Williams Week 9/10-9/16

Another Theme Week upon us!

I think I've only used the Williams once since last year's Williams Week. I'm just not crazy about this soap - the skeeter-be-gone smell or the finicky lather. But, hey, that's why I've dedicated an entire week to this soap - the controversy it brings! You can bet I'm be using Williams more than once this week, and maybe by the end it will have grown on me (I said the same thing last year - didn't happen).

Modern or vintage, doesn't matter. Just grab your puck of Williams and let us know how you like it!

 

'Kay, I'm game!

 

Already?
It's still Sunday in the Norseland, and I have not tried my Futur yet?

 

Then you still have time!

 

Since I just purchased 14 pucks and see myself using nothing but it for the forseeable future, I think this might be my default for several weeks. . I've found that if you spend a few minutes lathering it studiously on your face or in a bowl, it does provide for a very decent shave .

 

Is this Williams soap worth the time and money spent to get hauled over from the land of Conus?

I remember from my younger days an aftershave called Williams Ice Blue or something. It had a wonderful blue colour, and it when I was 15 I purchased two huge bottles from a shipping agent. It probably had closer to a pint of the stuff
By the time I was 16, the novelty had passed and one bottle never got opened, and was probably thrown out a good ten years later. Too bad actually. Nice looking bottle

Same brand perhaps?

 

Is this soap worth it? I don't think so.
But an opinion is just that - an opinion.

 

Well, when I go out today I guess I will pick up a puck. Watched a few youtube videos and seems to be pretty weak lather. So I am up for the challenge. Let Williams Week begin! And I am going out of my comfort zone using a product that I don't know a lot about some of the ingredients. So I will spend this week learning as well.

 

I will start tomorrow!

 

I went and picked up a puck of Williams this morning and there is already a war against Williams and my other soaps. I captured this battlefield scene this morning.

 

Monday

Just can't bring to myself to find anything good about Williams. I don't like the skeeter-be-gone smell (for me, easily masked with plenty of M Bomb), it's difficult to get a good lather EVERY time, dries out too quick, too thin. But I'll hang with it during Williams Week.

More power to those of you who do like it!

 

Mondays shave, I add glycerin to the top of the puck , seems to help with the lather, makes it more moisturizing. Same old problem with Williams, protection,just doesn't protect like other soaps it seems. The shave was close but when I put on the aftershave , burning and and a red face. Oh well , still felt like a good enough shave.

 

I thought it would be fun to post up so old Williams ads and Williams History during this week. Keep things interesting. So hunt around online find some history and old ads and post them. This one is from 1907. I personally will put up an ad along with a bit of history.


A bit of Williams History:

About JB Williams Co.

100 years were the shaving of the company JB Williams Co., the most popular in America. Left only the Williams Mug Shave Soap which is manufactured according to the same recipe of 1840. Until the late 1890s, it was called "Yankee soap" and was even advertised as a nurturing hand soap. By 1900, the shaving and grooming soaps by JB Williams Co. were known worldwide. During World War I, she accompanied the U.S. troops to Europe. After an assortment of Rasierpulver Rasierstift and the popularity of Williams shaving soap in the 1920s was replaced by Williams Shaving Cream, which was for decades one of the best shaving creams. Coinciding by JB Williams Co. another classic was brought to market: the Aqua Velva aftershave, which is still one of the great American aftershaves. In the 1940s came Lectric Shave it. to product

 

Very cool, Chris! Thanks

 

AH SONOFA. I didn't see this until it was too late. I'll break out the Williams all week now. Unfortunately I've filled my available shaving mug with Klar Kabinett....hmmmm.

 

As posted by Disburden over at SRP:

Unlocking the secret... modern Williams Mug soap exposed to awesome lather.
since 2003 or so, back when I used Mach III razors I have been trying to get Williams Soap to perform into a nice cushion of a lather. You know, the stuff you get from Tabac, MWF, Cella, etc. but it never did the job. I'll be frank, I have purchased at least 15 pucks of this stuff in my grocery store, I wanted it to work, but it always sucked, it sucked BIG TIME.

Such a shame this stuff sells for a 1$ in the stores and is a wet shaving product but always falls short.
But, Nick, how does it fall short, you may ask?

The problems I always had:
1) no protection on my face, razor burn....airy lather..ouch.
2) what ever lather I could make would vanish in less than 45 seconds. What gives!?

Well, recently I found the way to make Williams work. NO TRICKS! No Glycerin additions, no cream dollops on the side...no Ubering of the lather.
How could this be?

So, who here has tried Williams and said, well its slick enough but the lather is weak? It doesn't last on your face. You rub the brush on the puck over and over again and get no where in the end? Well, my friends I am here to help you. I learned how to make lather with Williams that ends up in an amazing shave without razor burn, BBS shaves even, total awesomeness for a dollar and change. I am here to turn you nay sayers, to tell you you CAN make a great lather with Williams, but you need to unlearn what you have learned.

Like the greatest Draftsman since Leonardo Da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, he learned how to abandon form and draw unlike everyone else in the world to make the paintings that became "Picassos". He threw tradition out the window. And if you are unaware of what Picasso knew at the age of 8, he could draw like the best of them...but at age 20 he abandoned it all to think outside the box.

Think outside the box with Williams....The method I am about to share with you will give you lather that makes HUGE peaks of Meringue that will sit in your bowl for over an hour. I know because I timed how long it took to disappear and yes it was in the bowl for hours. I will be honest, it takes arm work, but the reward is you may end up looking like Arnold in Total Recall.

THE METHOD:

Soak your puck of Williams and your BOAR or Bristle brush in hot water while you shower, nothing new.
When you're done dump out the puck and shake and squeeze the water from your brush.
Now work your brush on your puck of Williams Mug for about 45 seconds. You know when to stop when the brush sucks to the puck.
Now take your lathering bowl and put a TON of water in it, enough to puddle in the bottom of the whole bowl. It seems insane to use this much water but like Picasso, you must unlearn what you have learned since you were in diapers.

Now mix your brush of WIlliams in the huge puddle of water. At first you will think that it's no use, it's too much water, it's splashing everywhere, but keep mixing. Work your arm for at least two minutes. It will get thicker and thicker...
When you think it wont get any thicker, rub your brush on your puck a little bit more and add it to the bowl and mix for another minute.

I GUARANTEE you will get amazing lather that is thick and dense and does not disapear. I had a BBS shave today with this and a dubl duck special no.1

 

Tried the technique above. I had to work it forever and it was still foamy. Did start to peak a little, but I could tell the lather was going to fall. I ended up take a little at a time out of the bowl that I had already lathered and hand lathered to increase the creaminess and peak. Did better. Still not pleased. Tomorrow I will soak the puck again, but I think about half as much water. I used about a tablespoon.