For the past couple of moths I have been using a Crown King Scuttle, I notice that when I use hot water in the scuttle it changes the consistency of the lather. When I get to the point that I feel like the lather is sufficiently hydrated and apply it to my face it is thin and runny, though very slick. If I don't add hot water to the scuttle I can create a thick, yet shiny and wet, lather. But I do enjoy the warm lather so much. Is this simply just a water to product issue ? I do feel that when I face lather or lather in the cold scuttle I use less water then when it is warm, but in the warm scuttle it just doesn't look right. Have any of you experienced this ? What did you do if anything to get thick warm lather ? This lather is the product of a cold scuttle: And a warm scuttle:
Ditto. When I caught the scuttle buzz, I found a hot pot at our church yard sale for $4.00. I was stoked to have boiling water in the den, ready for my scuttle. I quickly found out that boiling water, or even water around 150 breaks the lather down quickly. I am now a face latherer though.
Good point! I find when I use a shuttle I fill it with hot tap water, then drain it before adding the soap. So far it seems to be working for me. I find if I leave hot or warm water in he scuttle the soap looses its consistency. IMHO. BTW nice razor.
In addition to the answers above, my own observations indicate that a hot scuttle breaks down tallow-based lather more quickly than vegan lather, at least for the samples that I compared.
I think @Keithmax has been doing a series of comparison lathers using different soaps and water temps. Maybe he'll drop some info?
I have the same set up and notice a bit of a difference if I press soap in the hot scuttle and lather. Generally, if I load from the puck, the scuttle has had a chance to cool down because I fill it before showering and just let my brush soak in the bowl. If I press the soap in it, the soap is exposed to the hot temperature during my shower. Many times I don't refresh the hot water if the scuttle is still warm. Maybe it cools down enough not have a significant impact.
Something to keep in mind - your tap water may be set to a different temp than the rest of us. If yours is set high, you may benefit from letting it cool a bit.
I Usually begin building the lather within minutes of filling the scuttle with the hottest water my tap can muster (I forget what my water heater is set to). I will try cooler water next time and check the result.
I've been using the Crown King scuttle for about a week. I fill it with the hottest tap water before I get in the shower, including filling the bowl to try to warm it up. Then I empty it out, dry the bowl and refill the interior section with hottest tap water and start the lather building, using about 1-1/2 inches of Proraso. The lather has always been great, without any thinness at all. Having previously been a face latherer, I really like the scuttle.
No that is normal but it looks to bubbly. I use a kettle and create very hot lather but there are some tricks: Not all soaps/creams work under high heat. In the scuttle you lather should look runny but not bubbly. When you apply it to your face it will cool off and then become thick and creamy. You need to keep adding water because the high heat will tend to dry out the lather. This soaps worked the best for me under high heat: Queen Charlotte (the best under high heat), Tabac, Arko, AoS cream. These soaps did not work for me under high heat: MdC, Mike's and MWF
Thanks for the tip, I do like the lather very warm. Last shave I filled the scuttle with hot water before my shower. When I got out of the show the scuttle cooled enough that I was able to get a thick lather, but it wasn't very warm.
