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Loft Vs Density - Knot size

Just a quick comparison of the effect of loft versus density as there seems to be an influx of people reknotting old brushes.

Not a very scientific work but hopefully you get the idea.

How far into the knot hole you place your knot will effect the loft of your knot and also the density.

General rule of thumb here is that if you face lather or use soap then you want a shorter loft and higher density and if a bowl or cream user then a taller loft and lower density. Of course YMMV :tongue_sm

If you look at the piccies below, hopefully might make some sense :001_smile

LHS is a TGN 20mm Finest Two Band Fan Shape 20X60mm
RHS is a TGN 20mm Silvertip with extra stuffing 20X67mm

The extra stuffing will mean you should have a denser knot to start with.

The knot size is a measure of the yellow base and as you can see in the full bloom shots, that the knot quickly fans out. This is why most people recommend using a knot size smaller than the knot hole rather than matching them. That being said a 20mm base may vary between 18-20mm.

Make sure you test seat the knot before you glue it in as even the smallest different can make a big difference to the loft.

Hopefully helpful to someone :001_smile

More experienced reknotters please feel free to kick in :001_smile

Finest @ 60mm , Silvertip @ 67mm
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Finest @ 50mm Silvertip @ 55mm
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Finest @ 40mm Silvertip @ 45 mm
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For me 22x55 is a dream...

I can do both face lather and make a decent lather in a bowl...

How you guys can use 50mm lofts is beyond me :eek:
 
Excellent post with visuals! :clap:

I will add:
General rule of thumb here is that if you face lather or use soap then you want a shorter loft and higher density and if a bowl or cream user then a taller loft and lower density. Of course YMMV

I have found that a shorter loft is also good for a small face, and haven't had any difficulty with creams.
 
Very nice post. I find myself veering more and more toward thick and short brushes - even the Simpson Chubbies have too much loft to them for me.
 
I used a 22mm finest extra hair set at 45mm and it was hands down the densest and scrubbiest brush I ever used. With the softest tips to boot. I've tried a 1/1 Super, B&B 08, PJ2 2 band, some vintage Simpson's and Plissons, a Col. Conk's Pure made by Vulfix, and a few others and that brush was waaaaay denser than any of them.
I've repeated this point thousands of times and will again:

When using a Golden Nib extra stuffed finest knot in the 22mm and up range, you will need a hole SIGNIFICANTLY larger than 22mm to set the knot at a short loft. The 22mm knot I had jumped from 22mm to 24mm right after the yellow plug. I used a hole that was probably 28-29mm to set that knot at 45mm and when set in that hole, the brush was super compressed and tight, so you can imagine how hard (or maybe even impossible) it'd be to set that knot at the same loft in a smaller hole.
 
Ian, have you got brushes with finest and silvertip? Which of the 2 has the softer tips?

Im not 100% satisfied with the silvertip, I feel it is too scritchy for face lathering, especially for passes 2 and 3. I actually really want to know which of the finest and super badger are softest.
 
Ian, have you got brushes with finest and silvertip? Which of the 2 has the softer tips?

Im not 100% satisfied with the silvertip, I feel it is too scritchy for face lathering, especially for passes 2 and 3. I actually really want to know which of the finest and super badger are softest.

I have a new handle coming from Ebay which the Silvertip is designated for and I'll let you know.

I'll probably just jury rig the silvertip into the handle initially and see how it feels before I commit to gluing it in.

The Finest fan is for my Hyde Park I got a while ago. The old boar bristles seem to be shedding like a shaggy dog in summer. It's there for if/when the whole knot falls out by itself. :tongue_sm

My Finest Kent is my fav brush at the moment ( not that I've got that many and it IS butterscotch ) so the comparison between the finest and silvertip will be interesting.

It's also interesting that Tony's Finest knots are more expensive than the silvertips.

Interestingly enough I think the TGN finest is softer than the Muhle fine I just got. Though I assume they do soften up with usage.

Updates to follow.
 
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hmmm...I might just bite the bullet and get TGN super badger, I assume that is the softest available, judging from the price of it too.

Now all I need is to find a decent handle.
 
hmmm...I might just bite the bullet and get TGN super badger, I assume that is the softest available, judging from the price of it too.

Now all I need is to find a decent handle.

Check with Rudy Vey :wink:

I just received a fan shape, two band 20/49mm brush from him and it is the ideal lenght, not to stiff.
 
Check with Rudy Vey :wink:

I just received a fan shape, two band 20/49mm brush from him and it is the ideal lenght, not to stiff.

Yeah, RV makes fantastic looking brushes but being unemployed for 8 months doesn't give me the freedom to purchase a custom handle...ill keep a lookout for an old brush and restore it.
 
Ian, have you got brushes with finest and silvertip? Which of the 2 has the softer tips?

Im not 100% satisfied with the silvertip, I feel it is too scritchy for face lathering,

Agree entirely, the standard Silvertip is scritchy compared with the Finest Knots. The Finest at the same loft also has more backbone.

I've promised myself no more brush restores ( I need to get my SBAD under control. I've actually spend more on each brush I've restore than I have on each of the razors I've bought ) , but in the case that I do break that promise I think I'll try a Silvertip A Grade and a Superbadger ( damn it I'll have to break my promise twice:001_tt2: )
 
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