Filling a Hollow Handle

[azrichter]

I just bought this brush, a variant of the Ever Ready 100. It has yielded nicely to sanding and should be sharp. Sanding has brought out a lighter, almost periwinkle blue---its kinda pretty.

Removing the knot I've found that the handle is totally hollow.

I have the old knot out and the opening is nice and clean. I'm wondering about filling the cavity---what to use?

I'm hesitant to fill it with epoxy because of the heat. I do have a big tube of clear silicone caulk laying around (I love using stuff I find laying around! ) I'm thinking that this might be ideal---silicone has a nice density, cures slow and cool, will flow easily into the handle and I can set a platform for the new knot easily onto the bed of silicone.

Anyone else used silicone (or other caulk-like material) or have another suggestion? I hope I'm not overlooking a potential problem.

 

[Kostas1]

Silicone is a good choice IMO. I did the same with a red/white ER 100 I re-knotted. May want to add some pennies, metal washers, or ball bearings for some added weight.

Good Luck.

p.s. What knot you putting in that bad boy?

 

[eelhc]

Why is heat a problem with epoxy? It only loosens when quite hot. Is it if you ever wanted to redo the brush?

I intend fill the bulk of the cavity with a cylindrical neodymium magnet like some restorers here have done. It adds weight and can hang from metal shelving bar upside down so the brush will not need a stand. I am making a shelving unit for my shave den and I will build in some sort of a metal bar on the top shelf so my restored brushes can hang below.

 

[MaxP]

Silicone is a great solution, especially since you have it on hand.

A plug of the thickness required will, however, take a week to fully cure. An option is a cork. Another option is BBs. Much depends on whethr you think the handle needs additional weight and, how much weight.
I have used Fimo modeling clay, washers, cork. However, I've never filled a handle with epoxy simply because of the volume required and the cost of epoxy.

My suggestion is washers and cork.

 

[azrichter]

Silicone is a good choice IMO. I did the same with a red/white ER 100 I re-knotted. May want to add some pennies, metal washers, or ball bearings for some added weight.

Good Luck.

p.s. What knot you putting in that bad boy?

Either a silvertip from TGN or WD, or a TGN Finest. Fortunately I live about 30 minutes from Tony's store in Scottsdale and can shop for a knot I think will look best in that handle. Opening is 21mm, so I'll try a 20mm. I don't want to fool with widening the opening.

I'm preparing the ER and and this cool old green/black Peerless as Christmas gifts for my brothers. I think a Finest would look killer in the Peerless handle (which looks much better in person than in this photo). I have a feeling I'll be filling the Peerless handle, too. The biggest problem will probably be giving the brushes away!

 

[azrichter]

Why is heat a problem with epoxy? It only loosens when quite hot. Is it if you ever wanted to redo the brush?

Only thinking of the heat generated by this much epoxy as it cures and the possibility that it might get hot enough to distort the plastic.

 

[Legion]

Only thinking of the heat generated by this much epoxy as it cures and the possibility that it might get hot enough to distort the plastic.

I would agree. Go with the silicon, and throw a few coins in first for weight.

 

[shavervinnie]

I would agree. Go with the silicon, and throw a few coins in first for weight.

I like this. BTW, I've only used RTV Silicone to set knots on 5 restos that I've done. Works like a charm.

 

[GDCarrington]

Go with Silicone for filler and use the epoxy for the hard securing of knots and handles.

 

[Comet]

I have used fishing sinkers with success, filling up with epoxy

 

[Redstickjohn]

I have very successfully used 20mm pellets for my pellet gun, set in epoxy, along with wine cork to control the weight. I just moved, and found a bag of #8 shot from my shotgun reloading days, and it seems to be the perfect medium for hollow fill. I'm going to use the shot on my next brush restore.

 

[azrichter]

I like this. BTW, I've only used RTV Silicone to set knots on 5 restos that I've done. Works like a charm.

Do you create a platform for the knot to sit on, or just fill to the right level with RTV and set the knot into it? Or...something else?

 

[Deltaboy]

All great ideas !

 

[TAP119]

Dear azrichter,

I did an EverReady restore and when I'd cleaned out the old bristles, the styrene plastic handle was hollow. Styrene is the hard and sometimes brittle plastic from which scale models are molded, as opposed to acrylic plastic from resin which is used by current plastic handle manufacturers (such as TGN).

The ER 100 handle was so light that I used 8 nickels to add some weight and fill the void. These were what I had at hand, were the correct diameter and gave the handle an excellent weight. It feels great in my hand and gives a good balance for me with the 20mm knot I used. I'm attaching a photo from my reconstruction (about which I'd written on B&B).

I used Devco 5 minute epoxy to secure the coins only because I had that available. I did not consider the heat issue with using as much epoxy as I did although I waited for it to cure in the handle before inserting the knot in the top. All epoxies give off heat while they cure due to that being an exothermic (heat giving off) chemical reaction as opposed to the sports injury "Kwik-Kold" pack's endothermic (heat absorbing) chemical reaction.

I've used silicone sealant as a void filler on a recent restore for my nephew Brian and that worked OK. I set the knot on the above ER 100 with DAP silicone adhesive sealant (for aquariums) and it has worked well.

Hope this added some insight for you.

Regards,

Ted

 

[azrichter]

Dear azrichter,



Hope this added some insight for you.

Regards,

Ted

Ted, Thanks...it has.

 

[djh985]

I filled the bottom with pennies then Elmer's glue all max and let it dry to form a base. Then the epoxy and knot on top of that. The Elmer's is waterproof and wasnt too costly. Worked well.

 

[Lather]

I have a brush restore on the go. Just waiting for my TGN knot in the mail but I plan to use BBs to add some heft to the handle.
I also plan to mix epoxy with the BBs and secure the knot. I may have to add a spacer/cork to set the knot height.

As far as epoxy goes, the heat generated by the chemical reaction should not melt a plastic handle. If the epoxy gets too hot, that means the resin/hardener is not proportionate. I prefer using epoxy but silicone is just as effective.

A lot of great ideas in this thread.

 

[gmgaj]

I've used durham's water putty with good success. I filled the lower portion, leaving excess room to mount the knot. I used some pennies to set the depth of the knot, and filled the rest with epoxy. It works great and adds a nice heft to the handle.

 

[hig789]

I would not use silicone to fill the void in a plastic handle, unless you do it very slowly which could take days. If you fill it up with silicone only the top will cure and leave the bottom a liquid, because silicone needs air to harden, and if you added something to add some weight to the handle it could shift to one side making the brush feel lopsided. The reason that everyone uses epoxy is because its the chemical reaction that hardens it. I would not worry about the heat put off in chemical reaction hurting the plastic on a brush. I like to fill my hollow handles with only epoxy to add weight, and I have filled everything from thin plastic Ever Readys to cracked up solid Catalin handles and have not had a issue out of either one. If you are that worried about it, fill them up and sit them in front of a fan while the epoxy cures. I know this is a old post but maybe it will help someone else out.

 

[gwsmallwood]

Thread revival time.

I've read up on the options, and I think I'm going to fill my plastic VDH handle with coins. It's going to take 19 or 20 pennies and 4 nickels.

My question is how should I epoxy them in? Do I place them one at a time adding a little epoxy to the top of each as I go, or do I just put a good amount of epoxy in the bottom and insert them all at once?

Follow up. Do I set the knot at the same time, or should I let the coins (which make the knot shelf) set up and then come back and set the knot later?