This is my first knot removal/restore and it was done with a brush that I haven't seen reknotted on any forums before, so I wanted to share my results. My issue with the knot was that the boar knot was too small to hold the amount of lather that I wanted... I thought a badger knot of the same size would hold more and also splay better (it does). I also had a bunch of boar brushes and wanted a badger in my collection... and really, really liked the handle of the semogue. From the beginning, actually, I had it in the back of my mind that it would get used for a reknotting project, as I was never enamored with the stiffness of that brush.
The Process:
First, getting the knot out was a pain. Acetone wouldn't do it, so I resorted to steam. That took a little over an hour (and some burns), but eventually I got it out. Unfortunately, there was still a bunch of epoxy left in the brush.
Second, despite the knot in the semogue being advertised as 21 mm, the base was considerably less. So much so that the base of the brush required considerably dremeling before an 18mm badger plug could be fitted. I tried doing this with sandpaper first (didn't have a dremel tool), but ended up accidentally removing paint on the middle (plastic section) of the handle, showing that it was gold underneath. Then I decided I liked a gold/black pattern and removed a bunch more paint to make something like stripes. Two months later, I bought a dremel tool and hollowed out the base easily.
Third, I fixed the knot with a tough glue that is removable with acetone.
Summary:
I have nothing but nice things to say about the weightiness of the handle - it's perfect - and the silvertip premium knot. It's incredibly soft, definitely more so than any budget silvertip brush I've tried. The only downside is that with the narrow cylindrical handle design, it's hard to hang in a stand.
I think the final size ended up around 22mm at the base by 50 mm loft (+/- 2mm). Perfect for my face lathering!
Before and after pics below.
The Process:
First, getting the knot out was a pain. Acetone wouldn't do it, so I resorted to steam. That took a little over an hour (and some burns), but eventually I got it out. Unfortunately, there was still a bunch of epoxy left in the brush.
Second, despite the knot in the semogue being advertised as 21 mm, the base was considerably less. So much so that the base of the brush required considerably dremeling before an 18mm badger plug could be fitted. I tried doing this with sandpaper first (didn't have a dremel tool), but ended up accidentally removing paint on the middle (plastic section) of the handle, showing that it was gold underneath. Then I decided I liked a gold/black pattern and removed a bunch more paint to make something like stripes. Two months later, I bought a dremel tool and hollowed out the base easily.
Third, I fixed the knot with a tough glue that is removable with acetone.
Summary:
I have nothing but nice things to say about the weightiness of the handle - it's perfect - and the silvertip premium knot. It's incredibly soft, definitely more so than any budget silvertip brush I've tried. The only downside is that with the narrow cylindrical handle design, it's hard to hang in a stand.
I think the final size ended up around 22mm at the base by 50 mm loft (+/- 2mm). Perfect for my face lathering!
Before and after pics below.
