Boar brush break-in (with pictures)

[miguel]

I started with a new Semogue 830, with the intention of a quick fridge break-in. The first picture is of the brush as it came from Amazon.

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The first thing I did, wash the brush with dishwashing liquid, to get rid of any oils leftover from the factory. I then put the brush in a cup of water in the fridge for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, I took the brush out and stropped the brush on a soft bath towel. I did painting strokes, swirls, figure eights, and any other combinations I could think of, to dry and stress the tips of the brush. I did this for about 15 minutes. Then back into the fridge in a cup of water.

This is where I deviate from what others have done. After 8 hours: I removed the brush from the fridge and warmed it with hot tap water. After the brush was warmed up under the tap. I placed the brush in a cup of hot water that was heated in the microwave to just below boiling. I let the brush sit for 4 minutes. The hot water treatment is intended to encourage the tips to hook and create gel-tips

After the four minutes, I repeated the stropping on a towel process.
The following pictures are of the final brush and a close-up of the brush top to show the hooks created from hot water.

 

[HouseOfChains]

Looks great! I will have to try this!

 

[Rontu]

That brush still has quite a bit of 'blooming' to do. But I've never heard/seen of this process before and that last picture looks interesting

 

[miguel]

That brush still has quite a bit of 'blooming' to do.

I agree. I was more interested in something that was quick and easy. I'll use it over the next month and I expect it will continue to split and fill out.

 

[Rontu]

I agree. I was more interested in something that was quick and easy. I'll use it over the next month and I expect it will continue to split and fill out.

I'm typically not a fan of 'dyed' bristle, but Semogue really does know how to do it right. That brush is going to feel extremely soft (in a pleasant way) soon enough.

 

[miguel]

I'm typically not a fan of 'dyed' bristle

Yes, Dyed bristles do look "trailer park" I picked the brush for the handle and I have never used a Semogue before. With all the man-handling and rough treatment I put this brush through, it never shed any fibers.

 

[Chandu]

Interesting. I know some badger brush manufacturers recommend water no hotter than some particular temp. Hair is mostly a protein, as some temp point you are more or less "cooking" it. I wonder if this will shorten the life of the brush. Boars are cheap enough I guess it won't matter to experiment a bit. I don't see anyone trying this with their Manchurian badger brushes.

 

[zoidberg]

Interesting. I know some badger brush manufacturers recommend water no hotter than some particular temp. Hair is mostly a protein, as some temp point you are more or less "cooking" it. I wonder if this will shorten the life of the brush. Boars are cheap enough I guess it won't matter to experiment a bit. I don't see anyone trying this with their Manchurian badger brushes.

Some badger knots, eg Oumo sell some Badgers including Manchurians (I think) with hook/gel tips, which I think were obtained by additional means of processing. Of course it might mean lifespan is less but I imagine a lot of buyers will not be too concerned whether a knot will last for 5 years instead of 10? (I imagine some will though, and if so then the hook/gel tips might not be for you).

@miguel looks like a comprehensive and well detailed method for obtaining gel tips, fine work. I might pick up an additional cheap Omega and give your method a go.

 

[xiletero]

I will try this w Omegas. I have 2 that I highly dislike...have tried everything except the hot water....
I tend to get a 1-2 pass lather w them (I do not re load ever, just consider it a fail and will save w a cream) vs 3-4 nice passes with synthetics

 

[Chevyguy]

I just use em and break em in the old fashioned way. It takes about a month or so.

Clayton

Sent from my LM-V350 using Tapatalk

 

[oldjoe]

I don't soak my boar brushes for more than a minute or two. And, the good ones are as soft and effective in lathering and building lather as the very best badger brushes that I own. Some of those badger brushes I own are obscenely expensive. I do like the feel of the expensive badger shaving brushes I own but they do not work better for shaving lather than my plain relatively inexpensive boar brushes (think Semogue). I used a simple cheap boar- drug store Old Spice boar brush for years. IT was a $2.00 bargain sale brush I picked out of a shopping cart full of final sales items years ago and I used that brush for a good many years. Worked great, looked terrible. Life is full of surprises?

 

[BigJ]

Great photos!! Thanks for sharing your method!!

 

[TFAshaver]

Very interesting method. Now I wish I had bought a few boars during black friday or Cyber monday to try this method out. Oh well. I will just have to wait until I get a second omega or something. Great detail on how to do the process though!