I love using Mitchellswoolfatsoap ,but always seem to get a thin ,watery lather.I watched a great video HandlebarberDave has on how to get a good lather from it ..He recommends not using a silver tip brush because it would break up the lather, and a stiff brush is the way to go. I like Mitchell so much, the way it performs in the way it makes my skin feel that I‘d use it much more if I could get a better, thicker lather.. I own two silvertip brushes, a shavemac and a thater and sold My other ones because I’m so impressed with the German brushes. I have my eye on a two band thater Bullgooseshaving carries..So what do you guys think? Would that be a good option. Merry Christmas and happy new year from Detroit Michigan the motor city
The Shaving Cadre
Welcome to The Shaving Cadre, a forum dedicated to gentlemanly discourse about wet shaving and other topics of common interests. Membership is always free so register today and join in the fun
Mitchells Wool Fat
- Thread starter John Paul
- Start date
I’m wondering if a good quality synthetic might be the answer. They tend to conquer the most difficult soaps with ease no matter the users skill level (meaning beginners and experts alike all find success with a good synthetic). The only question is whether you like the look and feel yourself.
What do you think @BarberDave ? Do synthetic brushes work with the Fat?
What do you think @BarberDave ? Do synthetic brushes work with the Fat?
I dont know I have tried rubbing one on my stomach, but alas... no 6 pack has returned....... just alot of scratches...
OH! you are asking about soap. but seriously,, yes a synth will work very well on the fat, but the key is with MWF in my opinion is start out with a drier brush, regardless of knot type, and add water very slowly and you will be rewarded
Hope that helps, and there is an eyewash station, from my above comment on Sub-level 3 of the TSC Compound.
Merry Christmas
It’s paranormal I tell ya!
I want to use the fat, it does wonders for my dry skin, and the shave is always excellent. I watched barber Dave’s video, and followed his tips..I started out with a dry, shaken out brush and spent more time than usual building the lather..I slowly added drops of water while face lathering, but it still isn’t nice and thick like the r3sults he got. I know he recommended, and used a boar brush, so what about a Simpsons best knot? I tried a synthetic knot before and didn’t like it
I used my $9 Omega boar for years. Don't know what it costs now - maybe around $15 I'd guess. It didn't take long to start to break in - about two weeks (?).
Longhaultanker
Sr. Shave Member
I used MWF tonight for my shave, (not recorded), and obtained an excellent lather and shave. I recently watched a video and the presenter said the secret to producing a consistent, excellent lather was to over load the brush beyond your normal expectation. I think it was Jacques of Dapper Shaves. I agree. I’ve never had a problem getting an excellent lather, no matter the water conditions. Remember, I’m an OTR truck driver shaving all over this great USA and Canada. I can attest from my experience the secret to MWF is over loading the brush, adding water as needed.
Longhaultanker
Sr. Shave Member
It was Anthony Esposito (The Stallion), not Jacques (Dapper Shaves). Anthony’s Friday video. He does a great job. Jacques too.
Here is a tutorial from 2020
theshavingcadre.com
Lathering Mitchell's Wool Fat
theshavingcadre.com
Longhaultanker
Sr. Shave Member
I watched this this morning. I’ve never re-grated it, but I don’t find it necessary. To me the real secret is heavy loading.Here is a tutorial from 2020
Lathering Mitchell's Wool Fat
try it sometimes it makes a difference
Well that is the damnedest thing ever. MWF is my main soap. How hard could it be? Grabbed my floppiest badger.
Started with a well hydrated puck and a damp brush. Loaded, loaded more. The brush just kept swallowing the lather. Added a few drops of water. Same result. Added more drops of water. Same result. Frustrated, I splashed water in the bowl.
Finally. What I was looking for. Big bubbles started foaming up. At this point I pull the brush from loading mode to lather making mode. I'm still building the lather on the puck, but I'm just skimming the surface of the puck, instead of dragging the brush on the soap's surface. ...and there we have it.
Squeezed the soap out and topped it like a sundae.
It works. ...and I still hate floppy *ahem* luxurious silvertips.
If you're going to use silvertips, stick to creams. If you're going to use triple milled soaps, upgrade to two-band badger or a boar. MWF, at least the (now) old tallow formula, is twice as dense a soap as the average triple-milled soap. (>1.6 g/ml density vs. 0.8 g/ml density average) Using a silvertip on it is like using a squirt gun to fight a forest fire. It will eventually work, but it's not the right tool for the job.
Last edited:
To add to my above post, that's not normally the amount of lather I generate with MWF. That's about half of what I normally get, so that's something to keep in mind.
The new palm oil based formula is supposed to be much more friendly towards silvertip, so if you're one of those prudes who insists on only using silvertip, MWF has finally produced a soap for you. It comes at the cost of losing the slickness that was always a hallmark of a good MWF lather, but that's life. The good Lord giveth, and the good Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
The new palm oil based formula is supposed to be much more friendly towards silvertip, so if you're one of those prudes who insists on only using silvertip, MWF has finally produced a soap for you. It comes at the cost of losing the slickness that was always a hallmark of a good MWF lather, but that's life. The good Lord giveth, and the good Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
fhalden
"Like BarberDave… I make my own fun”
I'm a big fan of MWF. In fact, if I had to choose one soap to use every shave for the rest of my life, it's not even a hard decision - it's MWF.
It will not lather using the city water supply in Baltimore. I had to use distilled, which worked fine, and a gallon lasts years.
I strongly suspect that for many people who have encountered difficulty lathering MWF, and there are many, switching to distilled water is a worthwhile early experimental measure to solve the issue.
You do it pretty much like I do it, and it's always helpful to share this kind of expertise.
The struggle to help people lather MWF is one of the eternal nobilities of the hobby. It's so good, everyone should be able to enjoy it.
Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk