Butterscotch restore

[bakerbarber]

I had fun with this one.

Didn't slip up and took my time.

This is going to be multiple posts to get all the pictures I have up.

Above is the before.

A vintage brush with a 21mm badger knot.

I had a good knot in another handle I had been using off and on. An Envy White knot. It was only in place with silicone in the other handle (not shown) and I yanked it out to put it into this gorgeous looking handle.



Mr. brush, meet my friends the scissors.



It's going to be alright. You'll thank me later.

 

[bakerbarber]

That wasn't so bad.

Right?





Surprisngly easy to get this part done.

The last restore I did had a boar knot that was tougher to cut through.

I only had Scotch tape. It worked fine to guard the opening for the next step.

 

[bakerbarber]

On second thought.

I went with the drill.



First few holes are drilled. Until hair stopped coming out. Rocked around a bit in a circle.



About the most that bit could do safely.

 

[bakerbarber]

Stepped up to a larger drill bit.





That made some more progress. That thing is deep!



Time to get serious.



Switched to a generic Dremel to get to that point.

 

[bakerbarber]

Went to work with the rotary tool and didn't get too close to the sides until I hit white in the center.



Seriously deep down. The knot was sitting in a hunk of rubber or glue. Everything got much easier from here.





Eureka!

 

[bakerbarber]

A little bit of time with the sanding drum.

Getting close.



Careful with the opening. The hair sticking up is stubborn. Let's see if I can get it all out.



Look at the weird grooves. Don't know how the handle was made but it almost seems like the hole was formed instead of cut or drilled out.



The original color. Off white.
Stubborn old adhesive...



Nice. Not a chip!

 

[bakerbarber]

Needed opened up about 2mm.







Whew...

 

[bakerbarber]

A little bit of tweaking the height.

I used some epoxy to self level in the bottom for the shelf. After about 20 minutes I used more epoxy to permanently set this knot. Permanent until someone else replaces it I suppose.





The end.



Try it. You too can restore a vintage brush!

 

[mgbbrown]

Fantastic job Todd! Beautiful brush and well worth the effort! God Bless! Tony Brown RN mgbbrown

 

[bakerbarber]

Thanks Tony.

Most of the heavy work was done with grinding bits.

I didn't remove much material with the drill bits. I reread my posts above and it isn't very clear.

I used rotary tool bits like these for most of the removal after hitting the white stuff.



I got into the work and eager to see it finished. Next time I'll take more photos of my work space and tools.

 

[Kurtis]

Great job. Especially opening up the hole. Not a chip, rub, or gouge on the rim. That's what usually gets me. Very nice pictures and tutorial for others wanting to do their own restores. Good stuff.

 

[Graydog]

Todd,you can do one for me anytime. 😆great job

 

[CigarSmoka]

A fine job! The "new" brush looks great! How do you like the Envy knot? I've had one in my Etsy cart for a few weeks now but ended up getting a handful from different Chinese vendors to compare, along with a few from TGN (again).

 

[bakerbarber]

Great job. Especially opening up the hole. Not a chip, rub, or gouge on the rim. That's what usually gets me. Very nice pictures and tutorial for others wanting to do their own restores. Good stuff.

Thanks Kurtis.

This is the first one I have been able to get through without a noticable "oops."

I hope it takes the intimation out of the idea for someone.

Todd,you can do one for me anytime. 😆great job

Thanks.

I'll look into it. Finding one with a 'what would Steve like' handle is officially on the list now!

A fine job! The "new" brush looks great! How do you like the Envy knot? I've had one in my Etsy cart for a few weeks now but ended up getting a handful from different Chinese vendors to compare, along with a few from TGN (again).

Thank you.

I have a couple of brushes with Envy White knots. I like them quite a bit.

I feel that they are best at a higher loft and after at least a dozen uses. Not very dense knots but extremely big on backbone. At first they are scratchy a little. By the end of hitting double digits count with uses each one I have has zero scratch or pokiness.

The one in this restore was just hitting the sweet spot. It was sold as a 20mm but it's a solid 22mm+ knot. I set it at 48mm in this handle but had it even higher at 52 set in silicone in a different handle. It felt like it could go even taller and never actually feel wimpy.

I don't know if they're still offering the smaller ones. I would buy another one at 20mm in a minute if I didn't already have more than one.

 

[CigarSmoka]

Thank you.

I have a couple of brushes with Envy White knots. I like them quite a bit.

I feel that they are best at a higher loft and after at least a dozen uses. Not very dense knots but extremely big on backbone. At first they are scratchy a little. By the end of hitting double digits count with uses each one I have has zero scratch or pokiness.

The one in this restore was just hitting the sweet spot. It was sold as a 20mm but it's a solid 22mm+ knot. I set it at 48mm in this handle but had it even higher at 52 set in silicone in a different handle. It felt like it could go even taller and never actually feel wimpy.

I don't know if they're still offering the smaller ones. I would buy another one at 20mm in a minute if I didn't already have more than one.

Thanks for the info. I usually go 2-4mm higher than twice the loft for finest, if/when I get the Envy I'll try it even higher with a bit of silicone first. I wouldve drilled to set it up for 50mm if not for your post. I didn't see any smaller ones, but I like 24mm. He only has the bulb in stock, the fans have been out for awhile, which is why I've been waiting. He's either cutting back to a few select knots or waiting to make another bulk purchase.

 

[BSAGuy]

Very nice. Great work and great pics.

 

[dexutter]

Excellent work! It's tough being patient enough to get the old stuff out with scuffing the heck out of it. Well done!