Pears, (still an ongoing entity as you may know) have apparently been making soap in England since 1805. Here's one of their ceramic (porcelain?) shaving brush handles, outfitted with a new badger knot. You'll notice a couple of British patents referred to on the bottom of the handle. I managed to track these down. Patent 117346 was applied for in 1917 by Alban Russell Culmer, of Culmak shaving brush fame. Looks like Culmak (operating in England since 1807) made this brush for Pears, likely sometime in the 1920's (an obvious guess). The patent also reveals that the handle is "formed with annular grooves into which are fitted rings of rubber" "which afford cushioning or shock absorbing" "against damage or fracture when made of a brittle substance such as porcelain". "In lieu of rings, studs or projecting portions of resilient substance may be provided". It appears that patent 158587 (applied for in 1919), despite referencing window sashes, was utilized for this alternative "stud approach" to the protection of shaving brushes and other objects. I wouldn't be surprised if this stud approach was never pursued, as it just seems like a bad idea to me. In fact, ceramic or porcelain is not, in most people's opinion I would guess, the most appropriate material to make a shaving brush out of in any event. On the other hand, it looks nice and it's heavy, and it should work fine (at least until I drop it; I'm not putting much reliance on those bumpers!) Anyway, here's some photos of the brush, the patents and the brush again, with it's new protective bumpers installed. Hope you enjoy!
Pears Ceramic (Porcelain?) Shaving Brush
- Thread starter Snowbeard
- Start date
Thats pretty neat! Thanks for the info
Neato. Is it heavy?
- Thread starter
- #4
I don't have a scale to tell you the weight but it feels quite dense and heavy for its size. Very bottom heavy, definitely a brush that was designed to sit on it's end.
Good stuff, thanks for the info. It not only looks great, but it's survived without any "gravitational accidents"!
I feel like the handle would cramp my hand.
I feel like the handle would cramp my hand.
- Thread starter
- #6
Well, I just took the Pears brush for its first spin. Like you said, it looks great... Let's just say I have a bunch of other brushes that are better than this one, and that I don't worry quite so much about dropping. However, this brush (handle, with rubber rings!) is quite rare, and it has a bit of a history, and it's made out of unusual materials, so I'm happy to let it fill a spot on my counter and just look good. Cheers!
- Thread starter
- #7
I believe that I got my dates mixed up. It's Culmak since 1805, Pears since 1807, not the other way around. So says Google anyway.
