Thread: New old Scutle

Hello and once you stop laughing maybe you can help me out. As you can see I have a new old scuttle that I was very excited to get however, there is something wrong. This is a standard Williams soap cake sold for $1.99 at the drug store and it clearly doesn't fit. What does one use as a soap with these old scuttles?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Cheers

Dave

after a couple uses it will stick there just fine. i wouldnt worry about it fitting exactly... If you absolutely must have something that fits, find a soap with larger dimensions and shave it down to size

The scuttles were designed for a chip of soap. So the well will not take a modern puck. Soaps were not as common as now and the scuttle was a way to get the hot water and brush to the shaving area. a little chip of soap will make a nice lather, way less soap than we probably use now days.

Brushes of the era were a lot smaller diameter then. Under 13mmm was common and boar and horsehair fans were most common.

The lower height ( under about 2.5") scuttles were in gift sets for women.

Play with yours and you may find that it has a place in your travel plans..

Have fun!
~Richard

The scuttle has several holes in the bottom that drain the water but also seem to keep the soap from settling in. I did use one of those cheap wilkinson soaps that I cut the middle out of with a cookie cutter but still had the same trouble. The other issue is the lather spills out everywhere, its a real mess when I am done.

Cheers

In mine (Pl.) I have cut a slice off a shave stick or corner off a brick.

Yes, they are messy! Until the combination of brush and use of the scuttle is figured out. I have seen old brushes wrapped with string to get a stiffer brush.
As with any antique tool put to use, figuring out the combination can take time.
Have fun and/or put it on the shelf as a display, both are agreeable to anyone!
~Richard

Yep, go with Richard's advice and not mine
I didn't realize there were holes in the bottom of the bowl. in either case it looks very nice. enjoy!!!

I almost pick one of those up a few months back. But after thinking about it i figured it would only be sitting on a shelf anyway. So i left it on the shelf where i seen it.

Tried that style scuttle a few years back and yes, it was messy and really didn't do a satisfactory job. Ended up buying a Robert Becker and love it!

It's not a soap mug, it's a scuttle, you either put a small piece in it to lather r lad your brush from the puck then go to the scuttle, It's mostly for keeping your lather and brush warm. I'd you want a soap dish go get a soap dish. Tc

Like Richard, I have found these to be really fun to use. I cut my soaps to fit but a “chip” is a better idea. I face lather and find them to be very effective at keeping the soap from sitting in water and deteriorating. I use a smaller boar and I dip it in the hot water below to get a nice hot lather.