Ok so I had another go-round with the soap puck. I did a little better. Soap still dried pretty quickly on my face, so I lathered and shaved in areas rather than the whole face at once. Shave was closer than last time, but the Mach3 still ripped my neck into a bloody mess. Can't wait to get my straight back from honing. When I was done shaving I practiced my lather-making again and it was the best yet, but there's more to go. I'm still not really happy with the soap lather I'm getting, so I'd like some feedback on my methods if anyone is willing to help out...here goes.

I soak the brush (boar) in hot water while I'm in the shower (if I'm not showering, I soak 5-10 minutes). I put a little hot water on the puck too, and soak for the same length of time. Then I drain my bowl, wring the water out of the brush and dump the excess water off the puck. Then, I swirl on puck...45 seconds (I was only doing about 20 seconds before, and on my latest try I doubled it with much success). I then beat the lather in the bowl, like I would with eggs, adding drops of water periodically if the lather looks too thick. I do this for about 20-30 seconds. Then I apply to my face in a swirling/painting motion.

I was able to scoop some out and roll it around my hands and it felt nice...creamy, slippery and thick, but not too thick, IMO...I was already done shaving so I don't know how it would have done on my face.

I'm also wondering how much lather should I produce? For some reason I have the idea that I need to fill the bowl, but what I'm getting amounts to a handful, I think.

Any thoughts? Am I doing anything wrong?