MWF Revisit: What happened?

[bmilcs]

I took a hiatus from the Fat and upon returning to it, I struggle to unlock its golden lather that I was accustomed to. I even used the same brush I once had.

The lather I get now is almost clumpy and dry... Then too thin and over hydrated it seems. I add water very slowly and can't seem to get it right anymore.

Since I last use it, I milled it into another container. Does this possibly have something to do with it?

Is MWF lather unique looking and expecting a Mikes, Tabac or B&M lather throwing me off?

 

[rand77]

It happens sometimes, it seems different soaps require a unique "approach". I can't speak to MWF because I haven't tried it yet, but I had a similar experience with RazoRock S Maria, which is a great soap but isn't the easiest to dial in correctly.

 

[bmilcs]

Yea. I'm thinking now that either a) I glorified it due to being new hearing all the hype or b) I'm a newb.

I am loading it for over a minute with a slightly dry brush after soaking the puck and boar brush with warm water. Exactly how I remember doing it and how the tutorials state. Even tried the hard water tutorial. The only other soaps that give me trouble are Mystic Waters. I get the disappearing act 95% of the time.

I swapped out bowls, brushes, etc. can't dial in!

 

[bmilcs]

Tabac, Barrister and Mann, Arko, Mikes, even VDH give me superb lather that I'm accustomed to. Oh well.
Too many good products out there to dwell on it. I hate admitting defeat though... Especially on this iconic classic.

 

[bmilcs]

I'm thinking it might be the puck. I've had it for 8 months now and even the surface of it seems off. Pics soon.

 

[bmilcs]

 

[rand77]

I'd give it a try with a nice badger brush if possible. I'm a boar noob, so I don't bring the best out of a lot of soaps compared to badger brushes (still working on that boar technique). It just might be the case that some soaps work better with badger???

 

[Viseguy]

View attachment 366562

Hard to tell from a photo, of course, but that puck looks a lot bumpier than any MWF puck I've used. Mine are smooth -- and I chop them into pieces which I knead into a bowl. So it might be your particular puck, or it might not, but I think it's worth considering.

 

[Chadao]

I've had mine dry out and crack, but keeping it a little moist usually solved the problem.

 

[bmilcs]

I remilled it last night. I don't remember it feeling like play doh but I may be wrong. Appearance has improved but haven't had a chance to test it.

 

[NSmalls]

Yeah it seems once they dry out and crack the lather seems to suffer. I think it is best to keep it in an airtight container to keep it from drying out.

 

[bmilcs]

I've kept it in a wooden bowl w/ a lid then transferred it to my Grundtals. Hmm

 

[tomharr51]

I've had mine dry out and crack, but keeping it a little moist usually solved the problem.

+1.

 

[bmilcs]

So leave some water on it permanently so it absorbs? Thin layer

 

[JamesBlades]

2 things:

1. The fat is a jealous soap. It does not perform well upon first use after being neglected for weeks at a time. Either use it regularly or at least wet it regularly and always let it soak for awhile before your shave. After regular use for several days, the old puck will lather like it always did.

2. Use a quality badger brush with a fair amount of stiffness. I've never had good results on the fat with any boar.

 

[jay_gord]

I've had the same thing happen to me. Went from being number one to not making it into my rotation anymore.

 

[bmilcs]

Jay did you fix th issue or give up?

I tried two boars and a TGN finest XH 24mm with plenty of backbone. I am definitely loading enough... It's just dryer than nothing else. Gonna soak it a bit and give it some TLC

 

[the_ogre25]

I have also found that if I keep my puck well hydrated that I get much better results. Try adding some water and let it sit a few days until the water is absorbed into the puck.

 

[California Cajun]

I took a hiatus from the Fat and upon returning to it, I struggle to unlock its golden lather that I was accustomed to. I even used the same brush I once had.

The lather I get now is almost clumpy and dry... Then too thin and over hydrated it seems. I add water very slowly and can't seem to get it right anymore.

Since I last use it, I milled it into another container. Does this possibly have something to do with it?

Is MWF lather unique looking and expecting a Mikes, Tabac or B&M lather throwing me off?

Funny you mentioned it, I experienced the same thing. When I started it was easy to make a lather and later on it wasn't. I also feel the same way about modern Williams. I seemed to do OK with it way back when but now it's the disappearing lather trick.

I think the reason is partly because in the interim I have used soaps that lathered easier and better and when I return to an old product with higher expectations it no longer measures up.

Oh well, if you don't like something, move on to something you do like. PIF what you don't like to a member who wants to try it but doesn't want to gamble the full retail price to see if it works for him.

 

[JamesBlades]

I tried two boars and a TGN finest XH 24mm with plenty of backbone. I am definitely loading enough... It's just dryer than nothing else. Gonna soak it a bit and give it some TLC

Try loading that badger for about 15 seconds with a wetter brush. You'll end up with a soupy worthless lather at first, but work it for about a minute in a bowl or on your hand and see what happens. If that doesn't work, try again with a different amount of water in the brush.