Erskine 3109 Restore

[Spang]

I recently finished up the restore on this Erskine 3109 handle. I neglected to take any before photos, but this one came pretty gunked up and I wasn't sure how it would clean up. But as it turns out, pretty well. I wanted to preserve a bit of the ambering/patina, so I took a pretty light hand toward the polishing; no sanding, just a bit of work with the plastic polish after a good cleaning. I reknotted it with a Virginia Sheng 20mm silvertip ( a favorite knot of mine), set at 50mm.

I have seen other Erskine brushes marked 3109 but in different color combos. I do like this all faux-Ivory version, and I love the patina of these old thermoplastics. Based on what I found inside of this one when I de-knotted it, I'd judge this to be a pretty early Erskine, probably 1920s or 30s.



This one joins my collection of other Erskine handles, which I really like for their elegant sculpted shapes and great old-school character.

 

[Graydog]

Very nice, great job. Nice collection. Are the knots all from V.S.?

 

[Spang]

Very nice, great job. Nice collection. Are the knots all from V.S.?

Thanks! The first three knots, left to right, are VS silvertips; the one on the far right is a TGN finest. For that fairly small handle I needed a smaller knot, and the TGN 18mm finest turned out just about perfect.

 

[Kurtis]

How would you rate the backbone of the VS silvertips? I have a handle with a 19mm hole and think I can open it up to 20mm. I could probably get more, but I like the handle and don't want to screw it up. Thinking of a VS silvertip set at 48mm. Give or take a mm. I'm a face latherer and want at least a little backbone.

Very nice collection of Erskine brushes there. They definitely have very nice classic look to them.

 

[Graydog]

I am interested to hear that answer myself

 

[BSAGuy]

Nice brush. Well done restore.

 

[CigarSmoka]

I think you did just the right amount of work to bring it to life. It still maintains a vintage look without looking old & tired. Very nice!

 

[Spang]

How would you rate the backbone of the VS silvertips? I have a handle with a 19mm hole and think I can open it up to 20mm. I could probably get more, but I like the handle and don't want to screw it up. Thinking of a VS silvertip set at 48mm. Give or take a mm. I'm a face latherer and want at least a little backbone.

Very nice collection of Erskine brushes there. They definitely have very nice classic look to them.

For me, the VS silvertip knots have good backbone when set at a shorter (50mm or less) loft. I'm also a face latherer and I find the 20mm knot just about perfect at a loft between 46mm and 50mm. It doesn't have the backbone of, say, the TGN finest, but it isn't floppy by any means, and is superior to the TGN in terms of softness on the face. And, of course, it's also less money, if you don't mind waiting on the shipping from China. My experience with VS on that count has been pretty good; usually less than two weeks to the west coast.

Also, FYI, to account for the glue bump on the 20mm VS knot, you'll need an opening of 21 or 22mm. The plug is true to size, but as with most badger knots, the glue bump is about 1-2mm larger, and you'll need to be able to clear that in order to get the depth needed for your desired loft.

 

[Kurtis]

Thanks Spang. I'll order one to see if I can make it work. If not, I'll use it somewhere down the line. There's no shortage of old brushes that need new knots.

 

[Fishertwin]

Very nice. I am also an Erskine fan.

 

[Canivito2000]

Anyone have info on this Erskine brush?

 

[Clay S]

View attachment 954982 Anyone have info on this Erskine brush?

The bottom should have the model number. Is it visible?

 

[Big Jim]

Someone might but information about Erskine brushes is very skimpy. I inherited my grandfather's Erskine U-50 which I have reknotted, and have not been able to learn anything specific about it.

 

[GAW9576]

Very nice work. And nice collection.
I frequently forget the before pictures on projects also.