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Now then you scuttlers, what to you do about getting cake soap to fit your scuttle, if anything? I know some of you use a great big device like the Moss scuttle, but I have a vintage porcelain scuttle from Bill Ellis, which I like, but I'm wondering if I'm limited to soaps such as Classic's scuttle-sized cake, which is actually just a little to large, come to think of it. Your ideas appreciated...
blessings,
denis
Hi Denis,
Is it sacreligious to suggest cutting your soaps in half or whatever? :shrug:
This one's not elegant, but perhaps instead of modifying your soap to fit the scuttle, perhaps modify the scuttle to fit the soap - find a bowl that can sit on the soap holder part that's big enough for the soap...(I know, that's not why we use scuttles - sorry, best I could come up with...it's 6:30am here.....)
James.
While I have a couple of scuttles, I'm more of a shaving mug user. I get the reverse problem when I order from one of my favorite ebay soap sellers, augustine_9. Her soaps have the best smells but seem to come in sizes that best fit my vintage scuttles. Check her ebay store at http://stores.ebay.com/Chelseas-Soap...QQftidZ2QQtZkm . All her shaving soaps are as if made for scuttles, however they work great in mugs too!
Ernest
Here is one of my vintage scuttles. It's the same size as the ones Bill Ellis has. I put a cake of soap on and next to it to show the size comparison. All the shaving soaps I get from this ebay vendor comes in this size. No big hardship since they're all good soaps.
Ernest
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b3...k/P7050007.jpg
Well, if it's a glycerine soap, the obvious solution is to melt it to fit ... and the obvious pittfall is if the scuttle won't stand up to the heat of melted soap.
Or maybe you could keep the soap in a different container, load the brush there, and then transfer and make lather in the scuttle?
The traditional scuttles have holes in the bottom of the soap holder. Line it with wax paper. Melt the soap in a separate container and pour in into the "wax paper mold". The the soap should fit with not problems.Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc4
RT
Or you grate the soap on a coarse grater and press the flakes in. But without water, unless you want a first class mess.:nono:
Greetings
oskar
Come on now, put a proper soap in there. T&H and Trumper make nice scuttle soaps. Taylor makes one also but is slightly inferior IMHO.
http://www.shavemyface.com/gallery/a...4/IMG_4140.jpg
Now those are some handsome scuttles! All this talk has made me unwrap one of those soaps and get my scuttle ready to try out tomorrow morning. This will be my first time using a scuttle! I'll have to rotate between scuttle and shaving mug now thanks to this thread.
Ernest
Used my scuttle for the first time these last two mornings in a row. It don't allow me to be as sloppy as I was with my shaving mugs but it was fun to use anyway. Since the hot water cup and soap cup are on the same vessel, it clears up my bathroom sink slightly. I just mash the brush into the soap to pick up some of it and brush the soap in the direction of the water holder so any loose lather will pour in there and not on the countertop. Then I build the lather on my face. The thick ceramic keeps the water hot and I can either rest the shaving brush ontop the soap while I shave or gently push the brush back into the hot water holder. I shake any loose lather off the brush and push the brush into the scuttle at an angle, useing a twisting motion to avoid bending the bristles back. Not bad really.
Ernest
The smaller and stiffer the brush the better for use with a traditional scuttle. FWIW I find the small Rooney Style 3 to fit well in all my scuttles.Quote:
Originally Posted by Big_E
I know this thread is several years old, but anyway...
...got my first scuttle today marked 'Blakeney IRONSTONE STAFFORDSHIRE ENGLAND'. I don't think it's that old, maybe '70s? The picture seems to be printed; not hand painted. I've no idea about this; dating ceramics. However, I like it and it MAY just bump Überlather (Body Shop Macca Root, Evelyn and Crabtree, Glycerin) off my 'normal' shave cream spot... I'll be using my old supermarket brush with this; I think the badger brush will be too soft.
Sooooo, about the thread, how DOES one make a soap fit? I've got Windsor soap, a 'natural vegetable' soap; I'm about to either zap it in the microwave or do a kind of double boiler scenario with a couple of saucepans; either that or squish some Proraso in the top bit, (my Proraso (my first) seems mid way between a soap and a cream) another option might be to soak it??? I don't want to lose the scent; though it's not anything to write home about SO far...
It'll be interesting shaving with the scuttle tomorrow (Sunday) morning; plus the older son's coming 'round for lunch at my new (old) Tasmanian Blackwood kitchen table and chairs, all newly polished...(had to polish every stick of furniture today; an OCD thing I get when I get something new). I'm looking forward to tomorrow for the first time in a long time...
Attachment 75173
Can't help on the soap, but the scuttle is far older than you imagine. Most of the Ironstone pottery dates from 1870s to as late as the 1930s. From the looks of yours, I'd say it's 1880s to 90s. That's true particularly if the scuttle bottom isn't marked "Made in...", a requirement after 1910... Regardless, nice!
Oh, serious? The bottom says exactly as I said, no "made in". When did they start 'printing' designs? I'm sure it's not painted...It'd be cool if it were old, I paid 40 bucks for it...
Anyway, here's the 'documentary' of fitting the soap in..
First I cut it into 8ths (this is only 4 of the 8ths):
Attachment 75190
Then I put four of the eighths in a mortar dish, in a saucepan, with the water coming most of the way up the side and 'cooked it' until a knife slid in easily:
Attachment 75191
Then I took the soap out and mashed it up in my hands:
Attachment 75193
Then moulded it into the mortar bowl, which is about the same size as the scuttle:
Attachment 75194
Then I mashed it around in my hands a bit more (cause it hadn't 'melded'):
Attachment 75195
Squished it into the scuttle and cut the top off:
Attachment 75196
And 'Bob's your Uncle' (or there abouts):
Attachment 75197
Clearly, not a good job. Next time I think I'll 'cook it' longer...
They'd invented the use of decals in the late 19th century, so--!
Great solution on cooking the soap. Theory turned to fact.
Oh, right! Interesting; I for some reason thought later! This is a picture of the 'maker's mark'...
The pieces didn't really meld, but I'm sure I could easily get them to next time with this soap...
Just ANOTHER aspect to this 'hobby' with the scuttle and stuff...
Attachment 75198
From the picture I would guess that that is printed/stamped on. It does look much too detailed to be hand painted. Most transfers you can see a faint clear border around the design, and if you pick at it (the border, not the design) with your thumbnail you can chip off a piece. I have a Seaforth mug that the transfer was so old or poorly applied that when I washed it with warm water and dish soap some of the design came off.Quote:
Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider
Oh it's definitly printed; I really didn't know they had printed decals that early! One lives and learns...
I take it back. I just happened to look at another mug that has to have had a decal and I can't see any sign of the clear border.Quote:
Originally Posted by KimFella
I'll have to ask my wife, as she did some coffee mugs a while back with decals, and I'm pretty sure she applied the decal over the raw glaze colours on the bisque fired mugs and then went on to the glaze firing. That would burn off any plastic/gel/whatever-the-decal-backing-is, leaving only the design.
Yup, on most of the older mugs (pre-1940s) you rarely see evidence of a decal edge. I'm not sure what the technology was then, but it's different than what is commonly used today (no surprise). The higher quality pottery of the late 19th and early 20th cen. was initialed or stamped with some maker ID (or even painted with initials or company name in a glaze). The production stuff was decal-ed or sometimes just stamped on the bottom.
Hi, the image on the scuttle is definitely not a decal. IF (if) it were, I'm wondering what they would have used, not plastic? Celluloid? It's definitely printed, though; screen printing? It would be interesting to know the year of manufacture, but I guess that's really an entirely different topic that what this forum is about...
can anyone tell me what are the weight of the scuttles approximately? I have always wanted one but afraid it'd be too expensive for the shipping over country they kinda looked weighty to me. I've been addicted to warm leather, and my home made scuttle is not very good looking & not convenient :(
Those vintage scuttles were not made to hold soap.It's only for holding a soap loaded brush.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michaelshane
My thoughts, exactly.
Is that right? Oh well, mine does now! :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by GeauxLSU
