Thread: Mitchell's wool fat

I received a bar of this soap from "ShavingSamurai" as a gift. I never used it. Can anyone who has, chime in. It's odd shaped, like a little fat rectangular bar of soap, not round like most shave soaps. Do I just toss it in a scuttle or mug and go for it?

With all the soaps I've had, if I want it to fit into a container, I pull out a cheese grater and have at it. In the past, this involved making pucks of soap fit into white plastic containers with black screw on tops, but the same could be done with any (I'd guess) soap into any container. Just get all the shavings into the desired recepticle, add a little warm water if you need to, and pack the soap down with a flatish object (I have found that a thumb or the bottom of a shooter glass work well).

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

pack the soap down with a flatish object (I have found that a thumb or the bottom of a shooter glass work well).

Hmm. Coffee lovers pay a small fortune for tampers to ram coffee grinds in to espresso machine baskets. I wonder if there's a market for shaving soap tampers?
P.S. My Mitchell's wool-fat soap came in the usual round puck shape. It didn't lather too well because of hard water, but I should really give it another go now my brush is broken in etc.

Actually with the MWF, which some people find somewhat fickle when making lather, I think the grate-n-smash method helps you somewhat with lather making...

I'll probably do the grate and smash, What about the double boiler method?

Hard milled soaps won't melt, so ya gotta do the grate-n-smash

OH yeah do not try the microwave the bubbly burned stuff will be yer soap....

Originally Posted by Rajagra

Hmm. Coffee lovers pay a small fortune for tampers to ram coffee grinds in to espresso machine baskets. I wonder if there's a market for shaving soap tampers?
P.S. My Mitchell's wool-fat soap came in the usual round puck shape. It didn't lather too well because of hard water, but I should really give it another go now my brush is broken in etc.

Zib,

Look at this picture again. You see the MWF shaving soap is a round puck. I believe you may have another product that company offers.

Hope that helps,
Martin

Yup, I suspect your have a bath soap bar. The shaving soap is cylindrical, hockey puck-like, but much blanched, white even.

Originally Posted by De Layne

Zib,

Look at this picture again. You see the MWF shaving soap is a round puck. I believe you may have another product that company offers.

Hope that helps,
Martin

Originally Posted by Bruce

Yup, I suspect your have a bath soap bar. The shaving soap is cylindrical, hockey puck-like, but much blanched, white even.

It is possible that the soap Zib was gifted had previously been grated and mashed or otherwise reformed into a different shape. I've found that with all the soaps I reformed, it was impossible to tell that they were not in their original shape. I also don't see why someone would send a gift saying it is one thing while it is actually another (unless it is an honest mistake or some sort of prank between buddies).

Mitchell's make a full range of Wool Fat products, including hand and bath soap. They all say Mitchell's wool fat on them--it's an easy mistake.

I would imagine you got some of the other soap, not the shaving soap...but it's still good stuff. Lots of nice lanolin for your hands!!!