I have two handles that are hollow and I've been thinking how to fill up the bottom. I've heard of using epoxy/bonding putty but I tried and it seemed to put on too much weight. Then I've heard of epoxy. What is meant by epoxy? Mix a whole bunch and pour it in there? Then I've heard of mixing epoxy and cork. This might be something I'll try but before I go further I shall ask: What is your technique to fill in the handles and what are the results? Or any suggestions?
Filling The Bottoms
- Thread starter slamjet
- Start date
You can use household caulk which is cheaper than epoxy. You can use cork if you want to keep it light. You can use BBs, ball bearings, or coins if you want to make it heavy.
Someone suggested hot glue, and that's what I use. It's cheap, flows well and hardens quickly. You do have to leave a bit of space near the top for a layer of epoxy to serve as a hard, flat table for the knot.
Dave
Dave
the best one i've done and the one that came out perfectly balanced (not top or bottom heavy by adding pennies etc) was done like this:
Silicone (bathroom, clear), then a washer, then some silicone, then a washer, then silicone....until it was full.
i weighed a similar sized turned brush that i like the weight off. weighed the new restore, took the difference and came up with X # of washers. spaced them out in silicone and voila.
Silicone (bathroom, clear), then a washer, then some silicone, then a washer, then silicone....until it was full.
i weighed a similar sized turned brush that i like the weight off. weighed the new restore, took the difference and came up with X # of washers. spaced them out in silicone and voila.
- Thread starter
- #5
Now I get it. The key I was misreading... You don't fill it full of, you cap it off with epoxy. The fill is secondary and according to taste so long as it's packed tight.
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tightly packed is the key. i always fill it with clear bathroom (water resistant) silicone that comes in those squeeze tubes (we always have some in the house somewhere)
you do not want to have a nice restore start rattling down, so make sure to fill it up nicely (if you decide you want filler).
i also found the cheaper, ivory handles can sometimes show thru if you add dark weights (lead shot etc), so be careful what you add, as it may or may not show thru the sides/bottom etc. especially in high light. as they are quite thin, it sometimes shows.
I like to fill mine up with epoxy only. It started when I had a handle that was badly cracked and had to do it to hold it together. I liked the weight of it so I just kept doing it. I don't know that I would use silicone. It will not cure if you just fill the handle up, silicone needs air to cure and it will just form a film over the top and what's underneath wont harden. As far as adding wrunt you can pretty much use anything you want.
good to know, thanks for the info on the silicone drying times etc. the handle i filled and stacked with washers in between, i did let it air dry/harden to a firm caulking texture (not rock hard, but rubbery), before I assembled the brush...but i'll keep it in mind for the next one.
my last restore (everready butterscotch), i just added a cork for a shelf and filled with a bit of silicone, so no weight was added.
epoxy does makes sense and is probably a better choice, especially if the handle is cracked and/or may develope cracks.
learn something new every day on here. thanks.
If that's all you had it would work but I would add a little and let it dry then add more. You can fill the whole handle up at once with epoxy because it's the chemical reaction that makes it harden, but be aware it will make the handle HOT from the reaction. When I filled a handle for the first time I was amazed at the amount of heat that is given off.
