MWF Shave Stick - DIY

[Greg1911]

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_9hKv1CCs0us/TbtQEVjfReI/AAAAAAAABfo/7iPoRlyZTbg/s576/IMAG0105.jpg

I used a Microplane cheese grater (dedicated to soaps) to turn most of a puck of Mitchell's Wool Fat into one great smelling shave stick.

The local supermarket had Brut deodorant on sale for $1.99 a stick. At that price I snagged 2 and chucked the deodorant part in the trash. The label is a clear plastic sheet so that came off cleanly. The smell of Brut washed out with dish-washing liquid and some elbow grease.

I think the Brut deodorant push up container is one of your best bets when you are pressing the soap flakes into the container. Twist up sticks have somewhat fragile threads. MWF is fairly soft so you can jam it in there. Just don't push so hard that you distort the plastic tube. (I've done it)

Can't wait to try it out :w00t:

[Slowhand]

That almost makes me want to give MWF another try. Almost.

[Greg1911]

The FAT rules!

[craig87c]

I need to revisit MWF to make sure I'm not allergic to it. The more I think about it, I had less problems when loading normally than when loading with a shave stick.

[Pjotr]

I just did one with MWF and jammed it (using a clamp) too hard in to a plastic tube/mold and had problems getting it out. Had to cut the mold open and found that the soap had stuck really hard to the sides and the stick looked very "organic', more like a badly packed sausage. Still usable. The good thing is with soap you can just mill it again and try something else. Would "greasing" the inside of the mold with olive oil or something like that be the way to go or maybe use less force? Bear in mind I'm trying to make a seperate stick for a bakelite stick holder, not pushed in to a container/dispenser where it'll stay. So I've got to seperate the mold and the stick afterwards. I've looked at the thread describing the clamp method but it didn't work for me and the mold/equipment I've got.

Oh and if you're a shaving stick lover, the MWF is a fantastic soap! Even in badly packed sausage form!

Edit: Just did the less pressure combined with a smear of olive oil on the mold method and it worked a treat. Not quite as dense but a much better shape and works just fine.

[Gogo]

I'll bet you could run the Brut container through the dishwasher to remove the scent.

MWF is one of the all time greats. I'll never be without it.

[Greg1911]

Oh and if you're a shaving stick lover, the MWF is a fantastic soap! Even in badly packed sausage form!

Edit: Just did the less pressure combined with a smear of olive oil on the mold method and it worked a treat. Not quite as dense but a much better shape and works just fine.


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_9hKv1CCs0us/TbyBQOYCT1I/AAAAAAAABgA/ijrLtyjZvZk/s128/homer-drool-702026.gif
Mmmmmmm Sausage

Pjotr, thanks for the tip! I wonder if Crisco or some other saturated fat (racoon grease!) would be more stable? Don't want to ruin MWF with rancid oil.

[Telecaster52]

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=200619

i found that a metal tube is less likely to stick to the soap, and that you can really crank down on theclamp without deforming the tube :thumbup1:

[Pjotr]

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_9hKv1CCs0us/TbyBQOYCT1I/AAAAAAAABgA/ijrLtyjZvZk/s128/homer-drool-702026.gif
Mmmmmmm Sausage

Pjotr, thanks for the tip! I wonder if Crisco or some other saturated fat (racoon grease!) would be more stable? Don't want to ruin MWF with rancid oil.

Never thought of that but then I've never noticed olive oil go rancid. Only put a tiny little smear of it on. Being a soap it would break it down very quickly anyhow. It wasn't noticeable on the final product. Initially I used way too much pressure with a clamp. I really don't think you need to use too much pressure to get a decent looking "sausage". I just tamped it down with the back end of a big filtertip pen and pushed it out with something like a bottle top.

[mollzo-dk]

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_9hKv1CCs0us/TbtQEVjfReI/AAAAAAAABfo/7iPoRlyZTbg/s576/IMAG0105.jpg


Can't wait to try it out :w00t:


PLEASE ADD PICTURES OF THE SHAVE WHEN YOU GET 'ROUND TO IT!!

I would like to see how you apply the Fat on a face lathering... IMO the soap takes quite a lot of work to build up to a smooth lather....

- Morten

[Greg1911]

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=200619

i found that a metal tube is less likely to stick to the soap, and that you can really crank down on theclamp without deforming the tube :thumbup1:

Your thread has me planning a trip to the hardware store. I've got the clamps, just need the pipe bomb suppl...errr threaded pipe and cap. :lol:

Now what soap to stickify next.....

mollzo-dk, I've got very hard water yet I've never found MWF tricky to lather. Go figure.

[Pjotr]

.........IMO the soap takes quite a lot of work to build up to a smooth lather.......

Using a stick nothing is hard lather, including MWF.

[noahpictures]

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_9hKv1CCs0us/TbtQEVjfReI/AAAAAAAABfo/7iPoRlyZTbg/s576/IMAG0105.jpg

I used a Microplane cheese grater (dedicated to soaps) to turn most of a puck of Mitchell's Wool Fat into one great smelling shave stick.

The local supermarket had Brut deodorant on sale for $1.99 a stick. At that price I snagged 2 and chucked the deodorant part in the trash. The label is a clear plastic sheet so that came off cleanly. The smell of Brut washed out with dish-washing liquid and some elbow grease.

I think the Brut deodorant push up container is one of your best bets when you are pressing the soap flakes into the container. Twist up sticks have somewhat fragile threads. MWF is fairly soft so you can jam it in there. Just don't push so hard that you distort the plastic tube. (I've done it)

Can't wait to try it out :w00t:

I was very impressed after applying the MWF puck directly to my wet whiskers. Followed your helpful directions to create a soap stick. :001_smile

1. I went to the local drug store (CVS) and bought two jar containers of Brut deodorant on sale (2 for 1 deal) for less than $4.
2. Took one deodorant out of the container and wrapped it in plastic. I will use that after I finish the other Brut deodorant which should take a month or two.
3. I cut the bottom half of the puck that I was using.
4. I didn't need to grate the soap because it was already soft from all the water prior to shaving; I just took it apart with my hands and pushed the soap into the empty Brut container.

That was it! Now I have an MWF soap stick and a puck. Any fans of MWF need to try it as soap stick. It is awesome! :thumbup:

[SicTransit]

I did almost the same but my starting point was a dried MWF so I had to mill it and receompress into an empty deo conatainer.

[Angry__Panda]

You can also order empty shave sticks from Mama Bear I think. Mini shave stick (http://mamabearssoaps.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=512). Regular sized shave sticks (http://mamabearssoaps.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=222). They are cheap, and you could grab some shaving soap while you are on her site (come on, maybe Noctilux is rubbing off on me and I need to instigate some AD purchases too!).

[barneykiller]

Nothing like an AD to get you through the week. I love my MWF too much to deform it but you all have fun.

[Greg1911]

You can also order empty shave sticks from Mama Bear I think. Mini shave stick (http://mamabearssoaps.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=512). Regular sized shave sticks (http://mamabearssoaps.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=222). They are cheap, and you could grab some shaving soap while you are on her site (come on, maybe Noctilux is rubbing off on me and I need to instigate some AD purchases too!).

The twist up containers have the weak plastic threading I mentioned. The Brut tubes are a push-up style and you can really jam the soap in there without damage.

& I don't use melt & pour soaps.

[craig87c]

Well, is the Brut deodorant any good?

[noahpictures]

Well, is the Brut deodorant any good?

I like it. I usually use Old Spice. I just used the MWF soap stick with awesome results. :thumbup1:

[Chevyguy]

Since I like to also bowl lather I just pop the puck out of my ziploc container and rub it on my face on the days that I want to face lather.

Clayton

[bkfist]

Since I like to also bowl lather I just pop the puck out of my ziploc container and rub it on my face on the days that I want to face lather.

Clayton

Same here.

[Chadtheguru]

Using a stick nothing is hard lather, including MWF.

Unless your name is Chadtheguru. I just can't make them work, at least not as well as brush-on-puck.

[bkfist]

Unless your name is Chadtheguru. I just can't make them work, at least not as well as brush-on-puck.

Seriously, try rubbing the puck on your wet face... a little scrubbing action with the puck, then take your brush to it... It guarantees that you'll have a good amount of product for a great lather. Pretty much works with any hard soap.

[DSB]

I also made my own stick of MWF. I used a twit up conainer purchased from one of our vendors (I can't remember if it was Mama Bear or another soapster).

I found that making MWF into a stick is the only way I can use it effectively. I have to use approximately twice as much MWF as any other soap, and my brush just won't hold enough MWF to make it work. However, once I made it into a stick, and started applying directly to my beard, I found that it's a terrific soap. It's well worth the effort to make it into a stick. It works partucularly well when I use my Wee Scot!

[noahpictures]

I also made my own stick of MWF. I used a twit up conainer purchased from one of our vendors (I can't remember if it was Mama Bear or another soapster).

I found that making MWF into a stick is the only way I can use it effectively. I have to use approximately twice as much MWF as any other soap, and my brush just won't hold enough MWF to make it work. However, once I made it into a stick, and started applying directly to my beard, I found that it's a terrific soap. It's well worth the effort to make it into a stick. It works partucularly well when I use my Wee Scot!

+1

It takes me over a minute to build lather with an MWF puck and less than twenty seconds with an MWF soap stick. I can't wait to use it with the Wee Scott (borrowed) later this week.

[dfoster]

And your Brut containers are British Racing Green...what a plus.

[tchudson]

So, just out of curiosity, what is the benefit of making a stick from the MWF puck?

[noahpictures]

So, just out of curiosity, what is the benefit of making a stick from the MWF puck?

It's much quicker to build great lather. MWF can be finicky at times. Shave sticks are also great for travel.

[Go West Young Man]

With sticks you skip the whole 'loading the brush' step, which is where most of the trouble lathering comes from.
Using a stick, you can actually see how much soap is on you face, there's no guesswork involved.