Types of "Mug".

there seems to be a few different types of shaving mug available. i was wondering if anyone could give a good rundown of what's what with these? for example what type of soap, hard, soft, cream etc. you might use with each mug and how to use the mugs for best effect. the different types i'm thinking of (but please feel free to add!) are:

shaving scuttle

shaving bowl

shaving mug (one piece)

shaving mug (two piece - with lid)

shaving mug (three piece - with lid and insert similar the top of a scuttle but a little deeper and drain holes in the bottom)

shaving mug with no lid and a small knob as a handle.

thanks,

john

:)

I like to use my scuttle mug, Hot water in the bottom and a nice cake of Lime soap on top. Hot water below makes a nice lather when I dip my brush in it.
Then when finished I simply pour out the water in the bottom and back on the shelf goes the mug to dry. My bowl style leaves the soap a bit mushy after a shave. My preference is the scuttle. When Im not in the mood to use the scuttle I use Crabtree and Evelyn Nomad shaving cream, Whatta great fragrance. :)

I've been using a Pewter bowl from Ray. It's pretty compact and sits well in a bowl of steaming water to keep brush warm. I just got a scuttle from another source and am eager to try it out. If anyone knows of scuttles without holes in the soap dish, please advise.

Today I tried a new routine. I filled a small thermos with 200f water from our dispenser in the kitchen. After my shower, I was able to enjoy extremely hot water for all facets of the shave and kept soap and brush warm throughout. All of this without any running water. Highly recommended.

.... I think you forgot old coffee mug in your list ....

Speaking of which, I just picked up an old mug from Goodwill for $0.99. It's big enough that I can fit my clenched fist in there with wiggle room. Should work quite nicely to build up lather.

I have a number of soaps melted into pyrex type bowls, and in a couple of french soup mugs, but my main "mug" is a small stainless steel mixing bowl.

Randy

Add the Rubbermaid "StainShield" containers to your list! I keep about a dozen different soap cakes in these, stacked. They are thick, very clear, unbreakeable plastic, with tight lids. They travel well, too.

You guys go to colleges/schools? Most schools these days offer a shaving mug logo'd with the schools' crest on it.

TIP:

Many "artsy" boutiques which carry pottery from local artisans will have mugs/bowls that are unique, as well! I oftern carry around two cardboard disks I cut out - one for the smaller size cakes (2 1/2" diameter), and one for the larger cakes (3" diameter). When I find an interesting bowl/mug/container, I check it against the discs for sizing!

Thanks Chaaaz for that little tip! I better get to cutting some disks out of the cardboard!! :) Now I can be better prepared when I hit the antique joints in the morning LOL

http://straightrazorpalace.com/image...Collection.jpg
My soap collection. The pyrex bowls in the front house soaps that I have melted. Missing are my soaps in wooden bowls.

Randy

Nice collection Randy, Im fond of the Blue Willow looking mugs. Very nice looking indeed Sir. :)

Techy,

The Currier & Ives mugs are nice, but too small. I'll finish using them, but they don't have enough "work room". Once emptied, they will be used for decoration.

Randy

This is my new "mug", got it at Bed Bath and Beyond.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...shavingmug.jpg

Holds a 3" cake of soap perfectly, lots of room to whip up a good lather too. Gonna get the matching toothbrush holder to hold my razors. Well, as soon as I get more than one, that is! :p

Quote:

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This is my new "mug", got it at Bed Bath and Beyond.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...shavingmug.jpg

Holds a 3" cake of soap perfectly, lots of room to whip up a good lather too. Gonna get the matching toothbrush holder to hold my razors. Well, as soon as I get more than one, that is!

---

That is nice!

Randy

;) I'm in Uthed's camp... a heavy ceramic coffee mug. Works great and is cheap.

:( Unfortunately, I now have to use a two-part system since the DW got involved... you see, she found "a really cute sterling silver sugar bowl" that's "just the thing to get rid of that ugly coffee mug". Ebay -- $10 incl shipping.

And now, the rest of the story...

When it came she discovered "The sides curve in a little and the cake of soap won't drop to the bottom of the bowl through the neck. It almost fits. I'm going to cut a little off the sides of the soap so it will drop in."

Of course, when she did that the soap didn't fuse itself to the bottom of the bowl... so, she decided to melt the soap and pour it into the bowl.

There, "It's nice and solid now."

Well, it was nice and solid until part way through working up a lather with hot water. The silver is such a good conductor of heat that the entire bowl warms sufficiently to melt the soap enough to release the cake to just spin in the bowl when I twirled the brush.

"No problem" she says... we'll switch you to "that hard soap".

Of course, when she nuked the harder soap it turned into something about the consistency of oatmeal, so she added some of the leftover soft soap to it to "smooth it out a bit". There, "that should work ok now!"

And it did... if you could get past the esthetics of lumpy white hard soap in a sea of green lime softer soap. "The best of both worlds" she said.


:hmmm: Well, the pretty silver bowl still sits out on the sink counter for everyone to see... and I still use the soap it holds... the soft kind which I still melt in the micro and pour into it. I'll bet you're thinking "A lot of additional hassle to keep peace in the family"?

Well, there's a good side to this. Since the soap is no longer in the coffee mug, I now fill it w/water and nuke it to boiling while I shower -- this heats the ceramic of the mug plenty hot. Then I drop the brush in the boiling hot water while I get the rest of the tools of the trade ready. I then work some soap on the brush from the silver bowl -- since the water temp is near boiling (and the soap is the soft kind) it doesn't take much effort to get a fair amount of soap on the brush ends before the bowl heats enough to release the soap. Then, I dump the water from the mug and work up a big pile of lather in it... the lather is almost too hot to put on my face. :) I lather my face and put the brush back in the (still hot) mug of warm lather... when I need more lather for a 2nd pass or touchups it's there waiting to use, still warm.

Oh, I forgot, I keep the mug outta site under the sink.

nice mugs everyone! i have also noticed that the old spice mugs have ridges on the inside - to help whip up the lather?

:)

To all of you older heads: I have been using a big ol Starbuck's cup. Sometimes I think that it is too dep and wide.

Any thoughts?

Steven,

What really matters is what you are comfortable with. I know some gents prefer a really wide mug so as to have plenty of work room, and I have seen it mentioned that a wide mug was preferred to eliminate the brush hitting the sides, making noise and waking others. I have used a host of options and tried bowls, latte mugs, french onion soup bowls, you name it.
http://www.shavemyface.com/gallery/a...rmal_Bowls.jpg
But I always come back to the stainless steel mixing bowl, pictured on the right. It heats quickly, cleans up easily, and it floats! I may start my soaps in small bowls or cups or mugs, but once I get the brush properly lathered...off to the mixing bowl. This has worked best for me.

Randy