Questions About C&E Shaving Mug

[OV1kenobi]

I have a couple of ironstone C&E shaving mugs manufactured by Mason's. One is a 1991 with what I can best describe as a "Blue Willow" color scheme (birds, and a little, generic English dog). The other is from 1998 that is all white with crabtrees (go figure!) all around the base.

Both mugs obviously are designed to hold pucks of C&E shaving soap with a domed base and a flat top. However, since C&E discontinued my favorite Sweet Almond Oil, I probably won't be buying anymore of their soap. I do, however, have a couple of their SAO pucks remaining.

I notice that there are perforations in the concave portion of the mug where the soap goes. Is this for drainage?

Also, what is the function of the spout? Simply to pour out water that drained from the soap while making lather?

Does anyone else have C&E mugs, and what are your thoughts about them? Since the mugs are dated it would appear that there was a whole series of them for each year.

Any other brands of currently produced soap, as described above, that fit into this mug?

Regards,

David

 

[VR6ofpain]

My thoughts are this mug is the old style scuttle. You fill the bottom with warm water and stick your brush in the spout to soak. You place the pug of soap at the top and you then pull some soap off it with the brush. As you indicate any water residue can drain down to the bottom and be poured out later. Theoretically you could put your brush back in the spout to get more water later, when building lather on your face.

The interesting part is these would only work with a boar brush, as most badger brushes bloom so much that the brush would not fit back in the spout. Boars don't really bloom, so a small knot boar would be able to fit back inside.

I think those old scuttles are neat, but not really sure how useful they really are.

Interesting you mention the C&E SAO puck. I was wondering why SAO pucks are only 50g (compared to the regular Nomad, Sandalwood, and Sienna's 100g). I then noticed the SAO says "mug refill". It clicked that these were from their older line, when the white scuttle with the C&E tree on it was still sold. These were scuttle mug refills.

SAO soap is amazing. Far better than the cream. I just picked up two pucks from a member in Austrailia and it is far and away the best C&E shave soap (and better than the creams).