Brush knot broken out of handle. Twice!

[jahull]

I love my Semogue 1305.

A few months after I got it, after a period of daily use and then a period of weekly (once or twice) use for a total of about two months, the knot broke out!!!

I was so sad. I love that little brush.

I talked with the vendor (one of the best) and he said the problem was squeezing it out, and I should just glue it back in.

So I stopped squeezing out my brush when I was done (I was previously doing it fairly gently). And I glued it back in with what I had on-hand:golf club building epoxy. It's strong stuff.

Now after about six months, it broke out again!!! My epoxy job lasted longer, but there's got to be something I'm doing wrong.

Does anyone else experience this kind of knot failure? Any suggestions on how to stop it? Should I start over with a new brush, or epoxy this one again?

My routine:
let it sit in hot water for about two to five minutes in a mug with the water generally just below where the handle meets the knot.
Then soap it up for about 60-100 swirls.
Then face lather. I don't press too hard, generally just swish back and forth gently.
Set it on the base after the first lather, and then apply to touch up for a quick second pass on a few spots.
Then rinse it out and give it a few swipes on the towel.
Set it on its base to air dry on a shelf in the bathroom.

 

[Marsman]

When i make a brush, i use a two part epoxy. I have not had any issues with knots falling out. It works great, let it harden for 24 hours to ensure it is hardened and you should be good to go.

 

[patten1969]

Marine epoxy. I've never had issues.

 

[Foyle]

You're not doing anything wrong. Semogues seem notorious for this problem. There are several threads on here about knots coming out of 1305's. I had an SOC that the knot came out of three times. I think I know the culprit. The aluminum cup can be oxidized when you set the knot causing the epoxy not to bond well to it. Wipe the cup with some naphtha just before setting the knot to remove any oxidation. That seemed to work for me. As for epoxy, use Devcon 5-minute epoxy. That's all you should need.

 

[brother cavefish]

the vender should have given you a new brush the first time , i would have went straight to Semogue in portugal they would have been more sympathetic - but ringing out the brush it useless , all one needs is a good rinse, shake out, towel rub and dry hanging knot down- no squeezing of any kind

 

[jahull]

Thanks for all the info. Good to know its not me.

Brother cavefish, I was hoping the vendor would replace it when I contacted them, but the explanation seemed viable so I thought id give it another shot. And you're totally right, since I stopped squeezing the bristles it has dried out just as well. It's not at all necessary.

I think I'll try one more time, this time with Devcon 5-minute epoxy and cleaning the aluminum ring with some solvent just before the epoxy is set. The golf club epoxy i used is two part, and is some good stuff, but who knows, maybe Devcon is the ticket!

-Josh

 

[brother cavefish]

Thanks for all the info. Good to know its not me.

Brother cavefish, I was hoping the vendor would replace it when I contacted them, but the explanation seemed viable so I thought id give it another shot. And you're totally right, since I stopped squeezing the bristles it has dried out just as well. It's not at all necessary.

I think I'll try one more time, this time with Devcon 5-minute epoxy and cleaning the aluminum ring with some solvent just before the epoxy is set. The golf club epoxy i used is two part, and is some good stuff, but who knows, maybe Devcon is the ticket!

-Josh

you probably should not have told them you were squeezing either , but the epoxy you used before was for "lap shear" strength,---- this new epoxy should do better or a marine one, better for overall binding strength -this is actually a good experience for you , now you SEE how things should be , and can make your own special brush, i wish i would have done more restores before i bought, but my choices were not expensive and i love them, never bought simpsons, kents, thater or the such anyway, they were over priced in my opinion-----anyway i would do the ring first then do the knot--my 2 cents

 

[Danricgro]

Why would gently squeezing a brush make the knot fall out? Makes no sense to me. I always give the knot a gentle squeeze before shaking it out so the knot is not so heavy which seems would be a far bigger problem than a gentle squeeze.

 

[Foyle]

Why would gently squeezing a brush make the knot fall out? Makes no sense to me. I always give the knot a gentle squeeze before shaking it out so the knot is not so heavy which seems would be a far bigger problem than a gentle squeeze.

Yeah, saying that squeezing the knot will make it fall out is akin to Merkur saying that your water is what caused the plating on your razor to start falling off.

 

[jahull]

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I'm glad I'm not crazy

Since I'm totally new at this I opted to follow the instructions of the gentleman who said that because he's very knowledgable.

Before it broke the first time I had even read some threads here debating the safety and efficacy of squeezing the knot gently, along with drying the brush standing up. (not hanging) both practices seem to be considered safe.

 

[jahull]

Said gentleman's evaluation was:

"Squeezing the knot will definitely cause the knot to pop out in some cases. I don't recommend squeezing the knot. The nice thing is, you didn't do any real damage, you can simply epoxy the knot back into the handle."

I suppose he didnt say its always bad to squeeze the knot - just that it can end up causing issues in some cases. I agree with his conclusion - its not hard to re-epoxy.

And I agree with cavefish: it's been a positively educational experience!

 

[paulm]

If the epoxy is failing it could be down to an incorrect mix, insufficient mixing, poor preparation of surfaces, insufficient quantity of adhesive or similar ?

If all those aspects are okay then it shouldn't fail unless the particular epoxy isn't suitable for immersion in hot water ?

Cheers, Paul

 

[oscar11]

Clean up everything the best you can and try some JB Weld. Just be careful, it's a dark grey color.