a little help please- where to find bits and bobs!!

[screaming_pig]

Hi all,
I've been lurking around in the background for a while now, basically reading and learning!!
I wanted to 'build' my own brush but having trouble locating the stuff to do this.
Where do you guys get your knots and handles from??
The only place i see mentioned alot is goldennibs but as Im from the UK I thought I might be able to find something a little closer to home??
I've just email Kent brushes to see if they will sell just a knot- worth a try
Well that just leaves the handles....I'm after a longer one maybe a wooden turned or fake ivory, I've got really big hands and find the normal sized handles fiddly to say the least!
hope you can help!

Ian

 

[Rudy Vey]

The only source for knots here in the USA is The Golden Nib, in Germany Shavemac sells knots, too. I had contacted Vulfix, but they stopped selling knots, so your options are a bit limited. As far as handles go, some guys do turn handles per request, there is no source for ready-made handles.

 

[Klopstick]

Can't help you on the brush knots, but I just posted another thread on using Corian as a handle material. You can often get the stuff for free as scrap, but it's a tossup what colors you'll get if you go dumpster diving. I'm sure there are a lot of materials that could be used, from plastics to wood, so don't limit your thinking. The only aspect to consider is water, because whatever you use will get soaked all the time and dry between uses, and that can be hard on things.

You can make handles and simply dry fit the brush heads to see how it will look. The examples in my post are not glued in and it's actually the same knot in both of them! It will give you a better idea of the final appearance and let you decide if a handle is worth committing a knot on or not. (say THAT 5 times fast!)

 

[screaming_pig]

hmmm thats what I suspected, rather hard to find knots!!

@Rudy Vey- I've just had a quick look on the Shavemac site but cant see any knots for sale, will have a proper look when I get in from work tomorrow but thanks for the heads up!

@Klopstick- thanks for your info too, they look awsome in your thread, the top one is something along the lines of whats I am thinking of, hats off to you for such a good job. Makes me what to buy a lathe!! I have used corian before in knife making and its true what you say about water, will bear that in mind!

If I was to order one from the golden nib could someone please recommend quite a firm knot?? I use a Kent bk8 at the mo, whilst its fantastic with creams its not so great with soaps , thats what this new brush will be used for.

Thanks again guys!!

 

[Klopstick]

I have a TGN 20mm Finest knot set at about 48mm loft in an Ever-Ready restore and it has very good backbone. It's perfect for soaps, but has soft tips and isn't scratchy. Best of both worlds, and it's my "daily driver" lately.

Just FYI, my work is done on a 9" South Bend Precision machining lathe, not a wood turning unit. It's kind of a pain in some ways, but I'm used to working around the limitations of a machine lathe and can do a lot with files and sandpaper on materials like Corian.

A good mandrel is a must! Mine is a 3/4" steel rod with a necked down area where the top of the blank will land when installed (makes it easier to polish around the hole if there's a couple mm gap). It's got a short stub of 1/4-20 threaded rod on the end that gets screwed into the threaded hole in the blank. I use a Forstner bit to make the initial knot hole, then drill for the threaded hole beyond that. I don't find that I need a tail stock to hold things steady as the flat shoulder on the mandrel is quite wide.

 

[Rudy Vey]

hmmm thats what I suspected, rather hard to find knots!!

@Rudy Vey- I've just had a quick look on the Shavemac site but cant see any knots for sale, will have a proper look when I get in from work tomorrow but thanks for the heads up!

@Klopstick- thanks for your info too, they look awsome in your thread, the top one is something along the lines of whats I am thinking of, hats off to you for such a good job. Makes me what to buy a lathe!! I have used corian before in knife making and its true what you say about water, will bear that in mind!

If I was to order one from the golden nib could someone please recommend quite a firm knot?? I use a Kent bk8 at the mo, whilst its fantastic with creams its not so great with soaps , thats what this new brush will be used for.

Thanks again guys!!

You need to contact them and ask for. I have used their Finest and Pure knots from the Econo-line (i.e. machine tied knots) and they are great - if you go to my site you see a Shavemac knot in a brush (they have the metallic looking ring on top of the handle). I just inquired about a D01 knot, but they are very, very expensive....most people will not even spend this amount of money for a brush, let alone just for a knot.
I pretty much use only TGN knots in my brushes, and so far everybody likes them. If you want to go another route, there are many Chinese makers of knots out there, just contact them - but they normally have a minimum order size of 50 or 100 knots per quality and size

 

[john parker]

Fidgit's review may help. Will try to add here for easier reference. http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=142947

 

[screaming_pig]

thanks guys all been of a great help, looks like some research is called for!!