which does resemble a good lather that I'd be happy to shave with - however it still does dissipate and thin out very quickly. I mean there is visible thinning even during 1 pass - which still does take me probably longer than most of you, but...

That said, the slickness of da fat is amazing, even when it thins out a little...

pjgh · Saturday October 22, 2022

exists said:
So just to follow up on this: I've attempted to lather my MWF quite a few times, and there is some progress: a very tight control on the water (starting with very little), and overloading a brush (now I have a 24mm synthetic which can take more) helps quite a lot. I can now produce something which does resemble a good lather that I'd be happy to shave with - however it still does dissipate and thin out very quickly. I mean there is visible thinning even during 1 pass - which still does take me probably longer than most of you, but...

That said, the slickness of da fat is amazing, even when it thins out a little...

I tihnk you might have happened upon one from the bad batch that happened 2020, was it? Alas, Mitchell's is a huge name and produce a metric f-tonne (ironically imperial) of soap and so small mistakes like a few thousand duds can stay in the chain for some time. We did manage to identify a possible starting and end date of production and even a range of serial numbers (which you'll find on the inside of the box lid).

Blowed if I can find that thread, though. Anyone?

culcreuch · Saturday October 22, 2022

pjgh said:
Blowed if I can find that thread, though. Anyone?

Who's afraid of Virginia Woolfat?

You know the soap: Mitchell's Wool Fat It's the best soap in the world bar none producing a yogurt thick lather and unrivalled post-shave feel ... and equally the most unlatherable soap in existance. Of late, there have been complaints (yeah, continued complaints) of the soap producing poor...

www.theshavingroom.co.uk

pjgh · Saturday October 22, 2022

Bravo!

So, the short of it is soap that was selling from about March 2020 to October 2020 were found to be wanting. Slower retailers might well still be pushing this stock.

008287 [purchased Summer 2020] - Dud
008345 [purchased October 2020] - Good

@jimmyc confirmed a good puck purchased October 2020 with serial 008345. The only known bad serial was 008287. I guess folks chuck the boxes immediately?

Maybe you have one of those? WIthout the serial number, it's all guesswork.

Bottom line, buy another puck from a retailer with good throughput ... Connaught Shaving?

exists · Saturday October 22, 2022

I kept the box: the serial is 9027 (nb stamped as "90", then "2" a little higher but correctly spaced and oriented, and then "7" separately as it's a little further away and somewhat sideways). But it did come from Connaught, only about a month ago, with the ceramic dish (being my first MWF).
In any case, I'll keep trying - being a novice, it still just may be my technique.

pjgh · Saturday October 22, 2022

exists said:
I kept the box: the serial is 9027 (nb stamped as "90", then "2" a little higher but correctly spaced and oriented, and then "7" separately as it's a little further away and somewhat sideways). But it did come from Connaught, only about a month ago, with the ceramic dish (being my first MWF).
In any case, I'll keep trying - being a novice, it still just may be my technique.

Yeah ... from the Virginia Woolfat thread, you can see that I made mention of an apparent dud puck which when I tried it, it worked out fine. The fully dud puck discussed there was a dud if I can't lather it. I sent the chap some of my soap and he lathered it fine. I think given that there's no widespread report of issues at the moment, it might well be just a case of dialling it in.

Again, be very sparing on the water adding in very gradually. If you overwater, I think you just have to mash it and mash it and mash it until the foaminess dies down.

exists · Saturday October 22, 2022

Full disclosure: I did soak the puck once overnight a while ago (well you read a lot of various things about MWF on the internets...) so at the moment, while not wet, it is more malleable - like an Arko stick I'd say. I just hope it's not this that messed up the puck - on the other hand if yes, then it's good news for everyone else

donnie_arko · Saturday October 22, 2022

exists said:
Full disclosure: I did soak the puck once overnight a while ago (well you read a lot of various things about MWF on the internets...) so at the moment, while not wet, it is more malleable - like an Arko stick I'd say. I just hope it's not this that messed up the puck - on the other hand if yes, then it's good news for everyone else

Yes, that should be fine as long as it's not submerged for a really long time.

I placed a few teaspoons off water over my one and covered it, and it expanded into it's container and it's easier to load than when it was brand new.

Paul L · Saturday October 22, 2022

I too struggle to get consistent lather from MWF.
I tried different methods - damp brush to face lather (dipping tips periodically),
wet-ish Brush (and bowl lathering),
load it like I hated it,
Eventually, hydrating the soap in it's dish, which as Shubs said, makes it expand to fill the dish.
All of the above only delivered mediocre results, and the soap has been unused for years.
I might give it another go.

havings · Saturday October 22, 2022

I'd be interested to know if those having trouble have very hard water, and what happens if they try soft water. What types bottled water are soft? All?

Mike Smart · Saturday October 22, 2022

I would actually like a sample of the dreaded batch
off course living in Scotland everyone know we have the water of the gods so perhaps it would be easier for me

exists · Saturday October 22, 2022

Regarding the water - we have pretty hard water around here... so I've been using boiled water for MWF (after it cooled down of course). Can't really say if it helped or not, as I've been changing the technique as well.

pjgh · Saturday October 22, 2022

exists said:
Regarding the water - we have pretty hard water around here... so I've been using boiled water for MWF (after it cooled down of course). Can't really say if it helped or not, as I've been changing the technique as well.

Again, mythbusted