Does it do anything to enhance the lather?
Shaving mugs with the raised swirl on the inside bottom.
- Thread starter Juanmosey
- Start date
Do you have an image of what you are asking about? Some shaving bowls have a center elevation (ex...Art Of Shaving bowls) but these are designed to facilitate securing a puck of soap.
It helps to make lather quicker.
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I reckon a raised pattern on the inside of a mug or scuttle does help to create lather, but this is just my feeling and not based on any scientific test. I can make lather perfectly well using a mug with a smooth inside surface, but it just seems to take longer.
The raised ridges or bumps on the bottom of some lather bowls do help a little bit to speed up lather production. But in my experience, the shape of the bowl and the size of it is much more important for getting your most enjoyable lathering experience .
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My opinion (to be taken with more than a grain of salt since I am a face-latherer) is that adding swirls to the bottom is a great way to segment the market: puck storage vs. lathering bowls.
In my lathering experiments, most any bowl of appropriate size and shape worked out well! YMMV for sure!
In my lathering experiments, most any bowl of appropriate size and shape worked out well! YMMV for sure!
+1
You can make a lather in a smooth bowl, but a little texture seems to speed up the process. I use a ceramic mortar bowl from a mortar and pestle set. The rough interior surface whips up a lather in less than a minute with most soaps. The ceramic holds heat nicely if you like warm lather.
I would only use a cheap synthetic on a bowl with an abrasive surface. If I had a boar that I had trained up or a badger with nice soft tips, I would not want to expose them to that kind of surface.
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I understand the concern. However, I do have some premium badger brushes as well. I just try not to press too hard against the abrasive surface.
I would not use any of my brushes on a mug or bowl with a rough or abrasive interior, but don't believe any damage will be caused by a gently ridged or patterned surface.
It helps to make lather quicker.
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Buck replies:
I have never seen that before. I use smooth surfaces on the interior of my bowls and mugs.
Buck
I have used both and I find the ridges help to get the air out of the lather and build it quicker.
I have a dirty bird (dirty bird pottery) bill bowl with web ridges.
I have a dirty bird (dirty bird pottery) bill bowl with web ridges.
I use all my brushes in this and never had a problem
The only abrasive surface my brushes encounter is my face.
Texture inside the bowl really helped boost the process, I find trouble making lather inside the smooth bowl!
That's perfect. Bumps, with a glaze. No abrasive there. Though I would consider it way too small to mix 3 passes of lather in.
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it's plenty big , it's the top of a dirty bird scuttle with a handle I had her custom make me
I'm fond of my Captain's Choice lather bowl. Love the color and I do think the smooth ridges help you lather a little easier
(From the Captain's website, not my photo)
(From the Captain's website, not my photo)
The last quarter of 2018, I was using an oversize cappuccino/soup mug and I was getting decent results. However, someone bought me a JaysClay bowl for Christmas and, from my experience, it seems to whip up lather a little faster.
https://www.amazon.com/Handmade-Lar...XVFHS4MICFNU&qid=1555000741&s=handmade&sr=1-4
https://www.amazon.com/Handmade-Lar...XVFHS4MICFNU&qid=1555000741&s=handmade&sr=1-4
Sharp edges were always the best for me when I bowl lathered. A Horseradish-grating bowl worked well, as did this hand-made bowl with a lot of leaf and shell imprints in it. I tried one with simple swirls and it was only marginally better than a smooth bowl. Essentially anything that the soap will grip/stick to is good. That agitates it and lets you work water into it. As for brush tips in a very abrasive bowl... I figure if anything it'll help boars break in faster, but yeah it'd probably wear down a daily-use badger a lot faster than alternatives... so I wouldn't recommend running a $300 silvertip badger in one on a daily basis for the rest of your life.
