First go at turning poly went fine so decide to cut some faux tortoise next. Got a nice knot from a kind member who posted it for sale in the BST. I think he said it was a grade A silvertip from TGN. It is about 24mm knot with nice splay and feel. Handle is simple again but has a profile/feel that I tend to prefer in brushes.
In hindsight, I wonder if after I drilled the hole for the knot if I should have gone down a size or two forstner and continued to hollow out the handle. The drilled portion shows the tortoise pattern better without getting close to light. Not sure if it is because it allows more light transmission or the interior provides backing color to show the pattern. In normal lighting it is mostly brownish looking except near the knot where drilled. But so far pretty happy with the results.
In hindsight, I wonder if after I drilled the hole for the knot if I should have gone down a size or two forstner and continued to hollow out the handle. The drilled portion shows the tortoise pattern better without getting close to light. Not sure if it is because it allows more light transmission or the interior provides backing color to show the pattern. In normal lighting it is mostly brownish looking except near the knot where drilled. But so far pretty happy with the results.