Would this be safe?

[Ophidian]

A few years ago, I had purchased 2 incense bowls with lids. One is black, and the other is some sort of stone, but more natural looking. The lids on both have holes in the top. The black finish seems to be coming off of the one (I tried an old toothbrush, and black just seems to come off of it, like they used a Sharpie). The natural one doesn't seem prone to this. I wanted a couple more of the natural ones, and no one in my area seems to have them. One of the Wally Worlds near me has the black ones on clearance. These seem to be the perfect size for soap, plus they would have a lid on it.

My question is this: would it be safe to use the black one at all for shave soap (or if I got a couple more, one to leave at the GF's place), or is it just a really bad idea? Thank you for any input.

 

[TonyGold]

Seeing as you don't know what the black colour is I wouldn't use the bowl to hold soap. The origin of the pigment could be organic, mineral or chemical and do you really want to apply a suspension of any of these materials to your delicate skin as you gently slice away at its surface. It's all a bit scarey!

 

[luvmysuper]

Seeing as you don't know what the black colour is I wouldn't use the bowl to hold soap. The origin of the pigment could be organic, mineral or chemical and do you really want to apply a suspension of any of these materials to your delicate skin as you gently slice away at its surface. It's all a bit scarey!

+1

I travel internationally a lot and see ornamental bowls that are fabricated with the most amazing processes you can possibly imagine including being buried in garbage to simulate patina.

I know that there are a lot of the natural soapstone type bowls that are used for incense burners and I wouldn't hesitate to use those, but if there is any question at all about the finish, better safe than sorry.