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MWF is terrible to load.

I too have never bloomed MWF or any other soap for that matter. I wet my brush, I load up and I go. I do use a shave scuttle with very hot water however. I don't know .... it's never been an issue for me really.
 
All in all just wanted to share how much harder it is to load unbloomed MWF
It is a hard soap so treat it like a triple milled soap.
I tend to use the same soap for weeks on end so it tends to load easily as I shave daily and some moisture is left on the puck from the previous day's loading. It needs blooming if you use it in a rotation so bear that in mind, but not 24 hours. :facep:
I suggest you visit the Wiki on lathering; Lathering | Badger & Blade
 

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
Thanks to the brain trust here at B & B, I've learned how to load MWF much easier. Grate Haslinger Schafmilch in with MWF at about a 50 / 50 ratio. Marvelous results!
Like the old advice on how to lather Williams:
Rub your wet brush for 30 seconds on a puck of tallow Tabac, then briefly touch the tip of your brush to a puck of Williams.
Boom! Great lather.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Mitchell's is definitely a soap that benefits from being soaked beforehand.

Even if not soaking till it expands to fill the ceramic pot, as is supposedly recommended by the factory, stand it in a little water overnight before first use. Then, when you come to use it, flip the soap, and use the face that was submerged. Once you've broke through the "crust" as it were (several shaves), it gets easier, even if left to dry out.
 

Ratso

Mr. Obvious
This thread is suspiciously similar to comments I’ve seen about Williams soap. I shaved with MWF and Williams recently. I posted my shave results and stated that MWF had similar characteristics to Williams. I don’t mind the extra effort or challenge to get a good result now that I have the time to do it.
 
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!
 

never-stop-learning

Demoted To Moderator
Staff member
Thanks to the brain trust here at B & B, I've learned how to load MWF much easier. Grate Haslinger Schafmilch in with MWF at about a 50 / 50 ratio. Marvelous results!
I have a tin of Fat 'as (50% Haslinger Schafmilch + 50% MWF) I haven't used in some time. Think I'll use it for my Tuesday through Saturday soap this week. :cool:
 
Or do what I do: cut it 50/50 with Arko!

I put that Arko on everything! It'll take grass stains off yer jeans in one wash. True story doggone!!!
I bet it’ll clean grannies dentures!
I have a tin of Fat 'as (50% Haslinger Schafmilch + 50% MWF) I haven't used in some time. Think I'll use it for my Tuesday through Saturday soap this week. :cool:
I haven’t used it in quite a while, but it provides a very pleasant shave. Hope you enjoy yours!
 
I am of the opinion that harder pucks, such as MWF, benefits from moisture conditioning that comes from regular use. Or blooming when it's been some time between uses. I think it performs best used daily for several weeks.

That said, we enjoy rotations and other soaps. I suggest grating it into a bowl and use it that way. Grating seems to help loading and lathering when it's not in constant rotation.
 
I have a tin of Fat 'as (50% Haslinger Schafmilch + 50% MWF) I haven't used in some time. Think I'll use it for my Tuesday through Saturday soap this week. :cool:
Sounds like a Frankenstein soap! How well does it work?

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In my experience, Mitchell’s Wool Fat (MWF) is very sensitive to hard water.
With hard water, it can become quite an ordeal (a synthetic shaving brush might help) to built the desired lather, but with soft water it is a cinch.
You also might want to use it at least once a week to keep it from drying out.

If water hardness should be an issue for you, you might try Haslinger’s sheeps milk shaving soap.
It is an excellent substitute for MWF and much more tolerant to hard water grades or infrequent use.


I love shaving with MWF and given the right conditions, this soap is hard to beat.


B.
 
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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
I find the only thing needed to make MWF sing is a stiffer brush.

With a soft badger I never manage to load enough soap to make a lather last my usual 2 passes. Whereas a boar brush with a short loft gathers more than enough soap with no extra effort.
 
MWF is a pretty decent soap, if you can get it to lather. I have a large number of soaps in rotation, so for me MWF just does not work; it dries out completely between uses. If you want to use MWF, let it bloom overnight and then use it for every shave until it is gone. As long as you do not let it dry out, it should lather fairly well. If your water is very hard, as mine would be without a water softener, then you might want to purchase a bottle of distilled or RO water and use that for lathering purposes.

Or just do what I did and find other soaps that lather more easily without all the fuss.
 
My MWF has always loaded/lathered beautifully...

1. I have hard water.
2. My frequency of use is probably once every-other week.
3. I use the MWF-branded ceramic bowl to lather and store.
4. I did not saturate the puck and let soak for a week before first use.
5. I *do* "bloom" the puck with hot tap water drizzled on top while I shower.
6. I *do not* discard the "bloom water" and simply let a damp brush soak that up as I start to load.
7. I load brush and build lather in a separate bowl.
8. I *do not* do anything special to dry the soap before setting back on the shelf. Just set the ceramic lid on top.
 
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