A New Problem Arises

So, I've run into a new problem... I've finally hit my stride with the Boar brush, and it's giving me fantastic lather... However, Now I've reached a new problem...

I have a SchwarzWeissKeramic scuttle which I love very much, however, I am a slow shaver, so here's my problem. The schwarz has a slightly larger spout than most scuttles, and no way of sealing that spout (since it has a dipping basin) Here's my problem. I've found that, if I want to have still-hot lather at the end of my shave, since I take a while, I need to put very very hot water in my scuttle.. Today I noticed, while building my lather, that very very hot water RUINS my lather. So, I tried with less hot water, and had great lather, but a very low-warmth lather (it wasn't cold, but it wasn't feelably warm to the hand)

I'm wondering if any of you have found the right way to prep water for a scuttle, so it doesn't kill the lather, but still keeps the lather warm... Or if, perhaps, I'd be better off with a Georgetown Pottery scuttle, which would be able to keep warmth longer at a lower temp, thanks to the cork... What do you guys think?

-note, this is mostly on campus, at home my water is very hot, but not microwave hot, so it only breaks lather down a touch, without being cool by the end of the shave-

Thanks.

Cheers,
Jeremy

Moss Scuttle here. I find the small to be perfect for keeping large and small brushes at a temp that is pleasing for me. YMMV.

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Moss Scuttle here. I find the small to be perfect for keeping large and small brushes at a temp that is pleasing for me. YMMV.

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I forgot to mention, I like to lather in the scuttle, creams and soaps, both... I know moss's are great for facelatherers, But not me..

thanks, though, Jimmy

Get a 10 dollar electric kettle (target) or hot pot and use it on the lowest setting or turn it off right before it starts to bubble, its like getting the hottest water outta your faucet and only startsto breaks down lather a little bit but after like 20 min or so, I ve also heard that candle warmer works really well too:)

Unfortunately, Watermark, there are no plugs in the bathroom of my dorm :/

Ahhhh then that is a problem, u can always boil it before on the hottest setting then take it to the bathroom(shower, ect) then by the time your ready to use it it will be roughly at the temp of the lowest setting

I don't shave post shower, but I do let the water cool a little... Maybe I need to let it cool a touch more... Not sure..

Dammit, now I've gone and made myself want a G5 :P

Could also be that -at least with the boar brush- it's a lot smaller than my badger, so the bristles don't really touch all the walls, just the bottom of the scuttle, whereas I can fan out my badger so the bristles ALL touch the walls of the scuttle, and that way all the lather gets warmed, and the scuttle has less surface exposed to the air...

Any of you know about that? Could it be the decreased surface contact causing my rapid cooling of lather? It makes sense to me -but I'm an english/psych major...-

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Originally Posted by ShavedZombie

I forgot to mention, I like to lather in the scuttle, creams and soaps, both... I know moss's are great for facelatherers, But not me..

thanks, though, Jimmy

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I use a separate lather bowl Jeremy. The SRD with the lip at the top so the lather doesn't climb up over the edge. Works real well but they are out of that style right now.

Thanks, Jimmy, But I think I'd rather stick with a latherable scutle... Because I'm difficult :p

However, I think the brush bristles not actually touching all the walls might be a good deal of the problem.. To my mind at least, it makes sense that if the bristles are all splayed against the walls of the scuttle, not only will the scuttle stay warm longer thanks to the insulation, but the lather -which is now spread out to make better contact with the hot ceramic- would also stay warm for longer....

No?

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Originally Posted by thewatermark

Get a 10 dollar electric kettle (target) or hot pot and use it on the lowest setting or turn it off right before it starts to bubble, its like getting the hottest water outta your faucet and only startsto breaks down lather a little bit but after like 20 min or so, I ve also heard that candle warmer works really well too:)

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Funny I just tried a candle warmer for the first time with my SRD's bowl and was going to post a thing on it in a couple of days..... it' works very well warm lather without overheating and drying it out.

Unfortunately, I have not found any of the larger scuttles where you can lather in the bowl that retain heat. At best, you can retain warm, but the large area of openness really does simply let the heat out. One thing that helps me with all the scuttles and particularly with the larger bowls is to put a little hot water in the bottom of the top bowl so it acts a a conductor and helps keep the brush warmer longer. Might hinder the lather making though, so you could add a touch after the lather is made.

Have fun,

Lynn

Thanks Lynn, I've been trying that...

I think I need to try it with a badger brush, or after letting the water cool a LITTLE bit longer... I've tried it with the water too hot, then probably with it too cold.. I need to try to find a happy medium..

Too many variables... Just gotta give it some working

Pre heat your scuttle before filling it for use. Keep the scuttle in a sink full of hot water which has also been preheated. If you put the scuttle on a sink counter use a hot plate so the counter doesn't act like a heat sink. Best scuttle is a mug surrounded by a sink full of hot tap water. Too hot is not good as it dries out the lather.

Good luck.

During my research on scuttles -- e.g. reading scuttle reviews on all the forums -- I found that many people seemed to solve this problem by slightly under preparing their lather, adding the final touch of needed moisture by wetting their skin really well before each re-lather and doing a bit of psuedo-face-lathering.

Since the lather in the brush is slightly thicker (under-developed), it supposedly holds up to the extra heat a bit longer before breaking down.

It seems to work well enough for me, but I do find that different brands of cream/soap hold up better than others as well.

Thanks guys... I think using a nice, full badger and some slightly cooler water is all that's in order, the boar just doesn't make enough contact -however, I still love her for soaps and facelathering, when rarely I facelather.

Thanks, everyone

Once i have lathered up and put the brush back in the scuttle I just surround and cover my scuttle with a towel, it insulates it a bit untill I need the brush again. Its not as nice to look at as the scuttle but it does keep the warmth in - hope that helps.

Its kind of like a tea cosey - a skuttle cosey.

It just occurs to me I have fleece ski hat I may use instead for my next shave hmmm.

I have the G5 and find it marginal at keeping things warm the entire shave-maybe 10 minutes or less for me in razor time. I usually fill the scuttle with boiling water but really build the lather on the brush and really just use the scuttle to keep it warm. I've never had issues with lather breakdown though.