Black wood and aluminum no name, knot selection

[duderubble]

I got this today and I think it will look nice. It needs sanding and repainting on the top of the handle. you can see a penny fits easily through the knot hole. I think I'd like to do a nice badger with this, I assume I can just put the knot in from the back and sort of do it backwards. Any suggestions for knots? TGN? Size?



Here is a before pic from the auction.

 

[duderubble]

No suggestions here? I finally completed getting the wood part flawless, It's going to look nice. I am thinking of a 20 mm badger for this one.

 

[Capslock]

Depends on what you like! If it were me, I like doing old handles like that with a fan shape rather than a bulb. It just looks better with that style. Go with a TGN Finest if you like a little backbone. Super if you like it softer.

 

[mattdenicola]

For knot choices, it is highly personal. I can guarantee that you are going to be happy with just about any knot you put in there, because you did the restoration yourself and the brush will always be special to you. That said, there are a few considerations that I personally would take into account.

How much do you value aesthetics? I actually value aesthetics quite a bit. Not necessarily over functionality, but the way the brush looks makes a big difference to me. Perhaps it is a window into my shallow, vane, evil soul. I'm not sure. But aesthetically, I think there are four knots that would look great in there.

First - a two band finest fan with the whitest tips you can get and as distinct a two-band line you can find. Make sure to sink the knot so that none of the pale hair near the plug shows. The end result will be a sort of continuation of the black-light grayscale of the handle itself, and the fan shape will reflect the fanned bottom of the handle. It will look great. And TGN Finest knots are very well regarded as excellent performers by just about everyone who has used one.

Second - a black badger. It is a little bold, but if you can find a good clean black badger - meaning one without a bunch of lighter hairs - it will be stunning. On the 400-thread someone posted a brush where they had dyed the knot black. Now that would be something here. But ... some people really don't like black badger. So there's that.

Third - a best badger bulb. The TGN best badgers have a really nice hair-color mix that gives it a sort of "silver/gray" appearance. When viewed from an overhead angle, it will match beautifully with the silver handle. They bloom quite nicely, and the end aesthetic will be something to enjoy. And I actually really like the TGN best performance-wise. People also say nice things about Ace best knots, though I'm not sure about the coloration characteristics.

Fourth - an undyed boar. There are some things where the best choice is to stay true to the original. That brush was meant to have a boar knot in it. If that means anything to you, then definitely get a boar. I have this argument with myself all the time. For instance, I am restoring my Triumph TR6. And those are supposed to have a straight 6 under the hood. Do I stick with the 6? A wonderful little engine that is very suitably powered for the car, roars like a lion, and will keep kicking forever? Or do I drop a Chevy V8 in there, bulk up the axles, and see just how fast that little TR can fly? I'm not sure yet. I see this brush the same way. Do you keep it a boar brush? Boars are awesome .. I couldn't imagine my den without one. And it is suited so well to this handle. Buuuuuut, it is awfully tempting to drop a "V8" TGN Super Finest in there and open it up! With the TR6s, some people are going the middle ground, and swapping in BMW M3 straight 6 engines. Still maintains the original "idea" of the car while updating its performance. For your brush, I think that would be the equivalent of finding a high quality Omega or Semogue boar knot to put into the handle. Original, yet updated. There's honor in that.

If aesthetics don't matter to you, then whatever. Drop in the best knot you can afford and enjoy it! And ignore the above rant. Unless you have some suggestions about my TR6 ... I'm all ears!

 

[Capslock]

Ooh, a TR6! I have a '67 Sunbeam Tiger with the stock 289 Ford engine. It makes sense with the Sunbeam because it was 1) it was stock - they did the work, and 2) it replaced the engine in the Sunbeam Alpine to make the Tiger. The Alpine had an anemic Brittish four-banger in it that didn't get anyone excited. Nobody is paying big money for a Sunbeam Alpine.

The TR6, on the other hand, has a capable engine with appropriate power for the car. I fully understand the desire for modern levels of power, but it will come at a cost. TR6s are beautiful classics, and there are fewer and fewer of them around. For those reasons, I'd go stock with it.

As for the brush, I'd love to do a boar in that brush, too, but where can you get a boar knot that would fit? The ones I see require a 1 inch hole to set them, and I bet that brush would only take an 18mm or at most a 20mm knot.

 

[mattdenicola]

For those reasons, I'd go stock with it.

I am about 99% on the same page, Caps. The engine will be the very last piece of this puzzle anyway, so its still a ways off. The current plan is to keep the original engine, have it professionally refreshed, and probably drop a super-charger in it. The biggest problem is that mine is a detuned, carbeurated US car. So the sad 104hp, which surely isn't performing up to that in its current state, needs a boost. Nothing crazy. But something. I actually think an American V8 is a bit overkill, and I would absolutley hate to sacrifice the sound of my TR. So again, about 99% sure I'm keeping the straight 6. But then I stop by britishv8.org, and I get a little drool-y.

As for the brush, I'd love to do a boar in that brush, too, but where can you get a boar knot that would fit? The ones I see require a 1 inch hole to set them, and I bet that brush would only take an 18mm or at most a 20mm knot.

I'd ask shencheng or virginia on eBay if they can accomodate. I've yet to make a request they couldn't handle. Pun intended. I would personally be pretty insistent on it being natural/undyed. That is going to be a lot harder to come by I think, but will ultimately be worth it.

 

[duderubble]

For knot choices, it is highly personal. I can guarantee that you are going to be happy with just about any knot you put in there, because you did the restoration yourself and the brush will always be special to you. That said, there are a few considerations that I personally would take into account.

How much do you value aesthetics? I actually value aesthetics quite a bit. Not necessarily over functionality, but the way the brush looks makes a big difference to me. Perhaps it is a window into my shallow, vane, evil soul. I'm not sure. But aesthetically, I think there are four knots that would look great in there.

First - a two band finest fan with the whitest tips you can get and as distinct a two-band line you can find. Make sure to sink the knot so that none of the pale hair near the plug shows. The end result will be a sort of continuation of the black-light grayscale of the handle itself, and the fan shape will reflect the fanned bottom of the handle. It will look great. And TGN Finest knots are very well regarded as excellent performers by just about everyone who has used one.

Second - a black badger. It is a little bold, but if you can find a good clean black badger - meaning one without a bunch of lighter hairs - it will be stunning. On the 400-thread someone posted a brush where they had dyed the knot black. Now that would be something here. But ... some people really don't like black badger. So there's that.

Third - a best badger bulb. The TGN best badgers have a really nice hair-color mix that gives it a sort of "silver/gray" appearance. When viewed from an overhead angle, it will match beautifully with the silver handle. They bloom quite nicely, and the end aesthetic will be something to enjoy. And I actually really like the TGN best performance-wise. People also say nice things about Ace best knots, though I'm not sure about the coloration characteristics.

Fourth - an undyed boar. There are some things where the best choice is to stay true to the original. That brush was meant to have a boar knot in it. If that means anything to you, then definitely get a boar. I have this argument with myself all the time. For instance, I am restoring my Triumph TR6. And those are supposed to have a straight 6 under the hood. Do I stick with the 6? A wonderful little engine that is very suitably powered for the car, roars like a lion, and will keep kicking forever? Or do I drop a Chevy V8 in there, bulk up the axles, and see just how fast that little TR can fly? I'm not sure yet. I see this brush the same way. Do you keep it a boar brush? Boars are awesome .. I couldn't imagine my den without one. And it is suited so well to this handle. Buuuuuut, it is awfully tempting to drop a "V8" TGN Super Finest in there and open it up! With the TR6s, some people are going the middle ground, and swapping in BMW M3 straight 6 engines. Still maintains the original "idea" of the car while updating its performance. For your brush, I think that would be the equivalent of finding a high quality Omega or Semogue boar knot to put into the handle. Original, yet updated. There's honor in that.

If aesthetics don't matter to you, then whatever. Drop in the best knot you can afford and enjoy it! And ignore the above rant. Unless you have some suggestions about my TR6 ... I'm all ears!

I like all these suggestions. Hmmm. I've got a couple weeks before my ship comes in.

 

[duderubble]

Has anyone tried the synthetic knots from TGN? Any reviews?

 

[duderubble]

Here is the completed brush. I used the TGN SYnthetic. Did a test lather and I think I like this brush. requires lots of water, I assume because it doesn't hold mush in the bristles, but they are very soft and nice backbone. I like it as well as anything else I have, but I don't have any high quality badgers yet.