So, when I get myself a puck of soap I'm going to try out my scuttle. It seems newer scuttles are used just to keep the brush warm between passes. I have an old one that was used to hold a puck of soap. Hence, the pucks having the rounded bottom to fit into the scuttle. (I found that bit of history interesting). Even more so we still design them that way even though scuttles have not been in use for a long time. Well, not in normal use I should say. I suppose their initial purpose was for those that didn't have available hot water from the tap. Sooooooooo I have figured out that due to its shallowness the scuttle is designed for loading the brush and face lathering. (This seems to be the norm for most soaps, is it not?). In contrast to building a later with cream in a bowl. It makes me wonder though, why then or how did mugs come into play? I mean, why all the extra space? Or was just normal bugs outta the cabinet used and then marketers brought forth the "shaving mug"? You don't build your lather in the mug, do you? Perhaps a glass was too tall to get your brush down into.
Rick, I have over a dozen different soaps. They all go into a small clear glass bowl I pick up from the Dollar store at 2-for-a-buck. Naturally, being a bowl, they are rounded on the bottom and are perfect for pucks with the rounded bottom. For those soaps that actually look like a hockey puck, flat on top and bottom, I put those in the same style bowl. I just press them down and they seal along the bottom edge of the soap. When I get a new puck, I put it in a bowl, then run a little water into it (the bowl). I then swish it around, dump out the excess water, press down on the puck again, then let it dry over night. This not only helps create the seal, but also secure the puck to the bowl. As for lathering, I load up the brush with plenty of soap, then take it to a large mug I picked up from Classic Shaving. I could have used any mug (many folks here do), but I like the large size and the lower sides. Also the monogram that I had put on increases the lather's thickness, cushion and slickness beyond belief! Well, not really, but I like the personal touch of class reminiscent of the old monogrammed shaving mugs. For me, I get the lather just to my liking more often than not. Different days with different soaps with different brushes that may or may not have exactly the same amount of water in them as last time and might have more or less soap this time will require different lengths of "whipping" time. Bottom line, I feel I get more control mug lathering than face lathering.
