problem with lather! where did it go?

Ive tried to make lather a few times now with just soap and water with little or no usable results. But Ive given up on that. Why settle for just soap and water when I can try to make uber lather. Am I right? Ive attempted this twice now, and while what little bit I produce is far better than just the soap and water, I only get enough to cover my brush and my cup is left empty. Barely enough to shave one pass, or less because before I am finished it evaporates from my face. What could I be doing wrong?:confused:

HERE IS MY PROCESS

hot water in scuttle
hot water to soak in soap dish
enough shave cream and glycerin to cover a quarter
wet brush with hot water
add soapy water to cream and glycerin
load brush with soap
begin mixing lather ...and what happened:rant:

looks good, thick and creamy, warm from the scuttle, BUT barely anything there.
lucky to get half a shave then start over. Hardly a relaxing and enjoyable experience.

Any suggestions? Please!

Try removing some/most of the water from your brush. Too much water with leave you with nothing. Also i've found if the water is too hot in my scuttle it dries out and reduces the lather rapidly. Hope this helps:)

Welcome.
If you add too much water, then losst it simply, the same with glycerine. Too much is not good.
Make sure you brush is well filled before you builds up Lather
good luck

Here is a step by step I did years back

http://straightrazorpalace.com/shavi...berlather.html

Hi and welcome. You may be using too much water. Check Glen's link and also this one on youtube. The guy is Mantic59 and his vids are entertaining and informative.
YouTube - How To Build And Apply Traditional Shaving Lather

Check out all his vids on shaving, lather building, etc...

Also, Make sure your using "Shave" soap, and not regular bath soap, or Goat's milk soap, etc..They will not work, and evaporate just like you explained.
Same deal with Shave cream, no canned stuff either....

I don't fancy adding to the confusion but IMO, it sounds like you don't have enough water. For one thing, the symptoms you describe are consistent with not having enough water: The dry bowl, the fast drying of what lather you manage to get on your beard. Secondly, in your account of your lathering process you don't mention adding water to the bowl bit by bit until the lather is properly hydrated. Here is a procedure that I posted on another forum which will remain nameless. When practiced correctly, it will give you the range of hydration your soap will take before it "breaks":

Start with the brush soaked in warm water and take the brush out and shake it once. Now, swirl the brush into the soap puck by palming the base of the brush and extending your fingertips down along the bristles to have the effect of stiffening the brush as you swirl it. No need to go on for more than a minute. Next, as you take the brush and begin to work it to make the lather in your bowl, keep adding water using your finger tips in small amounts little by little. As you work into a lather, pump the brush up and down alternately as well as swirling. Keep doing this until the lather "breaks", or becomes bubbles instead of lather. Now you know how much water your soap will tolerate. Each type of soap will have a different saturation point. It's a good idea to make a practice of getting your lather pretty near the saturation point to get it properly hydrated.

Hope this helps.

Well, this is embarrassing. If I had bothered to notice zib's video post, I would have referenced it. That's a really good video showing the proper technique for bowl lathering. Can't vouch for the others- never tried them. The only thing I would change would be to show the process from the perspective of the beginner, the majority of whom would start out with a too-dry brush. Obviously, mantic59 knew almost precisely what amount of shake of the brush would yield optimum water retention. He only had to add a little dribble to have it right on target. The technique, however, is the same. Just know that it's a YMMV kind of thing, but most have the tendency to start out dry IMO. Sorry if I'm beating a dead horse.:soapbox: