To mug or not to mug

I apologise if this has already been covered many times, but unfortunately the word 'mug' is too short for the search facility to find it.

The shaving soap and brush I ordered last week has finally arrived! Very excited and looking forward to an exciting shave with a sharp razor and proper kit, I had always just assumed that I would use the wooden bowl that the soap comes in as a sort of temporary mug to make lather, however having seen it now, there isnt really going to be much room until I wear the soap down a bit, I have seen a couple of people who melt a bit of soap into the bottom of a tin cup and use that, or am I ok to just load the brush up and then use an old cup to do the whipping? or is there another way without the need for a mug type device

Cheers,
Sillyfishyboy

A cup, mug or bowl is just fine if it's big/high enough. This may well be worth a look too.

Thanks AlanII,
perfect, I feel a bit stupid I hadn't found that myself, I have been using the wiki quite a bit but must have overlooked that section .. ooh well.
thanks again

To be honest, I just build a lather up on the palm of my left hand - particularly in the morning when I'm in more of a hurry and can't be bothered getting my mug out of the back of the cupboard. Also it gives me one less thing to wash afterwards.

I think most people use a bowl as a mug can be difficult unless your brush has a fairly long handle.It doesn't have to be fancy,just the right size.I used a dollar-store one for a long time til I found an antique store job I liked better.

If you have an Ikea near you then grab this:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/brush...ocka-bowl.html

It works great and as it's double walled it retains heat very well indeed. I was using it till my Dirty Bird Scuttle arrived yesterday and I'll be keeping it around for when I travel.

You can also lather directly on the face. Plus you get a nice massage as a bonus! Here's a good video on different lathering techniques:


YouTube - Introduction to Traditional Wetshaving, Part 2: Lathering


-Chief

Thanks guys, I may try a few of those techniques,
but I think the wife would love a trip to Ikea this weekend.
If I let her buy a new sofa she may even allow me to get a decent strop.

Bribery is sublime!

I used to face lather but now I am a dedicated bowl guy. Way better thicker lather IME. Try it both ways and see which you prefer. I load the brush swirling on the puck and then go to the bowl and add a trickle of hot water as needed while swirling in the bowl. Copious amounts of thick creamy lather.

I use a shave bowl and also have a shave mug. The bowl works better in my hands, but look at these, they are nice, still need to find an excuse to buy them, if you don't have anything that a good reason :)

http://www.dirtybirdpottery.com/shavinggear.html

crom

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by cromagnum

I use a shave bowl and also have a shave mug. The bowl works better in my hands, but look at these, they are nice, still need to find an excuse to buy them, if you don't have anything that a good reason :)

Dirty Bird Pottery - Wheel thrown and hand crafted home goods, kitchenware, gardenware, shaving pieces and more...

crom

---

Yup, I have the blue scuttle! Superb product and a very nice person to deal with.