I am getting a Col. Conk shaving scuttle for my birthday in June. Well, I have it now, but wife wants to give it to me then..LOL I noticed that the top of the scuttle has the 5 holes in it to allow lather/soap to drip into the water below and has a nice wide opening for the brush. But, the top is kind of shallow and I'm used to building a lather in an old crock shaving mug with my brush. If I put soap on this, it looks like it will sit too high. Do I use the crock to build lather and leave the brush on top of this shaving scuttle? Never used one before, but what I was after was a way to keep the lather warm as I put it on my face and looked like a nice way to do that. Here is a link to where I bought it that has a picture of what I am talking about with the top being shallow. On some vintage scuttles I have seen, it's like theya re a bowl sitting on top of another cup underneath. This one is a bit different. http://www.heimerdingercutlery.com/...barber-shaving-scuttle-almond-soap-p-244.html
I am not sure but i know there are some soap holders. For geting soap on the brush and then face lathering or what not. However I cant see a pic as i am at work. I think that could posibly answer the question but doubt it. haha. Is it a scuttle for building lather or just for holding soap and brush?
These were designed for the man of yesterday who didn't have hot running water in the home. So the scuttle held hot boiling water.The brush is made and kept warm by keeping it in the scuttle opening. Warming the brush in the water before you shave, dunking it in the hot water between passes. The holes I believe are to let the water on the soap drain down as my experience is the hot water doesn't warm the soap but if you use a glycerin soap and the water is too hot your soap can melt. My own experience with my old scuttle is many modern soaps don't fit them properly at all so you have to rely on the soap sticking to the surface of its place in the scuttle and that overall makes it unstable. You can make it stick but it won't feel like its truly nestled in. The vendor Classic Shaving sells a soap specifically designed for shaving scuttles and you can see how it fits such scuttles. One recent member had a Truefitt Scuttle of this type and their soap fits their scuttle perfectly.
If you are trying to create and maintain warm lather and keep your brush warm the scuttle that you linked to in not what you want. As has been stated earlier, the scuttle you linked to is intended to soak the brush pre-shave and to provide hot water to load the brush from the puck and then face or bowl lather elsewhere. There are several scuttle threads around here that might interest you. There also a Robert Becker scuttle for trade in the B/S/T thread. Here is a great review of five different scuttles. I have only tried the Robert Becker scuttle and the "Redneck Scuttle" also known as a self watering violet pot. I was directed to this location last year when I was looking for an unbreakable scuttle solution, but I was never able to source the bowl cheap enough to pursue the idea and grabbed a Becker scuttle instead. Robert has been out of stock recently while he is renovating his studio. he had put a couple up for sale a few weeks ago, but they sell out quickly because they cost a fraction of what other artisans sell theirs for, mostly because Robert does not hand throw the entire scuttle.
With a scuttle, just load the brush with soap and then face or bowl lather. As you noted, the soap sits too high to lather in the bowl. Some of the scuttles, but not all, have a brush holder built into them. Here is one example. Note the two cutouts in the rim of the soap cup for the brush. This scuttle has a brush holder built into the handle. Your scuttle also appears to have a brush holder built into the handle. I have seen some online ads that state the spout of the scuttle is a brush holder. Stuffing the brush into the spout for storage may be possible, but would not be all that good for the brush. Better to stand the brush on its handle or get a brush holder if the scuttle does not have a brush holder. The traditional scuttles can hold hot water in the reservoir beneath the soap, but it do not keep the lather warm. At least my scuttle does not. There are newer style scuttles that will warm the lather, and do not have holes in the bottom of the soap cup. Sara Bonnyman Pottery, Dirtybird Pottery and Georgetown Pottery all make this style of scuttle. Last but never least, this Mantic video sheds some light on the matter.
