Williams Shaving Stick!

[Topgumby]

As part of a small Ebay lot that I purchased mainly for a NIB 1980's vintage bottle of Old Spice Cologne, I received a Williams Shaving Stick in the mail today.

There's a tag from a price gun showing that it retailed for fifty cents.
The label shows it was made in Cranston, NJ, so it was made after 1960, when the new owners of JB Williams, Pharmaceuticals Inc. moved the plant from it's earlier home in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Williams started out in Lebanon, CT in 1840, and moved to Glastonbury in 1847.

Interestingly, the bottom of the plastic tube is marked "The J.B. Williams Company, Glastonbury, Connecticut" so I think the Cranston plant was using old stock for the tubes at that point. I think it was probably made before Nabisco bought JB Williams in 1971.

It looks like it was only used a couple times, if at all. It's not pure white like today's mug soap, but has a yellowish tinge. I don't know if that's just from aging.

Two pieces of Williams trivia I found while briefly searching for info:

There's a JB Williams Park in Glastonbury. Up until the 70's, it had a ski area, with a rope tow powered by an old jeep.

Famed journalist William Shirer, author of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich lost his job with CBS after JB Williams soap pulled sponsorship from his show because he was critical of Truman.

So, now that I've learned a lot about everybody's favorite soap : do I stare at it or shave with it?

 

[cfriend]

Both! And pictures, please! Nice find!

 

[mdunn]

use it!

 

[The Nid Hog]

You should definitely try it out! After that, maybe you can find space for it in the museum of shaving excellence.

 

[Sodapopjones]

OMG do it, you know I'm the worlds biggest fan of Williams

I want a progress report!

 

[Topgumby]

I tried the stick this morning.

Shower, rinsed the tip of the stick in hot tapwater, then rubbed it over my beard. I wasn't feeling well yesterday, so I didn't shave. The stick had plenty of stubble to work with.

Grabbed the humble Tweezerman, and got it good and wet with hot tapwater, gave it a shake and started a swirling, scrubbing action on the face.

Boom! Lots of thick, creamy lather, but a little dry. Dipped the brush and went at it again, and pretty soon it was just right. The scent was soapy, and there was no citronella note that my stuffy nose could detect.

Loaded a Bolzano Superinox in the Red Tip, and the first thing I noticed was a slight tremor in my hands...damn crud has still got me feeling low. I thought about putting the Red Tip aside for a Tech and one of my familiar Shark blades, but what the heck.

I was surprised at how cushiony this lather was. It felt a lot more like I was using a stick of Palmolive, or, dare I say it, Tabac. There seemed to be a lot of tallow in here, but because there is no list of ingredients, who knows? The stick was certainly much softer than a new cake of modern Williams. There was certainly a soapy slip to it, and the first pass went just fine. I threw some hot water on my face, left it wet and grabbed the brush.

There was plenty of soap on the brush for XTG pass two, but I found myself using two hands on the razor on the left side of my face, because I was that unsteady. Got through it unscathed, and rinsed my face again.

There was enough soap for pass three, but things seemed a little thin. I squeezed the soap up to the top of the brush and there was now plenty of lather to work with. Got through the ATG pass with no disasters, even though I had to two hand the razor and I was sure I was going to do some damage. Did some touch up on neck and chin, and done.

The end result was a great shave. The vintage Old Spice After Shave Lotion had very little burn.

I don't know if they formulated the sticks differently than the mug soap, and I don't know if age has changed the properties of this stick, but this is not the Williams we have today.

Far from being reluctant to lather without a lot of water, this stuff just wants to lather. I'm pretty sure that I could have gotten a good lather by holding an emaciated epileptic squirrel against my face after I put that stick on. Lots of cushion, plenty of slip, and stays moist.

I think when it comes to a workingman's soap, our fathers and grandfathers had us beat by a country mile. Between my cake of Old Old Spice, and this Williams Shaving Stick, I could be a happy shaver and not have to envy my European counterparts with their Palmolive and Tabac.

 

[Sodapopjones]

AWESOME!

I'm glad that puppy worked out, if only a puck of modern day Williams was that good

Oh, go get some rest and get well soon, sounds like that shave wore you out Dan

 

[Darjeeling Express]

I too would love to see a pick of that stick and the original packaging. Thanks TG.

 

[BroJohn]

A great find and a good shaving adventure.

BTW, per newspaper advertisements of the day, (pre-1920) Williams produced a shaving soap powder. Presumably one used it like a salt shaker, shook some soap powder into a wet brush head and then face lathered. I'll bet that it'd work pretty well like that.

-- John Gehman

 

[Topgumby]

For size:

 

[Wil Dorenbos]

use it!

+1

 

[Darjeeling Express]

The pics are fantastic. The packaging is great! Enjoy it.

 

[The Nid Hog]

Hope the Williams gets you back on track! Splash on a little extra Old Spice to fight off bad mojo.

 

[Topgumby]

Hope the Williams gets you back on track! Splash on a little extra Old Spice to fight off bad mojo.

The Old Spice is for show. The Lilac Vegetal is for go.

 

[The Nid Hog]

The Old Spice is for show. The Lilac Vegetal is for go.

I love me some Lilac Vegetal, but I like new Williams too. Are there any similarities between the old stick and the new soap?

 

[Topgumby]

I love me some Lilac Vegetal, but I like new Williams too. Are there any similarities between the old stick and the new soap?

Short story:

Both: Soapy scent

New: Hard, doesn't lather easy, but works once it does

Old: Softer, lathers like Tabac

 

[Sodapopjones]

Short story:

Both: Soapy scent

New: Hard, doesn't lather easy, but works once it does

Old: Softer, lathers like Tabac

Its just not fair...

Old timers had it better off I tell ya,

 

[BobK1]

Topgumby, I just received a stick yesterday that more or less looks like the one you got. Difference is that it is brand new (well, NOS) The label on the outside of the container does not state the city, but the canister itself does (just like yours) However, the tin foil that wraps the stick itself says:

Williams
Shaving Stick
.......................
GET A RELOAD FROM YOUR DEALER
........................
THE J.B.WILLIAMS CO. Glastonbury, Conn.
PRINTED IN U.S.A.

The above writing is embossed in the foil.

The scent is strong, and it's ROSE! Yes, that's right, rose. At first I was taken aback by the scent, thought it was someone messing with my head, but after I decided to take the plunge and take off the foil (there was no way it was tampered with) the scent was quite strong. I even went so far as to open my container of Trumper's rose soap to double check my nose, and bingo, an almost exact match, perhaps the Willimas is a bit stronger, but it may be that it was just opened vs. used many times.

I will be trying out the stick in the morning, and will let you all know how it preforms.

Tobgumby, when you are feeling better and the nose is working correctly, let me know if you detect a rose overtone to your stick. I would be curious to find out.

Bob

 

[Topgumby]

Sniffer not up to snuff, but the wife's is reliable as death and taxes.

She says "Wow! That's rose, all right, no doubt about it."

EDIT:

A quick google search found an 1890 ad touting the "delicate rose-scented, cream colored soap".

 

[BobK1]

So, I'm not crazy, that's good to know. (Now, if I can only figure out why I work so hard for so little!)

Thanks for checking.