Shaving container mods to prevent puck spin

[GoodShave]

I thought I would start a thread to see what you have done to keep your soap pucks from spinning when you load your brush.

For hard soaps, I would grate them and press them into a glass container. For glycerin soaps I would microwave them and pour them into a container.
I tend to like croaps and frequently get samples and they work well to start when pressed into a larger, flat container but over time, they dry up a bit and start spinning when you load your brush.

I have an Old Spice mug that works with some hard pucks but I have wondered about modifying some of my plastic or metal soap containers so they hold a puck in place.

I have a Dirty Bird scuttle with a web pattern (see my avatar pic) which definitely keeps a soft puck from spinning but it is large and heavy (being stoneware) and I don't have a good way to cover the top to keep dust/dog hair from getting to the soap.

What have you done to keep your soap pucks from spinning?

 

[SterFry]

I just 3D print bowls with pins in the bottom to stabilize the puck. There are some premade plans and schematics on the wiki. Just bring the settings to your local library to print one off for you if you don't have your own 3D printer.

Tons of other stuff you can print, too. Brush handles, brush stands, scales etc etc

 

[Atlantic59]

No need for any special mods. Just briefly soak the bottom side of the puck in warm water. Apply a bit of water to the container and pour off excess. Now, you can press the puck into the base of the container and let it dry. It should be effectively glued in place. You can pry it out if necessary, but it won't be spinning on you any more.

I prefer not to grate hard milled soap if it can be avoided. You lose something doing that, the puck does not last as long, it seems to absorb more water. I'll grate a soap to make a shave stick from it, though.

 

[Galaktus]

I used a soldering iron to doodle some dots and lines in a plastic salsa bowl.

 

[GearNoir]

Nothing special needed. Usually a few good shaves where I’ve bloomed the puck slightly and lathered a little extra will keep the puck in place. The extra lather and moisture will soften the bottom of the puck up a bit and either help mold it a bit more or naturally “glue” it in place.

Of course lately, most of the soaps I buy now are already formed to the tub. It feels like only the more classic soaps and English hard soaps really have loose pucks anymore.

 

[dabrock]

As mentioned above by a few, you can just stick the puck in by soaking and leaving it to dry overnight, but you can also lather the puck in your hand if you don't mind a bit of a mess. I'll do this sometimes just to start a palm lather.

 

[Saltchuck]

Some soaps will "soap weld" themselves to the container after several uses if they are allowed to dry.

I'm currently using a puck of MWF that I grated into a used G.F. Trumper shaving cream tub because it was a refill and wouldn't fit without grating into another container. That tub has a plastic liner that spins inside the outer tub, even when there is no soap in it! The only way I have been able to stop that is to hold my thumb on the top edge of the tub to hold the liner in place. Other than that, it's a great soap container with a nice screw-on lid. I suppose I could use a bit of super glue....

 

[BigJ]

No need for any special mods. Just briefly soak the bottom side of the puck in warm water. Apply a bit of water to the container and pour off excess. Now, you can press the puck into the base of the container and let it dry. It should be effectively glued in place. You can pry it out if necessary, but it won't be spinning on you any more.

I prefer not to grate hard milled soap if it can be avoided. You lose something doing that, the puck does not last as long, it seems to absorb more water. I'll grate a soap to make a shave stick from it, though.

+1! Yep. Just a bit of water on the bottom, then press the puck in place. Works great!!

 

[kingfisher]

No need for any special mods. Just briefly soak the bottom side of the puck in warm water. Apply a bit of water to the container and pour off excess. Now, you can press the puck into the base of the container and let it dry. It should be effectively glued in place. You can pry it out if necessary, but it won't be spinning on you any more.

I prefer not to grate hard milled soap if it can be avoided. You lose something doing that, the puck does not last as long, it seems to absorb more water. I'll grate a soap to make a shave stick from it, though.

You say 'the puck doesn't last as long' as if that's a negative thing.
It doesn't last as long because it loads easier, and it loads easier because what you have done is effectively increased the surface area of the soap. This also allows more water into the soap, as you have suggested.
In short, everything you said about what grating does to a milled soap is true, and is also precisely why I like to grate milled pucks.

 

[GoodShave]

These are great tips! I appreciate all the postings.

I am especially interested if you do anything different for soap samples (instead of full pucks that come in their own containers).

The full pucks that I buy usually are well attached in their containers.

 

[Atlantic59]

These are great tips! I appreciate all the postings.

I am especially interested if you do anything different for soap samples (instead of full pucks that come in their own containers).

The full pucks that I buy usually are well attached in their containers.

I put samples into another container used as a "loading bowl". The original containers are usually very small, so you can't really load the brush very well from them.

I've used a Captain's Choice copper bowl as a loading bowl, a PETG container sold by Maggard Razors, a stainless "palm bowl" or just a bowl from the kitchen.

 

[njpaddy]

I am especially interested if you do anything different for soap samples (instead of full pucks that come in their own containers).

I've had many soap samples over the years, but I was never happy with microwaving or grating. Microwaving degraded the scent and performance, and grating was too much work. My solution for samples was to put them in a baggie. I preferred the thicker freezer baggies, but sandwich bags will do. I would take them to the concrete floor of my basement and flatten them with a short 3 lb sledge hammer (any hammer will work). Wet the flattened sample and press it into your bowl or scuttle. Problem solved without altering scent or performance.

The only pucks I have that spin are Harris in the wooden bowls. I don't use them that often, so I just wet the puck and bowl and press them in. Never had a problem with pucks spinning in plastic.