Thread: Lather cold by the second shave

Some where in these forums I read of filling 2 bowls with hot water. Once both bowls are heated up you dump the water from the bowl you'll make the lather in. The other you dump out enough water so it does not over flow when you put your lathering bowl in it to stay warm.
I tried it this morning and the lather was toasty warm for the 2nd shave. Neat trick.
I see a pottery scuttle for sale at Straight Razor Designs. Looks like it does the same thing. Has anyone tried it?
I'm just 5 full shaves into the straight razor so still lots to learn.

I haven't tried that particular scuttle, but they do work. I've got a GP scuttle which does the trick nicely. One thing to consider is their weight. When I fill it up with water, I have to put it on the counter to mix up the lather or remix it. I'm fond of a shaving bowl and holding it in my hand, so the scuttle was a bit of a change.

A bowl floating in hot water or two nested bowls forming a water jacket between them will both work. Neither works as well as a scuttle like the one you are looking at. If you are going to stick with wet shaving and appreciate warm lather a scuttle is a good addition to your gear.

One problem I find with a bowl floating in water (or nearly floating) is the 'danger' of splashing water into the bowl, ruining the lather for a second or third pass, or indeed the bowl tipping up in the sink. Generally, I find if I'm using a DE I need to remove the bowl from the sink as I shave so I can rinse the razor head. I haven't used a double walled scuttle but think it'd be the better solution.

I preheat my lather bowl, but the lather is cool by the time I get around to a second pass.

A scuttle sounds like a worthwhile investment....oh no...my wife just caught me looking at scuttles, she's already astounded by the cash I've laid out for soaps, razors, and brushes. Looks like cold lather for another month....

I have yet to afford a nice scuttle. But I found that we had one of those "mini" crockpots laying around unopened that someone gave to us one Christmas, the ones that just keep stuff hot as opposed to cooking it. Before I get in the shower, I fill the little guy with hot water and turn it on. I fill my lather bowl with hot water and I place it on top of the mini crockpot filled with hot water. The bowl makes contact with the surface of the water and the edge of the ceramic on the crockpot, but it doesn't float in the pot, it just sits on top.

When I'm out of the shower, I refill my lather bowl with new hot tap water and soak my brush while I get ready for my shave. By now, the crockpot is nice and warm and so is the lather bowl. I dump the majority of the water, shake out my brush and start making lather. I rest the lather bowl with the brush in it on the crockpot while I shave and it stays nice and warm for as long as I like.

It's probably not as good as a real scuttle, but it's a cheap alternative for me.

Originally Posted by Nix

I preheat my lather bowl, but the lather is cool by the time I get around to a second pass.

A scuttle sounds like a worthwhile investment....oh no...my wife just caught me looking at scuttles, she's already astounded by the cash I've laid out for soaps, razors, and brushes. Looks like cold lather for another month....

LOL I understand bro I understand!

I've used both antique scuttles and make shift ones. I've found that you need to be careful with the dimensions of the older scuttles. The ones that I have aren't deep enough for the way that I work my soaps or creams. You also have to be careful with the paints that they used if you're going to microwave the water to warm it.
I've found that small microwave safe cookware fit together nicely and have a clean modern appearance and prove to be very functional.

I have the oskar scuttle and at first would boil water in the microwave and fill the scuttle but I found the thing got too hot and destroyed the lather. Now I use plain hot tap water so you do have to mind how hot your vessel becomes no matter what you are using.

I bought a dirty bird 1.5 scuttle, and it's one of the best investments I've made in straight shaving... I'm very happy with it.

Dirty Bird Pottery - Wheel thrown and hand crafted home goods, kitchenware, gardenware, shaving pieces and more...

Buy it and don't look back!!