Thread: My First Badger

Got my first badger brush today; a Windsor Pure Badger. Handsome fellow he must be, Mr Badger, and judging by my test a quick shake of the bottom would have left him perfectly dry after a bracing early morning dip in the moat.

They do just pluck them gently with tweezers as they canter around England's mountains green, don't they?

I decided to experiment in the kitchen to decide what my new shave bowl should be; currently it's a small mortar from a mortar and pestle set; for grinding spices, a little less than 3" in diameter (yes, I know this forum is about brushes not bowls, I'll get there...). The current BRUSH is a supermarket thing, maybe five bucks?

A diminutive, scraggly, poor little thing; quite sad.

I haven't posted a 'Shave of the Day' picture yet because I'm ashamed of this supermarket brush.

Thing is, this supermarket brush makes a bloody nice lather, good enough to post in that lather/brush forum thing...

So, I decided to try the smart quite distinctive gentlemanly looking new badger brush. It's VERY fluffy (the supermarket brush is always wet and scaggly...).
I wanted to see if it fits OK in the small 3" diameter mortar. The mortar has nice thick sides; and I fill it with hot water and sit it in hot water in the sink while I'm showering; with the brush sitting in it to soak. The new brush was maybe JUST a tad too large for the mortar, and maybe it wasn't a fair test, and maybe I need to get used to how much water Lord Badger doesn't hold, but...
(a) Is it possible that my new badger brush doesn't make lather as good as the supermarket brush?
(b) What, might you say, is a good size bowl for a badger brush? The supermarket brush was also undernourished; a skinny little thing she was...
(c) Do we shake or flick Lord Badger before we use him to agitate the cream, or do we use him sodden; or what in between? Supermarket brush needed to be flicked; water just clung to her matted, course hair...
(d) What interesting non purpose made shave bowls do you have; I've considered using a French coffee bowl, and an antique tea cup, I need something suitable, interesting and preferably vintage and European, any ideas?

Pics would help with size comparison.

Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

I decided to experiment in the kitchen to decide what my new shave bowl should be; currently it's a small mortar from a mortar and pestle set; for grinding spices, a little less than 3" in diameter

Ha! I've done the same thing with a little porceline set my girlfriend used to use. Perfect size and has a small lip too. Still havn't been bothered to buy a proper scuttle.

If you go to http://straightrazorpalace.com/misce...wl-ridges.html post #10 you can see my non purpose made bowl but it's not exactly vintage or European. For size comparison the brush is a Frank's Best badger with a 24mm knot.

I've used small cereal/soup/dessert bowls, coffee mugs (large and small) and coffee cups (non-expresso).

If it can hold water and shaving soap or cream, it's ok with me.

? (a) Is it possible that my new badger brush doesn't make lather as good as the supermarket brush?

It may take some time to adjust your technique for your new badger. With practice your lather will be as good. Lather is just H2o, air and cream, the brush is just a tool. Nothing more.

Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

(a) Is it possible that my new badger brush doesn't make lather as good as the supermarket brush?

carlmaloschneider,

You'll need to give your new badger brush a little time to get "broken in." Once that happens and you perfect your lather making technique, you should have no problem at all creating lather.

Keep in mind too that some shaving creams or soaps such as Castle Forbes, Al's "Bomb" or Martin De Candre are easier to make lather with than other shaving creams or soaps.

Just recently got my first badger brush made by deighaingeal with the most beautiful piece of ebony with sapwood and i will post pictures of it with some lather comparisons to my $5 supermarket brush,i use it exactly the same way as my cheapy by squeezing most the water out and then whip it up and it's amazing how much better it does the job,the lather is so thick rich and creamy and it feels like silk when i brush it on with the brush being so soft it goes on like thick paint,i have steel wool for whiskers so i like a nice 5-10mm coating which is now easy as the old brush wiped of as much as it left behind and it's lather was airy it didn't soften lube the skin like the badger did,i use exactly the same cream as i did before but i use less now because i get way more lather,if i had known how good a quality brush was i would have definitely got one earlier
Gerrit thanks for making such a great brush i love it more and more every time i use it and i just can't stop looking at the ebony every time i walk past it definitely worth the wait

Thanks for the replies. I've now swapped to a slightly larger porcelain dish. The picture shows my old bowl (a mortar from a mortar and pestle set) and the new bowl ($2.50 from the asian market, new, but it'll do until I get a vintage or antique one). The mortar has a nice rough surface that seemed to assist with mixing the cream; but with the new brush it's too small. The coloured bowl allows me to see the small chunks of cream not mixed yet; they were hard to spot against the white. This morning I ended up with too much water in the cream, but I still used it, not a bad shave, too. Just now on reading that last sentance I guess I can actually postulate that there was the right amount of water; though it seemed runny and sploshed around a bit. Previously, I was soaking the brush and then letting it stand upright without squeezing water out and using just the water that remained in the brush but today there seemed to be more left in the brush (after stropping). As jhenry says, the brush will need to wear in a bit. It's all very scientific, really, isn't it?

PS, does anyone use Cella shaving cream? I like the idea of an almond smell. Is it easy to make cream with?

Originally Posted by bharner

If you go to http://straightrazorpalace.com/misce...wl-ridges.html post #10 you can see my non purpose made bowl but it's not exactly vintage or European. For size comparison the brush is a Frank's Best badger with a 24mm knot.

Thanks for this. I just read this after posting my last post about the slightly textured surface of my last bowl and see now why I shouldn't use a bowl with a textured surface. I'm trying really, really hard not to use the pair to my vintage hand painted French coffee bowl...