Building the perfect brush

[oxford1833]

I'm experimenting with turning custom handles and looking for design ideas. In my mind, the characteristics of a good handle are a feel good in hand, a solid grip, a stable foot, and aesthetic appeal (I tend toward natural finishes with a prominent grain, but I'm not opposed to painting). What would you add or take away from this list? I would love to see pics of your favorites.

As for the knot, I think a densely packed silvertip bulb is the gold standard. I've had good success with TGN. Anything else I should consider?

 

[tubaguy]

I, personally, prefer a TGN Finest over their plain Silvertip.

 

[theretroshave]

I've read some good things about wetshavingproducts.com's High Mountain White Super Silvertip knots. If you decide to try one of these, please let us know how they compare to your TGN experience. Good luck with your experiment!

 

[Ducati Scotty]

I think the handle is a highly personal choice. You can see from what's out there that there are a huge variety of shapes and sizes to choose from. I'm sure you can come up with several different designs that would all sell well. I myself prefer larger handles, just easier to hold.

I prefer natural finishes to paint. If paint chips it looks bad. If a natural finish chips it still looks like wood.

Silver tip is the gold standard but if you read you'll see there are lots of fans of good boar knots too. The unfortunate part is that it's tough to charge a premium price for a finished boar brush which would no doubt cut into your profits. Also, there don't seem to be as many suppliers or much variety avaiable for boar knots.

Scott

 

[Mad Man]

Natural finish in wood means a stabilized material to begin with. Painted handles can chip. Shape is highly personal and subjective.

I'll echo the post above about TGN Finest, their 24mm XH knots are stellar and very affordable.

 

[McJAGGER]

I love natural finish! Are you selling any of your turned handles? If you are PM me, I have been thinking about getting an unfinished one and finishing it with stain and my own knot.

 

[deruitem]

I love the look of wood and the weight of acrylic. For a comfortable handle I like a Eagle shape (or something like it). If you like something a little longer try a M7 shape.

For the knot I would go with a Silvertip Grade A if you want very little to no scritch and set the knot a little low. If you like a little scritch try the Finest. You can get other knots from other vendors but the cost is high. If you want a lower cost silvertip that is still soft and dense try whippeddog.