How old might this Williams be?

[fhalden]

Okay. I have finally pulled the trigger on answering for myself the eternal questions and controversies that surround tallow Williams. I found a NOS puck of the tallow formula. Or I should say perhaps, *a* tallow formula. I'm not an expert on Williams, just, up until now, a fascinated observer. I have a recent puck, also unused. What I do not know is how old this tallow puck is. So here are some pics, in case there are clues that might indicate it's age to a learned Williams user. Any help would be appreciated.

I do not expect to emerge from this exploration with some new truth. What will change is that, in the years to come, I can actually have an opinion about Williams, tallow and new. I do not recall ever taking part in a discussion of it.

After all these years, I have no excuse for this ignorance. Now I just have to figure out how exactly I want to try them out. I'm not going to do the one-half the face with one, one half with the other thing. The experience of my left face and right face are very different. And in my experience, I can pursue shaving as quantifiably as possible, or I can enjoy the shave. So I'm going to use stuff I know well as far as equipment, a synthetic brush, I'm still pondering the razor.

It would be cool to know how old this soap is, as accurately as possible. I know only that it is newer than June 1974, when UPC codes came out, but that's it.

So, I want to do this right. I need to educate myself about Williams like I did with so many of wetshaving 's classically controversial products.

@Spider , any advice about how best to optimize these two pucks, with the understanding that I'm not trying to set personal records, just getting the absolute best that the two pucks can offer. Thanks to you guys, I know what amazing longevity it can have, without actually having to shave that way myself, which I'm not made for.

Thanks in advance for any info and advice you can offer.

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[heysi]

@Spider is the go-to guy on all things Williams. I suspect its mid 1980's but that's just going by the UPC code and the lack of a Bicentennial offer. I'll be following this thread.

 

[Spider]

I believe soap from the Cranford plant was late 60s to 70s.

 

[heysi]

I believe soap from the Cranford plant was late 60s to 70s.

But did they have UPC codes that early?

 

[Spider]

But did they have UPC codes that early?

UPC codes first appeared in 1974.

I'm actually finding conflicting info right now. I don't have the information handy like I used to.

 

[heysi]

UPC codes first appeared in 1974.

I'm actually finding conflicting info right now. I don't have the information handy like I used to.

Hmmm....maybe this is just before the bicentennial promotion. 1974 or 75?

 

[fhalden]

Mind spinning at the ability to find world-class experts on such a specific topic!

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[fhalden]

I just watched @BarberDave shave with century old soap, so I'm doubting there's an issue, but is there something I *shouldn't* do to a puck that old?

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[Spider]

I just watched @BarberDave shave with century old soap, so I'm doubting there's an issue, but is there something I *shouldn't* do to a puck that old?

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No need to bloom. But before the first use, I would wash off the surface of the entire puck. Wouldn't want any old stuff from the surface getting into your brush... just in case.

 

[Jaro1069]

I believe soap from the Cranford plant was late 60s to 70s.

Beginning in 1960, the J. B. Williams Co. / Beecham put Cranford on the map as a laboratory and production center for famous brands like Geritol, Sominex, Aqua Velva, Williams Mug Shaving Soap and other pharmaceuticals and men’s toiletries. It closed the site in 1987.
Hartz Mountain Industries bought the land in 1988 and attempted to open a 10-theatre multiplex and shopping mall on the site. The town’s government and a local residents’ group, Residents Against the Mall, eventually defeated these retail plans and the complex continued as office space.

Next door is a former ball bearings plant that, because of contamination, was converted to a golf course.

I pulled that from a History of 750 Walnut Ave.....

I also found this

Another Brief history pulled from the internet.....

Taken from......

Collection: J. B. Williams Company Records | UConn Archives & Special Collections ArchivesSpace

archivessearch.lib.uconn.edu

History​

James Baker Williams was born in 1818 in Lebanon, Connecticut. He was educated in Manchester, Connecticut, and, in 1834, began employment with F. and H.C. Woodbridge, a general store located in Manchester. Williams was offered half-interest in the store in 1838, after which its name was changed to Keeny and Williams. Two years later, Williams sold his interest in the store, but retained his share in the drug department. He began experimenting withvarious soaps to determine which were best for shaving, and eventually developed Williams' Genuine Yankee Soap, the first manufactured soap for use in shaving mugs.

In 1847, Williams moved his enterprise to a rented gristmill on William Street in Glastonbury, Connecticut, where he continued to manufacture shaving soap and a few other products. His brother, William S. Williams, joined the firm around 1848, and it was at this time that the firm's name was changed to the James B. Williams and Company.

William's shaving soaps were sold throughout the United States and Canada, and as a result of rising demand, the facilities were expanded several times in the late 1800s. In 1885, a joint stock company under the name of J. B. Williams Company was formed under the laws of the state of Connecticut. James Williams supervised many aspects of the company until shortly before his death in 1907 at the age of eighty-eight. The Williams family continued to manage the company until it was sold in 1957.

By the early 1900s, the company was known throughout the world. In addition to its line of shaving creams, the firm produced talcum powder, toilet soaps, and other toilet preparations, eventually developing such as Aqua Velva, Lectric Shave, and Skol. In 1950, the company merged with Conti Products Corporation of Brooklyn, New York, and took over its entire line of products, including Conti Castile Soap. A 1952 merger with R.B. Selmer, Inc. added Kreml Hair Tonic and Kreml Shampoo to the company's list of products.

In 1957, a New York based conglomerate, Pharmaceuticals, Inc., acquired the J.B. Williams Company. The new owner, maker of Geritol, Serutan and Sominex, moved the Williams Company to Cranford, New Jersey in 1960, adopting the name J.B. Williams Company.

The J.B. Williams' plant in Connecticut was taken over by ten former Williams' employees who wanted to preserve the old soap-making process, and became Glastonbury Toiletries. The firm made shaving soaps, bathroom soaps, castile soap, aerosol shaving creams, body lotions, and shampoos. Its largest contract was with the J.B. Williams Company.

In 1971, the J.B. Williams Company was sold to Nabisco, and in 1977, Glastonbury Toiletries closed. The original 1847 factory is still standing, and, in 1979, was converted into a condominium complex. In 1983 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

[fhalden]

Now this is a bonanza! I think that's a great call on washing the puck, @Spider , thanks!

Ok, I'm going to try it tonight.

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[heysi]

Hang on....a guy named William S. Williams worked at the J.B. Williams company on Williams Street???? I think someone's pulling our legs.

 

[Highway]

Help me out here you guys - I have enjoyed Williams for 40 years and am down to the dregs on the last puck - what do I get next? What is the closest formula available?

 

[fhalden]

Help me out here you guys - I have enjoyed Williams for 40 years and am down to the dregs on the last puck - what do I get next? What is the closest formula available?

I've heard a lot of testimony about CBL Tonsorial being a great soap in that mode. I've only used Williams once, but I can definitely attest to CBL Tonsorial being a really great shaving soap base. I don't have the requisite experience for the comparison, but this might be a terrific solution to your problem. Good luck!

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[Spider]

Help me out here you guys - I have enjoyed Williams for 40 years and am down to the dregs on the last puck - what do I get next? What is the closest formula available?

About CBL Tonsorial Shave Soap window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag(‘js’, new Date()); gtag(‘config’, ‘UA-153483641-1’); – CBL Premium Shave Soap

A Tonsorial Parlor was once a man’s sanctuary, a neighborhood barbershop where life’s stresses were replaced with camaraderie and a personal touch. In those days, a master barber was a trustworthy friend and a wet shave was more than a daily routine… it was a tradition. CBL Tonsorial Shave Soap...

cblsoap.com

Yes, CBL’s Tonsorial soap was created to duplicate the performance of vintage Williams. It’s fantastic

By the way, welcome to the Cadre! Stop into the Newbie forum and introduce yourself.