blzrfn's brush restoration log

[blzrfn]

I have caught the bug! It all started when the knot feel out of my Frank's Shaving silvertip brush. I had planned on just gluing it back in place but then thought that it might perform better if I lowered the loft a bit. A little time with the dremmel and BAM, a much nicer brush than what I started with.

As bought:

Then this happened:

After repair, next to my Berkeley 46 for reference. Loft set at ~45mm


This isn't the end of the road for this Frank's brush however, I grew tired of the generic handle and found another candidate for this knot. Here is a teaser pic from the auction I won. More pics to follow upon completion.

 

[blzrfn]

My second restoration was for a Marshall Field brush made by Simpson. I got this brush for a song off auction, but from the pics was hoping to use as-is. After receiving the brush I realized that it was in the middle of a mid-life crisis and suffered from male-pattern baldness. I knew that the only way to solve this problem was to get a transplant. I bought a 20mm TGN finest XH brush off B/S/T and went to work. A little trim, drill, sand, polish and four pennies had the patient ready for transplant. The result was a success, with the loft set at 45mm. I wasn't able to get the bore perfectly round, but good enough for my first full restore. I also managed to nick the side of the brush with the dremmel, a good lesson in patience and prep. This won't happen again! (knock on wood)

before

after

 

[blzrfn]

In the future I will take better before and after pictures, but I just wanted to get a log started so I can keep track of what knots I am putting into which brush. Feedback, criticism and advice always welcome!

 

[blzrfn]

Here is the final resting place for the Frank Shaving 20mm silvertip knot. I have once again set the knot at 45mm loft, this time using two pennies as spacers. The handle cleaned up fairly well and polishing with Flitz really brought out the shine and color depth. I used a Sharpie oil based paint marker to fill in the letters and wiped away the excess with an old t-shirt. The lettering isn't as defined as I would like, but there is a little scuffing that I don't think I could easily remove without causing more damage than good. Overall I am pretty pleased with the outcome and this will look much better in my bathroom than the generic black plastic brush that it is replacing.

 

[SantoneA]

great work! i have a couple everyreadys that need knots. i just want to polish them up first!

 

[hig789]

That century is a very nice looking brush. Good job.

 

[theretroshave]

Very nice Century! I love the coloration, and design of the bottom half of the handle.

 

[alpster]

Like the others have said, that Century is a knockout. Real eye candy. Nice work on all of them!

Ronnie

 

[Big_OC]

Here is the final resting place for the Frank Shaving 20mm silvertip knot. I have once again set the knot at 45mm loft, this time using two pennies as spacers. The handle cleaned up fairly well and polishing with Flitz really brought out the shine and color depth. I used a Sharpie oil based paint marker to fill in the letters and wiped away the excess with an old t-shirt. The lettering isn't as defined as I would like, but there is a little scuffing that I don't think I could easily remove without causing more damage than good. Overall I am pretty pleased with the outcome and this will look much better in my bathroom than the generic black plastic brush that it is replacing.

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Very nice!!! Filling in the lettering makes it really nice. Really digging the pattern on the handle.

 

[blzrfn]

My latest creation utilized an Omega Pro 49 and olive wood handle from Jerusalem. It took several steps of prying, sanding, and finishing (including the use of two quarters as spacers) but I am very happy to reveal the Omega 50c!

 

[GDCarrington]

The Omega 49 is an excellent brush to use for such "transformations." I love mine which is in a custom spalted maple handle.

Excellent work and it looks great!

 

[blzrfn]

The Omega 49 is an excellent brush to use for such "transformations." I love mine which is in a custom spalted maple handle.

Excellent work and it looks great!

Gary, I would love to see your handiwork. Did you post a thread about it or can you post a picture?

 

[GDCarrington]

Gary, I would love to see your handiwork. Did you post a thread about it or can you post a picture?

Steve (Oscar11) provided me a raw spalted maple handle based on a Chubby then I proceeded to experiment with hogging it out further and then applying stain and adding a base plate.
It was basically a go see what can be done with this. The set of handles I received got me going into handles and refurbishment at a much higher pace.

Here is the thread on the Omega below. The one advantage was that I got the knot from TGN rather than removing it from an existing brush.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/310990-Number-Four-Became-Such-A-Boar?highlight=

 

[blzrfn]

I like how you matched the black collar ring with a matching base on the wood handle nice work.

I ran a test lather last night and I'm pretty hopeful that this brush will end up performing much more comfortably than it did before. The weight increase and shorter loft felt better in hand, but the real test won't be until I use it for a shave sometime later this week.

 

[blzrfn]

My only complaint about the brush at this point is that the base of the handle isn't flat so it doesn't sit perfectly straight on the counter. This has nothing to do with performance though so I don't have any plans to try and correct it.

 

[coolbus18]

Hello my Northern neighbor! Real nice work. I've been bitten also.

 

[blzrfn]

Well, the Omega boar knot never performed as I had hoped so I ditched it all together and installed instead a 26mm "High Mountain" 2-band knot I picked up off aliexpress. The test palm lather I did gives me really high hope that this brush will finally meet my standards for face lathering, but the real test will have to wait until tommorrow or Sunday. In the mean time here are some pics of how it turned out.
Knot installed (with silicone adhesive and 2 quarters serving as spacers, set at 55mm loft)

Lathered up with Cella

Post rinse and dry bloom shot

Top density shot

 

[blzrfn]

I got home today and my wife called to say she was going to be gone for a while with the girls. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I went out into the garage and grabbed the Made Rite 500PB which I had already cleaned up and test lathered a few times. The knot was in pretty good condition but it was lacking density and backbone. It truly wasn't even good for bowl lathering, it was so soft. I have a few knots laying around so I just went to town and figured I would let the handle dictate which knot to use. I was hoping to get the knot removed and handle prepped, but I didn't know I would be able to complete the project in 90 minutes!

Before:


After drilling, dremmeling and buffing:

 

[blzrfn]

continued



And finally I installed a 22mm TGN Silvertip knot I had laying around from a purchase here at B/S/T. Final measurements are 24.5mm knot at base by 49mm loft. I think it looks pretty good.



I can't take better pictures until the silicone cures, but I am very pleased with this result. Happy restorin' everybody!

 

[GDCarrington]

continued

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And finally I installed a 22mm TGN Silvertip knot I had laying around from a purchase here at B/S/T. Final measurements are 24.5mm knot at base by 49mm loft. I think it looks pretty good.

View attachment 329477

I can't take better pictures until the silicone cures, but I am very pleased with this result. Happy restorin' everybody!

Good work!