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MWF is terrible to load.

never had any issue lathering MWF; usually give it a little water 5-10 min beforehand. great soap!

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I’ve never had a problem lathering the fat, it just shaves awful.
No problem loading or face lathering it at all. I like the shave too. But after a few
consecutive days shaving with it I feel like I'm getting a waxy build up on my face, from the lanolin
I'm guessing, even with good rinsing. So I love it in the rotation but not as a daily like Cella can be for me.
 

never-stop-learning

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I bet it’ll clean grannies dentures!

I haven’t used it in quite a while, but it provides a very pleasant shave. Hope you enjoy yours!
Well.....pulled out my tin of Fat 'as on Tuesday, opened it and was presented with an unpleasant mess. Must have been way too wet after the last use? Next time, I'll use glass! No sense crying over spilled soap, so into the trash it went. Pulled out the Mitchell's Wool Fat, a puck that has not been lathered since December, and voila - mounds of wonderfully slick and cushioning lather without blooming, soaking or any other special procedures. I'll be using MWF all week until MdC Monday and then I'll change to a different soap for the following Tuesday - Saturday.

The water where I live is not hard at all - great water right out of the tap. For those who have had issues lathering MWF, have you tried using distilled water to see if it makes a difference?
 
By chance, a perfect example to illustrate my previous post:

My triple-milled Italian bath soap was accidentally soaked by my wife and sat in a pool of water overnight.

When it dried out, it developed cracks.

I've never otherwise experienced cracks on any soaps...only an MWF puck which was soaked and dried out and now this soap which was soaked and cracked when it dried.

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Here's my experience of 14 years with MWF:

If a new puck is soaked, and then left unused for a while, its characteristics change for the worse!

It may crack to pieces or it may not perform well, i.e. Difficult to load or the lather may not perform MWF should perform.

In this case, the soap needs to be brought back to life with another soaking.
Followed by a few minutes blooming before each use.

This is why I always recommend AGAINST soaking a new puck, or blooming it before use.

The only exception is of one uses MWF everyday or alternate day, then it's ok as the soap won't dry out.

Since I figured this out and ceased soaking new pucks of MWF, I've never had any cracks develop and no issues if the soap sits unused, even for many months (e.g. The MWF puck in my travel bag)....I just grab the puck, load like usual and get top notch performance!
 
By chance, a perfect example to illustrate my previous post:

My triple-milled Italian bath soap was accidentally soaked by my wife and sat in a pool of water overnight.

When it dried out, it developed cracks.

I've never otherwise experienced cracks on any soaps...only an MWF puck which was soaked and dried out and now this soap which was soaked and cracked when it dried.

View attachment 1436469
Now you have an excuse to buy more soap! Just tell your wife you wanted a matching shave soap to go with the bath soap. 😁
 
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I try to check out these MWF threads now and then and I've not yet come upon anyone having an experience like mine. I was having trouble loading my brush by just blooming so I figured I would try hydrating every other day for a week. When I went to try it out I was presented with the most unusual sight. There was a thick layer of clear material sitting on top of the puck. Had the consistency of mucous. I tried to load up hoping that this stuff would recombine with the rest of the puck but no dice so down the drain it went. After that I would get a decent looking lather but there was nothing slick about it. Perhaps it was a bad puck but there's too many excellent other soaps out there for me to bother trying over and over.
 
MWF is very temperamental to how hard your water is. When I lived in a rural area it was always tough to lather especially if I had not used it I awhile. I ended up using it weekly and the performance improved but anytime I would stop to try other soaps it would need to reset its progress. Using it with soft water you can definitely Lather very easily. Where I live now it's soft so all I need is a few drops of water over the top (I don't soak the Puck due to alot of reports of lanolin leeching out of it when extensively soaked).

One tip I can give is get a scratchier brush, i find get my best results with MWF using inexpensive pure/black badger brushes. Combined the best of boar and Badger in a way
 

JCarr

More Deep Thoughts than Jack Handy
On my 1st shave I bloomed it for 24h since it was something a lot of people recommend and it loaded with ease, enough for 2.5 passes but got leftover for 2 more.
Today it was my 2nd shave after it was just sitting there for a few weeks. I did not bloom it and went srraight to loading. It was huge PITA, and I had to revisit the puck after each pass. I still got a nice slick lather and a wonderfull shave. Since I used less soap my face doesn't feel sticky as it did after 1st shave. Or maybe it was because I rinsed mor thoroughly this time.
All in all just wanted to share how much hsrder it is to load unbloomed MWF

Do you face or bowl lather? I bowl lather, but I've never had an issue with MWF. I used to bloom soaps regularly, but I actually ditched the practice as a damp, squeezed out, brush generally provides enough moisture to get the lather forming.
 
The first ten years of wet shaving MWF was as easy to use as anything. For me the hard thing was getting the knack of bowl lathering, any soap. But eventually I got the hang of that and had no trouble lathering any soap any way. Fast forward and as I got more and more soaps The Fat came up less and less often. Finally I had forgotten it for quite some time and suddenly when I went to use it again I couldn’t get a decent lather. Long story short, I kept practice bowl lathering it every night, not to shave with but just to break it back in and problem solved, back to enjoying the benefits of lanolin.
 
I try to check out these MWF threads now and then and I've not yet come upon anyone having an experience like mine. I was having trouble loading my brush by just blooming so I figured I would try hydrating every other day for a week. When I went to try it out I was presented with the most unusual sight. There was a thick layer of clear material sitting on top of the puck. Had the consistency of mucous. I tried to load up hoping that this stuff would recombine with the rest of the puck but no dice so down the drain it went. After that I would get a decent looking lather but there was nothing slick about it. Perhaps it was a bad puck but there's too many excellent other soaps out there for me to bother trying over and over.

Many guys, including myself, have experienced this.

It's why I have advised against blooming/soaking MWF pucks for many years.

Since I stopped soaking a new puck, I've had none of the issues that are commonly reported.

I can even let a puck sit unused for months (as I have a dedicated puck in my travel kit) and it'll work perfectly from the first use!!
 

never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
Many guys, including myself, have experienced this.

It's why I have advised against blooming/soaking MWF pucks for many years.

Since I stopped soaking a new puck, I've had none of the issues that are commonly reported.

I can even let a puck sit unused for months (as I have a dedicated puck in my travel kit) and it'll work perfectly from the first use!!
Amen and +1 to this.

MWF was my soap last Tuesday through Sunday. Hadn't used that puck for months. Soaked my brush, loaded the MWF (using the modified @Marco Method I use for bowl lathering), whipped up mounds of beautiful lather in my Captain's Choice Copper Bowl and enjoyed wonderful shaves.
 
I just use the soap, no blooming, no incantations!

Just use MWF. More frequently the better, it is a great soap for me!
+1. MWF is one of my favorites although rarely used now that MdC has become my everyday soap.

I never bloomed it or did anything special with it and I have relatively hard water. It just worked well with the exception of one puck a few years ago that was a little more difficult and required a longer loading time. I read that they had a few batches that weren’t quite as good.
 
+1. MWF is one of my favorites although rarely used now that MdC has become my everyday soap.

I never bloomed it or did anything special with it and I have relatively hard water. It just worked well with the exception of one puck a few years ago that was a little more difficult and required a longer loading time. I read that they had a few batches that weren’t quite as good.
+ another 1.

I don't bloom it. I start with a damp brush. Adding a little water at a time, not swirling fast. Every time I feel the motion drag I know it needs a little water. I do that until I gather enough for the passes I want.

Apply to face and start making lather adding water a little at a time until I get the hydration I want.

Rinse, Repeat. It's a no frills great soap.
 
I think you a re bit too harsh on it though. It does not need to be bloomed for 24h, it is just recommended to do it before first use. Blooming during shower works just fine and even without that you can get beautiful lather, just need to put in a bit more elbow grease.
I made the mistake of soaking my puck of MWF for 24h and it ruined the puck. The lanolin leached out and the soap was all waterlogged and cracked up.
 
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Lots of folks recommend blooming this brand; I don’t have time to fiddle around waiting 24 hours so it’s not found in my den. Too many better choices that are good to go immediately when called upon. Old world, nostalgic type soaps do nothing for me if they smell weird, require grating, blooming, or under perform.
I couldn't disagree any more. MWF is at the top of the heap in performance and its alot simpler to use then its given credit for. The more its used, the better it gets, the key is hydrating the puck through using it and loading it heavily with a damp, not wet brush when you do use it.
 
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