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How do you use a vintage scuttle?

How was a scuttle of this type *designed* to be used? I looked on YouTube, and I’ve seen people put a puck of soap in the top, others lather in a bowl then rest the brush in the top, others load the brush then build the lather in the top. Surely whoever invented the thing had an idea of how it should be used.

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Good question! I've never seen one used, and I've never used one. I'll be following the thread.

Off the top of my head I would say they are pretty, but pretty useless otherwise. But I'm open and willing to have my mind changed.
 
I think I read somewhere that hard soap shavings were put in the top for lathering. The drain holes in the top bowl are what always had me confused.
 
I have used one of these in the past. I filled the scuttle with water, placed a brush to soak in the scuttle and then put shaving soap in the top portion. When the brush was properly hydrated I loaded it and face lathered.

ewk - The holes may be drainage for the puck of soap, though it doesn't seem as though they would be very effective as the soap covers them, so I think you may be right about using soap shavings instead of a full puck.
 
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Would you believe me if I said that it is not a shaving scuttle but rather a piece used to brew a cup of tea?
Spot on! Leaves in the top, pour over hot water so it drains into the bottom... pour out your cuppa. At least that's what my grandmother did with hers... and grandad wouldn't have been seen close to the floral pattern...
 

linty1

My wallet cries.
You sure it's for tea @rbscebu ? Mine's pretty big and in my family we used it to hand wash delicates, so your place your delicates on top, wash with water and a mild soap, and as your rince, the waste water falls to the bottom, which you could re-use to water your crops etc.
 

linty1

My wallet cries.
On a side note, like Dominic, I've seen a few ways that have been described how to use one, what I settled on is:

1) put your puck of soap on the top a brush into the cavity at the bottom,
2) carefully pour warm/hot water over the puck, letting it soften the soap, and flow to the bottom, soaking your brush,
3) when your brush is soaked to your liking, take the brush out, give it a flick, then load from the softened puck on top, taking water from the bottom as needed to lather.

Hope this helps.
 
But all that seems like a lot of unnecessary effort, and for what advantage over a conventional shaving mug?
The old scuttles were developed before there was running hot tap water. The scuttle would be filled with water heated in a kettle. I guess cold water shaving was not popular back in the day :)
 
I have used one of these in the past. I filled the scuttle with water, placed a brush to soak in the scuttle and then put shaving soap in the top portion. When the brush was properly hydrated I loaded it and face lathered.

ewk - The holes may be drainage for the puck of soap, though it doesn't seem as though they would be very effective as the soap covers them, so I think you may be right about using soap shavings instead of a full puck.
I believe the holes are so you don't have to dump standing water off the soap after you load your brush. It just goes into the reservoir.
 
After filling with hot water, Put an Arko soap which is sold in jar into top place and a face leathering natural hair brush into side place. After sometime of resting, upside down the soap and use it. Arko’s leather performance increases with heating compared to cold shaving.
 
I found another post about this, and a link to a patent was included in a reply. I guess a small puck of soap sits in the top portion, and you load your brush from the puck then face lather. If I were to have one of these, I’d like the soap portion to be deep enough to hold the whole puck without sticking out of the top like what I saw in the Geofatboy video (Col. Conk puck was used). Even better, make a king size version to hold a modern large puck of soap, so no cutting down to fit would be necessary.

 
I had one that I used once in awhile. I put the puck on top and added hot water in the bottom which softens up the soap which makes it easier to make lather. Excess water will go down the holes.

Scuttle old.JPG
 
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