Thanks for letting me in

[bbc0]

Hi,
I'm 76 and was taught to shave by my dad when I was probably 16. I probably didn't need to shave then but my friends did it so I wanted to as well. Dad used a brush, but he got me a spray can of whatever was common in England at the time and gave me a Gillette double edged razor with I believe a Wilkinson Sword blade installed.
So for the past 60 years I have continued to shave the same way although over time I modernized by changing to a multi edged razor. A year ago I left the razor in a hotel somewhere and had to purchase the latest floppy ended multi-edged razor and quickly learned to hate it. At a junk sale I came across a 1950's style double edged razor which I decided to try. It was just before Christmas and my daughter heard about this and purchased a nice badger brush for me along with some brush type soft soap/cream and a shaving bowl. Honestly it was like stepping back in time and I honestly got the best and most luxurious shave that I have had in my life. I now look forward to pampering myself with my daily shave.
I have my grandfathers shaving skuttle left to me when I was 26. I has been a prized possession but I have never used it, but now I have the urge to put it to use but I'm not really sure how it is used. I do remember him shaving and using it but no details remain. I will attach a picture in case someone here can offer some advice.

 

[FarmerTan]

Welcome! And thanks for the wonderful job of introducing yourself.

I don't use a scuttle, but plenty on here do. Someone should be along shortly....

 

[ajkel64]

Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing your journey with us. I have some scuttles like yours but I don’t use them. I think a puck of soap goes in the top and you fill the bottom with hot water to make a warm lather off the soap puck. You can also put your razor in the water to warm it up before you use it. Someone else should be along to explain it better soon.

 

[Invicta]

Welcome to B&B and back to the DE.

 

[Atlantic59]

That's a very nice story.

To use the scuttle, fill it with very hot water. You can soak your brush in the spout for a bit. Load your brush with soap or cream, add a few drops of water to the scuttle bowl and build your lather in it. You will need to add more water a few drops at a time as you build until you reach the consistency you want (soft peaks, like meringue). Now, your lather should stay warm throughout your shave. You will need to experiment a bit, but that's the general idea.

 

[Lightcs1776]

Welcome. I enjoyed reading your post.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[stone and strop]

Welcome.
Nice story. I would try using the scuttle for sure as I think that's a nice connection to loved one.
Use as described above. The only trouble you may have is getting a nice badger brush in the port for water.
Smaller brusher were more common back then. You can use an auxiliary cup if the brush doesn't fit the hole and it will still keep lather warm for you.
Enjoy.

 

[ElwinRansom]

Hi,
I'm 76 and was taught to shave by my dad when I was probably 16. I probably didn't need to shave then but my friends did it so I wanted to as well. Dad used a brush, but he got me a spray can of whatever was common in England at the time and gave me a Gillette double edged razor with I believe a Wilkinson Sword blade installed.
So for the past 60 years I have continued to shave the same way although over time I modernized by changing to a multi edged razor. A year ago I left the razor in a hotel somewhere and had to purchase the latest floppy ended multi-edged razor and quickly learned to hate it. At a junk sale I came across a 1950's style double edged razor which I decided to try. It was just before Christmas and my daughter heard about this and purchased a nice badger brush for me along with some brush type soft soap/cream and a shaving bowl. Honestly it was like stepping back in time and I honestly got the best and most luxurious shave that I have had in my life. I now look forward to pampering myself with my daily shave.
I have my grandfathers shaving skuttle left to me when I was 26. I has been a prized possession but I have never used it, but now I have the urge to put it to use but I'm not really sure how it is used. I do remember him shaving and using it but no details remain. I will attach a picture in case someone here can offer some advice.
View attachment 1053707

This gentleman explains it better than I ever could. (Though I'm told he does this wrong, it still works.) I hope this helps - and welcome!

 

[FarmerTan]

I love this place. When you need help, it is never far away.

 

[Chan Eil Whiskers]

Hi,
I'm 76 and was taught to shave by my dad when I was probably 16. I probably didn't need to shave then but my friends did it so I wanted to as well. Dad used a brush, but he got me a spray can of whatever was common in England at the time and gave me a Gillette double edged razor with I believe a Wilkinson Sword blade installed.
So for the past 60 years I have continued to shave the same way although over time I modernized by changing to a multi edged razor. A year ago I left the razor in a hotel somewhere and had to purchase the latest floppy ended multi-edged razor and quickly learned to hate it. At a junk sale I came across a 1950's style double edged razor which I decided to try. It was just before Christmas and my daughter heard about this and purchased a nice badger brush for me along with some brush type soft soap/cream and a shaving bowl. Honestly it was like stepping back in time and I honestly got the best and most luxurious shave that I have had in my life. I now look forward to pampering myself with my daily shave.
I have my grandfathers shaving skuttle left to me when I was 26. I has been a prized possession but I have never used it, but now I have the urge to put it to use but I'm not really sure how it is used. I do remember him shaving and using it but no details remain. I will attach a picture in case someone here can offer some advice.
View attachment 1053707

Really nice first post. Welcome to the board.

Modern scuttles are similar. Put hot water in the bottom. Put the brush in the top between passes to keep it warm. Maybe make lather in the top. Modern scuttles tend to be thicker and hold heat better (maybe), but yours is vastly better because of its history. I'd use it, were it mine, once a year, and maybe get myself a small Moss scuttle or something similar for daily use.

Yes, I own and use daily a small Moss scuttle. I'm a face latherer and use it as a brush warmer. I'd prefer it to be both smaller (and I use huge brushes) and taller but it works well enough.

What razor did your dad use?

Happy shaves,

Jim

 

[BigJ]

That's a very nice story.

To use the scuttle, fill it with very hot water. You can soak your brush in the spout for a bit. Load your brush with soap or cream, add a few drops of water to the scuttle bowl and build your lather in it. You will need to add more water a few drops at a time as you build until you reach the consistency you want (soft peaks, like meringue). Now, your lather should stay warm throughout your shave. You will need to experiment a bit, but that's the general idea.

+1! Nice looking! The basic idea is to provide a warm lather and a place to store your brush.

 

[Esox]

Hi,
I'm 76 and was taught to shave by my dad when I was probably 16. I probably didn't need to shave then but my friends did it so I wanted to as well. Dad used a brush, but he got me a spray can of whatever was common in England at the time and gave me a Gillette double edged razor with I believe a Wilkinson Sword blade installed.
So for the past 60 years I have continued to shave the same way although over time I modernized by changing to a multi edged razor. A year ago I left the razor in a hotel somewhere and had to purchase the latest floppy ended multi-edged razor and quickly learned to hate it. At a junk sale I came across a 1950's style double edged razor which I decided to try. It was just before Christmas and my daughter heard about this and purchased a nice badger brush for me along with some brush type soft soap/cream and a shaving bowl. Honestly it was like stepping back in time and I honestly got the best and most luxurious shave that I have had in my life. I now look forward to pampering myself with my daily shave.
I have my grandfathers shaving skuttle left to me when I was 26. I has been a prized possession but I have never used it, but now I have the urge to put it to use but I'm not really sure how it is used. I do remember him shaving and using it but no details remain. I will attach a picture in case someone here can offer some advice.
View attachment 1053707

Welcome to the forum!

You're among like minded souls.

 

[Atlantic59]

+1! Nice looking! The basic idea is to provide a warm lather and a place to store your brush.

It was hard to tell how large the bowl on the top is. I usually face lather, but I like the idea of keeping the brush warm like that.

 

[RobDoffrey]

Welcome and good luck!

 

[bbc0]

It was hard to tell how large the bowl on the top is. I usually face lather, but I like the idea of keeping the brush warm like that.

The bowl on top is 3" diameter by about 1¼" deep. It has drain holes in the bottom of the bowl.

 

[bbc0]

Really nice first post. Welcome to the board.

Modern scuttles are similar. Put hot water in the bottom. Put the brush in the top between passes to keep it warm. Maybe make lather in the top. Modern scuttles tend to be thicker and hold heat better (maybe), but yours is vastly better because of its history. I'd use it, were it mine, once a year, and maybe get myself a small Moss scuttle or something similar for daily use.

Yes, I own and use daily a small Moss scuttle. I'm a face latherer and use it as a brush warmer. I'd prefer it to be both smaller (and I use huge brushes) and taller but it works well enough.

What razor did your dad use?

Happy shaves,

Jim

My dad used a Gillette of a butterfly type and I remember my grandad had a Rolls that he would sharpen. I think that the case for it had some kind of built in strop. He died in 1969 a year after I moved to Canada and I don't remember a lot about him shaving.