Thread: Scuttle

Ok, so far as I can tell a scuttle is nothing more than a modified teapot with a modified cup attached to the top of it with the expess purpose to pour hot water within the cavity between them to heat what is lathered in the cup. Now if this is true, why am I seeing scuttles for sale with matching lather bowls? Doesn't it defeat the purpose to lather away from the heat source?

It could be that when they say "matching lather bowl" they're talking about the insert.

On the other hand, long before the moss scuttle (aka modern scuttle, aka what most people around here are talking about when they say "scuttle") showed up, there were what I call "old school scuttles."

The idea of a scuttle originally was quite a bit different. The bowl at the top would sit completely above the water, and typically had drain holes that drained into the hot water chamber below, making them completely useless for lathering.

Also, the 'spout' of the hot water chamber was large enough to stick your brush into.

They were ideal; both for barbers, and for people who didn't have hot running water. (Ah, the things we take for granted today)

A cake of shave soap (not cream) would go in the top, and boiling water from the kettle would be used to fill the bottom. Drop your brush into the spout, and head to where ever you intended to do your shaving. The boiling hot water meant that even in very cold weather, you'd have a piping hot brush, and equally hot lather.

The drain holes in the top compartment meant that if you put too much water on your soap, it would simply drain away. Plus, you could simply tip the water out, and leave your soap without fear of it getting mucked up and soggy before your next shave.

If you prefer to face lather like I do, then a traditional scuttle is all you need. However, if you want to lather in a bowl, it has to be separate because of the drain holes.

Actually what I had been seeing is the Moss Scuttle and the matching bowl is definitely not the insert because what you call an insert looks to be fired and glazed as one piece and the "insert" has a cut into it where the spout is, so definetely different.

Anyways I'm still curious because since the modern scuttles are ment to have the lathering bowl surounded by hot water, and therefore cannot have the holes in the bottom, they have instead concentric circle depresions to aid in lathering. Now if I put a soap in there to start the lathering it defeats the purpose of the depresions. So is this modern scuttle ment to be only used with creams (something I'm not familar with) or how do you use soap with it?

I don't leave my soap in my scuttle, I load the brush from the soap tub and then lather in the scuttle. I'm sure it would work just fine leaving the soap in there. There are some people who do lather in a separate bowl and just keep the brush in the hot scuttle. I just make the lather right in the scuttle.

Originally Posted by sinnfein

I don't leave my soap in my scuttle, I load the brush from the soap tub and then lather in the scuttle. I'm sure it would work just fine leaving the soap in there. There are some people who do lather in a separate bowl and just keep the brush in the hot scuttle. I just make the lather right in the scuttle.

By soap tub, do you mean a bowl you keep your soap in? Also does your scuttle have the depresions I'm talking about, because I've seen them with the depressions and without. I'm wondering if they play a role at all.

Lastly talking about soap, can you use just dove soap for example?

Originally Posted by Knife

By soap tub, do you mean a bowl you keep your soap in? Also does your scuttle have the depresions I'm talking about, because I've seen them with the depressions and without. I'm wondering if they play a role at all.

Lastly talking about soap, can you use just dove soap for example?

Shaving soap is a bit different. Traditional soap, IE body soap, will dry out your skin and cause irritation and razor burn.

My scuttle has the ridges you're talking about, it's to aid in the creation of your lather, kind of cutting into the soap as you swirl it. I've had both, haven't really noticed a huge difference between the two, so you should be fine with either. I think the separate bowl for the scuttle would be simply to give a choice between the two. Extra's are extra's!

For instance, let's say you're going camping and don't want to lug your enormous SCHWARZWEISSKERAMIK around with you or don't have access to hot water, you can simply bring the lather bowl to lather in and enjoy the simplicity of a cold-shave!

I went to that SCHWARZWEISSKERAMIK site and they have a page where they shave soap with what looks like a cheese grater and then take the shavings and press them to the brim in a tiny bowl then use that to gather their soap. Is there an advantage to this?

So looks like if you want to use a modern scuttle with soap you need a seperate container?

Originally Posted by Knife

I went to that SCHWARZWEISSKERAMIK site and they have a page where they shave soap with what looks like a cheese grater and then take the shavings and press them to the brim in a tiny bowl then use that to gather their soap. Is there an advantage to this?

So looks like if you want to use a modern scuttle with soap you need a seperate container?

Separate container for the soap, yes. Most soaps you buy online either come in a container, or you can opt for one to store it in.

Alternatively, another option is to take the associated "lather" bowl, take the isolated soap puck and either melt it down grate it into flakes (like on the keramik website) and push them together into the shape of the bowl, that way the soap conforms to the bowl and such. Add some water and it'll glue itself together! This way your "lather" bowl can be used to house your lonely puck and you can load up your brush and face-lather!

Originally Posted by Knife

Now if I put a soap in there to start the lathering it defeats the purpose of the depresions. So is this modern scuttle ment to be only used with creams (something I'm not familar with) or how do you use soap with it?

My opinion is that a modern scuttle is better suited to creams, however, you should never lather on top of a cake of soap. That's just a waste. Instead, you load the brush with soap, an then you either move to a lathering bowl or lather on your face.

Which is more economical, cream or soap?