Thread: Bowls, Scuttles, and Mugs?

Which is for what? I haven't gotten my supply's yet, but I have a mug, soap and a brush on the way. Also a strop and a razor from a different place. Do I put the soap in the mug to use, and then need a scuttle to finish making lather in and to keep it warm? Or if I don't care about warm, do I need a bowl to finish making lather? Or Do I put the soap in a bowl and use the ceramic mug as a scuttle? Is the scuttle really needed or is it optional? More questions to come. Thank you all very much. And I have read all I could find here about making lather, and these are the questions I have after reading.

Scuttle is optional, it's a vessel designed to keep lather warm while you shave. They normally have a void that you fill with hot water, (like a double boiler). You build lather in the scuttle. You could load your brush from the mug then build in the scuttle, or load from the soap container, or shave cream container and transfer it to the scuttle. Not needed, nice to have.. A mug and brush is just fine as is....

Mugs: A cup that holds your soap

Bowl: Generally a specialized device which facilitates the easy whipping of creams into usable lather.

Scuttle: A specialized device which includes a scuttle-like device on the top as well as a chamber on the bottom for hot water to be stored. This device helps facilitate not only a usable lather, but also keeps the lather warm during your shave.

I don't use any of this stuff. I just load the brush directly from the puck in my mug (a coffee mug) and proceed to produce the lather directly on the face. Items like scuttles were created during a time before indoor plumbing. Outdoor well water would be brought into the house and heated over the wood or coal stove and then poured into the bottom of the scuttle to keep the lather warm during your shave. It's a completely optional piece of equipment in today's modernized era. Since we all have indoor plumbing these days, if you want warm lather just place your coffee mug containing your soap into your sink once it's about half filled with hot water...viola...warm lather.

I would suggest starting with a cheap bowl from a department store to see if you like lathering from a bowl. Some people swear by building lather in a bowl and some by building a lather on your face or in the palm of your hand. No sense buying a nice bowl to lather in if you aren't going to use it!

I am happy with the bowl I swiped out of the kitchen cabinet at this point. I feel it works better for me than a mug.

Try stuff out and see what works for you.

Hi-

I use a mug (pewter) to make whip my lather in. This is after loading my brush with soap by swirling it around on the soap puck and adding glycerin to the mug.
I'm curious about the use of a scuttle, as I enjoy warm lather. Currently I soak my mug and brush in hot water prior to loading the brush and whipping the lather in the -hot water- soaked mug.
I'm rather new to this, but I think you could get away with a mug and brush, for now.
Beware acquisition disease, though...

I have a deep mug which I fill with hot water to soak my brush,and a small correllware bowl that just fits a puck of soap.I use the presoaked brush to get some lather off the puck and then I use a nice deep apothecary mug to whip up a good lather. The nice thing about wet shaving is there are many different individual combinations you can come up with.There is no one way. Alot of folks like to just stick with the simple mug n brush which is just fine also.Try not to get bogged down in written in stone thinking,be creative and individual and enjoy. Good shave tu m8te .

Building the lather is the important issue.....I have a regular old spice mug, which works fine. If yo want heat you just shake the brush out and wave it under the faucet (hot water) shake once hardin the sink and keep building your lather..I have since switched to a lower, wider profile pewter (cause it heats faster) old candy dish with a coffee mug type handle...While I am buildig lather I turn the dish lightly side ways under the faucet to heat it up prior to the spread on the face....this has wokrred out to be the cheapest and best way so so far...That being said, I wouldn't utrn down a scuttle because I do like warm lather. But what I have works until I can afford to become one of the rich and fammous few :0 who have dirty birds. ...As for hand building or face lather building...I can't seem to get it hot enough....I need heat for my shave....

Thank you all for the reply's. Guess I have a little experimenting to do.

I thought I'd mention that I use a $.99 rice bowl as a lathering bowl. Very cheap, very effective from my local Asian grocery store.