Career ending injury for my brush?

[jbp84]

I've been using a cheap brush I found on-line. It's certainly not a silvertip like the site says. I'm pretty sure it's a pure badger due to it's scratchiness when lathering. The other day while squeezing out the water before building my lather I heard/felt a "pop" in the brush similar to the sickening sound I heard when I tore my ACL in high school. Apparently where the bristles are connected to the handle (sorry for not knowing the proper terminology) is completely separated. So now the brush part wobbles freely from the handle, though it's still inside of the handle. I'm not too upset since I ordered an EJ Best badger brush last week and should receive it soon. My concern is whether or not this happened because of something I did wrong. I don't want to repeat this as I move into the realm of better quality brushes.

I use an electric kettle to heat up my water to the boiling point, then I let the brush soak in the bowl while I take a shower (10 minutes usually). I'll then give it a good squeeze and one or two good shakes before I start lathering. Should I not be using water that's so hot? Should I not be shaking it? I didn't think I was shaking it so hard. The only things about brush maintenance I've found on the forums is about washing the brush, but nothing about water being too hot for a brush, or soaking it in hot water too long.

Thanks

 

[taprater]

I have that same brush and it did the same thing all that holds the bristles in is some glue, a good application of some epoxy and it will be good as new. As far as soaking use hot but not quite boiling water no matter what brush.

Hope this helps and enjoy the EJ when you get it I have a chrome handle one and love it.

 

[andrew98]

I've read on here that it's ok to soak the brush hair in hot water, but don't submerge the knot (part that's tied and glued inside the handle) in near boiling water. Maybe let the kettle cool off the boil two minutes or so, pour that into a mug that's not terribly larger than the brush. Make sure the water level only goes up to within about a half inch of the handle. Just a thought.

I can't imagine that near boiling water is terribly good for hair, but I don't know. Personally, I just rinse my brush in hot tap water a little before I load it with soap and then face lather away. My tap water isn't hot enough to scald me, so I assume it's alright for the brush.

-Andy

 

[Schwert]

Boiling is too hot me thinks.

You can probably pull the knot completely and either get a better knot from Golden Nib or epoxy the original back in.

 

[Greybeard]

The disparate materials used for the handle and glue to secure the knot expand and contract at different rates. This causes the bond between the glue and handle to break and the knot to come loose. This is less likely to occur with the handles on more expensive brushes. These are usually made from a thicker resin/acrylic which aside from being more resistant to expansion, is of a more similar composition to the glue.

The handles on cheaper brushes are usually made from plastic (sometimes hollow) and cheaper hardwoods which are not completely sealed.

That being said, I would still never soak my brush in boiling water. It's just too hard on most materials. The hot water directly from my tap is 135 degrees and I find that hot enough. Any hotter than 135 degrees is scalding.



- Peter

 

[jbp84]

Maybe let the kettle cool off the boil two minutes or so

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I don't pour the water in right after it starts boiling. The kettle's in the kitchen, so by the time I make my way upstairs, take care of other business in the bathroom, yell at my sons to quit fighting, etc., it's had a few minutes to cool off. It's fairly cold in our bathroom upstairs and that helps cool the water off too. I'll try to watch out for not submerging the whole brush and leaving the handle out. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Schwert]

Just yank the knot and glue in a nice new one....

 

[cooncatbob]

Why soak for 10 minutes?
The brush head is going to absorb all the heat and water it's going to in 30-60 seconds, 10 minutes is just asking for trouble.
Heat will soften epoxy and probably other glues as well, it's also not good for any finish that might be used on a wooden handle , marine grade or not.
The information spread on these sites isn't necessarily Gospel and some of it is erroneous.

 

[jbp84]

Why soak for 10 minutes?
The brush head is going to absorb all the heat and water it's going to in 30-60 seconds, 10 minutes is just asking for trouble.
Heat will soften epoxy and probably other glues as well, it's also not good for any finish that might be used on a wooden handle , marine grade or not.
The information spread on these sites isn't necessarily Gospel and some of it is erroneous.

The 5-10 minutes is just a ballpark figure for how long it takes me to shower. I guess I need to change my pre-shave routine. Instead of soaking my brush, wetting my soap, etc. before I shower I'll just start doing it after I shower.

 

[Mink]

Why soak for 10 minutes?
The brush head is going to absorb all the heat and water it's going to in 30-60 seconds, 10 minutes is just asking for trouble.
Heat will soften epoxy and probably other glues as well, it's also not good for any finish that might be used on a wooden handle , marine grade or not.
The information spread on these sites isn't necessarily Gospel and some of it is erroneous.

+1 all this. I submerge my brush in water that is less hot than bathwater (<100F). I press on the sides to get all the air bubbles out and let it soak for another minute. If you're using a very cheap brush, I can't imagine what they used for glue - hopefully it's waterproof. If the glue plug is damaged you will need a new knot and they're available from Golden Nib.

Good luck

 

[Telecaster52]

similar thing happened with my ebay chinese cheapo, but the hair came out in plugs. i decided to hold on to them and after 40-50% gradually came out, i gave it a tug to remove the rest, retied the knot, and epoxied it back in. It ain't pretty, but it works

 

[WhosYerBob]

I use boiling water to moisten the lower half of my boar brush just before using it. No problems so far.