Does anyone have a good source to have a replacement knot put on a vintage brush handle?
I would try it myself but i wouldn't want to mess it up.
Thanks B&B family.
I would try it myself but i wouldn't want to mess it up.
Thanks B&B family.
Brush Knot Replacement
- Thread starter KyLegend45
- Start date
It really is quite a simple job, although there is always a chance the handle will crack when you take the old knot out. On the other hand this can happen even when a "professional" does the job, and for this reason many are reluctant to take on such work.
Once the old knot has been removed, it's dead simple to put a new one in and you can use a silicone sealant to fix it in place, because if you fancy a higher or lower loft you can easily pull it out and adjust accordingly. Give it a go.
Once the old knot has been removed, it's dead simple to put a new one in and you can use a silicone sealant to fix it in place, because if you fancy a higher or lower loft you can easily pull it out and adjust accordingly. Give it a go.
- Thread starter
- #3
What would be the safest way to remove the old knot?
For a start try just pulling the knot out. Sometimes it takes very little effort. If that doesn't work then let it sit in very hot water for 10 minutes before again attempting to pull it out.
If that fails I usually cut the bristles as short as possible then use an old scredriver with the tip sharpened up to prize the knot out a bit at a time. Be firm, but take your time with this. Scrape out as much of the old glue as possible, and if you have a Dremmel tool then this can be used to get a really nice, clean finish where the new knot will sit. Some use Dremmels to do the actual boring out of the old knot, but I've never tried this myself. If you do resort to a chisel/scredriver/Dremmel then put some masking tape around the "neck" of the brush to protect it in the event of a slip.
Have a look at the brush restoration sub-forum for advice from some real experts who've restored ten times more old brushes than the half dozen or so I have.
If that fails I usually cut the bristles as short as possible then use an old scredriver with the tip sharpened up to prize the knot out a bit at a time. Be firm, but take your time with this. Scrape out as much of the old glue as possible, and if you have a Dremmel tool then this can be used to get a really nice, clean finish where the new knot will sit. Some use Dremmels to do the actual boring out of the old knot, but I've never tried this myself. If you do resort to a chisel/scredriver/Dremmel then put some masking tape around the "neck" of the brush to protect it in the event of a slip.
Have a look at the brush restoration sub-forum for advice from some real experts who've restored ten times more old brushes than the half dozen or so I have.
- Thread starter
- #5
Thanks for the advice, i don't have a dremmel so i will have to use the screwdriver method with the hot water.
If you have a vise, one method is to clamp just the bristles, as close to the handle as possible. Sometimes the knot fractures from the pressure and can be removed in pieces after that. Other times, the vise just squeezes the hair out and accomplishes nothing.
Try Shave Forge. They are an online company with a large selection of both badger hair and synthetic brush knots.
The badger hair runs from regular type to top of the line Silvertip High Mountain High Density knots.
Steam the handle and brush in a covered saucepan for about 30 minutes and the know should pull out easily. Put the handle in a heat resistant container such as a Pyrex measuring cup to keep it from getting boiled while you steam it.
The badger hair runs from regular type to top of the line Silvertip High Mountain High Density knots.
Steam the handle and brush in a covered saucepan for about 30 minutes and the know should pull out easily. Put the handle in a heat resistant container such as a Pyrex measuring cup to keep it from getting boiled while you steam it.
If your handle is made of something that won't get damaged in steam, that's the easiest method to remove the knot. I've done it twice without any problem.
Lots of vendors sell knots: Maggards, APShaveCo, ShaveForge, TurnNShave, and more. I recommend silicone to set the knot. It's easy to remove if you want to change the knot again or adjust the loft. Epoxy is more permanent and difficult to remove.
Here's a good video showing how it's done.
Lots of vendors sell knots: Maggards, APShaveCo, ShaveForge, TurnNShave, and more. I recommend silicone to set the knot. It's easy to remove if you want to change the knot again or adjust the loft. Epoxy is more permanent and difficult to remove.
Here's a good video showing how it's done.
Steaming a knot out is the quickest, simplest, and cleanest method for removing a knot and I've done it in the past successfully 3-4 times and has worked out great. Just remember to follow all the precautions you see in the video's that are posted on YouTube because you can get hurt because it can be extremely hot!! As to setting the new knot, most people use silicone to set the knot which is a semi-permanent solution because they may want to remove and re-set the knot after trying it due to the loft not being satisfactory or just not the right knot... I would suggest after you find a set-up that you like after using silicone that you steam it and remove the knot and then use an epoxy to re-set the knot permanently once you find what works for you... I will add that it only takes very little epoxy to set a knot in a handle and by no means would I fill up the bottom of the handle with too much epoxy for it to ooze up the sides of the knot...you need only place enough epoxy on the bottom of the knot to set it permanently.
This method looks and sounds intimidating at first but after you've done it once it becomes much easier to do the next go round!!
This method looks and sounds intimidating at first but after you've done it once it becomes much easier to do the next go round!!
