Brush cleaning/revival question

[Latherdude]

Yesterday via craigslist I scored a 1953 Superspeed and a Made Rite badger brush (#68 IIRC), all for $14!

Since these babies are so old I knew some cleaning would be necessary. I did the vinegar and water soak with the brush because I don't own any borax, and tried lathering the brush. It feels like 'pure'-grade badger, but kind of floppy/wire-y i guess.

I lathered some soap with it just to see what it could do, rinsed it out, and then massaged hair conditioner into it for a little while, and rinsed. The bristles bloomed out more and I set it to dry.

I do notice an unpleasant, almost "moldy" smell coming from the brush, deep in by the knot. I know this brush is very, very old, but I don't want to give up on it

Can anyone with brush "restoration" or "revival" experience chime in with suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[cernel_joson]

I'm also currently cleaning up an old Century badger hair brush that smells like the inside of an old Buick Century. The badger is in remarkably good condition with good backbone so I'm trying to get the smell out.

Here's the process that I'm using gleaned from the combined wisdom of the B&B boards:

1. Rub in and lather up the brush using a good amount of dishwasher detergent.
2. Rinse.
3. Soak brush in soapy water solution for a couple of hours.
4. Rinse.
5. Soak brush in diluted (1 parts vinegar : 9 parts water) vinegar solution for an hour.
6. Rinse.
7. Soak in distilled water with a couple tablespoons of activated charcoal for a few hours.
8. Lather up brush with some shaving cream.
9. Let dry overnight.
10. In the morning, wash brush and shave with it.

I'll tell you how it goes this weekend.

 

[drandall]

i favor the emily method with vinegar

http://www.shaveinfo.com/videos/brush_cleaning.htm

works wonders

 

[cernel_joson]

After going through the cleaning process I outlined, I'd have to say that the most effective steps were the vinegar bath and the bath with activated carbon.

Washing and rinsing with dish detergent did result in a surprising amount of brownish water. But after the initial cleaning and lathering with detergent, the smell remained. Repeated soaking, rinsing, and brushing with the vinegar solution really got a lot of the old soap and funk out.

The activated carbon then neutralized the vinegar smell and drew out some more funk.

After that, I polished up the handle with Flitz metal polish, lathered with Speick (the brush performed wonderfully). And now it smells like Speick.

I hope your cleaning is rewarding as well.

 

[Latherdude]

I tried all of this except for the activated charcoal. The thing is, the bristles are so flimsy at this point that I don't know that it's worth going out to find that stuff. A small 'funky' smell remains, but I never really got any brown water to come out.

Thanks for the help though, guys. I'll remember all this for the future!