How To Break In A Brush & Get The Funk Out
- Thread starter ambrose
- Start date
I am glad I stumbled across this thread today. I just bought a Vie-Long badger brush, it is soaking in some Dawn dishsoap/water right now. Thanks
Cella seems to be working a treat on my new brushes! 
Why did they choose badger, boar and horse hair for brushes? Badgers and boars spend their days digging in mud and horse hair comes from the rear end of the animal. Did someone make a bet that they could sell fur from a pig or a horse’s ***?
My pinstriping brushes are Squirrel hair, my best ones are Blue Squirrel hair. For some reason, I find those less offensive 
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I would have to say this method works well All that remained was the scent of Mitchell's. In fairness though my brush was already pretty soft right out of the box.
All that remained was the scent of Mitchell's. In fairness though my brush was already pretty soft right out of the box.
My pinstriping brushes are Squirrel hair, my best ones are Blue Squirrel hair. For some reason, I find those less offensive
Squirrel you say. I have to get one of them.. This still needs to be made into a sticky. I have used it on badger hair, pure, best, and silvertip. I have used it on boar bristle, I.have even used it on horse hair. It works on all of them at getting the funk out.
My pinstriping brushes are Squirrel hair, my best ones are Blue Squirrel hair. For some reason, I find those less offensive
Where can I get one? How about the badgers cousin, the wolverine? Do they make them into brushes?
It's not a shaving brush, it's a pinstriping brush
Like this...
for doing, like this....
Like this...
for doing, like this....
JCinPA
The Lather Maestro
^^^^^^^^^^^^
Wow! Gorgeous!
Wow! Gorgeous!
Trying this tonight on an old pure bristle (boar?) brush I picked up off the Bay. It appeared that it had never been used, and I'm thinking this is likely the case since the first time I wet it, it smelled like wet pig. Right now it's sitting in an Arlington lather.
CzechCzar
Use the Fat, Luke!
I just bought a new semgue, and de-stinkified it using Palmolive and proraso cream. It smelled lousy going in, but it smells great now!!
I thought this was appropriate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmi60Bd4jSs:lol:
I thought this was appropriate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmi60Bd4jSs:lol:
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cheers mate.great post....i did what u said and it worked...no smell in my brush.....plus i also bought a horse hair shaving brush online,the guy said that i should soak it in water overnight, which i did,the problem now is that i tried your technique ...the smells gone but its letting out color .maybe the brush was colored...please advise..I thought I would share some of my personal tips on how to break in a brush and get rid of that badger funk. Im one who hates the funk and a stiff brush thats not at its potential. After owning many brushes and trying different things I have found a perfect solution to this problem. It has been working for me to break in a new brush every time.
1. Wash it with dawn soap
2. Soak it in dawn soapy water for a few hrs
3. Build a lather and leave it to sit and dry over night - this is were most of the magic happens
The next day rinse it and soak it in water just before use and you should have no funk and it should be nice and broken in feeling.
I used irisch moos soap for this one and my custom rooney 3/1 from penworks.
Try it out and post your results
well said.......
Gonna use this on my new brush when it gets here!!!
A great help in breaking in a new brush. I am looking to add a quality boar to my den soon this will help.
I wash mine with a little dish soap and rinse and then lather it and rinse. It gets the smell out enough for me. ymmv.
Just bought my 4th brush and I never noticed any smells....until this one. I swear it's made of skunk hair. It is currently in the lather phase. I hope this works! OP, thanks for the tip!
Thanks! I have a new Rooney waiting for me in Texas...will try this method out.
This was very helpful. THANK YOU!!
