Black Country Museum

[mw0njm.]

Given the need to wash hands often, at the resent time, I should have thought carbolic or coal tar soap was a must have. I have Wrights coal tar, although 'er indoors doesn't like its aroma!

i buy that to wash the pooch.lol it hides his stink.lol

 

[mw0njm.]

Good old carbolic soap, an integral part of working on the building site. There would always be someone who dropped it on the floor, so it was all gritty when you washed your face with it.

a bit of grit in the soap help remove the dirt.
we used lifebouy carbolic soap.... the stuff you get now removes your skin as well as the dirt.

 

[Morturn]

Well clearly Pete, you were a posh boy. The stuff we used came in an enormous extruded lumpy block that was cut up into chunks.

None of this posh in the box stuff for us builders

 

[A Sparks]

Given the need to wash hands often, at the present time, I should have thought carbolic or coal tar soap was a must have. I have Wrights coal tar, although 'er indoors doesn't like its aroma!

I love the smell of Wright's Coal Tar soap - got some in the bathroom now
Mind you, I like the smell of fresh tar when they're doing the roads too

 

[Astoness]

Given the need to wash hands often, at the present time, I should have thought carbolic or coal tar soap was a must have. I have Wrights coal tar, although 'er indoors doesn't like its aroma!

alan i am using wrights coal tar at the moment and i love the smell of it

 

[Arnold Mason]

alan i am using wrights coal tar at the moment and i love the smell of it

I remember the smell of tar when I travelled over the raised section of the M5 at Oldbury. I think the company was something like Midland Tar Distillers.

Regards from Redruth

Arnold

 

[mikejee]

That's right Arnold, though I thought the works closed in 1972

 

[Arnold Mason]

That's right Arnold, though I thought the works closed in 1972

I was doing that journey before then. I stopped just after then.

Arnold

 

[Lusher]

Found this photo out from one of the 40's events at the museum. I'm in the middle with the M1

 

[mw0njm.]

Well clearly Pete, you were a posh boy. The stuff we used came in an enormous extruded lumpy block that was cut up into chunks.

oo. meow.lol............

 

[mw0njm.]

I remember the smell of tar when I travelled over the raised section of the M5 at Oldbury. I think the company was something like Midland Tar Distillers.

Regards from Redruth

Arnold

they had a depot in aston c.hurch rd nechells too.

 

[Morturn]

That’s the stuff Pete, could strip paint with it too.

 

[mw0njm.]

That’s the stuff Pete, could strip paint with it too.

the green was just as bad.

 

[Bob Davis]

Remember how Lifebuoy cured B.O in those 60s adverts. Talking of grit in cleansers, have you used the 21sr century Swarfega? No more gritty bits, smooth as the proverbial.

Bob

 

[Radiorails]

The company had initially, a head office in Cannon Street. Later their head office was at Oldbury where I guess most remember it.https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Midland_Tar_Distillers
A report after the serious fire in 1962:

Midlands News: 30.03.1962: Midland Tar Distillers fire

Aftermath of fire at Midland Tar Distillers Ltd in Oldbury. Reg Harcourt interview with Mr Easton about the blaze.

www.macearchive.org

 

[Morturn]

the green was just as bad.

I thought the green soap was cold tar Pete?

Who remembers soft soap?

 

[jmadone]

I thought the green soap was cold tar Pete?

Who remembers soft soap?

are you thinking of this ?

 

[Astoness]

i wish that fairy had not stopped selling their green face soap...i loved the smell of it

lyn

 

[jmadone]

These two guys live in my china cabinet

 

[Astoness]

These two guys live in my china cabinet
View attachment 148648 View attachment 148649

those are lovely

 

[Morturn]

are you thinking of this ?View attachment 148647

I do remember them, my mom used it to hand wash the clothes. She did ram the bar of soap down my mouth once when my bother got me to ask her what a certain rude word meant while she was washing.


The soft soap I was thinking about came in a bottle

 

[mikejee]

I can remember the green Fairy being used for washing clothes. The red carbolic for faces and hands. Odd bits were put in a perforated plastic container with a handle to shake in the washing up water before Fairy liquid was invented

 

[mw0njm.]

I thought the green soap was cold tar Pete?

Who remembers soft soap?

no mort is was washing soap.cold tar was brown. I remember soft soap we used it to put tyres on . and i give my wife it when i wanted to go to the pub.

 

[mikejee]

no mort is was washing soap.cold tar was brown. I remember soft soap we used it to put tyres on . and i give my wife it when i wanted to go to the pub.

You put tyres on your wife??

 

[Morturn]

I am sure there was cold tar soap too?

Good for skin problems, so they say.

 

[mikejee]

They still sell what is sometimes called coal tar soap, though this is a soap described as having "coal tar fragrance", that is a compounded smell probably having nothing to do with coal tar.

 

[Radiorails]

We discussed coal tar soap, Mort, back on pages 12/13. Some of us still use it it seems.

 

[mw0njm.]

mw0njm. said:

no mort is was washing soap.cold tar was brown. I remember soft soap we used it to put tyres on . and i give my wife it when i wanted to go to the pub.

You put tyres on your wife??
[/QUOTE no just a load of ss
Dictionary entry overview: What does soft-soap mean?

• SOFT-SOAP (verb)
The verb SOFT-SOAP
1. persuade someone through flattery

 

[Morturn]

Thanks Pete.

I have this family story where my grandmother was given a bottle of soft soap to wash her hair. Good for the shine they said. She was told only to use one teaspoonful. Apparently, she poured half the bottle on her head and massaged it in. It set solid like a cake.

My mom said the more water they used to try washing it out the worse it became. Mom said they had to use several gallons of water to get it all out.

My grandmother was prone to doing things to excess and never reading the instructions. Like the day she drank half a bottle of syrup of figs, then half hour later took off like a tornado to the loo.

 

[Radiorails]

Rain water, rather than tap water, was considered essential for keeping hair in tip-top condition.