Thread: Dirty Bird 1.5 Scuttle

I am only a month into this addictive world of straight razor shaving. In the quest for nice hot lather I just ordered a Dirty Bird 1.5 Scuttle. Any suggestions on how to get the most out of it. It seems pretty straight forward but I am learning that there are always little tricks and suggestions when it comes to shaving gear. This stuff is worse than crack cocaine!!!

I don't know, I'm not an expert. I got mine with the webbing inside. It seems all I have to do now is just swirl the brush and control water content and I'm golden.

All I do now is use my bigelow shaving cream and add a couple drops of glycerin and an appropriate amount of water and everything lathers up fine.

That scuttle is spoiling the hell out of me.

Warm lather will spoil you. I haven't been satified with anything else since I tried it.

Originally Posted by DoughBoy68

Warm lather will spoil you. I haven't been satified with anything else since I tried it.

Yeah, but it's not only that. The webbing in the scuttle adds a little resistance to the brush; it's perpendicular to the brush's travel so it provides enough agitation that I don't have to do anything but swirl and manage the moisture. It's an option Julie provides and I'm glad I took it. I accidentally made my order without it so I emailed her and sent the extra $5 via PayPal. It's one of the best five bucks I've ever spent.

What does the glycerin do for the lather? I hadn't heard about using anything other than the cream or soap. Thanks for the information!

Just emailed Julie and asked to add the webbing. Did I mention the whole "crack cocaine" aspect to this stuff? I'm going to need a bigger bathroom at this rate!

Originally Posted by jskiles

What does the glycerin do for the lather? I hadn't heard about using anything other than the cream or soap. Thanks for the information!

For me it makes the lather foam more. In my personal experience, I can have a wetter lather while allowing the lather to stick to my face, and I can get a little more lather than I otherwise would. Some soaps and creams already have glycerin, so adding more might not do much for you. As with everything else, YMMV.

You should check out the preshave section here on SRP. Lots of the more experienced shavers mix soaps and creams together with glycerin and liquid lanolin. I've not become so sophisticated myself yet. You should pay attention to posts by Obie, especially where these things are concerned. GsSixGun also has an uberlather thread I'm sure someone else will link to shortly. Edit: See below.

Originally Posted by jskiles

Just emailed Julie and asked to add the webbing. Did I mention the whole "crack cocaine" aspect to this stuff? I'm going to need a bigger bathroom at this rate!

You won't regret it.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/soaps...er-recipe.html

Great scuttle. Its funny how personal opinion differs, I got the webbing and I now wish I hadn't, just a personal thing though. I think if I hadn't gotten it I would have regretted it.
With mine I first added three small PSA feet on the bottom to lift the uneven bottom from my counter for rigidity and to keep the lather warm longer (its all in my head).
When I use it I first fill both bowls with the hottest water I can get to pre-warm the scuttle, then allow my brush to soak in it while I shower. I will then dump out the water and refill the outer bowl before making lather to refresh the warm water. This is my tried and true method (it works for me).

deighaingeal,

That's interesting. I have a tea kettle and a shaving cup. I normally start boiling my water as I get ready for my shower (it takes a while for the hot water to make it's way to that bathroom). Then I take about two cups of luke-warm water (sometimes a little less) and pour it into my scuttle (outer bowl) and then fill the rest with boiling water from my teakettle.

When I'm ready to shave I then fill my shaving cup with about half and half boiling and cold or luke-warm water, which I use to water my brush. I put in a dab of cream and a few drops of glycerin and then swirl it about. I tend to use a lot more water than when I had initially started to make lather.

I then use the shaving cup to warm my razor back up after I rinse my blade off, it just takes a little dip.

As long as I keep my lather wet, it's a cinch to rinse out once I'm done.

It's too bad the webbing didn't work out for you. Like you said, opinions vary. I've seen a few posts where people have put stuff in their shaving cups to help with the agitation and that's why I got the webbing and it's been great for me. I got better at making my lather with a cup, but that webbing makes me feel like a magician. Hopefully this works out well for jskiles, too. He'll have to let us know.

-Mark

I put my DB Scuttle into the sink until the water runs hot, then completely cover the scuttle. This slowly raises the temperature of the scuttle so it does not crack from a quick change in temperature. Then I go and shower and strop my razor. When ready to make lather, pour out the scuttle and run hot water to fill and make the lather. My DB keeps my lather warm for the entire shave.