Thank you, sir.
Williams Tonsorial Shaving Soap
- Thread starter Luecke2326
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- #22
Update, Tonsorial bested both vintage Williams and new Williams. I have really grown to love Tonsorial, I still have 7 pucks and I pray they will last me a few more years(with my soap supply, my grand children should have soap lol).
Have you tried the 'tonsorial' soap made by CBL? Just curious.
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- #24
I have, it lathers really close, but not exactly. I love the slickness of CBL, for sure. It may be a bias because it’s not vintage lol.
Matt, what makes tonsorial different than regular vintage
rockviper
Moderator Emeritus
One still has its tonsils? 
Actually, I think the Tonsorial was intended for use in a lathering machine.
Actually, I think the Tonsorial was intended for use in a lathering machine.
I have to ask you guys that like williams, especially the new....
Is it normal to not get as close to a good "looking" lather with it?
I've tried over the years but can't get more than a disappaiting lather with larger than normal bubbles. It's slick but dries before I get to my neck.
Is it normal to not get as close to a good "looking" lather with it?
I've tried over the years but can't get more than a disappaiting lather with larger than normal bubbles. It's slick but dries before I get to my neck.
I use the new on a regular basis. The method I use is to fill the mug with hot water and put my boar brush in to soak while I shower. Dump water out of the mug. Let water drain from brush, but don’t shake. Slowly swirl brush on soap in mug without pressing hard. After about a minute I build the lather on my face. The result is wet and creamy, but not bubbly. Whipping the soap too hard makes it bubbly and disappear. If I use a synthetic brush it does not need to be as sopping wet. If you use it everyday you do not have to soak the puck. I keep a lid on my mug to prevent drying out. This seems to help.
This ^^^
I've only lathered it a few times, so I'm no expert, but my lathers went from what you're talking about to really good as I adjusted the technique.
The best/easiest lather I got was by using it as a shave stick. It was really amazing!
The best bowl lather I got was by "precision loading", and starting pretty dry, adding water slowly to avoid bubbles. Once it's "creamy", it seemed to take water at a normal rate until it was the desired consistency.
Am I to assume that other very hard soaps like GFT are the same way? I can't get them to lather either.
I have no issue with conks, parker, or any of the other "hard" soaps I have.
I have no issue with conks, parker, or any of the other "hard" soaps I have.
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- #33
What @RhoCurly said
perfect explanation. I tried his method on Monday, better lather from new Williams than I’ve ever had!
Vintage GFT hard-milled (tallow and PP) soaps were great; the current ones are not.
OTOH, these (most recent) English hard-milled soaps lather well: Floris, Apsley, DRH.
I'll repeat this from another thread I started. Here are step-by-step instructions to making Williams into a really good soap that lathers easily and doesn't require any special incantations or processes (once you have done the following, that is):
1) Get a puck of modern Williams
2) Grate it
3) Add glycerin and stir it around the grated soap; add enough so that all bits of the grated soap are moist/damp with it
4) *optional* Add essential oils or fragrance oils you enjoy (if you don't like the fragrance of Williams)
5) Stir it around one more time and then firmly press it together in the container so it forms a puck
That's it! Simple. Thereafter, it will lather just like any of your other soaps. No requirement for pre-soaking, no requirement for long loading, no requirement for special brushes, no NOTHING. No more dissipating lather. Retains its slickness. Improves it's post-shave face feels. Becomes, in short, a MUCH better soap.
Glycerin can be purchased at any drugstore.
This truly changed the fundamental nature of the soap. I added grapefruit and lemon essential oils to mine. Now it smell really good and lathers fantastically. I look forward to using it now. Seriously. Just try it. You can thank me later.
(I realize some guys will still be saying, "yeah, but you had to manipulate the soap." Sure, but I only had to do it ONCE, not with every.single.shave. It takes 5 or 10 minutes and a couple of bucks to turn modern Williams into a really nice soap. Why not?)