Wish me luck!

[Gryffindor]

Curiosity has gotten the best of me. I picked up some new production Williams.

Someone suggested an overnight soak before first use, so that’s how I’m starting the first puck. I hope the soak dissipates the citronella smell a bit.

I had a pewter mug of perfect size for the puck. Filled it with warm water for its overnight bath.

I’ll test lather tomorrow evening. I’m hoping it’s not a disaster, but I’ll let you know if it is!

 

[ajkel64]

Keep us informed. I have never tried Williams yet. Interested to see how you get on.

 

[Rhody]

Soaking overnight is interesting. Will that turn it into a cream consistently?

 

[Gryffindor]

It’s my understanding that it won’t. It should only take on the water it needs, but would remain a puck.

 

[Ad Astra]

New Williams works. It just takes longer to lather than some pricier soaps.

MWF takes blooming like that to work well, first time (IMHO). After that, it stays soggy enough!

AA

 

[BigJ]

Good luck!! (Williams is better than its reputation IMO.)

 

[salman]

Agreed with BigJ - Williams is a fine soap.

When i first bought it, I didn’t let it soak overnight. Just did it for 30 minutes before shaving ( was planning on only a few minutes but then got occupied with other things ).

Since then its part of my rotation and i only let it soak for 3-4 minutes and it lathers fine. Absolutely no complaints. I kind of like the citrus scent too.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bluesman 7]

When you pour away the water that is not absorbed, you will be losing some of the most soluble salts. Not that it matters much considering the investment. Carry on, experimenting can be fun. For all I know about Williams, it may be better with some of those soluble salts gone.

 

[ftrez]

Overnight seems excessive to me. I just bloom mine and it works fine every time.

 

[nemo]

Overnight seems excessive to me.

Excessive. Really no need to soak at all from my experience but a light sprinkle wouldn't hurt.
Overnight would turn it to mush in my opinion. Why not try it as intended first?

Hint: Use a puck for a week or two and get a true feel for it, so many members switch soaps daily, not sure why they would do that. It'll soften up nicely.

 

[Uncas]

Excessive. Really no need to soak at all from my experience but a light sprinkle wouldn't hurt.
Overnight would turn it to mush in my opinion. Why not try it as intended first?

Hint: Use a puck for a week or two and get a true feel for it, so many members switch soaps daily, not sure why they would do that. It'll soften up nicely.

This.

 

[rockviper]

I have used more than a few picks of modern Williams, always having issues. I now have a puck soaking for a few weeks, topping up the water and flipping the puck periodically. I will take some pics when I get home.

 

[Gryffindor]

Why not try it as intended first?

Because I have 12 pucks, and this was an option presented by someone that has good results with similar, hard water. I’ll compare it to a standard “bloom and go” to see which gives a better result.

 

[REV579]

Because I have 12 pucks, and this was an option presented by someone that has good results with similar, hard water. I’ll compare it to a standard “bloom and go” to see which gives a better result.

The Edwards Aquafer does present some challenges with soap. I hadn’t really given that much thought. My folks have to use a water softener for their house.
East Texas presents just the opposite. A little bit of soap goes a long way.

 

[JudoJim]

I typically bloom mine for about 10 minutes with nearly boiling water. I pour off the bloom water and use it to add to face and also use this to add to the soap/brush when lathering.

 

[rockviper]

mmmmm, slick and slimy goodness!

 

[Clay S]

The Edwards Aquafer does present some challenges with soap. I hadn’t really given that much thought. My folks have to use a water softener for their house.
East Texas presents just the opposite. A little bit of soap goes a long way.

When people stayed over at my dads house, after awhile you'd start to wonder were they were, not seeing them for a while. Shortly later you would be screaming through the bathroom door, "It just feels that way. It doesn't wash off regardless of how long you try!"

 

[Gryffindor]

Well, here we are.

Ended up shaving with it. No prep at all, and I don’t normally daily shave. Worked out fine.

 

[ajkel64]

Cool, thanks for letting us know how you got on.

 

[Gryffindor]

Cool, thanks for letting us know how you got on.

For sure! I dumped the soaking stuff. Then loaded it with a really wet synthetic brush for about 35-40 seconds. Dumped everything from the mug into the bowl and built the lather.

It started as that traditionally-terrible looking, bubbly lather until the soap from the brush got into the mix. It's still a *little* thinner than I'm used to with Stirling, but the shave went fine.

I'm curious how it will lather on the second attempt once the puck has dried a bit.