My Prep of a New/ Vintage Williams Puck...

Welcome to this thread. 
It is intended to entertain   and, perhaps, inform. 

Full Disclosure: 
I adopted this method from a former member of another shave forum, GDCarrington. 
Shout Out 
I have been doing this since 2014 and it never fails.

Here are the tools you will need:

This soap has never seen the light of day. 
Some paper stuck to the puck

After cleaning it up, you can still easily make out the manufacturer.

I grated the puck and was left with 48g of soap. (Remember this number, your mileage may vary)

This next step can be modified to your tastes or omitted entirely.
I added 7g of menthol crystals. To put this into perspective, I once laced a bottle of Murray and Lanman Florida Water with 10g of menthol Crystals. It FROZE MY FACE OFF. EXTREMELY COLD!!! 
7g in this soap will even make BeeJay's eyes water.

Now you will add the same amount of boiling water as you had grated soap. I over-poured mine about 10g, but I don't care, it will simply take a little longer to "cure".

Mix well and transfer to your soap dish.

I then cover it lightly with a folded piece of plastic wrap.

Thusly, it will sit on my shelf for a couple of weeks. Randomly, I might press the plastic wrap evenly on the puck, compressing it.
That's the method. I hope you enjoyed it. Maybe a few of you will give this a try.
Thanks for reading.

An interesting take on a classic. Thanks for sharing the process

Very interesting.  Thanks!

Thanks for sharing Primo.

Primo, thanks for sharing your process for creating a mentholated Williams.  My question to you is why do you cover the soap with plastic wrap while it's curing?  The purpose of curing is to get the soap to lose moisture and harden.  Would that not be accomplished faster and better if the soap is exposed to air?

(04-14-2022, 06:21 AM)TheLegalRazor Wrote: Primo, thanks for sharing your process for creating a mentholated Williams.  My question to you is why do you cover the soap with plastic wrap while it's curing?  The purpose of the curing is to get the soap to lose moisture and harden.  Would that not be accomplished faster and better if the soap is exposed to the air?

Dust. Nothing more. Clearly, it would cure quicker uncovered, but it will work fine this way and stay clean-ish.

(04-14-2022, 06:22 AM)primotenore Wrote:

(04-14-2022, 06:21 AM)TheLegalRazor Wrote: Primo, thanks for sharing your process for creating a mentholated Williams.  My question to you is why do you cover the soap with plastic wrap while it's curing?  The purpose of the curing is to get the soap to lose moisture and harden.  Would that not be accomplished faster and better if the soap is exposed to the air?

Dust. Nothing more. Clearly, it would cure quicker uncovered, but it will work fine this way and stay clean-ish.

Got it.  Perhaps you can post a photo once the soap is cured.  Is it as hard as the original soap?

(04-14-2022, 06:42 AM)TheLegalRazor Wrote:

(04-14-2022, 06:22 AM)primotenore Wrote:

(04-14-2022, 06:21 AM)TheLegalRazor Wrote: Primo, thanks for sharing your process for creating a mentholated Williams.  My question to you is why do you cover the soap with plastic wrap while it's curing?  The purpose of the curing is to get the soap to lose moisture and harden.  Would that not be accomplished faster and better if the soap is exposed to the air?

Dust. Nothing more. Clearly, it would cure quicker uncovered, but it will work fine this way and stay clean-ish.

Got it.  Perhaps you can post a photo once the soap is cured.  Is it as hard as the original soap?

I will.
Answer: Not nearly as firm. Don't forget, these pucks have been in porous containers (unsealed boxes) drying out for over 50 years. Does anyone really know how firm and/or soft an original puck of Williams was? Me thinks not.

This is something I haven’t thought of. If I didn’t have 6 pucks in reserve of the tallow based Fine’s Snake Bite, I’d be breaking out the old cheese grater, pronto! Enjoy your soap, Primo

(04-14-2022, 12:27 PM)chazt Wrote: This is something I haven’t thought of. If I didn’t have 6 pucks in reserve of the tallow based Fine’s Snake Bite, I’d be breaking out the old cheese grater, pronto! Enjoy your soap, Primo

Charlie,
I grate all my triple milled soaps. I don't, however, add boing water to any of them, except Williams. I tried it with a puck of vintage Old Spice, and I ruined it. 

I only have 1 puck of vintage old formula Williams.  Untill I procure another, it stays in it's box as a display piece.  Thanks for sharing your mentholation method.

Update/April 19
Firming up nicely.

I have a Marvy mug that I have used for vintage Williams for many years. It has the residue of many used pucks, whenever it gets low I moisten and stick another puck down in there. I use a presoaked Omega boar and add whatever water necessary to get the lather I like. I have well over 20 pucks of vintage stashed, and picked up 2 more last week. I can't say how many pucks have been used over the years, as when I got low I'd use a puck of modern, then pick up a couple more vintage and keep shaving.
I use it more often than my other soaps combined, and it has survived multiple rounds of merciless culling. I've never really thought of it as anything other than good shave soap, which is why it would be the last to go.

(04-19-2022, 05:58 AM)primotenore Wrote: Update/April 19
Firming up nicely.

Primo, has that been curing since April 13, when you posted this thread?

(04-19-2022, 06:16 PM)TheLegalRazor Wrote:

(04-19-2022, 05:58 AM)primotenore Wrote: Update/April 19
Firming up nicely.

Primo, has that been curing since April 13, when you posted this thread?

Yes it has. I am going to give it another couple of weeks.

Day 16

Primo, thanks for the updates on the curing process.  I see from your SOTD that you used the soap.  I wonder how much firmer it would get if it cured longer.

(04-29-2022, 07:00 AM)TheLegalRazor Wrote: Primo, thanks for the updates on the curing process.  I see from your SOTD that you used the soap.  I wonder how much firmer it would get if it cured longer.

It's quite firm now. Surprisingly so.

The real question to ask, how are you identifying the genuine tallow williams?

(07-16-2022, 09:36 AM)photoperson Wrote: The real question to ask, how are you identifying the genuine tallow williams?

Sodium Tallowate will be the first ingredient.