How to use a scuttle to get hot lather

[kohalajohn]

Hello all.

I have a lovely Tanaka scuttle. Sometimes I just use it like a lathering bowl, without pouring hot water in between the two walls. I just leave the block of soap in there and lather on top of the block.

When I want to use the scuttle as a scuttle, I grate some soap into the bottom of the scuttle, and press it down firm. Then, when I add the hot water, the thin layer of soap heats up.

But I just recently saw what was to me, as new way. The fellow had a large scuttle, but he also had a second, small, bowl. The puck of soap stayed in the small bowl. He got the scuttle hot from hot water in between the two walls. Then he lathered up soap from whipping the brush over the puck in the separate bowl.

Then he moved the brush to the hot scuttle and whipped and lathered, using the ridges and the hot surface to get up a nice hot lather.

Wow. Is this the way to be doing it?

Mr. Tanaka is the potter I like the most. I already have this:

Junichi Tanaka Artisanal Shaving Scuttle, Blue

Exceptionally crafted by Canadian ceramic artist Junichi Tanaka, this Artisanal Shaving Scuttle is the highly awaited follow-up to his original scuttle created exclusively for Fendrihan. FEATURES A rare piece of art that is both beautiful and functional Handcrafted by one artisan, Junichi Tanaka...

www.fendrihan.ca

And I think that obviously, clearly, I now also need to buy this:

Junichi Tanaka Artisanal Lathering Bowl

Junichi Tanaka Artisanal Lathering Bowl is a timeless and elegant accessory for any wet shaver. FEATURES Fendrihan exclusive Meticulously crafted Six day cooling process for each bowl after undergoing the clay firing process Artist signature located on the base Delicate yet durable bowl...

www.fendrihan.ca

 

[emwolf]

If it's a soft soap or cream I'll put in the scuttle. But for hard soaps I'll load my brush off the puck and build the lather in the scuttle.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

I have these three scuttles. They're pictured from largest to smallest. The scuttle I actually use all the time, every day, is the small Moss scuttle.





Here ⬆ the small Moss scuttle is shown in the upper right corner. The scuttle isn't actually all that small.




I soak my brush in the green rubber mug. I dip my brush's tips in hot water within the copper mug.

As a face lather, I fill both parts of the Moss scuttle with hot water before my shower. After I face lather I pour that water out and refill only the low container of the scuttle with hot water, leaving its top container empty. I don't use the scuttle to load soap or build lather.

After lathering I put my brush into the top container of the scuttle to keep it hot. Actually, the knot becomes hotter in the container than it was before, so my follow up lathers are hotter than my first lather.

I'm sure there are many ways to use the scuttle. I realize you're asking bowl lathering questions about which I know zip. I suppose I use my small Moss scuttle as a brush warmer (and I think that was the designer's intent for it), but it could be used to build lather I think although the larger scuttles might be better for that purpose.

The large scuttle is a Dirty Bird 1.5. It's beautiful but I never use it anymore. When I did use it, in spite of its large size it works better than I'd expect as a brush warmer.





Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[kohalajohn]

Hey, Jim

Good to hear from you again. We haven't spoken since the good old days of controversy about convex arks.

I have started to use the soap jars from mike's soaps to hold my pucks. perhaps I'll lather out of one of those and then finish the job in a hot scuttle. I like the idea of leaving the brush in a hot container to keep the lather hot.

 

[LJS]

I scoop. Hard soap, croap, cream. Just add the right amount to the scuttle, lather, and use it up.

 

[kohalajohn]

What tool do you use to scoop out hard soap?

 

[LJS]

I use a SS laboratory spatula. Handy tool for soaps etc. Had this thing many years. Cuts into soaps with little issue. Some older very hard ones sort of come off as shavings but still works fine.

 

[LJS]

This MWF is pretty hard and tends to shave off, but most come off in nice chunks like the tabac

 

[TexOkie Shaver]

I use a SS laboratory spatula. Handy tool for soaps etc. Had this thing many years. Cuts into soaps with little issue. Some older very hard ones sort of come off as shavings but still works fine.
View attachment 1170147
View attachment 1170146

Any idea what size it is? I looked on Amazon and they have quite a variety, but I can’t figure out which is the right size.

 

[LJS]

I am not sure how they size but I don’t mind measuring this one for you.

Total length is 9-½”
Spoon is ⅝” at widest
Sooon is about 1-½” long
Spatula is 2” x ⅜”

Actually if it were an inch or two shorter between spatula and spoon I would be a little happier. Kind of long but it was just something I had and used years ago and still going. If I thought it out or actually bought specifically then I might seek something a little shorter but not at the sake of a smaller spoon. This spoon cuts/dips a nice perfect almond size scoop.

 

[Leverspro]

I have a lathering scuttle which I never use. It's huge and I've been mostly face lathering recently. But I think I'd enjoy a small brush scuttle from Doug Smith. I have one of his bowls and really like it.

 

[kohalajohn]

This spatula would work:

Amazon.ca

And this grater is what I currently use:

https://www.amazon.ca/APIKA-Cheese-Container-Vegetable-Chopper/dp/B084KYBMTV/ref=sr_1_12?dchild=1&keywords=grater&qid=1602998874&sr=8-12

I've not been satisfied with the grater method, as it's messy. I can see that just cutting off a bit from a puck, using either a scapula or a penknife, would be better. It would put a couple week's worth of shaving into the scuttle.

 

[Scaramouche]

For me, life's too complicated anyway. Fill scuttle with hot water from the sink; soak scuttle in hot water while prepping; load brush off puck; lather in scuttle, add hot water as needed.

 

[jaro 101969]

When I scoop my soap I use one of those little cheese spreaders , they work great. Chris moss had 2 different scuttles the first 2 prototypes you could put a puck in the bottom or use creams. After those 2 they were mainly meant to use creams / soft soaps but you could still scoop hard soaps and press into the bottom. The only reason I know about the prototypes is Chris still has one and he graciously sent me the other..

The brush was another prototype he worked on with Bernd from shavemac for a variable loft brush that you could change the loft of the knot to aid with building your lather or applying to your face .

 

[coloradomonkey]

I don’t have a separate bowl for the soap other than what came with the original (e.g., the DRH wooden bowl). I typically load my brush then build the lather in the scuttle as you described.

BTW, your Tanaka pieces are beautiful. I use a very utilitarian giant black scuttle from Qshave. It has a cork to keep the hot water in which I like because I can aggressively go after the lather, plunging and whipping freely without worry of sloshing hot water all about.

 

[ackvil]

When I bowl lather I use a small demi-tasse spoon to shave some of the soap or cream out.

A member posted a link to a video showing how that individual used a bowl.

CosmoBarber Shaving

www.youtube.com

 

[Badgerstate36]

Hello all.

I have a lovely Tanaka scuttle. Sometimes I just use it like a lathering bowl, without pouring hot water in between the two walls. I just leave the block of soap in there and lather on top of the block.

When I want to use the scuttle as a scuttle, I grate some soap into the bottom of the scuttle, and press it down firm. Then, when I add the hot water, the thin layer of soap heats up.

But I just recently saw what was to me, as new way. The fellow had a large scuttle, but he also had a second, small, bowl. The puck of soap stayed in the small bowl. He got the scuttle hot from hot water in between the two walls. Then he lathered up soap from whipping the brush over the puck in the separate bowl.

Then he moved the brush to the hot scuttle and whipped and lathered, using the ridges and the hot surface to get up a nice hot lather.

Wow. Is this the way to be doing it?

Mr. Tanaka is the potter I like the most. I already have this:

Junichi Tanaka Artisanal Shaving Scuttle, Blue

Exceptionally crafted by Canadian ceramic artist Junichi Tanaka, this Artisanal Shaving Scuttle is the highly awaited follow-up to his original scuttle created exclusively for Fendrihan. FEATURES A rare piece of art that is both beautiful and functional Handcrafted by one artisan, Junichi Tanaka...

www.fendrihan.ca

And I think that obviously, clearly, I now also need to buy this:

Junichi Tanaka Artisanal Lathering Bowl

Junichi Tanaka Artisanal Lathering Bowl is a timeless and elegant accessory for any wet shaver. FEATURES Fendrihan exclusive Meticulously crafted Six day cooling process for each bowl after undergoing the clay firing process Artist signature located on the base Delicate yet durable bowl...

www.fendrihan.ca

My understanding with vintage shave scuttles is that you are supposed to fill it with hot water and built your lather in the top chamber that has the holes in the bottom. Ive seen people put a puck of soap in the top but then it covers the holes and doesnt allow the steam up to heat your lather.

 

[kohalajohn]

Mine isn't the type with the holes in it. Mine looks like this

And the ones with the holes look like this:

the ones with the holes are tall, and like you say, the idea is you lather in it, and the hot steam rising up, keeps the soap warm and wet.

the ones without the holes are shallow, because they work by holding the hot water against the pottery that is holding the soap.

For both, you don't put the whole puck in there. for the tall hole filled ones, you just lather. for the flatter, hole free ones, I like to grate some soap into it, making a thin layer of soap, about a couple of weeks worth of shaving, and that heats up from the contact with the hot water.

 

[Ice-Man]

When I bowl lather I use a small demi-tasse spoon to shave some of the soap or cream out.

A member posted a link to a video showing how that individual used a bowl.

CosmoBarber Shaving

www.youtube.com

Jim that's the best way to damage the brush knot, by mashing it down like that when you can whip a lather up just by using just the tips and the best way as it doesn't stress the hair near to the glue bump. See how he has lost a couple of strands of fibre in making that lather.

Even worse being a synthetic knot just think if that was a high-end badger knot it would end up like this

 

[musicman1951]

When I used creams I would put a dollop of cream in the bottom of the scuttle and then lather away.

With soaps I load on the puck and then take the loaded brush to the scuttle.

You can scrape a bit of soap off the puck and mash it into the bottom of the scuttle (thumb mashing thins out the soap and makes for faster loading), but I use the scuttle to soak my boar brushes. If you mash too much soap in the scuttle the left over soap pretty much soaks away the next day with the soaking brush.

I can't imagine why you'd need a second bowl.