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Two new handles. This time there for me.

I finally got inspired to make two shave brush handles for myself. Of the many shave brush handles I've made I've only kept four for myself. Two of which I no longer have. I've had two cow horns I acquired from a friend for quite a while. He butchered one of his cows and saved the whole head for me. I went over and removed the horns and cleaned them myself. Not the easiest process if you aren't used to that sort of thing. A horn handle brush has been high on my want list for a very long time so it was worth the effort. One thing I had to figure out was a way to make the top of the wood stepped to fit up inside the bottom of the horn. It was important to be sure that the seam would be as tight as possible. Everything worked out fantastically. I picked Cocobolo for the one on the right. I've used Cocobolo many times and it is one of my favorites. The base wood on left is Lignum Vitae, also called Guayacan or Iron wood which is know as the hardest wood in the world. This was my first time working with Lignum Vitae. It is definitely hard and even this piece I've had for many years had a fair amount of natural oils in it. I definitely look forward to using it more. Boar is most likely going into the left which is a little bigger diameter but shorter. Horse is the most likely candidate for the one on the right. So now that I've made two handles for myself I just need to make a final decision on those knots.



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Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
Very interesting that they have a slight angle but should still free stand on its end. I personally like the lighter looking wood myself or maybe its the lighting. Very different and nice, great personal touch.
 
Thank you everyone for the kind words. They were some of the most fun to make handles I've done yet.

I really like the cocobolo, it goes very nicely with the cow

The Cocobolo is a favorite of mine as well. I pray I never develop an allergy to working with it as I've heard an happen. I was definitely very impressed with the Iron wood wile working with it also and look forward to using it again. I also look forward to seeing how these handles age with time and use.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
You never cease to amaze me. How did you get those photos? They look like they are illuminated from within.

Absolutely beautiful. Another wood that impresses me with it's density is Locust wood. Burns hotter than Hickory I swear.
 
You never cease to amaze me. How did you get those photos? They look like they are illuminated from within.

Absolutely beautiful. Another wood that impresses me with it's density is Locust wood. Burns hotter than Hickory I swear.
Thank you. Locust is a cool wood. I need to try turning some. I've really liked doing dark background photos with the lighting like this.
 

Ron R

I survived a lathey foreman
I finally got around to setting the rest of the knots in these brushes. I will let them set till tomorrow then hopefully have time to wash and test them. I made the far left from a broken rifle scope. And the copper one was made by a friend. All the knots are from OUMO.

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Different and appealing at the same time, great brush handles and knots Greg.
 
I had a wonderful shave today with a newly acquired Gem Minute Man and two of my new brushes with OUMO knots. I was easily SAS after the first pass and nearly BBS while still being quite comfortable. The two new brushes performed well after just a bit of a wash. The handles are exceptionally comfortable to use. I think the Boar will needs a bit more of a break in period before it's at peak performance. The horse was a bit of a surprise and performed perfectly right out of the gate. Both knots only shed a few hairs in the initial washing and maybe one or two more during actual use. The Boar had nearly Zero funk after the first cleansing lather while the horse had quite a lot of dirty lather coming out until the third cleansing lather and rinse. Even after the actual shave the horse retained a bit of funk, although it is minimal. This horse is a blend of mane and tail and had reasonable back bone and a little scritch. The Boar had more backbone and less scritch. Overall I'm extremely pleased with both brushes and the Gem Minute Man and really look forward to how the Boar will break in over time.

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