Just received my new Fudge Marble #001 Robert Becker scuttle; truly amazing. Robert states that it should be able to handle boiling water, as it is fired at around 1700 degrees, but caution is due when a cold clay pot meets very hot water! So with that in mind, here's how it went...
Given one scuttle, one old electric tea pot, one latte' thermometer, one silicon trivet, one kitchen timer (digital) and assorted creams, soaps and brushes. Scuttle was taken back to room-temp via tap water between each heating.
What worked best; 145 degree water poured slowly to fill both the scuttle water jacket and the soap bowl and allowed to stand on the trivet for two minutes; enough time to hot-towel the face and get things ready, plus shoo the cat off the vanity. Pour out the water in the soap dish (stopper is in place at the jacket spout), add cream or a squirt of tube soap and let fly the brush. Almost instant lathering taking place, builds very quickly - probably because of the scored surface of the dish - and I was ready to go after only one minute. Water temp in the jacket is now at 140 degrees. First lather is VERY warm, the second is still very warm (water now down to 135), and the third lather is STILL very warm (water down to 132 degrees. Brushes were placed back in the dish each time and allowed to sit there for about two minutes between latherings. Water temp after 15 minutes was 128 degrees!
This scientific testing was performed using silver-tip, super badger, and fine badger brushes with both Taylor's cream and Musgo Real, and with a boar brush using CELLA soft soap. I really could not see much difference at all in the speed to produce a very good lather nor amounts of lather generated with the various combinations. But I did have two deer hunters stop at the house, saying they were drawn by the fragrances, and wondering "if their two sons might be brought into manhood by the girls wearing those perfumes?" Get off my porch!
What didn't work (for me); anything cooler that 145 and I just felt I was being pedestrian, and was afraid that if I kept it up I'd become a chronic bed-wetter and electric shaver user. At 150 it took longer to build a good lather (I think because the scuttle actually had to cool down a bit first). And at 160, the lathers (CELLA did just okay here, but this is not about it) just broke down completely and what was left in the dish and on the brush became a bit dry between latherings.
A VERY nice shaving tool; a thing of beauty and a joy forever. Ted
Given one scuttle, one old electric tea pot, one latte' thermometer, one silicon trivet, one kitchen timer (digital) and assorted creams, soaps and brushes. Scuttle was taken back to room-temp via tap water between each heating.
What worked best; 145 degree water poured slowly to fill both the scuttle water jacket and the soap bowl and allowed to stand on the trivet for two minutes; enough time to hot-towel the face and get things ready, plus shoo the cat off the vanity. Pour out the water in the soap dish (stopper is in place at the jacket spout), add cream or a squirt of tube soap and let fly the brush. Almost instant lathering taking place, builds very quickly - probably because of the scored surface of the dish - and I was ready to go after only one minute. Water temp in the jacket is now at 140 degrees. First lather is VERY warm, the second is still very warm (water now down to 135), and the third lather is STILL very warm (water down to 132 degrees. Brushes were placed back in the dish each time and allowed to sit there for about two minutes between latherings. Water temp after 15 minutes was 128 degrees!
This scientific testing was performed using silver-tip, super badger, and fine badger brushes with both Taylor's cream and Musgo Real, and with a boar brush using CELLA soft soap. I really could not see much difference at all in the speed to produce a very good lather nor amounts of lather generated with the various combinations. But I did have two deer hunters stop at the house, saying they were drawn by the fragrances, and wondering "if their two sons might be brought into manhood by the girls wearing those perfumes?" Get off my porch!
What didn't work (for me); anything cooler that 145 and I just felt I was being pedestrian, and was afraid that if I kept it up I'd become a chronic bed-wetter and electric shaver user. At 150 it took longer to build a good lather (I think because the scuttle actually had to cool down a bit first). And at 160, the lathers (CELLA did just okay here, but this is not about it) just broke down completely and what was left in the dish and on the brush became a bit dry between latherings.
A VERY nice shaving tool; a thing of beauty and a joy forever. Ted
