Thread: Has anyone considered this?

This has come up before about the motor bowl. I think the solution was, sand the inside down until it's smooth and then you'll be OK.

Thought I'd throw my hat into the ring:

I use a marble mortar, I made sure to get one with a glazed bottom. The process is simple, I run hot water on my bowl before I shave to heat the marble up. I fill the sink with the bowl in it, then go have a shower. Come out make my lather. Being new it takes me some time to shave. My mortar usually retains it's heat for my 3 passes (about 25-30minutes). If I don't have the shower the mortar actually is hotter longer. Just my 2¢ or my hat or whatever you wanna call that?

I use a soapstone mortar with a celtic motif carved in the outside. Keeps the heat and is nice and heavy in the hand. The inside was completely smooth so I added some cuts (soapstone carves like butter) to increase the ease of making lather. If it hurts the brush after a few years I'll get another brush.

Zacsdaddy

Great ideas! My wife is a pharmacist and collects mortars and pestles. I shave cold, so don't need the temperature-holding property of a heavy bowl... or do I? I'll try keeping one in the fridge and see.

A vintage French coffee bowl... now that'd take me back to happy memories. Cafe au lait in great big face-warming doses... after the shave I'd probably dream off and slurp down the leftovers.

My first shave bowl was a big coffee mug that I got from my sister as a present, but alas it was white lol, and alas now has a crack through it, my next after I noticed said crack was a dish that hairdressers use for mixing hair dye, my barber gave me it after I commented I couldn't find a good cheap shaving bowl. That lasted me months and still does its job as atravel shave bowl now that I have upgraded to a scuttle.

The good thing about the dye tup is that it has measuringmarks up the side wich act like little ridges.

Geek

I know I'm a little late on this thread but I use a mortar as my normal everyday lather bowl.
It does a great job, I leave it the sink half submerged in hot water while I shower. It retains its heat very well IMO. I never really thought about damaging the brush until I read Glen's post, but I just went and felt it and mine's quite smooth inside so I'm not to concerned.
I think it looks pretty cool too.
Grant

Originally Posted by baldy

I know I'm a little late on this thread but I use a mortar as my normal everyday lather bowl.
It does a great job, I leave it the sink half submerged in hot water while I shower. It retains its heat very well IMO. I never really thought about damaging the brush until I read Glen's post, but I just went and felt it and mine's quite smooth inside so I'm not to concerned.
I think it looks pretty cool too.
Grant

It does indeed look pretty cool. I found mine retained heat well too. Also, its weight meant it would not float in the sink, as my lighter bowls tend to do, and sometimes tip a bit and get water in, ruining the second pass lather. The only reason I swapped was that I was using a very small mortar, I may give it another whirl, though, it's always worth giving something another whirl...

Thought I'd post mine as well

When you really think about it, what is a "shaving bowl"? Just a large enough bowl someone calls a "shaving bowl" and charges you extra for.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

When you really think about it, what is a "shaving bowl"? Just a large enough bowl someone calls a "shaving bowl" and charges you extra for.

Yeah. I spent sometime on the weekend scouring antique shops for scuttles and old sugar/cream/coffee bowls to use. Came up empty handed. Not one person I spoke to knew what a scuttle was! What IS the world coming to!