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Brush project.

Oh the suspense!
New build? Restore? Wood? Bakelite? Which knot? We need details man!... and pics.
Don't be such a tease.
 
Haha my apologies sir, I got the knot, posted this thread in a hurry and immediately went to work. Here are the details of my project:

It's a new build, made of curleaf mountain mahogany (northwest).
I bought the 24 mm finest two band from the golden nib.
Here are some progress pics:

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That's better, thanks. I am not familiar with that wood. It looks to have very nice grain and color.
I just installed the same knot in my latest handle. That must have been one funky badger as it took several baths with Dawn dish soap and a good bit of TOBS Sandalwood to knock down the stench.
I'll post pics in the showcase so it doesn't confuse your thread.
 
That's better, thanks. I am not familiar with that wood. It looks to have very nice grain and color.
I just installed the same knot in my latest handle. That must have been one funky badger as it took several baths with Dawn dish soap and a good bit of TOBS Sandalwood to knock down the stench.
I'll post pics in the showcase so it doesn't confuse your thread.

You are very welcome, sir. I took those pictures with my smartphone with bad lighting. I am going to take some better quality pictures tomorrow with my camera. The phone pictures hardly do this wood any justice...it is the most beautiful wood (I think) I have ever worked with. Harder than a chunk of marble. I am going to burn a high gloss wax into it once my sanding is done to seal it then it will get a few coats of polyurethane. OR, I may do a tung oil finish...haven't decided yet. I also noticed the overpowering stench on this knot...I have had other brushes and this one takes the gold for stink.

Do you have a link for the showcase? I am not familiar of this...thank you.

-CAP
 
The "showcase" is a sticky thread at the top of the brush making and restorations forum. I am not sure how to do a link.

Sorry, it is called the Brush Hobbyists Display Cabinet.
 
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I drill the hole in the blank prior to lathe work. The guide point hole from a 1" forstner bit centers the drive center. Then I use the 1" jaws for my Nova chuck to clean up the base. That's one reason I like a 24mm knot.
I'll try do remember to take step by step photos on the next project. Not that I am an expert or that you need instruction.
 
Here are some more progress pictures. After my sanding sequence 80 grit -1200 grit, I put a high gloss seal on it. Next stop, careful measurements and drilling the hole for the knot.
$uploadfromtaptalk1396984336575.jpg$uploadfromtaptalk1396984358222.jpg$uploadfromtaptalk1396984373445.jpg
 
Nice finish. Is it the High Gloss Friction polish that is a yellowish color before it dries?
That does look like very dense wood. The grain structure seems similar to osage orange but without the "Dick Tracy" color.
Keep up the good work.
 
Nice finish. Is it the High Gloss Friction polish that is a yellowish color before it dries?
That does look like very dense wood. The grain structure seems similar to osage orange but without the "Dick Tracy" color.
Keep up the good work.

Thank you for the kind words, sir. I don't think it is a friction polish?..it's called hut wax, I actually use two grades, one low gloss then a high gloss over top of the first coat. It isn't yellow and what I do is apply it while the piece is turning on my lathe and then go to high speed and burn it into the wood with soft cloth. I really like working with this wood! I did some practice holes today for my knot ...I think I'm ready.
 
You probably know this, but make sure you drill the hole for the knot deeper than you think you need. On my first brush I drilled the hole just a bit deeper than the knot base and the brush ended up more floppy than I liked. I also epoxied it in so no chance of a redo for the handle. I drill to about 20mm or so and loose 1 or 2 squaring up and sanding on the lathe. Leaves it with 18mm or so, plenty of room to play with the loft. On the recommendation of someone on this forum (my apologies for forgetting who) I use silicone to "temporarily" glue in the knot so it can be easily removed to adjust the loft after a trial run.
Happy turning.

Dave
 
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