Thread: Best brush for Mitchell's Wool Fat for face lathering ?

I too re mill MWF, and I use a Rooney 3/2 I believe...In any case, it's a very, very dense brush, a lather hog...and that's what you want with MWF. The Mantic vid is an excellent source of info....Loading upside down, and loading generously helps....Also, Try adding a dollop of Musgo Real and 5 drops of glycerin to MWF...That's Glen's recipe for Lanolin overload....

Originally Posted by zib

I too re mill MWF, and I use a Rooney 3/2 I believe...In any case, it's a very, very dense brush, a lather hog...and that's what you want with MWF. The Mantic vid is an excellent source of info....Loading upside down, and loading generously helps....Also, Try adding a dollop of Musgo Real and 5 drops of glycerin to MWF...That's Glen's recipe for Lanolin overload....

Thanks Zib. Do I add the Musgo and glycerin to the soap before I load the brush? Just on top and work them into the brush as I am loading it with soap?

Cheers

Originally Posted by Pops!

i agree that improving your technique and re-milling the soap is a great idea.. but to answer your original question.. you never did say what synthetic brush you were using.. there are some good ones out there and some bad ones... i current favourite brush for facelathering is the omega 11047.. it's a badger/boar combo brush and it's absolutely great for facelathering.. i picked mine up at westcoastshaving for only $13.. at that price.. it's worth trying if you want to expand your brush experience.

Thanks Pops, my current brush is a synthetic Parker brush. I looked at the Omega at WCS but it's out of stock... I'm looking into maybe getting a boar or horse hair brush from Spain. My reason for not wanting badger is because having travelled to China several times I'm painfully aware of their horrific treatment of animals in making animal based products and so refuse to support them. Unfortunately, most of the top end brush makers source their hair from China...

Originally Posted by zib

Also, Try adding .....5 drops of glycerin to MWF...That's Glen's recipe for Lanolin overload....

+1 What a kicker - the glycerin. I have enough suds for 3 days with my boar brush. BTW, I usually soak a brush for a least a half an hour b4 I go to the soap/cream. Good luck!!!

I have a method that works with all of my brushes on MWF and I cannot take credit for it. the method was taught to me by Michael (hornm). I use a spray bottle to spray down a grated puck of MWF, I then soak my brush in my scuttle. After squeezing/shaking the brush I load the brush in the soap. I then respray the soap and let it soak while I load the scuttle for a little while. I will then reload the brush on the soap and set the brush in the scuttle. I will again spray the soap and roll it around the top of the puck to collect much of the soap residue lifted by the brush and let it sit again. I will then lather what is currently in my scuttle using the water from the top of the soap to moisten my lather. This method insures that the water in my lather is more metered than standard methods and I don't have to worry about whether or not the brush holds too much or not enough water. This method sounds complicated, but when put into action it takes no more time than my regular lathering. That being said, I have never used your brush and as such I don't know how it performs, but having used this method it has never failed using any brush that I have/had.

Personally, I have never face lathered with MWF or any of the shaving soaps that I own. What I do is place some warm/hot water inthe soap dish/mug to wet the puck while a shower. Then I pour off the excess water and load my brush--preferably a boar brush or a badger brush that has a fairly dense knot of badger hair in it and apply it to my beard. Works like a charm.

If my lather begins to dry while I shave, I immerse the tip of the brush in a basin of warm/hot water and refresh the lather on my face.

One brush in particular that is allegedly good for shavers who prefer face lathering is:

http://www.bullgooseshaving.net/sibe46inbeba.html

Well, what a difference a bit of experimentation makes...

I had today what is so far my best shave in regards to comfort, closeness and time efficiency. After reading the wiki section and reviewing Lynn's DVD again I started from scratch.

I determined that I had dulled the edge of my razors due to poor stropping as I was learning. Once I got the Franz Swaty hone (eBay) I tried different ways of using it - wet, dry, etc but the best method was with some lather. 5 passes and some careful stropping (linen and leather) and the Dovo vintage razor was passing the hanging hair test multiple times with the same hair. I was thrilled as i'd never been able to do this before.

Using warm-to-hot tap water I soaked the MWF in it's own bowl while I made a hot towel for myself. Using Lynn's method of one hot towel on the face, followed by a lightly loaded brush for some thin lather on the face before a second hot towel my face was ready for lathering.

I held my Parker synthetic brush in a loose three finger grip (much looser than before). I did this with the reasoning that because I was told a fake brush holds little water, the little pockets of air between bristles would compensate a little... I swirled on the soap using just the tips for about 10 seconds and then pumped the brush into the soap a couple of times. I had lather on the soap and brush. Applied to face and swirled and dipped in hot water a few times and voila! Thick, creamy lather that stayed moist.

My first WTG pass was so close I decided to have the second pass as an ATG. Besides from my far less than perfect technique, where I got it right, the shave was as close as I've ever seen it. I think my next best purchases will be a proper shavers mirror (so I miss fewer spots) and maybe a scuttle as I think hot lather would only help.

Many thanks guys for your advice and help. I'll probably get a better fake brush or a non-Chinese hair brush soon just improve on the experience but for now, I know it's not the gear, it's me.

Cheers!

I think that a middle size, little boar brush is the better, try with a semogue 830 or 1438, or with an omega in little knots ora vulfix, they give you excellent results.

Little Plissons work well but they are more expensive

Originally Posted by PenSword

Thanks Zib. Do I add the Musgo and glycerin to the soap before I load the brush? Just on top and work them into the brush as I am loading it with soap?

Cheers

What I do is put a small dollop of musgo in the bottom of my scuttle or whatever vessel your using, I then add the glycerin. Now, I begin to build lather in the MWF tub with my brush. Once the brush is properly loaded, I go to the scuttle containing the musgo and glycerin, then whip....
Excuse my late reply.....

OH, BTW. I'm really loving this Simpson PJ2 brush I got. It's just right, not too soft, not too stiff, not too big. It's becoming my favorite brush, MY Rooney is too damm big, a lather hog, and my Thather is too whimpy, etc...Highly recommend the Simpson brushes...Great for hard soaps, and creams....

My VDH Boar seems to do quite well with MWF. I would say anything boar and slightly coarse (as opposed to soft and floppy) would be the way to go