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?